Follow the link to check out this great visual representation of all the Cup winners since 2006.
This infographic examines how Stanley Cup winning teams have been constructed since the cap was introduced.
For each team, notice the progression/regression of their farm team affiliate leading up to and following their Championship year. There are some interesting trends. Perhaps most notable is that Carolina is the only team of the lot to not make the playoffs in the following season while simultaneously having to transition their farm team to a new city. Coincidence? Maybe. We’ll let you decide. The other 5 teams have maintained strong organizational depth from bottom to top and reap the benefits of repeated playoff appearances.Only one team, Chicago, did not have their oldest players (on average per position) on defence. Detroit and Pittsburgh had the oldest defensive corps yet the Penguins had by far the youngest offence. Also of interest when it comes to the Pens is that each of their Centermen were products of their own drafting/farm system. Only the Red Wings had more overall players on their squad through drafting than the Penguins.
Most defensemen hit their prime at a later age, so it’s not surprising to see that stat about Cup-winning defenses. The Kings are comparatively young at that position, after investing their highest draft pick in a defenseman (Drew Doughty, #2 overall). They also have a d-corps featuring Voynov (age 22) and Martinez (age 24). This is balanced by the experience offered by Willie Mitchell (35) and Rob Scuderi (33), the most seasoned players on the roster.
The Kings have also pulled Kyle Clifford, Andrei Loktionov, Dwight King, and Jordan Nolan from the farm team to join the big club over the last two seasons. What do you think? How do the Kings compare?
Kudos to Ron Schwartz for the great visual. Go take a look.