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Originally Posted by Resolute 14
The "Detroit model" (actually originated by the Canadiens) depends on enough quality draft picks coming in to replace the aging veterans going out. The Wings are losing skill faster than they are currently acquiring it, thus the problem. A couple decades of terrible drafting forced the Oilers and Flames into full rebuilds for the same reason - the dearth of talent coming in completely overwhelmed the teams' ability to compete.
Vancouver's problem is that they are far closer to Calgary and Edmonton than they are the 90s Red Wings and 70s Canadiens. They struck-out completely in the 2007 draft. The only player from 2008 (Hodgson) they traded for magic beans. 2009 didn't turn into much (Schroeder, Connaughton). 2010 was a bust, and I have little reason to expect that any top end talent will be found from their 2011 and 2012 picks. So the Canucks are desperately hoping that Horvat, Shinkaruk and Virtanen turn into something, but these guys are probably 2-3 years away from being terribly useful NHL players.
Since we love the comparisons to the Flames in this thread, I would probably line Vancouver's 2013 draft with our 2011. They really want Horvat and Shinkaruk to step up and be great players. For us, having Granlund, Wotherspoon and Baertschi step into the NHL as players of quality would move our team forward in a hurry. Problem for Vancouver is they are behind us on the development timeline and I'm not seeing those guys as the types to make quantum leaps like Monahan did.
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Totally agree - and that is my point with the Red Wings. I think that is what every organization should strive for, but sometimes things just don't pan out and you are forced into a more aggressive rebuild. Only part I disagree with is with the Hodgson trade - Kassian does look more and more like a contributing piece to the future, just don't think he will become as important a piece as fans are claiming him to become (which is understandable when an organization is lacking in prospect depth - Flames fans overvalued many a prospect not that long ago).
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Originally Posted by FAN
No the Red Wings aren't a top team anymore, but that doesn't mean their model doesn't work. After the Bowman Cup years the Red Wings weren't contenders either but they managed to replace that Cup winning forward core with another one. It remains to be seen whether they can do it again. As for how many Cup winners since the lockout that haven't had a top 5 pick, technically it is only Detroit. But in terms of contributions, you can argue that Boston didn't need a top 5 pick to win the Cup. Regardless, it is a model to strive for.
I think the more common usage is "retooling". LA is certainly not rebuilding after they won a Cup.
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I am not disagreeing with the Detroit model, but they also got extremely lucky in drafting Datsyuk and Zetterberg. Not that long ago the organization itself stated this as fact, and even said something along the lines of "Had they known they would be this good, they would have selected them much earlier in the draft." It is not a faulty model, nor is it an inferior one at all. This is ideally what all teams should strive for (and one I hope the Flames adopt for the long run), but it is something that even the best drafting teams historically are unable to keep up it seems.
Boston for sure did not need that top 5 pick, but their excellent drafting was supplemented exceptionally well through trades and FA signings. Fits the Detroit model, and it will be interesting to see how they manage to keep it up.
All 30 teams in the NHL - regardless of success - should be in some form of a rebuild of sorts. That's the way I see it anyways. "Retool" to me is just a euphemism for a more gradual rebuild conducted through the same channels as a 'traditional rebuild' - drafting, FA signings, trades - but at a reduced rate than a traditional (aggressive) rebuild is.
So yes, LA is in a state of a rebuild, just not as aggressive as teams like Calgary, Buffalo and Edmonton are (of course).
Either way, Vancouver seems to be in trouble if they haven't adjusted their drafting and development programs yet (which, once again, I am not sure if they have or not). Their star players are getting older and less effective, and if they don't manage to infuse their team fairly quickly through the draft, they will have no choice really but to enter into an aggressive rebuild. They better be sure they are up to the task, or they will end up like the Oilers.