[genetic_phreek]

Originally Posted by AR_Six

Tanguay-Backlund-Stempniak
Glencross-Reinhart-Jackman
Cammalleri-Horak-Baertschi
Begin-Jones-Cervenka

You know, while none of these lines are particularly good, the top 3 are extremely well balanced. Give the Flames 2 top six centres and they might have a reasonably entertaining forward lineup. Let's look forward for next year's lineup, assuming no further trades of guys currently under contract:

Tanguay-********-Cammalleri
Glencross-Barkov-Hudler
Baertschi-Stajan-Stempniak
Horak-Backlund-Jackman
Reinhart

Say you overpay Mike Ribeiro for 5 years @$32M. That's your #1 centre during the 3-4 "rebuilding years", until at least one of the younger guys (say, Jankowski if he pans out or Barkov/Mackinnon/Whoever else is drafted this year and next) are ready to kick ass as top 6 centres. You may also have some space to get a good middle six player in terms of possession play - say, Cochrane boy Mason Raymond, who looks to be too expensive to keep for a cash-strapped Canucks squad, or Michael Ryder, or Pascal Dupuis. Take one of those guys on a 1-2 year deal with the full expectation that you'll sell them as a rental at the applicable trade deadling for a prospect.

Now, is that a good team? Not particularly. Probably not getting to the playoffs. But it also isn't likely to be awful, either, if Kiprusoff comes back. If Barkov's not ready for the big dance yet, Backlund or Stajan are capable of moving up a set without being huge craters in the lineup. Basically it is not a "bags over heads" unwatchable scenario up front, and even if the team is losing it shouldn't be an embarassment.

If you're rebuilding, why would you overpay for any guy? How would throwing away money to a guy like Ribeiro help service a young team? You throw away money to guys like that if you're trying to win, not rebuild.