Quote:
Originally Posted by Enoch Root
Yeah, but it's your interpretation of it that I don't agree with...
Conroy may use assets to acquire young players, but they are still young players (with an eye on the future). The only difference between draft picks and young players is that the young players are a couple years further along. But it's still future-focused.
Conroy can talk about wanting to make the playoffs, but it is pretty easy to read between the lines that he knows that it won't happen next year, they just don't have the horses. He is saying he wants a 'winning culture' but what he is really saying, IMO, is that he wants a compete level, and a competitive level, that is above a full tank. Work hard, have a good team culture, and tank respectably.
This team was a bottom 5 team, from the trade deadline on, when the players were moved. And they are going to be a bottom 5-7 team again next year.
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Yeah, this is my feeling too. Conroy may make a couple moves this year to get younger and he’s probably not tearing it down (unless he ends up having to), but I don’t think he really thinks they’ll be in the playoffs next year. But he also doesn’t want people, especially the players, to be thinking that way though. He wants them to be pushing so that they get back into the playoffs un year two or three at the very latest.
I’m a little in between both you two. Their defence is too weak next year and goaltending too inexperienced without Markstrom to finish outside the bottom 10, but I don’t think it would take too much to get them back in the mix again the following year, especially if their young guys and a couple prospects take a big step forward and they maintain the drive to win. The wildcard is if young guys don’t step up and/or they are forced into trading Andersson, Sherangovich and Kuzmenko…then this thing isn’t likely going to turn around that quickly.