Re-tool, I personally have no interest in a full scorched Earth rebuild, again. They often don't work out, the majority of the time if Chips are your baseline, and the Senators have been "rebuilding" for most of my adult life now between Murray's and Dorion's attempts. This whole idea that there's no option but to give up for half a decade and trade everyone is not something I fully agree with, especially with how it doesn't end in championships the majority of the time anyways.
Bon,
Old paradigms, and dumb luck created a belief among hockey people in the " Hit rock bottom, get high picks, jump back up."
The old Paradigms. This is now a 32 team league. No team has done it the last 10 years. See the bottom feeders the last 10 years. The same teams. At 32 picks a round, by round 3 you are near the 100th best player.
The old Paradigms. Hockey is shrinking, not expanding. Less and less talent in Junior, College and Europe. Making the average draft 25-30 players deep.. think of the insanity. 30 players!!!!! 32 teams, needing 1 to 2 rookies each. Yet only 0.8-0.9 players are available.
Dumb luck.. Edmonton and McJesus, Toronto and Saint Mathews, Chicago with Kane an Toews. Pitt with Crosby and Malkin. Generational talent, that happened to be bunched up. It was dumb luck. It created a false sense of normal.
Now teams assumed players of this ilk are around every corner. Since the Saint Mathews draft, no over-the-top player has come by. 9 years now!
by comparison 2004-2016, (15 years) produced some 10 players that have torn the league to shreds. And each would easily be "an all time top 50 players." DUMB LUCK.