Well, folks, it turns out it wasn't just the Jets being subpar, or the Oilers choking, or the Stars being boring.

And as the Vegas Golden Knights cruised to a 9-3 win over Florida Tuesday to secure the Stanley Cup, the Panthers' good vibes barely mattered all series.

It turns out the Golden Knights won their first Cup in franchise history in five games by simply being a good team. But why were we hesitant to admit they were good for so long?

Was it the relatively silent Western Conference's trade deadline? Clearly, the active deadline teams barely did anything in the East. Maybe our reluctance to admit the aggressive approach Vegas has taken works and creates an entertaining and successful product.

Well, any team that actually wants to win should take notice: The Vegas Golden Knights have created a blueprint. Here's how they did it.

Being Ruthless

Those were all-encompassing bones the intentionally obtuse haters were picking, but another narrative has emerged that is specific to the Golden Knights: Have they been too "cutthroat" in the approach to their roster?

In an almost comically unprecedented move when it comes to the NHL, Vegas decided to put winning as the No. 1 priority, at any cost within the often blurry rules. Who could forget hockey agent Allan Walsh's tweet about former Golden Knights goalie Marc-André Fleury?