Quote:
Originally Posted by Bonded
Yeah, they obviously didn't think they'd be giving up the 6th overall for Jones as well but they could have stuck to the re-tool route after that and didn't. It is like the Flames right now, they can either embrace a rebuild or try and re-tool around a bad core.
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2018-19 the Sharks had a .616 point percent and lost in the 3rd round of the playoffs. The next 3 years they did not bottom out but each year key core players were not re-signed. Burns and Karlsson were a bit tricky to move as they were older and very higher priced. It took a bit longer to move them out, but they showed a youth movement 1 year after falling down the standings. Can't really blame an owner for holding on to some key core players until it was certain they weren't going to make it. That team had long term success with some guys that had been there most of the time. Joe Thornton has finally retired, but Pavelski is still a key contributor to a team that might be in the Finals here in a week.
Out of the 5 years since they were a good team, they have added Celebrini and Smith in the last 2 so they definitely didn't drag their feet on the rebuild for very long after their run at the top was over.