Why the Penguins Rebuild won't be forever (but won't be immediate).

Can we just put aside for a second, this notion that every 10 years, a successful hockey team needs to completely and aggressively sell off any asset they have, stock pile more draft picks than they can use, and bury themselves into a losing oblivion just to have a chance at "getting back to the playoffs" or "being contenders again?"

Enter exhibit A, The Washington Capitals (Blasphemous in a Penguins blog!). Since 2019-20, this is how the Capitals have finished their seasons:

19-20: 5th Overall

20-21: 7th Overall

21-22: 13th Overall

22-23: 25th Overall

23-24: 17th Overall

24-25: 2nd Overall

That's it. That's their "rebuild", "retool", whatever you want to call it. A total of...1 season when they finished 25th? Ironically, they did better the next year and were big sellers at the trade deadline. Here's what everyone keeps saying when I use this example: "Yes, but the Caps got lucky and had some big contracts go on LTIR." That's true, that did happen - and that created a lot of cap space for them - much like many teams (like the Penguins) will have over the next few years as the cap goes up in a big way. But you know what else the Capitals had that the Penguins don't (thus the "but won't be immediate" tag in the title)? Prospects. They had (and still have) prospects to come in and fill the voids created by players put on LTIR. Connor McMichael was drafted in the first round (#25) in 2019. This season he had 57 points in 82 games. He's 24. The Penguins actually did draft that year (#21, 4 spots ahead of Washington). Their pick? Sam Poulin. He's played 13 games in his NHL career. He has 2 assists.

When President of Hockey Operations/General Manager/How Many Titles is Too Many Titles Kyle Dubas spoke after firing Mike Sullivan, he said that they needed to execute their butts off. Kyle Dubas didn't draft Sam Poulin. But what if he doesn't draft another Sam Poulin this year? What if he doesn't draft another next year? What if the team really does execute their butts off and strikes gold with a "hidden gem" in the draft? Harrison Brunicke was drafted 44th overall last year. He almost made the team out of training camp. He appears to be a steal. Ville Koivunen? Carolina didn't have him high on their prospect chart (nevermind that I don't understand what the Hurricanes do sometimes), but he also looks to be a steal. A Connor McDavid? No. But a darn good prospect to get this rebuild moving quicker.

If Jim Rutherford would have saved just 2 or 3 of those first round draft picks that he wasted for Derrick Brassard or Ryan Reaves, we could possibly be seeing this transition moving at a much quicker pace. Nonetheless, props to the man of many titles. Kyle Dubas took the teams non-existent prospect pool from 0 to half-decent in a year. That's executing your butt off.

So let's just do this. Let's agree on one thing. Rebuilds don't have to take 10 years. Can we agree? You don't have to be the Buffalo Sabres or the Detroit Red Wings (Sorry, I feel for you). That doesn't mean that the Penguins will finish 2nd overall next year like the Caps did this year, or even 16th next year (up 8 spots from their 24th this year - like the caps did when they finished 17th the year after finishing 25th) - in fact, they might even be worse than they were this year. But, if there's anything we've learned from the Capitals, it's that rebuilds don't have to take a long time in a league with a cap ceiling and a cap floor. It's that if you are smart about asset management, are allowed to get a great coach for the situation (enter Mike Sullivan's firing), and execute your butt off, you just might pull off what everyone is saying is impossible. Roger Bannister broke the 4 minute mile in 1954. Medical professionals told him that it was physically impossible to run a mile that fast. He ran it in 3 minutes and 59 seconds. Just 46 days later, someone broke his record.

Let's break through the mental barrier of what a rebuild is in the NHL. If others follow suit, we might be in for a great season.