Not sure there'd been no Stanley Cup. They could have acquired another good goalie. Someone like Belfour would have been enough for them to win at least one cup. They did have a potent core already.
We would have suffered the faith of the Edmonton Oiler teams of that period. We would have developped good young players then we would have had to sell them for picks and prospects because we wouldn't have been able to afford them anymore.
Sakic, Forsberg, Foote, Deadmarsh, Drury, Hejduk, etc would have been traded sooner rather than later and we would have sucked for years until we pacted the cupboard again and sold our players years later. With the 2005 CBA, we would have become one of the most profitable teams in the league and MAYBE THEN we might have become a powerhouse.
Obvious fact is that there is no Roy. Beside Roy, they have pretty health core with few question marks.
Good start is who would be a goalie and possible Nolan/Ozolinsh trade. They were deep down to the middle and had a good D core.
Not sure there'd been no Stanley Cup. They could have acquired another good goalie. Someone like Belfour would have been enough for them to win at least one cup. They did have a potent core already.
I'm not so sure they would have been able to sign someone like him though. Their financial situation wasn't exactly stellar and it certainly wasn't one of the more popular destinations among the players in the league.
Assuming Roy doesn't go to Quebec, Detroit very likely wins that 1996 cup. Without Colorado to stop them things looked very good for Detroit, particularly if Florida still managed to make the finals. Winning that 1996 Cup probably makes Detroit less dangerous in the future though, as they probably never acquire Shanahan or Murphy.
Detroit was also seemingly one of the leading candidates for Roy, and if they got him for a package similar to what Colorado offered we're looking at strong dynasty potential.
Yeah, I think if Quebec had stayed Detroit would have been the team to get Roy. Thing is if Detroit wins the Cup in 1996 what team gets Shanahan? I've always said Shanahan was the missing piece for Detroit in their quest for a Cup.
__________________
Exhibit A as to how hockey doesn't matter on ESPN:
Last night an ESPN program was discussing how the Detroit Pistons needed a hero citing the heroes on the Detroit Tigers, Detroit Lions and no mention of the Detroit Red Wings. All this despite the Red Wings probably being the most succesful team in Detroit right now.
No way. Three cups in a row is as much as I'd give them. Four is just crazy talk.
LOL... needless to say, I meant more along the lines of having a major arena issue, being dismantled during the no-cap era and being a perennial relocation candidate. They weren't exactly a model franchise in the first place.
Yeah, I think if Quebec had stayed Detroit would have been the team to get Roy. Thing is if Detroit wins the Cup in 1996 what team gets Shanahan? I've always said Shanahan was the missing piece for Detroit in their quest for a Cup.
Since Quebec and Boston would have inevitably still been in the same division, I doubt either Harry Sinden or Magic Mike O'Connell would have traded Ray Bourque to the Nords.
For a Boston fan, Bourque in Philadelphia doesn't feel much better, but Quebec's offer would have to be off the charts (and that doesn't mean including Martin Grenier) for Sinden to trade Bourque to a better team in his own division.
Since Quebec and Boston would have inevitably still been in the same division, I doubt either Harry Sinden or Magic Mike O'Connell would have traded Ray Bourque to the Nords.
For a Boston fan, Bourque in Philadelphia doesn't feel much better, but Quebec's offer would have to be off the charts (and that doesn't mean including Martin Grenier) for Sinden to trade Bourque to a better team in his own division.
Yea, theres no way the Bruins would trade Bourque to Quebec, they'd probably still send him off to the Western Conference, probably either Detroit or Dallas as they were contenders at the time.
