As analysts from all parts of the hockey world have dissected each and every team in the NHL to pick out the Stanley Cup contenders from the pretenders, one factor seems to be universal in what separates the cream of the crop from the rest of the league is depth. We’ve seen it in recent years, with deep teams like the Pittsburgh Penguins and Chicago Blackhawks roll four lines en route to bringing titles to their cities. When you have players like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Patrick Kane to anchor your team’s top units, then the combination of superstars up front and quality depth backing them up can be overwhelming for any team to handle.
Superstars vs Depth: Re-evaluating Team Construction
