[VilleN]

I don't see how it can possibly be mismanagement across the board for Canadian teams over the past 30 years. And if it is, it's likely due to the same market issue we have for players. Simply put, most Canadian markets are less desirable for players, coaches, and management positions. Canadian markets rarely get the big free agent signings, I've never heard of a player refusing to sign in a bigger American market so he can play in Canada... the reverse happens very frequently. There is a clear handicap for Canadian teams, and IMO it accounts for the lack of success. It is hard enough to build a winner, you need a lot to go right and often times Canadian teams (especially the smaller market ones) have the deck stacked against them.

Edit: Let's take Vegas - Mark Stone and Jack Eichel are there because they wanted to be there. Would they have made it to the WCF without those two players? Unlikely. Might Edmonton be there instead? - or maybe they don't make the playoffs at all and Calgary squeaks in.