The number one trick to building a contender is…
Patience.
It’s always been patience. Now, I know I might be speaking too early for the Habs, but look at how they keep proving others wrong and such. I know it’s only Game 1, and they’re playing a team that has recurring demons in the Conference Final, but looking at this team, they are DEEP.
And the key thing is that they drafted and developed. Obviously, they got a lot of good players in the later rounds like Dobes and Hutson, but the key thing is that they were patient. They didn’t give up any draft picks or prospects at this year’s deadline like we did when we had those two good years in 2021 and 2024, and they waited for their prospects to pan out, signed them young, and didn’t risk taking on any veterans.
This team is destined for contention and might be the ones to actually end the drought, if I must say.