Yeah, 2017 was the start of improving the reputation.
The difference is the source of the bad reputation. In Washington, it's the owner. In Buffalo, it was the staff.
So, the Pegulas were able to fix it over time by rebuilding the staff.
It's not going to be fixed in Washington until Snyder is out and someone else can come in and rebuild the staff.
Yeah, but it's going to be nearly impossible for a new coach to do that. It's needs to be a new owner who guts the staff and hires the right people.
There's always a chance that Snyder finds someone completely aligned with him and the whole org is completely aligned and they have some success, but that would certainly be short-lived before the power struggles tear it apart again.