spader wrote: hemlock wrote: spader wrote: hemlock wrote: strachattack wrote: SpezDispenser wrote:Or we could just go with:
Cowen - Karlsson
Phillips - Gonchar
Kuba - Rundblad
Carkner
and take the pain. Anderson will have to be ludicrously good though for us not to be selecting the Nail next year.
I'm completely happy with that line up. If it shows signs of a disaster with no marked improvement over time you can resort to plan B and bring in a cheap aging vet to help steady the ship. It would have to be craptacular for that to happen though. If we finish with a lottery pick next year I hope we get to watch a young fun team like the Oilers in the process. I'm cool with that because you know it's only a matter of time before the kids mature and become awesome.
If we are going to suck next year, we'd better suck all the way to a top 1-2 pick. That's the difference between the Oilers and Lightning and say
Florida, who is never bad enough to get a franchise talent, and is always in a perpetual rebuild. Look at the Lightning, who are one game from the Finals. A huge part of that is due to being a very bad club and drafting guys like Vecavalier, Stamkos, and Hedman etc.
Plus, I can't take another season of sucking, then making a futile Leaf-esque push that results in only hurting our draft position, then getting screwing by the draft lottery.
There are more reasons than draft positioning to explain Florida's Dung on-ice product.
Ok, so how about Columbus or NYI? My point stands and that is when talking about building through the draft, clearly it's easier to do when you're drafting at the top.
Ottawa will never get back to the powerhouse it once was (even if the cap only allows it for a season or two), without a lot of luck and great drafting. When they built before they had the advantage of several top 2 picks to build a vast stable of talent. Tampa for example has done this and now they are flourishing. Granted, they had lots of talent left over from the Cup winning team, but with Stamkos, Hedman et al. they are going to be competitive for a long time I would think. On the other hand, you have teams like NYI and CBJ that usually finish in the middle of the pack of non-playoff teams and seem to do nothing but spin their wheels year in and year out. Pittsburgh is the obvious candidate to point out how high picks can turn a franchise around with Sid and Geno.
As far as finding diamonds in the rough at the draft and seeing them become stars, that is getting fewer and farther in between, as the years go by. No longer is there a big gap between the teams that draft really well and those that don't. Team scouting departments are as big and widespread as they've ever been, combined with technology means that very few players are unrecognized anymore. This means that draft position is even more important than ever, especially in a cap world, where it's a prerequisite to winning a Cup that you have guys on value deals.
So, like I said, enduring a season like this past one is just not worth a 6th overall pick. If we are bad next year, hopefully they continue to purge contracts and go with youth further. We've still got some guys who I'd trade without batting an eyelash.
Columbus has drafted in the top-10 every year of their existence except for one. They don't draft well. They seem to have a terrible group of scouts. NYI is a better example. They've drafted in the middle of the pack many times, but they don't draft very well either and make insane management decisions.
I disagree that you need to tank to win. Detroit has never tanked and has been dominant for a jillion years. When did Vancouver last tank? San Jose? Boston? There are great teams that have been well managed that dominate.
EDIT: Just curious, who would you "trade without batting an eyelash"?
I never said you
need to tank to win. My assertion was that building through the draft is easier if you have a higher picks. Of course there are teams that are better than others but like I said, the gap isn't what it used to be. Scouting for the most part is taken very seriously by all franchises.
The fact is, Ottawa fans are trying to sugar coat what happened in the last 20 or so games of the season. Ottawa blew it. Plain and simple. They could have stayed the course (or actively tanked like some other teams) and finished lower in the standings. Those wins were meaningless. The public had already accepted the situation and more losses wouldn't have really hurt the team support wise. Now, instead of having our pick of a select few guys, we are left to take whomever lands in our laps. It's a kick in a groin after enduring such a Dung season, then having management all but come out and claim rebuild.
Detroit never has had to tank, partly because until the cap era, they maintained a gigantic payroll, in addition to drafting well. The biggest reason I'd say though is that they develop well. Because they always seem to have few holes, they've been able to not have a few rookies have to take spots before they are ready each year seemingly. They can allow guys to develop longer than most teams because of this.
Vancouver has never tanked, but the draft has been huge for them, in particular the Sedins who went 2rd/3rd overall, which supports my argument. It also helps when they make trades to rob other franchises blind such as the Luongo deal and the Ehrhoff deal. I certainly will concede that Boston and San Jose have done it without the draft by and large, but they have a critical piece going for them that teams like Ottawa don't: the ability to attract FAs.
As far as who I'd trade
if next season goes south: Neil, Michalek, Gonchar, Phillips, Kuba, Carkner. That's assuming anyone wants some of them.
Finally, I'll ask you this: Would you rather be the Florida Panthers who continue to toil in mediocrity decade after decade, or be the Lightning, who are successful for a stretch, then suck as hard as is humanely possible for a few years, then get back to being a very competitive team? Now ask yourself, what model are the Senators following based on this past season?
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