Preface: I understand the typical WIP/Fanatic caller is a casual hockey fan at best.
But it still drives me nuts when people call in complaining the team has no direction and/or Hextall doesn't know what he's doing. Hakstol? Current under-performing roster? Whole 'nother story.
But I don't think there's a GM in recent years in any of the 4 franchises that instills the same confidence in me that Hexy does. My only fear is something in ownership affecting our direction (as it did with Hinkie, but I digress) because outside of that, and barring any string of serious bad luck, I see this team in the process of developing a core that will contend for years. Some combination of Prov/Ghost/Sanheim/Morin/Myers/TK/Coots will be the foundation of the team with some other combination of Giroux/Schenn/Simmonds/Jake being the veterans at that point but still contributing. Whenever those young guns take their "step forward" there will be a point where Hexy looks to make a trade or two to solidify a need and make a real run. it's a matter of when, not if, in my mind as things stand now.. which I feel like is about as confident as you can get in the world of professional sports.