Since the Predators are on the bye week, I got to pondering… Is the Vegas Golden Knight’s success in their inaugural season a good thing or a bad thing? I know, it is a bit of a crazy question, but the answer is not so simple.
Is it a good thing? Of course it is… a little early success certainly will help build the fan base in Vegas, it will help solidify the team’s place in the market when the NFL hits town in a few years and look… a good solid season that ends up with a playoff appearance does nothing but good for a new team…
But does it?
Stay with me here. The Vegas Golden Knights were drafted last June with a single purpose in mind… to build a contender within 3-5 years, not 3-5 months. Give the Gerard Gallant credit for an amazing job in getting this team to work it’s tail off. As a good friend of mine told me on social media… “This. Team. Never. Stops. Skating.… That is a credit to the coaching staff for building a culture of hard work in this team.
But again… the philosophy was to build for the future. Now that the future is here, GM George McFee has had to adjust his plan. Decisions are being made to extend players that would’ve been UFA’s at the end of the season. These are players that probably would’ve been traded at the deadline, gathering valuable assets toward that goal of 3-5 year contention. However it appears now, the future is here.
So players like Jonathan Marchessault are being extended… talks are happening with James Neal to do the same and it wouldn’t surprise me if more extensions get announced…
So now what happens at the trade deadline? Leading the Pacific Division as I write this, the Knights can’t be the sellers they expected to be back in the summer… do they become full buyers and try and enhance this team? At what cost?
I submit that going all in in year one could be a disaster for the long-term development and success of this franchise. Early success in a franchise can hurt… look no further than the Nashville Predators. The 98-99 team skated their asses off and worked hard, and the town fell in love with them… however… they were never bad enough to get great draft position to get a chance at the kind of generational talent that lifted teams like Pittsburgh and Tampa to cup victories. The highest draft position the Predators ever had was in year one at the number 2 slot. The next highest position was the 4 slot in 2013. And this was a team that didn’t make the playoffs until their 6th season in the league!
I also submit the early success of the Florida Panthers and their “lightning-in-a-bottle… run to the Stanley Cup Final in their third season. They have only four playoff appearances in the 20 seasons since that magical run.
It is my belief that Vegas could be an amazing market, the raw materials are there as we witnessed on the SlapShot Radio road trip, however... the development of a new franchise is a little like establishing a new garden… it has to be tended carefully, growth managed properly, smart pruning at the right times, and fed just enough if you want it to grow develop beyond one growing season.
All of the pieces are in place, but I believe this run up to the trade deadline will be fascinating to watch. Vegas has some serous potential… but the right moves will have to made over the next 5-7 weeks… It is my belief that if the franchise decides to go all-in on a playoff run this season, it could have a disastrous effect on their long term success.
Stay Tuned.
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“Where We Stand… update… a daily tracking of where the Predators are in the standings and the games that impact them most, brought to you by Mark Lonsway - THE real estate professional for hockey fans!
After last night’s play, the Predators, who are in their bye week, stand second in the Central Division with 56 points, three points behind Winnipeg (2 GIH) and one point ahead of St. Louis (4 GIH) … the Preds lead Dallas by five points (1 GIH)… and lead Minnesota by six points (2 GIH.)
Impact games tonight (all times Central) – None… but I bet that Carolina/Washington game could be fun to watch on NHL Network.
Playoff Odds Courtesy SportsClubStats.com - The Predators playoff chances are now at 96.9% after yesterday’s play.
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Last night’s SlapShot Radio
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Random Notes
- Congratulations to Pekka Rinne, who was named to the NHL Central Division All-Star team join PK Subban and head coach Peter Laviolette.
- VGK's James Neal was also named to the Pacific squad, his third All-Star nod.
- Juuse Saros is getting some work in Milwaukee during the bye week, he was sent down and Anders Lindback was called up for a little vacay.
- Team Tennessee was in full effect on Tuesday nights as the Predator’s players wore Titan jerseys as they arrived at the arena for the game. It’s nice to see the two major league teams in town play nice together, it hasn’t always been this way.
- Eeli Watch – Eeli Tolvanen’s Jokerit team is back in action today against Kunlun RS. Tolvanen has 17 goals and 16 assists in 40 games.
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