Counterpoint as to why it doesn't suck. It means that if your team isn't lucky enough to have the top player, you aren't eliminated or hugely disadvantaged before you begin (cough NBA cough). I like that in hockey compared with other team sports it's how complete is the entire team rather than how good are your top stars. It implies there's more of a puzzle to be solved as to how to build a team as opposed to "be the team with the best guy." The Blues had a lot of years where the playoffs brutally exposed a lack of depth even though they had multiple hall of famers at forward and defense.
I wouldn't say I'm against Edmonton putting together a great team around its two stars but a) it's correctly difficult! and secondably) Edmonton not winning because they are imbalanced is a valuable encouragement to teams like the Blues who are built very differently.
I don't think it sucks that the teams
as constructed have accomplished so little. I think it sucks that Edmonton has failed to construct a better supporting cast for 7 years. The complete and total inability (or in some cases the complete lack of any actual attempt) to fix glaring issues is ridiculous. Most of their weaknesses came from fully self-inflected wounds.
From 2019/20-2021/22, Mikko Koskinen and Mike Smith started all but 13 games for the Oilers. That is the direct result of them deciding to give Koskinen a 3 year deal at $4.5M AAV (and a 15 team no trade list!) after he played 27 games of .911 goaltending in 2018/19. That contract and then their refusal/inability to bite the bullet and deal with it led to them running out below average goalies for 3 straight seasons of McDavid's prime.
They watched Kassian play at a 23.5 point pace for 4 seasons in their organization. Then in 2019/20 he puts up 28 points in the first 45 games of the season while riding shotgun on McDavid's line. He is inexplicably rewarded with a 4 year deal at $3.2M AAV that starts in his age 30 season.
After McDavid's rookie year they used their best trade asset (Taylor Hall) to 'solve' the D problem by getting Adam Larrsson. The D doesn't improve by any noticeable margin and talent at the wings has been an issue every season since.
They've badly mismanaged the cap for McDavid's entire career and it cost the old management group their jobs. And then finally they cleared some bad deals and finally had some cap space two summers ago. Defense is priority number 1 and they address it by giving Tyson Barrie a 3 year extension worth $4.5M a year, Cody Ceci a 4 year deal worth $3.25M a year, and gave up low-value assets to get a 38 year old Duncan Keith without the Hawks retaining any salary. $13M of new cap commitments and the D didn't get any better. They also gave Darnell Nurse a $9.25M per year extension that kicked in this year.
I think it is fantastic that you still have to build a good group around 2 superstars in the NHL. The thing that sucks is how badly the Oilers have bungled that for the first 7 years of McDavid's career.
