Quote:
Originally Posted by Erick Estrada
Nobody ever remembers non-playoff seasons as good times which is why if you are going to miss the playoffs you are generally better off having a bottoming out season where you draft top 3 as the Avs and Lightning have done as they have rebounded to powerhouse teams to the likes we haven't seen in Calgary since the 80's and maybe early 90's. Repeatedly finishing a few spots out of the playoffs, never drafting in the top 10 is generally a death sentence for an organization.
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Yes, drafting is a large part of it. Both of those teams have no shortage of superstars.
Another thing is that I believe both of those teams, when they missed the playoffs, were not burdened by large contracts to older players.
Even now, Colorado only has one player over 28 on contract for next season (excluding LTIR). The Flames have 6.
Good cap situations make it easy to rebound after tanking for a year.