* Ownership that was committed to doing everything in their control to make Florida a desirable location, such as a practice rink and facility that's second-to-none.
* An executive team that includes three-former GMs (Rick Dudley, Paul Fenton, and Les Jackson) who have a wealth of experience in the league.
* A GM who is aggressive and not afraid to take big swings. Not a lot of GMs would move two star, core players in their prime, including their points leader, coming off a President's Trophy season.
* A braintrust that spots undervalued players on other teams (Verhaeghe, Bennett, Reinhart, Luostarinen, Forsling) and puts them in a position to thrive.
* A team-first culture fostered by its star players, starting with Barkov.
* The embrace of smash-mouth, win-at-all-costs hockey that came with Tkachuk.
* Hiring the right coach after a previous coach couldn't get them over the hump.
https://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/...024-nhl-season