Around the League 24-25

[Megaterio Llamas]

Cam Fowler has been traded to the Blues after 15 years with the Ducks.


https://www.nhl.com/news/topic/trade-co ... ouis-blues

[Carl Yagro]

Booins claim Oliver Wahlstrom off waivers from NYI.

What a massive disappointment. I thought he had the offensive chops to make a name for himself. Of course, I was way wrong on Zadina too... but even he wasn't as bad, if that was possible.

Looking at that 2018 draft again... wow, we can't say the Hockey Gods didn't do us massive solid by dropping the GOAT into our flock. The best player from this draft, bar none.

[Chef Boi RD]

Booins claim Oliver Wahlstrom off waivers from NYI.

What a massive disappointment. I thought he had the offensive chops to make a name for himself. Of course, I was way wrong on Zadina too... but even he wasn't as bad, if that was possible.

Looking at that 2018 draft again... wow, we can't say the Hockey Gods didn't do us massive solid by dropping the GOAT into our flock. The best player from this draft, bar none.

Regrettably, Podkolzin can be added to this sorry group as well

[donlever]

Regrettably, Podkolzin can be added to this sorry group as well

Yeah, he's become somewhat of a useful player in Edmonton.

13 minutes a game.

On pace for 10 goals and 30 points.

A plus player.

60 + hits.

[rats19]

Booins claim Oliver Wahlstrom off waivers from NYI.

What a massive disappointment. I thought he had the offensive chops to make a name for himself. Of course, I was way wrong on Zadina too... but even he wasn't as bad, if that was possible.

Looking at that 2018 draft again... wow, we can't say the Hockey Gods didn't do us massive solid by dropping the GOAT into our flock. The best player from this draft, bar none.

Regrettably, Podkolzin can be added to this sorry group as well

We had high hopes
We had high apple pie in the sky hopes

[donlever]

We had high hopes
We had high apple pie in the sky hopes

Otherwise known as Canuckitis.

No known vaccine available.

[donlever]

Bunch of interwebz chit chat out there re: Cozens to Nashville as early as tonight.

[Chef Boi RD]

Bunch of interwebz chit chat out there re: Cozens to Nashville as early as tonight.

What’s rumoured asset(s) going the other way?

[Chef Boi RD]

The full tank rebuild is the path to a dynasty. Get as many lottery picks as you can! Buffalo Sabres have been on a historical full tank rebuild since the beginning of time. The results are astounding, astonishing. They currently are the proud owners of the 2025 2nd overall pick with 12 losses in a row.

2024 - 14th OA - Helenius
2023 - 13th OA - Benson
2022 - 9th OA - Savoie
2022 - 16th OA - Ostlund
2022 - 28th OA - Kulich
2021 - 1st OA - Power
2021 - 14th OA - Rosen
2020 - 8th OA - Quinn
2019 - 7th OA - Cozens
2018 - 1st OA - Dahlin
2017 - 8th OA - Mittelstadt
2016 - 8th OA - Nylander
2015 - 2nd OA - Eichel
2014 - 2nd OA - Reinhart
2013 - 8th OA - Ristolainen
2013 - 16th OA - Zadarov
2012 - 12th OA - Grigorenko
2012 - 14th OA - Girgensons
2011 - 16th OA - Armia

[Raile]

The full tank rebuild is the path to a dynasty. Get as many lottery picks as you can! Buffalo Sabres have been on a historical full tank rebuild since the beginning of time. The results are astounding, astonishing. They currently are the proud owners of the 2025 2nd overall pick with 12 losses in a row.

2024 - 14th OA - Helenius
2023 - 13th OA - Benson
2022 - 9th OA - Savoie
2022 - 16th OA - Ostlund
2022 - 28th OA - Kulich
2021 - 1st OA - Power
2021 - 14th OA - Rosen
2020 - 8th OA - Quinn
2019 - 7th OA - Cozens
2018 - 1st OA - Dahlin
2017 - 8th OA - Mittelstadt
2016 - 8th OA - Nylander
2015 - 2nd OA - Eichel
2014 - 2nd OA - Reinhart
2013 - 8th OA - Ristolainen
2013 - 16th OA - Zadarov
2012 - 12th OA - Grigorenko
2012 - 14th OA - Girgensons
2011 - 16th OA - Armia

Chicago became a dynasty after years of sucking and drafting high picks. Pittsburgh, another one. Colorado. There's a few teams who all have cups and followed this road.

Edmonton is the most notorious tankers and they were 1 game shy last year of beating us to a cup, and for the next few years we are unlikely to get better odds then them. We love to mock them for their years of suckage. I won't be shocked if they have their next cup before we ever get our first.

the rules of the league are "the worst teams get the best players". what a surprise that's the path to success. (fwiw, I hate that this is the case, but them the rules)

[Chef Boi RD]

They’ve been tanking since 2011 and currently hold the 2nd worst record in the league and just lost their 13th game in a row. How in the hell is that a recipe for success?

[Raile]

They’ve been tanking since 2011 and currently hold the 2nd worst record in the league and just lost their 13th game in a row. How in the hell is that a recipe for success?

You gave ONE example of it not working.

I gave FOUR.

in our examples alone that is an 80% success rate.

I wouldn't even consider winning the cup to be required to be considered a recipe for success and yet:
3 of the 4 teams I listed WON THE CUP (sometimes multiple times).

[donlever]

YEAH Dude.

You been Railed bro!!

[Chef Boi RD]

YEAH Dude.

You been Railed bro!!

Braille is pro long term rebuild for sure. Chef ain’t. In Chef’s studied, learned mind you are just creating a long term toxic losing culture with the long term tank as Braille suggests.

If you look at all the cup winners, most average out at 2-3 tank years, and “hopefully” getting lucky at the draft, drafting a couple generational players. If you can land two generational players during the tank years and then tweak the line up insulating the generational drafted players via trades, free agent signings and key late round picks you should do well.

The most successful recipe seems to be 2-3 tank years with the smart trades for veterans and key UFA signings and late round picks panning out.

The 2024 Cup winning Panthers are a perfect example of how it should be done, you will find a lot of cup winners who shared the same formula.

The Panthers have two high lottery picks from tank years in Ekblad and Barkov. They traded a third high lottery pick in Huberdeau plus (Weegar was drafted 206th overall) for a developed young player in Tkachuk. They added a another developed player in Reinhart for a late round pick (28th overall) and prospect Levi (picked 212th overall). Traded a 2rd pick and prospect Heinemen (picked 43rd overall) for veteran Bennett.

Verhaege came via trade 29 yrs old ( drafted 82nd overall)
Rodrigues came via trade 31 years old
Forsling claimed off waivers 28 yrs old
Kulikov drafted 14th overall 34 yrs old
OEL signed by Florida 33 yrs old
Bobrovsky free agent signing 36 yrs old
Cousins free agent signing 31 yrs old
Lomberg 30 years old free agent signing
Lundell drafted 12tb overall (not part of the full tank years when they drafted Barkov, Ekblad and Huberdeau)

Okposo - 36 yrs old - acquired by trade - 6th rd pick and Sjalin

Tarasenko - 33 years old acquired by trade - 4th and 3rd round picks

Montour - 30 years old acquired with a 3rd pick

Cup Winners - the Blues and Knights built their teams in a similar fashion to Florida. The Knights and Blues in fact did not have a lot of full tank, lottery pick players “they” drafted on their cup winning teams. In fact, the Knights success can be attributed to the generosity of the NHL expansion draft but hats off to the Knights brass for selecting the right players in the expansion draft, this shrewdness will be discussed for many years and go down as one of the great expansion draft coups of all time.

The Lightning like the Panthers experienced a similar short term tank and got lucky drafting Stamkos, Hedman from it. Kucherov and Point were drafted outside the 1st round. Vasilevski was drafted 19th overall. I would add that the Kings built there cup teams similar to the above mentioned

It seems to me that you truly only need a short term tank of 2-3 years and hopefully get lucky at the draft. Sign some key free agents and make a couple key trades along with landing a couple gems outside of the 1st round. Drafting high in the lottery only seems to play a part in it and that it is not all of it as Braille suggests

One thing is clear, it’s definitely a veterans tournament.

[UWSaint]

They’ve been tanking since 2011 and currently hold the 2nd worst record in the league and just lost their 13th game in a row. How in the hell is that a recipe for success?

You gave ONE example of it not working.

I gave FOUR.

in our examples alone that is an 80% success rate.

I wouldn't even consider winning the cup to be required to be considered a recipe for success and yet:
3 of the 4 teams I listed WON THE CUP (sometimes multiple times).

Almost every team that wins the cup (not including Vegas) has a few down years and swoops in to pick up that great player or two who propels them to a cup, and sometimes a decade of competiveness.

Every once in awhile you will get a team treading on the playoff line that goes on a run. (St. Louis). To be sure, they might sell obvious long tooths, but not every team needs a total tear down to make their high pick years pay off. Some teams didn't really have much to tear down when their high picks were selected (consider Florida and Ekblad and Barkov). Some teams haven't been truly bad for a long time and have been cup competitive for awhile thanks to a few good mid-to-late first round picks (see Boston, staying competitive with Pasternak and McAvoy picks).

But most good teams had some bad years at some point. And they tend to get good because they pick well -- sometimes its only a couple players that make all the difference. Getting lucky in the lottery, drafting the right guys, avoiding derailing development injuries -- its some luck, its some skill, but it carries with it risk and uncertainty. When a team hits on a couple of guys, they could go for it, build around that core, maybe use some future assets to make a more complete team at playoff time. And if that team is, say, between 10-15 in talent in the league, many might say that's foolish. Maybe, but when a team is down, its going to get more picks and fight with half the league at various stages "on the rise" and a third of the league doing everything they can to stay top ten.

I think if you have Quinn Hughes you find a way to have that player help you win a cup. There's a cast around him now that's not bad, but maybe its not good enough. But if you trade Miller and Pettersson and its not for assets that make the cast better, then what's the point of having Hughes?