Watching Buffalo and Anaheim made me think… it really is hard to plan or predict how a rebuild will go. For every Pittsburgh, Colorado or Chicago (2010-2015)… there is a Buffalo, Ottawa, and Detroit. They all spent multiple years at the bottom of the league. They all got skilled players through the draft to build a new core to the team… yet some of those teams turned to powerhouses while others just can’t seem to get out of the rebuild - they seem stuck trying to get over that hill.
It’s easy to say the first 3 teams got “generational” talents and the others didn’t. That’s likely the best explanation but it’s hard to plan a rebuild around that. For example… I don’t think there are any players with a Crosby/MacKinnon type talent level in the upcoming 2025 draft. You could argue there is that kind of talent in the 2026 and 2027 drafts though. So is it just a matter of being bad at the right time and winning the lottery on the right draft? The oilers were just perennially bad and stayed there through incompetence until they got a generational player.
Ottawa, Buffalo and Detroit all have lots of good young talent but are their rebuilds doomed to fail because they don’t have those pieces that would be considered top 5 players in their position in the league? I don’t know. I guess there are teams that win championships without those types of players (St. Louis) but it does seem rare.
Florida: best two-way center in the league (is also a top 5 all around center in the league), top 5 goalie in the league and a top 5 winger in the league
Vegas: top 5 center in the league, top 5 defenceman in the league and a top 5 winger in the league
Colorado: best center in the league, best defencemen in the league and a top 5 winger in the league
Tampa Bay: best winger in the league, top 5 defenceman in the league and best goalie in the league
It seems like it takes more than just good talent to win the cup and have a successful rebuild - you have to have 3 of the best players at their positions. And it’s tough to luck out and get those players no matter what.
Good thing is that the flames might already have one of the most important pieces in the organization - Wolf could legit become one of the top 5 goalies in the league if he continues to develop the way he has. Also, who knows what Parekh becomes… he has the offensive skillset to be a top 5 defenceman in the league but it’s likely a few years before we know if he reaches that kind of potential.
Of course, I’ll cheer for the flames to make the playoffs… if the young players continue on their development, they will quickly become the new core of this team (if they aren’t already). If it turns out this play is unsustainable next season and they struggle, it will be a good year to do that to get hopefully that elite level center in what could be the biggest draft of the decade in 2026.
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