No matter what they were “tanking” next year. They basically did last year without trying. Now you add the Keith recapture penalty of over $5 million and it is inevitable. They were going to have to subtract from the 6th worst team in hockey to get under the cap.We're not even really disagreeing here.
Anyway, GarPax and Stan Bowman both left total messes at the United Center. Arturas Karnisovas went to work making chicken salad out of chicken you-know-what, and Kyle Davidson has decided to explore new levels of cynicism in hockey.
The Bulls will have the brighter long-term future, that is where I'm placing my bet.
To avoid the rebuild you keep Debrincat, Strome, Kane, Jones, Dach and Hagel and build around them I guess. You will have pay those guys about $37 million probably? Gives you a lot of cap space but you probably haven’t done much to improve a lifeless prospect pool. Maybe in this situation you end up with a high draft pick in next years draft anyways? Kane is 34 next season so 35 when they are realistically doing anything. I just don’t see the logic of it.
The plan is simple. You may not like it but it is a plan. Stockpile draft capital and build the prospect pool while maintaining maximum cap space after the 2023-2024 season. You see what you have coming in prospects and then start building around it through free agency.