Quote:
Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina
Generally media and fans under-rate how hard rebuilds are and how often they fail.
I would also point to the Kings and suggest there are major questions about if their re-build will succeed. They have had a ton of high picks, but it's questionable if they've made the right choices with guys like Byfield, Clarke, and Turcotte.
And now they may be making the same mistake that so many teams do, trying to kick open their contention window.
Carolina are certainly the media darlings too right now.
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I think the biggest change in team sports over the last few decades is the selling of hope to fans of organizations that haven't been good. We now have all these internet sites devoted to scouting of amatuer players in hockey, college players in football, etc and it's created a new part of fandom where fans obsess over up and coming players. Rebuilding is the best way to build an elite team but it requires excellent scouting, sound decision making, luck, and above all, patience which has been the achilles heel of Canadian organizations. A lot of things have to go your way as most rebuilds don't result in Stanley Cup champions or even elite teams but many at least will lead to a more competitive team or better unless things are totally botched. It's probably a good thing for the sport that fans of the bottom half teams don't feel hopeless and lose enthusiasm.
The only thing that really bothers me is that good teams that are in the back half of their contending window and good players in the back half of their career kind of get discounted for their lack of shiny new things while the media fawns over rebuilding teams with splashy draft picks and young players that may be good, great, or total bust.