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Youth is served.
If there is anything that can be learned from the past two Stanley Cup champions, it is that building from within rather than free agency is the way to go.
When it comes to the Pittsburgh Penguins, you have to look at guys like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Marc-Andre Fleury, Jordan Staal, Kris Letang, and Alex Goligoski. The organization took its time (with the exception of Crosby, Malkin and Fleury), allowed them to develop and then threw them into action.
Looking at the Blackhawks, you had guys like Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Dustin Byfuglien, Brent Seabrook and others all get opportunities to play and they made the most of them. Then general manager Dale Tallon believed in the kids and the kids simply followed through with current GM Stan Bowman.
Another good example is the Washington Capitals. You have Alexander Ovechkin, Niclas Backstrom, Alex Semin, Semyon Varlamov, and now Michal Neuvirth all getting opportunities to play. This team is young, fast and although they still have some learning to do when it comes to the playoffs, are Stanley Cup contenders.
One team that I would like to see follow through with this method is the New York Rangers. As a Blueshirts fan, I believe that Glen Sather has gone about each off-season in the wrong way by signing free agents to absurd contracts.
Why does Sather feel the need to do that when the organization has prospects who are jumping at the bit to play. Derek Stepan is a great example. He tied for the team lead in points during the pre-season and yet, is not a lock to make this team or get a lot of playing time.
It’s time for the Rangers to get younger and throw their prospects into action to see what they can do. Yes, they may end up making mistakes but who doesn’t?
If the team does it right, the experience can be very rewarding in the long run.
