Quoting: JaredOfLondon
ah yes, stats and numbers are fun arnt they!
Let's take a look at that
Stevie Y turned a team with 19 wins in 56 games (a 34% winning team) into a team with 32 wins in 82 games (a 39% winning team). Which is a grand total of 4 more wins over a full season. IE fluke numbers.
as far as having the 2nd best prospect pool in the league, that's hilarious. Let me guess, a craig button ranking? And even if it was official somehow, you're team is awful you are supposed to have a good prospect pool. The Leafs have had a top 10 prospect pool for like 15 years if you wanna find the right ranker. That's not a solid rebuild, that's random noise and someone really liking a couple B prospects the wings have more than some other teams B prospects
There was a 32 point difference between the wings and the Bruins last year, The wings have zero realistic chance at a wild card any time soon, they are a bad team where most of their players are already past their peak performance ages, Bertuzzi, Larkin, Copp, et all are just going to get worse if anything by the time the wings are 'ready'.
So, since you seem to be really struggling to make the connection here, those three years that the contracts eat up are important rebuilding years. Yzerman went out and made the team better but not by any decent amount, instead of being worse and not spending a bunch of money, he reduced the teams ability to get high end tallent through the draft and through their ability to take on bad contracts. an extra 10+ million buys you a lot of draft and prospect capital at the deadline and draft. So if in 3 years, the wings will have all this cap space (if they dont re-sign a bunch of their guys to big bloated contracts that take them into their mid 30s, which they probably will) then you've still got a team that isnt very good and now your banking on prospects, most who arnt even very good, to pan out and carry you out of the darkness.
that's a bad idea.
You wanna know when a rebuild ends? When your youth that you've accumulated through said rebuild is able to carry the team to the top half of the league at the very least. It's also funny that you bring up Holland, because if he was still in Detroit, their offseason would have looked real similar to what happend with Yzerman.
You can tongue bath yzerman all you want, but if all you got is repeating "2nd best prospect pool in the league" ad nausium, then you're in for a rough one champ.
So cute, you try so hard. Look anywhere, on any platform, in any market, and combine them to formulate your own prospect rankings. In 90-99% you will find Detroit in the top 5. You will also find Toronto in the bottom 10 if you go anywhere outside of Toronto. I would love to see a "Maple Leaf tops the prospect rankings" list. Clearly it has been working for you as you have so many knocking on the door. Honestly, as in most posts, you are the one battling against the vast majority. With all that wisdom you would think teams would give you a call.
Just because it is "in your opinion" that certain prospects are A/B/C, does not make it so. You have little/no idea on the prospect pool in Detroit, just like most people have zero/no idea on Torontos, or any other team outside their own for that matter. On sheer volume alone, Detroit is in better standing. Based on junior/amateur/recency success/development, Detroit is in better standing. So there are more prospects to hit, and fewer issues on busts.
The Atlantic is the most competitive division it seems, and each team has its challenges.
1- Toronto has issues in the playoffs but they are good enough to get there. If cap issues become a problem as they have before, the decline will begin. If Matthews walks, the decline begins. Goaltending doesn't mean as much in the regular season if you can score 5-6 a night.
2- Tampa is Tampa. They have cap issues but until they regress you can't bet against them to make the playoffs. Best goaltender in the league, solid.
3- Florida revamped but they aren't as strong. Defense downgraded but they will still be good. Cap issues like others at the top.
4- Boston has injuries to start, kind of all in with the old band. Hard to imagine them not taking a step back after this year.
5- Ottawa improved a lot, still unproven (like Detroit and Buffalo). Young NHL players, room to grow.
6- Detroit improved a lot, still unproven. Young, flexible cap, will have veterans to usher in the new wave of players.
7- Buffalo improved. Young and will only get better.
8- Montreal. Bedard. Prospects.
There are too many questions to say what teams will go up and down the standings. No guarantee Toronto stays as good as they are either, can't say one without the other "opinion man"
You seem to assume that once someone hits 30 they regress. Not really, that is why you see so many 30-35 year olds win their first Stanley cup. If Larkin is 32 and the number 2 center putting up close to a PPG, thats a recipe for success. If Copp is a 33 year old 3rd line winger who can score and is defensively sound, who did show he can perform in the playoffs, thats a win. If Chiarot is the grizzled 5-7 assistant captain D who is mean and hard to play against in the playoffs, most teams take that. Again, you ASSUME the bloated contracts are coming because that is how you process things when Toronto signs Joey T and Marleau, JT, Muzzin. Yzerman has shown no indication to go out and actively over reach.
You make mention of SY making the team more competitive, and that the jump from 30-25 is nothing. You then say Yzerman wasn't smart because he is making the team better and thus less likely to get better picks.....Seider was projected in the teens, and was taken 6th. So... by your logic the jump to be better doesn't hurt the loss in draft pick slot number. Also, Yzerman isn't bringing in high end talent right? You said he lost the ability to take bad contracts? Pretty sure over the next three seasons Detroit is top 5 in cap space. Factor in extensions and Detroit is still very comfortable.
Finally, I will say I would gladly take these prospects in order. Since YOU (again opinions are something) can say the prospects aren't good, but myself, and most normal NHL fans can agree that just isn't the case.
Edvinsson (class of his own that TOR doesn't have anyone comparable)
IN ORDER:
Wallinder
Buium
Soderblom
Kasper
Berggren
Knies
Niemela
Johansson
Hiro
EDITED: just missed: Steeves/DSA/Busch