Building a Stanley Cup champion is a lengthy and difficult process.
Unlike the NBA, where a few trades and free-agent signings of star players can turn a draft lottery team into a championship contender in just a few months (2008 Boston Celtics, for example), NHL general managers have to spend years finding the right players to fit their team's style of play and address certain weaknesses.
A salary cap system also makes it more difficult for GMs to fix their team's problems just by opening their owner's checkbook. This means that teams must focus much more on scouting, player development and drafting to construct a championship roster.
Let's break down the anatomy of a champion in the NHL.
Four Quality Forward Lines with Players Who Fill Different Roles
Teams need a lot of depth at forward to win the Stanley Cup. Each year, we see clubs with a great top six that has some elite scorers, but they don't win the Cup because the third and fourth lines don't contribute offensively or play a physical game.
In fact, since the start of the 1993-94 season, only two Art Ross ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Nicholas Goss
Anatomy of a Stanley Cup Champion
April 30th, 2013 by Nicholas Goss Leave a reply »
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