IT's interesting that the past few franchises have had such quick success. What does the NHL do that other leagues don't? I guess the d-backs and Marlins in baseball had success quickly.
They don’t allow teams to protect many players. And give them a high draft pick right away. Also the NHL hard cap influences who teams will protect so many decent vets are available.
I think it also helps that pro hockey is generally more system and teamwork-based than other sports.
You have your elite players who make a huge difference, but then when you're talking about the impact of an above average second-liner vs. a mediocre/slightly below average player, suddenly there's much less of a difference. Talent doesn't have the same kind of impact like it does in the NBA or MLB.
You kind of see this with coaching changes in the NHL. Teams will regularly have dramatic turnarounds thanks to some mid-season coaching change.
Coaches are still super important in the NFL, but you still get examples of even the greatest of NFL coaches losing key talent and suddenly looking pedestrian (e.g. Belichick recently in New England, Reid's last year in Philly, Holmgren's last year in Seattle, etc. etc.).
