Cap structure hasn't been an issue. Some of the choices Treliving made with his cap space has been an issue.
The issue isn’t the cost of each deal in a vacuum - they weren’t terrible individually.
The issue is the cumulative cost of repeatedly doing those deals combined with the failure of those deals to provide team success.
There has been no issue with the individual or cumulative cost of them. And they did and continue to contribute to team success. Everything doesn't suddenly become worthless because you haven't won a cup.
Smart GMs know the difference between good and great. Good teams shouldn’t continually trade futures.
In the NHL, good/great teams generally spend futures, and bad teams generally acquire futures, but all teams spend futures when it's the right kind of deal for your team. Even following a last place finish, Lou traded a 1st and 2nd round pick for Andersen. We spent some futures (some of which we acquired back) over a competitive era, like most teams in our position, but they were deals that matched our needs and the quality of team we had, and we still kept the cupboards stocked for the future. Smart GMs understand that draft picks are a tool that can be utilized effectively in multiple different ways. Smart GMs understand the actual expected draft return of late 1st and below picks, and that stockpiling picks isn't the end goal here. It's all for the purpose of building a great team. And we did.
Sure we did. That’s why you always have to stoop all the way down to guys like Holmberg and Robertson when listing success stories.
There are more success stories than just Holmberg and Robertson, but getting NHL players from 2nd and 6th round picks is a success story. You're so committed to your narrative that you try to pretend they don't exist, but I have no reason to ignore them.
It’s comments like these that expose your bias.
No bias at all. Treliving/Berube are the ones who overpaid Liljegren and then didn't play him before trading him. That didn't help his development or trade value. Treliving/Berube are the ones jerking Robertson around and not putting him in positions to succeed. That's not helping his development or trade value. Treliving/Berube are the ones who have seemingly dismissed one of our better defensive prospects in Niemela, and barely even gave him a chance in preseason. That's not helping his development or trade value. Treliving/Berube are the ones who won't seem to give the runaway top goal scorer in the AHL a real chance, even through all the forward injuries this year. That's not helping his development or trade value.
It was good value for what he was. What he was, however, wasn’t a testament to great development - he was closer to a failed project than anything else.
The idea that development was failed if late 1st round picks don't become superstars is pretty ridiculous.
Treliving did do it. It’s not something special. Dubas did it, and that’s a good thing, but the fact that you have to tout it as an accomplishment shows how far your have to reach.
I didn't say anything about it being a special accomplishment. I just said it happened. Treliving has attempted it, but with less success so far.
Even the team that Dubas iced for the playoffs wasn’t a top-tier team (unless your top teir is quite large).
A large portion of that team was made up of pending UFAs, many of who were only here with contract that required retention.
The team that Dubas iced for the playoffs, regular season, and previous couple of years was a top tier team.
Pretty sure O'Rielly was the only pending UFA on retained contract. Most of the pending UFAs were players lower in the lineup, and none re-signed for more than 4.5m.
Treliving should have been able to re-sign or replace what was leaving, especially with McMann, Robertson, and Holmberg being added at cheap prices.
We’ve been in the same position since.
We've been visibly worse, and worse by every objective measure.
Tre has made some mistakes, and he’s made some good moves. I realize you need to put him down to prop up your brother from another mother Dubas, so I guess you can have fun living in that fantasy world.
Making stuff up about me just says you have no argument. Treliving has done some good things, but he's made a lot more mistakes, and it shows in the downgraded state of our team. And just like I do for every GM - Treliving, Dubas, and everybody else - I will credit them when they do good things and improve my team, and criticize them when they do bad things and hurt my team. It's unfortunate that you've chosen to do the opposite.
