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Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm
Well we disagree then Flash. A sign of not rebuilding is going out and signing two big free agents, then finishing near last in the league. A rebuilding team isn't going to shot themselves in the foot that way. If the Flames went out and signed two big ticket players this off seasons people who be floored at why they are doing it when we are rebuilding.
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Someone has to make the money. Hawks need to get to the Cap Floor and Aucoin and Bulin helped them do that. Hawks also had good young defensive prospects, but they were not ready to play a significant role and required the steady presence of a big minute two-way defender. This is something I would expect from a franchise like the Flames if they had a stable of solid young defenders.
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I don't know why you just brush aside signing big money free agents. There are more then one sign of a rebuilding team, or a team spinning it's wheels. The Flames could have a fire sale in the next couple weeks, drafted in the top three, then go out and sign 2-3 free agents who are 30+ years old and you'd be one of the first to wonder what the heck was going on I'd imagine.
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I brush it aside because the money doesn't matter. Free agents are just that, free. They don't have any acquisition cost other than money. Therefore, they are unlikely to be a determinate factor in a rebuild. Teams that are rebuilding display a general plan of acquiring picks instead of using them to bolster the team in the immediate future (win now).
Look at the hawks trade history and find a trade between 2004 and 2007 where they gave up draft picks. They made a no-brainer trade for Havlat which ended up being utter theft. They gave up a 2008 2nd rounder for smolinski and then moved him at the deadline several months later for a 2007 2nd rounder.
That franchise operated for 4 years without dealing draft picks. Can there be a better sign of prioritizing the draft then doing nothing with your draft picks but get more of them for four solid years?