Nowadays, the word “parity” is thrown around quite a bit to describe the NHL. You’ll hear people say that any team can beat any team on any given night. Technically, that is true. But if the rise of sports gambling has revealed anything, it’s that we all don’t really believe in “parity” absolutely. Most of us would put our money on the Vegas Golden Knights this season when they square up against the Buffalo Sabres.
There are tiers in the NHL. Powerhouses and perennial contenders like the Dallas Stars. Talented teams who can’t make it over the hump to be considered great like the Toronto Maple Leafs (sorry). Good teams who are hit or miss any given night like the St. Louis Blues. Finally, varying degrees of not-so-good teams whose fanbases I will not offend (but you know who you are).
Those are just a few categories I made up off the top of my head. You may disagree with how I sliced and diced it or with what teams fall into which category. It doesn’t really matter. Clearly, teams run the gamut from terrible to terrific.
How teams end up in these stages is what fascinates me. After years of Stanley Cup runs, does gravity finally pull you back down to earth? Are you perpetually stuck in a no man’s land, not good enough to win it all but not bad enough to embrace burning it down?
Whatever the case, teams are constantly evolving and looking for ways to improve. There are different phases of evolution in that process, depending on where your team currently stands. Here, I want to explore three of the most common terms coined: rebuild, retool, and reset.
Are there any practical differences? Or is it a marketing ploy used by general managers to manage expectations and avoid panic? I think it’s a little bit of everything.
Rebuild: What Everyone Fears
The term of the trio that needs the shortest introduction is “rebuild.” A rebuild is when a franchise trades or offloads every player aside from one or two youngsters. In exchange, the team accumulates young talent, prospects, and draft picks who will need time to develop into NHL players. This process takes two years at minimum but most likely three or four, at least before the team is competitive. The intervening period contains a lot of losing.
Owners, general managers, coaches, players, and fans…
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