TheBloodyNine
Pure Bred Soviet Savage
The "Edmonton/Buffalo Rebuilding Paradox" has been disproven time and time again on this board.It will always be in the back of teams heads when rebuilding.
I implore you to read the wonderful @Edge 's post about this, that should be stickied to the top of every page in every roster building thread:
^^^^ This. A lot.
When we look at certain teams, Buffalo among them, we notice two very big challenges that can completely alter their trajectory.
The first is an inability to sign impact free agents. I don't care how well you draft or how much good fortune you have with developing prospects, at some point you're going to need to make trades or free agent signings. It's inevitable. And if you can't do either of these things with consistent success, you're probably going to struggle.
The second challenge is drafting beyond the first round. The odds say you'll come away with talent if you're consistently picking in the top half of the draft, especially the top 10. But what usually separates the top teams from the teams perpetually stuck on the bubble is the ability to find support talent in the second and third rounds, along with the occasional gem in the later rounds.
When people reference the teams they fear us becoming, more often than not the reason why those teams struggle is, in large part, due to the above shortcomings. When you look at the Sabres, the Oilers, the Avs, you see a real struggle to execute either of the above tactics. That leaves them with a short leash, and little or no margin for error.