Quote:
Originally Posted by GioforPM
They didn't win a cup but I recall a team in 04 that did fairly well with a mid-level number one centre. Some people even think they won it but the goal was disallowed.
Cup winners: Boston had Bergeron who is really really good, but not like Thornton or Toews IMO. Carolina had Koivu who is at that same level. The Devils won with no great centre but terrific D and goaltending.
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The bruins also had Krejci, who was an absolute monster that spring. Carolina had Staal and Brind'Amour, not Koivu. The devils were a bit of an exception but had players like Broten/Holik in 95, Gomez/Nieuwendyk/Madden in 03 and Arnott instead of Nieuwendyk in 2000. The big reasons the devils never need a true star #1 were because of Niedermayer and Brodeur.
That 04 team was an outlier. I love them to pieces but that is not a championship blueprint, it was a Cinderella story of epic proportions. The success of which impacted Sutter's judgment of where the team was truly at in terms of it's development IMO. It was lightning in a bottle that changed the focus from the future to the present. Not the best comparable really, especially considering they lost.