Quote:
Originally Posted by Yamer
Count me in that group....to an extent. One could argue that Chicago provided these standouts with a better supporting class, mostly due to more competent management and leadership behind the bench. Edmonton seems content in front loading and poaching other teams' assets (Vanik, Penner, Schultz).
Either way, it has to be disappointing for fans to not witness the explosiveness that followed teams like Chicago, Anaheim, and Pittsburgh after landing several key picks to bolster their rosters.
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I would say it has to be more than disappointing. A major factor in the success of Chicago and Pittsburgh was that they were able to win with a few of their star players still playing out their ELCs. The Hawks were able to sign Hossa in large part because they were getting such a bargain from the play of Toews, Kane and Keith. The Oilers are rapidly burning valuable years off of these ELCs in meaningless seasons in which they appear no where even close to competing for a playoff berth, to say nothing of winning a championship. Next year, they will have two more years of Yakupov on his rookie contract, $6.0 m cap-hits for both Eberle and Hall, and Nugent-Hopkins and Schultz each set to sign their first big-money contract, all in a season in which team spending is restricted by the new CBA.
The Oilers look like they will likely finish in the bottom-third again this year, and that has to be considered borderline disastrous with what they have to show for their planning and efforts of the past four years.