Quoting: BStinson
I never said Sakic was the gold standard
Oh, I know, I was just giving context to my original comment, which you had replied to.
Quoting: BStinson
but rather Holland most likely doesn’t sniff 3 cups without being handed that roster.
Quite likely, but they say the hardest thing to do is repeat. His first Cup came in year 1, the second in year 5 and the 3rd in year 11. So it's not like he was playing with house money that whole time, there was a fair bit of roster turnover from when he took over the team.
Quoting: BStinson
Most of the FA signings he did post salary cap era didn’t turn out in our best interest. I also think he gets a little bit of the short end of the deal with extending the streak as Jimmy D already came out and said he approached the owners about rebuilding in 2014.
Yeah, I think some of those signings weren't all Holland's idea, the owner got increasingly involved in later years. Even still, Detroit was the best team in the NHL during the time Holland was GM:
www.nhl.com
Quoting: BStinson
That coupled with Wright having some suspect drafting really put salt in the wound for a ton of fans. I’m glad that the Oilers are able to get guys like Holloway and hopefully Wright learned from his 2017 mistake.
He seems to love size, athleticism and "motor", which I think are traits which make for a higher floor for prospects. Broberg (6'3, 203) and Holloway (6'1, 203) are both elite skaters so they'll have NHL careers for sure... I was hoping for Zegras in 2019, but when Jarvis was taken at #13 in 2020 Holloway was my first choice. But the miss in 2021 was just astounding to me... so Wright's picks in Edmonton are a mixed bag for me, although I like a lot of his later picks. We won't know for several years I guess.