Quote:
Originally Posted by Sylvanfan
Owners in Canada tend to be pretty Conservative with who they hire to run their teams. They're afraid to try some new ideas with their teams and tend to be a bit safe or cheap with their hires. So you have a system where you are overpaying for equal talent after rookie contracts. You only have players for 7 years. Plus the added pressure and scrutiny of the fan base. Maybe some unconventional ideas are warranted.
I look at Ottawa and they put together a decent foundation. But than they trade good picks in back to back years to add Debrincant and Chychryn, plus paid Giroux a good wage to come home. They also traded Gustavsson for the more proven but mediocre Talbot. The types of moves which can generate excitement and make the team better. But I'd argue having the picks plus cap space and Gustavsson probably have them in a better position to become an elite team. They fell into the same trap Calgary and Vancouver did in making these types of moves before their core was ready to win.
Also doesn't help that all "Luck" for the Canadian teams fell in the Oilers lap and they couldn't do much with it.
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Yeah I thought Ottawa was really on track until they tried to aggressively accelerate the process last season. I like the route Buffalo is taking better as they didn't make any big splashes last offseason and still managed to have a better regular season than the Senators. They also have five picks in the first three rounds of what appears to be a pretty deep draft while the Senators don't pick until the 4th round. To me this is a prime example of the difference between how US and Canadian teams operate when rebuilding. Both teams smaller markets. Both teams have struggled over the last decade and both are getting close but one of the two teams has considerably more flexibility going forward by staying the course.