There’s absolutely zero chance Gorton has 5 more years of not making the playoffs in him
If you’ve been rebuilding for what amounts to 7 years, and you can’t make the playoffs/contending, you’ve failed
He’ll be gone if that’s the case and the process probably restarted
I don't think anyone is saying we won't make the playoffs for 5 years, but making the playoffs and contending for the cup aren't the same thing. The devils made the playoffs last year, but did anyone think they had a serious chance of winning it all?
We've got 4 older players with 3 years remaining on their contracts: Hank, Shatty, Staal and Smith. Staal and Smith almost certainly won't be part of a cup contending team. Hank and Shatty could be, but the odds of that being within the next 3 years are low. Will either be re-signed? I doubt it. Hank will be 39 and Shatty will be 32.
We also need time for our prospects to mature. In 3 years, Kravtsov will likely be in his 2nd season. Lundkvist might be a rookie and Miller might still be in college. It's going to be extremely difficult for this team to seriously compete for a cup within the next 3 years, regardless of what players we sign or trade for. I'm thinking the next 3 years will be about building the team, with a playoff appearance or two in there, and then in year 4 we will start to really compete.