I really wish ownership would allow management to rebuild the team by trading off some high priced assets for prospects/picks and let them tank into the top 3 this year only. This is the year to get a top 5 pick with several top end players up for grabs. I am not one to tout Oiler style rebuild and that is not what I want.
Flames need to make a decision on Iggy, Kipper, Bouw and to a lesser extent Cammy, Tangs, Gio, Glencross. I don't think trading all of them is the answer but I do think we should trade the first 3. Trading Iggy, Kipper, Bouw and bringing back 1st round picks and prospects will allow the Flames to reload quickly and possibly push for the playoffs next year.
Add MacKinnon/Barkov/Drouin to the mix with Sven, Backlund, Brodie the future is looking better. Teams struggling to deal with the cap might be willing to let go of a player if the Flames dangle one of their firsts they acquire by trading the big 3.
When Ken King fired Sutter he called it pushing the reset button but at the end of the day not a whole lot changed. Sure Feaster has been better at his drafting philosophy, trying to bring in young players but he still has tried to win now and failed to capitialize on assets at the deadline. I think Feaster has done a decent job of juggling both as we have better young depth on the farm than we ever had in the past, and the 2011/2012 drafts have turned our prospect pool around significantly. We are still very far away from being a team built to win now or the future however and this is a perfect season to acquire a game changer in the draft and cash in on our aging assets while they still hold some okay value.
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