Quote:
Originally Posted by Funkhouser
No competitive team today is going to be competitive for the next 7-8 seasons. It is the nature of the cap.
If I were Rasmus, in addition to ensuring a good QOL of the ice, I would be looking for teams just entering their competitive window, and not those leaving it (LA, Vegas, Tampa, Edm, etc)
Teams like Montreal, NJ, Utah, Dallas, etc have a much brighter future.
|
The point is not "which team will be competitive for 8 seasons". The point is that Andersson should be looking at who has the best chances to be cup contenders within the next 8 years.
An example as to how I would look at it:
1) Stars, 'Canes, VGK, Panthers, Lightning = All competitive now but will likely decline in the next 5 seasons.
2) Mammoth, Sharks, Ducks, Blackhawks = Not competitive now but should be trending into playoff and cup contender status over the next few seasons
3) Kings, Bruins, Capitals = Have been competitive for a while and are on the tail end of their respective cores
Group 1 is appealing because they are in the thick of it now and pushing for a cup. Andersson could be one of the final pieces to the puzzle to put the team over the top.
Group 2 is appealing because they have tanked hard for a long time and now have a pile of good young players. Andersson could join a team in this group and help them shift gears from tanking to winning and they have enough talent to win big.
Group 3 is not very appealing. These teams have aging stars and pretty depleted prospect pipelines. They are likely going to need to start a full on rebuild or retoool, at which point Andersson may as well just stay in Calgary.