It is so easy in hind sight to say they should have rebuilt when Gaudreau and Tkachuk walked, and I know a lot of fans clamored for that. But that was never going to happen and simply wasn't an option - not because ownership is against it, but because the core of the (remaining) team was way too young for a rebuild.
Andersson 26
Hanifin 25
Tanev 32
Kylington 25
Zadorov 27
Lindholm 28
Mangiapane 26
Dube 24
Backlund 33
Toffoli 30
Markstrom 32
Vladar 25
No team is going to throw in the towel on that group of players, at those ages. Especially when the opportunity to acquire Huberdeau, Weegar and Kadri to restock that core presented itself.
This wasn't a 'ownership refuses to rebuild' situation, it was the sensible and correct response to where the team was, at the time.
If it doesn't work, so be it. But it had to be tried.
And frankly, by bringing in the older players, they have actually accelerated the timeline for a rebuild, because now the team is older than average, and is very much in win now mode. So if they can't find success over then next couple years, switching gears to a full rebuild is actually a much easier decision.
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