Which team is the furthest away from being a playoff team?

[Foxy]

we were bad because of abysmal drafting for a decade which kept the cupboards bare and then sold literally everything of value. We had nothing on the team and decided to be bad/tank. The problem is we had so little at the start of the tank outside of picks we got, then Murray rushed (ruined) things and Botterill was almost as bad.

So the main reason we were bad for so long is a decent stretch of bad drafting, followed by an intentional implosion that was then mishandled by two GMs. None of that has any bearing on the current situation. Our U23 is stacked and our current GM hasn't showed anything yet to put him on the level of his predecessors. Being bad for so long is actually a positive when it comes to this discussion since it is why we have such a good group of upcoming players.

I'm looking at the question as who I think will be the last in the playoffs, thus to me, the furthest from being a playoff team. If your argument for the is Sabres that they have been awful at drafting for over a decade and have already had 2 failed rebuilds, but trust me, this time its going to work out(Pegula is still there). I'd say I disagree. The Coyotes, yes are all a mess, but their previous failed rebuilds have at least gotten them to a winning record where they just missed the playoffs and even won the wild card round. Kraken still have a ways to go to, but the Pacific is typically a weak division, so their is an easier route for them.

 

[GOALOFSSON]

I'm looking at the question as who I think will be the last in the playoffs, thus to me, the furthest from being a playoff team. If your argument for the is Sabres that they have been awful at drafting for over a decade and have already had 2 failed rebuilds, but trust me, this time its going to work out(Pegula is still there). I'd say I disagree. The Coyotes, yes are all a mess, but their previous failed rebuilds have at least gotten them to a winning record where they just missed the playoffs and even won the wild card round. Kraken still have a ways to go to, but the Pacific is typically a weak division, so their is an easier route for them.

Um...

My argument is primarily that the Sabres are much further along in the rebuild then either of those teams. The gap in U23 talent is huge. Like not even close. Thus to me, it is laughable that your argument is almost entirely built upon things that hold no relevancy to how close the Sabres are to making the playoffs. Our drafting was bad from the early 2000s to the early 2010s and prior GMs/coaches were bad so that hurts us going forward how? Drafts from 10-20 years ago (under different ownership) and GMs who aren't here anymore are doing what again to prevent us from making the playoffs? Pegula doesn't hold nearly as much weight as you seem to think he does lol. The players are what matter the most so I don't think ignoring them is a good idea.

This isn't a "trust me, this time it's going to work" thing. It's a trust me it already did work thing.

 

[Foxy]

Um...

My argument is primarily that the Sabres are much further along in the rebuild then either of those teams. The gap in U23 talent is huge. Like not even close. Thus to me, it is laughable that your argument is almost entirely built upon things that hold no relevancy to how close the Sabres are to making the playoffs. Our drafting was bad from the early 2000s to the early 2010s and prior GMs/coaches were bad so that hurts us going forward how? Drafts from 10-20 years ago (under different ownership) and GMs who aren't here anymore are doing what again to prevent us from making the playoffs? Pegula doesn't hold nearly as much weight as you seem to think he does lol. The players are what matter the most so I don't think ignoring them is a good idea.

This isn't a "trust me, this time it's going to work" thing. It's a trust me it already did work thing.

Fair enough, I would agree the u23 talent is a better then Seattle and Arizona, but your "trust me it already did work thing" is currently 5th to last in point pct, still a long, long way to go, and management, especially when projecting multiple years out, matters almost as much as the players. Honestly, I don't think the Sabres, Arizona or Seattle make it in the next four years. After that, as to who gets in last is really just a guess and my guess is the Sabres. How close do you really think the Sabres are from making the playoffs?