Quote:
Originally Posted by zyzz
I would love to see the bluelines on these teams. 3rd and 4th lines as well, cringe worthy..
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The worst defences in the NHL today would be above average in the NHL the year we won the Cup. The opening of Europe and the massive growth of the game in the US (which is still a developing nation in terms of hockey talent) swelled the talent pool faster than the 1991-2000 expansion phase drained it.
If you want to compare a theoretical 32-team NHL in 2015-16 to the current 30 teams, then yes, there would be a slight decrease in the average talent. But if you want to compare that theoretical 32-team league to what we had 15 years ago, 25 years ago, 35 years ago... No contest. It would probably take the addition of a dozen teams to bring the talent pool down to 1980s levels.