Ideally we'll be contenders when the major pieces of our new core are between 24 and 26 years old. Monahan will be 20 for the 14-15 season, Gaudreau 21, Jankowski 20, our 2014 draft pick will be 18 or 19, and our 2015 pick will be 17 or 18.
Best-case scenario: we overachieve, one of our goalies turns out to be a top-ten goalie, our '14 and '15 picks are home-runs, Gaudreau exceeds expectations and we're contending for Division titles and Conference Finals when he's 24. So the likely best-case is a surprise wild-card appearance in the 2016 playoffs. A solid 2nd or 3rd in the division in 2016-2017, and then the Conference Finals or better in 2017-18.
More likely: We're not seriously contending in the West until Gaudreau is around 27-28, giving us a realistic goal of making the Conference Finals in 2021 or 2022.
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