For AHL affiliates of NHL organizations, the ultimate balancing act is between winning games and developing prospects.
When the Texas Stars appeared in the 2010 Calder Cup Final, the team leaned heavily toward the former. Led primarily by a rag-tag bunch of hockey journeymen, the only members of that playoff run who later went on to become NHL regulars were Jamie Benn and Colton Sceviour, and even then, Benn was only with the team for that postseason.
As for the AHL-champion 2013-14 team, they managed to successfully strike that rare, magical balance between winning and development.