Quote:
Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy
They walked around in the desert for 5 years and then lucked out and won the McLottery. They had no business winning that one either. Typical NHL changing the rules right at a key moment when a generational player is draft eligible.
Then it still took them 9 years to get to the finals. They only have 4 players left on the roster that were on the roster in McDavid's rookie year.
That is not a plan.
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Okay.
Calgary Draft History:
2000: 9th
2001: 14th
2002: 10th
2003: 9th
2004: 24th
2005: 26th
2006: 26th
2007: 24th
2008: 25th
2009: 23rd
2010: No pick
2011: 13th
2012: 21st
2013: 6th
2014: 4th
2015: No pick
2016: 6th
2017: 16th
2018: No pick
2019: 26th
2020: 24th
2021: 13th
2022: No pick
2023: 16th
The Flames made the playoffs 10 times since the 1999-2000 season, and have won 5 series in that time (6 if you want to count that qualifying round during the shutdown). Over the course of the last 24 drafts, the Flames have made 20 1st round picks with an average position of 16.75
Edmonton Draft History:
2000: 17th
2001: 13th
2002: 15th
2003: 22nd
2004: 14th
2005: 25th
2006: No pick
2007: 6th
2008: 22nd
2009: 10th
2010: 1st
2011: 1st
2012: 1st
2013: 7th
2014: 3rd
2015: 1st
2016: 4th
2017: 22nd
2018: 10th
2019: 8th
2020: 14th
2021: 22nd
2022: 32nd
2023: No Pick
The Oilers made the playoffs 10 times since the 1999-2000 season, and have won 9 series in that time. Over the course of the last 24 drafts, the Oilers have made 22 1st round picks with an average position of 12.27
So if the Oilers walked around the desert for 5 years, just what in the hell were the Flames doing that was in any way better?
I'm not making the Oilers out to be the best run team in the world, and I've dumped on them plenty - but the Flames have been worse, so if you're dumping on the Oilers...well, what about the Flames? The Oilers have made the Stanley Cup Final twice in 19 years, meanwhile the Flames have made it once in the last 35 years. From 2000-Current, the Flames won 910 regular season games and the Oilers won 848 regular season games, while the Flames won 38 playoff games and the Oilers have won 56 playoff games.
You note it took the Oilers 9 years (2015 -> 2024) - it took the Avalanche the exact same number of years to make it there after they drafted MacKinnon (2013 -> 2022). It took Tampa 12 years (2008 -> 2020).
It takes time to build a Championship-quality team, and even if you want to say it's not a plan, I'd still argue that what they've done is closer to a 'plan' than what the Flames have executed over the same period of time.
Now excuse me as I go vomit this Oilers historical data out of my mind.