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stemit14 · 10-21-2024, 12:03 PM

I think the timelines that Pittsburgh and Chicago experienced in short order of their rebuilds post-lockout created high expectations for fans in terms of how fast a rebuild should take. I look back to those two rebuilds as being the most direct correlation of being bad enough to get a couple franchise players in the draft and then almost immediately becoming a powerhouse team for 5-10 years.

Crosby was drafted in 2005, they went to the cup final in 2008 and won their first Crosby-era cup in 2009.

Toews was drafted in 2007. Kane was drafted in 2008. They won their first Kane-Toews era cup in 2010.

Those incredibly fast turn arounds of franchises became the expectation for everyone. Media and fans started treating being at the bottom of the league as a virtual guarantee that the team would become a perennial cup contender within 2-3 years. Great example was Edmonton… the trend of the media picking them to be cup contenders every year stretches as far back as 2010 and 2011. They got Hall and RNH and were picked to be the next Chicago that very year. It was laughable as a flames fan back then but it’s even more laughable thinking back to how that turned out for them.

The reality is that Chicago and Pittsburgh are the exception rather than the norm. As others have said… it takes much longer to reach cup contending-status… if it happens at all. Not to mention the fact that the timeline we associate with the Chicago and Pittsburgh rebuilds seem to ignore that those teams were bad for quite a few years before they hit big at the top of the draft.

Ultimately, the best guess you can make to getting out of a rebuild “fast” is getting not just a #1 center or a top pairing defenceman… it’s getting the best center in the league or the most offensively-skilled winger in the league or the most dominant defenceman in the league from that high draft pick. Guys like Crosby, Kane, and Makar are what I’m talking about. Toughest part about that is that it’s pretty much based on luck. 2026 and 2027 are the drafts that look to have those levels of players at the top. If the flames can get one of those, I think the rebuild could be fast. If not, it will likely be slower - not necessarily unsuccessful - just slower (5-10 years instead of 3-5 years).

10-21-2024, 12:03 PM	#441
stemit14 Franchise Player Join Date: Aug 2013 Exp:	I think the timelines that Pittsburgh and Chicago experienced in short order of their rebuilds post-lockout created high expectations for fans in terms of how fast a rebuild should take. I look back to those two rebuilds as being the most direct correlation of being bad enough to get a couple franchise players in the draft and then almost immediately becoming a powerhouse team for 5-10 years. Crosby was drafted in 2005, they went to the cup final in 2008 and won their first Crosby-era cup in 2009. Toews was drafted in 2007. Kane was drafted in 2008. They won their first Kane-Toews era cup in 2010. Those incredibly fast turn arounds of franchises became the expectation for everyone. Media and fans started treating being at the bottom of the league as a virtual guarantee that the team would become a perennial cup contender within 2-3 years. Great example was Edmonton… the trend of the media picking them to be cup contenders every year stretches as far back as 2010 and 2011. They got Hall and RNH and were picked to be the next Chicago that very year. It was laughable as a flames fan back then but it’s even more laughable thinking back to how that turned out for them. The reality is that Chicago and Pittsburgh are the exception rather than the norm. As others have said… it takes much longer to reach cup contending-status… if it happens at all. Not to mention the fact that the timeline we associate with the Chicago and Pittsburgh rebuilds seem to ignore that those teams were bad for quite a few years before they hit big at the top of the draft. Ultimately, the best guess you can make to getting out of a rebuild “fast” is getting not just a #1 center or a top pairing defenceman… it’s getting the best center in the league or the most offensively-skilled winger in the league or the most dominant defenceman in the league from that high draft pick. Guys like Crosby, Kane, and Makar are what I’m talking about. Toughest part about that is that it’s pretty much based on luck. 2026 and 2027 are the drafts that look to have those levels of players at the top. If the flames can get one of those, I think the rebuild could be fast. If not, it will likely be slower - not necessarily unsuccessful - just slower (5-10 years instead of 3-5 years).