In January of 2023, Jim Rutherford stated that ‘major surgery’ was required on the Vancouver Canucks roster. It was termed a retool by Canucks’ brass at the time and it has yielded some quick returns, with the Canucks challenging for the President’s Trophy just a year later. Have they succeeded in opening a contention window? What did it cost?
Teambuilding
Roster Ruminations: Ottawa Senators – March 2024
The Senators need to add to their rebuild cohort but their thin prospect pool means they don’t have future assets to use as trade chips. They should also be trying to accumulate draft picks from 2025 an on to build their next cohort so that the rebuild doesn’t fizzle out after a brief whiff of the postseason.
Roster Ruminations: Columbus Blue Jackets – March 2024
The Columbus Blue Jackets strategic direction seemed to take a big change in direction after they landed Johnny Gaudreau as a UFA in the summer of 2022. The Blue Jackets had a promising rebuild well underway when shiny new toy syndrome seemed to change their vision. Now without a GM, where are they headed?
Roster Ruminations: San Jose Sharks – March 2024
Team: San Jose Sharks Last Season: 22-44-16 (82GP) This Season: 16-41-7 (64GP) Team Building Status: Liquidation The San Jose Sharks attempt at a re-tool seemed Continue Reading
Roster Ruminations: Chicago Blackhawks – March 2024
Clearly, it’s not about the strength of the NHL roster in Chicago right now. The studs are bare. A few of them might be rotten. This team has a long way to go before it will resemble a contender again.
Trade Musings: Ilya Lyubushkin to the Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs acquired Ilya Lyubushkin on Thursday evening, at 75% retention. They sent a 3rd round pick to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange, Continue Reading
Trade Musings: Chris Tanev to the Stars
The Calgary Flames traded Chris Tanev to the Dallas Stars on Wednesday. They received a 2024 2nd Round Pick, prospect Artem Grushnikov and a 2026 Continue Reading
Trade Musings: Sean Monahan to the Jets
The Montreal Canadiens traded Sean Monahan to the Winnipeg Jets on Friday. In exchange, they received a 2024 1st Round Pick and a 2027 conditional 3rd Round Pick. Let’s unpack the deal from both teams’ perspectives.
Trade Musings: Elias Lindholm to Vancouver
The Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames kicked trade season into gear on Wednesday night with the deal that sent Elias Lindholm to Vancouver and Andrei Kuzmenko and a package of future assets to Calgary. There’s plenty to unpack in the deal.
A Better Way: Regenerative Cohorts
I don’t think it has to be that way though. If we want to outsmart the best teams, we can’t simply copy their strategy. We need to improve on it. What if there was a way to build a sustainably competitive team?