I don't really understand this "it takes 8-10 years to do a full rebuild" talk.
Yeah, Colorado didn't win until year 9 of Mackinnon, but they had made it to the 2nd round three times before that, won the President's Trophy, and have had a few good regular seasons sprinkled in.
They've had extreme ups and downs throughout that period but nobody is arguing against that.
The Lightning have followed a similar but more successful (and consistent) path. Yes, they didn't win in year 3 of their rebuild, but they had been building something competitive long before they attained the goal.
I don't think many rebuilds will result in you winning the Cup when your young stars are still on their ELCs (Chicago, Pittsburgh) and I don't think it's the only path to success (St. Louis), but it is unquestionably the easiest when you are located in an undesirable market.
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