I think a tear down re-build is premature and, while I could handle it, as long as Gaudreau and Tkachuk are willing to sign in Calgary, I hope they take as many shots as they can until Gaudreau is nearing the end of his prime.
We'll never be a perennial top 5 team in the league with this group but I do think there is enough there to make a couple runs.
To that end use any amount of prospect (not NHL) and draft capital they have to surround this core with the best talent they can. If you augment the core via trade you have to get the best player back in the deal.
If we are stuck in 5 years tear it right down to the ground. It'll be easier to secure top picks in the draft because the cupboards will be bare (because you used all your picks and prospect capital to take shots). There won't be any ground swell of middling young players and prospects that will fool you into thinking you are competitive and keep you from picking at the tippy top of those drafts.
To me this is the best path to keep us out of the mediocrity year after year.
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