[dobbles]

I know you guys are pretty much full tilt at this point based on all the other threads. But something struck me while reading some of them. And that is the constant references to tanking, blowing it up, rebuilding etc. So I've been wondering if that strategy is even worthwhile at this point? Does a team really need to be awful for a few years to try and get the star power to succeed?

We saw a couple of great examples in the Hawks and Penguins that were super bad and turned all those picks into multiple cups. But were those just two lucky examples? Are there any other recent cup winners you guys would say employed that strategy? When I look at the other cup winners in the last decade or two, the rest seem to be teams that had been strong for some time before finally winning. (TB, WSH, BOS)

Conversely, aren't there enough cautionary tails against tanking? You guys obviously know how bad Edmonton is, but a team like the coyotes has been bad for a long time and never managed to get anywhere. And I think another good example in progress is Detroit. Since finally breaking their playoff streak, they have done a slow and terrible rebuild that has resulted in terrible teams, but no real plan to turn it around thus far.

So while I understand your frustration as a fan base over the lack of playoff success these last 30 years, do you guys think blowing it up is an effective strategy to try and come back again in 5 years and win some cups? To me, it feels like pie in the sky dreaming based off a couple lucky stories. But wanted to get your feedback.