Verbeek is building a team and nurturing a culture with curated pick up of a few character, hard game veteran players. We saw the Oilers extended rebuild(s) flounder trying to push its development with latch key kids driving the bus. Anaheim is loaded with young, pedigree skill and size with some hard game veterans in Trouba, Gudas and Kreider to help their group mature into a team that will be compete and be hard to play against. Sold low on Zegras but moved out a soft, entitled play long on dangle, low on maturity and putting on the work boots required to win at this apex level. They could afford to do so (not necessarily agreeing about the return) to forge the culture they are building.
Verbeek, as 'the little ball of hate', played the game hard with zero corners cut. Has built up solid management cred within a sustained winning organization. Hired a taskmaster coach to infuse work ethic now an elite winning one to pull this thing together.