Didn't this team finish 5 points back on the Stanley Cup champs last year? The way the league is set up now it allows almost every team to be able to compete for the cup, this year I could honestly say that I wouldn't be shocked if one of about 25 teams win the cup, it's going to come down to which one is streaking at the right time and who gets the hot goaltending.
The Flames have a very fickle fan base, it shows on here after a loss (rebuild) and after a win (playoff chances), it showed in the 90`s with having season ticket drives in order to keep the team in Calgary...twice. The franchise probably couldn`t withstand a full rebuild as some people want, trade away all of our veterans and have prospects and picks galore, some will pan out, most will not.
How many people thought NJ needed to trade Parise before the trade deadline last year because they didn`t have a shot and they would lose him for nothing...how did they end up doing last year and how are they doing without their 27 year old captain this year....
Calgary doesn`t need to rebuild, they just needed a different approach than to what Sutter brought and I think they are doing just that. Be smarter with contracts (terms and length), scouting and development are big (they have improved) and reward the younger players with an NHL spot (something that Sutter never did). `
Flames have as good of a chance this year to win the cup as the Kings did last year, in my opinion that is a good enough reason to hang onto the players on this team and hope we get hot at the right time.
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