nhl.com article on rebuilding

[JATMtheJATM]

http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=690466&cmpid=nhl-twt

good article. it highlights the pens/kings/bruins/hawks rebuilds to success, as well as the some of the failures of rebuilding.

[Downinfloflo]

"There's a lot of risk in the strategy because if it doesn't work, it is really hard on the fan base," McPhee said. "You can talk to people about rebuilding and then try to do it, but it is a difficult process to go through. If it doesn't work, then that means you might miss the playoffs for seven or eight or nine years in a row. That's really difficult for a franchise to survive."


"A lot of it is the timing of when that happens," Dallas Stars (http://stars.nhl.com/) GM Jim Nill (http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8449884) said. "I don't want to call it luck or whatever, but to be able to draft Sidney Crosby (http://www.nhl.com/ice/player.htm?id=8471675), well, he's a franchise player. Real franchise players really only come along every so many years. You can have a bad year and get the No. 1 or No. 2 pick in the draft, and it just might be one of those years where it wasn't really a high-end draft and you don't get that true franchise player. That happens a lot of years."


This method of roster building is not without pitfalls. Missing on a high draft pick can be damaging, and these teams did not make the long journey from the bottom of the NHL standings to the pinnacle of the sport without some missteps.


"There's comes a point for every franchise where potential has to turn into results. Let's see some results from this. If you can get that, and teams like Pittsburgh, L.A., Chicago -- we've been able to have success -- then it leads to the next phase, which is sustaining it. That requires you to not only keep that group together but also to surround them with the right pieces."


"I think for the teams that aren't there yet, you've got to find those players, which they are probably doing through the draft, and then you have to have success as a group," Bowman said. "That's sort of the hard part. How do you do that? There's not one blueprint for that. You don't want to go through this and then have an extended period without having any success, because then you have to go back and reexamine the process.


"It is usually not up to the manager. It is ownership's call on how they want to do it," McPhee said. "You take your instructions from ownership. You certainly give your advice on it, and you say there's one way to do it and another way to do it, and pick which one you want to do and away you go. I don't think things have fundamentally changed. I think you have to be patient, draft well and develop well, and create the right culture."

[JATMtheJATM]

absolutely. theres nothing suggesting the sabres are doing any of this poorly, save for the right culture, which every team sacrifices when it bottoms out.

[JATMtheJATM]

one thing the sabres have drafted is the potential supporting cast for an outstanding team down the line, with risto being a center core guy (perhaps grigo if he develops. i know the guys at hockeys future feel he is a top prospect in all of the NHL still) with guys like armia, zad, pysyk all being guys to build with. not so much around, but with.

sabres will have a top 3 pick this upcoming draft, and probably a top 2. so theyll nab either reinhart or ekblad, and those guys are being overshadowed by mcdavid the next year. but those two guys are guys to build around. they arent crosby, but they are like a nathan mackinnon. guys who can be a cornerstone.

patrick stefan, these guys are not. thankfully.

[JATMtheJATM]

to expand on this, my number 1 is sam reinhart. from what im reading from people who watch him (not experts, mind you), sam has elite hockey sense and vision, a step ahead of the game. what im LOVING is hearing about his two way game. some people think patrice bergeron with better offensive upside. and im a big bergeron fan.

he came into the WHL with a ton of hype, but that hype has died down, and now alot of people feel he will be a legit number 1 center with an outstanding two way game. point per game guy. and thats perfect with me.

[coastal]

This is a really bad roster right now, and with the moves they're making... we're guaranteed to have a really bad outcome at least through next year.

[JATMtheJATM]

This is a really bad roster right now, and with the moves they're making... we're guaranteed to have a really bad outcome at least through next year.

pretty much true. even with the next two seasons, both of which should yield top 3 picks at worst, the next year will likely be another long year. after that, some of the youth will start to come around, and theyll be competitive.

[coastal]

pretty much true. even with the next two seasons, both of which should yield top 3 picks at worst, the next year will likely be another long year. after that, some of the youth will start to come around, and theyll be competitive.agreed...

in the meantime... I guess some enjoyment can be found in watching the development of Zad, Risto and Pysyk. I also have some hope for Grigs and Girgs.

[JATMtheJATM]

agreed...

in the meantime... I guess some enjoyment can be found in watching the development of Zad, Risto and Pysyk. I also have some hope for Grigs and Girgs.

grigo is starting to play better. grigs is alright too. im anxious to see armia in rochester and i think mcnabb and adam deserve another shot this year too. i guess adam has really revamped his game.

[DetDannyWilliams]

Ted Black on WGR550 audio from 10/31 but he is dead on with rebuilding http://audio.wgr550.com/a/83333553/10-31-ted-black.htm?q=ted+black+rebuilding

[JATMtheJATM]

armia has a stall and nameplate up in the sabres locker room. i guess he is getting the call?

[JATMtheJATM]

Ted Black on WGR550 audio from 10/31 but he is dead on with rebuilding http://audio.wgr550.com/a/83333553/10-31-ted-black.htm?q=ted+black+rebuilding

wow, ted black fields some angry callers. i get the rebuild is a struggle, but jeez. this is what people wanted, and now its happening, people are pissed about it?

[black N yellow]

wow, ted black fields some angry callers. i get the rebuild is a struggle, but jeez. this is what people wanted, and now its happening, people are pissed about it?


I don't think anyone wanted the rebuild with the two clowns Regier and Rolston heading it up.

[JATMtheJATM]

I don't think anyone wanted the rebuild with the two clowns Regier and Rolston heading it up.

well, for sure when many envisioned a rebuild, regier was not the one overseeing it.

but i do want to point something out. remember everyone who wanted a rebuild wanted regier and ruff gone, now ruff is gone, and suddenly everyone is saying they dont want to do a rebuild with rolston. i guess my point is the sabres at this point are damned if they do, damned if they dont. and i think some of that is completely fair, but sheesh. give it time, people.