I think the rookies panning out is in large part beyond his control (or at least more due to luck of the draw, draft); the big thing for me will be how swiftly and astutely he acts when it becomes clear some rookies won’t pan out. Or even hypothetically with Tavares: If he becomes good, but not great, would Snow make the hard choices when it comes time to extend him through his UFA years?

I kind of like Snow so far, but I don’t think he’s had very difficult decisions yet. The early phase of a rebuild in part writes itself; the toughest thing is sticking with it through the pain.