There was no extension of that core since when Gillis took over we had no talented 18-23 yeard old players like Pens and Hawks. The 2010 Hawks team was the most stacked in the modera era along with the 2022 Avalanche. Some of the players they lost after 2010 were 1st liner/1st paid defencemen on other teams. Gillis said it when he took over that he will try to win in 3-4 years tops. Even if he had drafted better we still could have not replaced aging Sedins impact and production. The biggest mistake was not going all in 2011 and 2012. Should have traded that 1st round for Jeff Carter instead of keeping it and drafting a bust.
Compare the ages of the cores for Chicago, Pens and the Canucks. Sedins 28 vs Crosby&Malkin 21&22, Captain Serious & Kane 20&21. Fast Fowards 3 years in 2011. You have 31 vs 23&25 vs 23&24. The best player under 30 was Kes and he was already diminished by injuries. The only thing that would have prolonged that core would have been Nonis drafting Kopitar instead of Luc. Having a 24 year old Kopitar would have been a game changer. We most likely win at least 1 cup with Kopitar on the team.
I agree, the Pens and Hawks had very young cores led by top draft picks, many seem to forget, both Chicago and Penquins tanked to get those stars that is why the ages are so close. That extends even further to Tampa, another team that purposely tanked to get Stamkos and Hedman, no success yet but playoffs every year, Marner and Mathews, then partials for Ovvy, Doughty, Sedins.
Through the draft and not at 20+ slots, top spots.
Carter might have been nice but there was Kesler, a Selke candidate and FO monster and Henrik. Make him a winger? And then there was cap issues. Back then it wasn't in vogue to just put a player on LTIR for most of a season and Vancouver was already in the doghouse thanks to Burke who got burned twice by Gillis, signing the twins and not dealing Luongo or Schnieder to TO. The Canucks were "cheaters" and "arrogant" to the rest of the NHL. Ray Ferarro had blistering comments on how that team was so full of "aholes", and "divers". It just made any deals difficult.
Luc might have made a difference, but ....
IMO Gillis had the team set up for a Tampa type tank, two years of drafting in the top ten with keeping the majority of the team intact. They already had one bad year they needed just one more bad year in the McDavid draft. That couldn't happen as long as they had Luongo and Schneider, he had already replaced Kelser with Horvat. He had Markstrom in the system already and that year his draft team had Demko, Tryamkin, McCann, Forsling in their sights, that was Gillis draft team with Brackett.
Now hindsight would have had Horvat, Larkin, the twins with Burrows, Tryamkin, Forsling, McCann and Demko in the system or even playing in Tryamkin's case, he was ready at 21 yrs old. Sedins, Burrows, Hamhuis, etc... as mentors. Plus a top three pick, the last time it could happen, maybe Eichel or Marner, Hanafin or Strome. Now that would have made a huge difference.
IMO the team isn't in the exact same position BUT the bottom of the line up and the defence seems set for a few years so maybe trading Hughes for a top winger/center and multiple other assets can get it done. A total massive retooling for just one player that might go to greener pastures anyway. He has given this team his all for 7/8 years with no light at the end of the tunnel but as a trade asset, he is unmatched and with the new cap increases EVERY team can afford him.