WeHaveMoreCupsThanYou
I will get banned again soon, worry not.
Ottawa hasn't fully committed to a rebuild in that time. They've just sucked like the Habs did under Bergevin.
Around The League - 2024-25 Regular Season
- Thread starter GGpX
- Start date
Ottawa hasn't fully committed to a rebuild in that time. They've just sucked like the Habs did under Bergevin.
They needed a Starbucks delivery guy
Huge difference when you are starting with a clean slate and dumb regimes hand you 2/3 of a top 6 and Theodore from day 1
Sal_Butera
Well-known member
There were some excellent deals like Stone for Brannstrom…. highway robbery.
Stephenson for a 5th rounder? Eichel for essentially Tuck, Krebs like Brannstrom another bust? And obviously the friendly no state tax allowing Pietrangelo UFA signing.
Not falling in love with prospects and draft picks has helped VGK immeasurably..
True but league wide stupidity is the big difference
Sabres did well for Eichel under the sequences
Stone and other deals were good , but their window is closing in a year or so
I think that's the single biggest takeaway. They only have one drafted by them player - Nick Hague - on the team, and they dealt Glass, Suzuki, Krebs, Branstrom, all first rounders . . . and they just pretty easily won the Cup. Well done!
GGpX
Well-known member
Vegas exploited a flaw in the system: Most prospects don't pan out.
It's easy to point to Tampa Bay in the last decade and Detroit in the 90s/2000s, but those teams drafting that well was usually more due to luck than actually being good at it. Once the late round diamonds stopped coming in, the roll started slowing down.
Another thing Las Vegas has going for them? They don't have a single albatross contract. You could argue maybe so & so player's overpaid, or maybe has a little too much term, but it's nothing egregious.
And I get that they took advantage of the LTIR loophole to go over the cap & Stone was conveniently healthy to play on the first day of the playoffs, but as long as the NHL doesn't put a cap on that loophole, teams should take full advantage of it.
It's easy to point to Tampa Bay in the last decade and Detroit in the 90s/2000s, but those teams drafting that well was usually more due to luck than actually being good at it. Once the late round diamonds stopped coming in, the roll started slowing down.
Another thing Las Vegas has going for them? They don't have a single albatross contract. You could argue maybe so & so player's overpaid, or maybe has a little too much term, but it's nothing egregious.
And I get that they took advantage of the LTIR loophole to go over the cap & Stone was conveniently healthy to play on the first day of the playoffs, but as long as the NHL doesn't put a cap on that loophole, teams should take full advantage of it.
GrandWazoo
Well-known member
I love that Vegas took a different strategy and blew a hole into the only way to win is to tank for 10 years and draft a franchise player or two. Always felt that teams should be more willing to draft picks and prospects, especially for established stars.
WeHaveMoreCupsThanYou
I will get banned again soon, worry not.
Vegas has that luxury because they're in Vegas, a market that is attractive to established stars in a state with no taxes. No Canadian market has that luxury. For established stars who can pick and choose where they play, Canadian markets represent shitty weather, high taxes, media fishbowls and, in the case of the Habs, linguistic bullshit. Teams like the Habs, Sens, Jets and Oilers can't get established stars, generally speaking. They either draft a star or they don't get a star. You think the Oilers could ever get a McDavid or a Draisaitl without drafting them? Not a chance.
People scoff and say that because of the expansion rules working in their favor, that the Knights were "born on third base", but the reality is that even if the rules didn't favor them they'd still be Vegas so they'd still, essentially, be on third base from the get-go.
GrandWazoo
Well-known member
For sure some teams are privileged over others, but even among the privileged teams they were most aggressive than most. Teams are too conservatives in general, but Montreal never had too much issues retaining their players, acquiring them is another story though.
CH1
The Artist Formerly Known as chiggins.
Yeah...they approached every year with an "all in" attitude... kept trying to acquire the best players available on the market, while being unafraid to package futures for them...they took big swings and as it turns out, suffered no real strike outs, and eventually everything fell into place.
eventually that strategy ends in tears...but who the fuck cares? they got their chip.
There are no excuses to go against the tax saving or better weather teams
Like you said , Habs have no issue retaining their draft picks .....so draft and develop better
Edmonton got 2 freak of nature players for a near decade .......make it work around them
Stop making dumb moves and get the right regime in place , no more excuses
Vegas or Florida cant attract every player unless your cap is 200 million
You know your challenges ......work around it .....80+ plus mil is plenty of moola to figure it out
GrandWazoo
Well-known member
There should be a logo of a few other teams with a thank you smiley on that cup
Sal_Butera
Well-known member
In hindsight that should’ve been MBs blueprint when being named Habs GM - gotta believe 2012-2015 1 rounders along w Beaulieu in 2013 would’ve netted value towards playoff success
There was never a blueprint except Price and a bible
Habs were never built to win ....dont bring up the BS covid gift
CH1
The Artist Formerly Known as chiggins.
MB didn’t pick a lane — half “make the playoffs because anything can happen”
Half “drafting and development is the most important thing”
impossible to win the jackpot when you hedge every bet.
Sal_Butera
Well-known member
What about 2014? Habs take out NYR if Price is healthy and more so if that all in strategy was applied
CH1
The Artist Formerly Known as chiggins.
Not true. During the peak Price window (13, 14 and 15), Habs had Price, Patches, Markov, Subban and good support crew like Pleks, Eller , DD, Gallagher etc
Needed another star and had futures ammo to get it (Galchenyuk, Beaulieu plus multiple 1st rounders before they turned to shit like McCarron and Tinordi)