Making the playoffs this year is fine as long as they don't suddenly go "re-build over, time to start moving picks for assets"
And even after 14/15....the Hamilton trade is at least acceptable even if in the end Barzal and the two extra seconds would have been nice.
But it was more doubling down after the Hamilton trade with the Hamonic trade (1st and two seconds), blowing assets on mediocre goalies (Smith / Elliott), and the mistimed free agency signings since Treliving felt like he needed to spend to the cap every offseason (Brouwer, Neal).
Making the playoffs but keeping the long term "rebuild" strategy is a perfectly fine outcome this year.
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