Quote:
Originally Posted by DeZoE
You people seem to think this is a pissing match between the oilers and the flames. It's not. I'm not here to say my team is better then yours. We aren;t in the playoffs and at this rate we might not be next year either. For those of you who can comprehend a sentence, I am asking you why you're not much more upset with management then you let on or if you think the current management group is capable of bringing you to the promised land. Please, if you have nothing intelligent to say then by all means, keep it to yourself.
|
Why didn't the Oiler fans come out with pitchforks after your team's management fail to take the Oilers to the promise land? Many of us wanted a rebuild. Many of us who didn't, still grudgingly see that a rebuild is the most logical path right now. Flames have made a lot of moves in order to try and rebuild in a competitive environment - that obviously failed, but a rebuild is what we are in the midst of now.
As for comparing the Oilers' rebuild to that of the Flames', you are comparing apples to oranges.
I don't mean to disrespect your team up there, but what happened to all those OTHER picks besides the first-overalls? I think Eberle is pretty damn good, and he was a late first rounder, but your team failed because their scouting and/or development team failed. There simply wasn't enough in the pipeline coming in to turn your franchise around.
Flames... they don't have high-end blue-chip prospects other than Baertschi. You can count Gaudreau and Jankowski if you want - some of us do, some of us don't. If they make it, they will be impact players.
What the Flames do is have a lot of depth in the prospect base. Guys with size, guys with some skill, guys with leadership abilities and character, guys with good two-way play, etc. Definitely nothing to build your team around, but definitely something to support the rebuild through the future.
Where was your Backlund in your rebuild? Where was your Brodie? Where was your Giordano? Your Glencross? Yes, you had Hemsky. Horcoff, as horrible of a contract he does have, does carry some worth to your team, but something stinks about that leadership there. Hall seems to be a much more competitive spirit than Horcoff.
Please list down all your prospects that are either NHL solid players now (aside from your over-alls + Eberle - which is nothing to sneeze at, don't get me wrong) but list your other low first rounders, your 2nd rounders, and so forth. Lander? Hartikainen? Neither of them seem like they are NHL capable thus far. Who else?
That is the difference there between the Flames' rebuild, and the Oilers' rebuild. Though the Flames are definitely missing the 'sure-fire blue-chip' prospects the likes of the Oilers', the Flames are a step ahead of the Oilers from the onset of the rebuild. What did the Oilers START with for prospects and NHL players?
Your management team didn't see the rebuild coming, and kind of 'fell into it'. That is fine. At some point they recognized a rebuild was needed. Compare your roster at that moment after the first year of 'rebuild trades', and compare that of the Flames. Then compare the initial prospect base. Flames are NOT one of the deeper prospect bases, that's for sure - but the Flames DO have more depth, talent and POSSIBILITIES than the Oilers DID at the start of their rebuild.
Most of the fans here don't think this is going to be a 1 year rebuild. Nobody (outside of perhaps a couple overly-optimistic dreamers) think this is going to be a 1-year rebuild. 2-3 is more likely, and if things go wrong, then we fall into Oiler territory of terrible.
Flames have a better scouting department in my opinion. Go through the prospect base, and look to see what types the Flames are drafting or acquiring.
- High Hockey IQ
- 2-way Players
- Captains or leaders
- A mix of size and skill
Now look back at your drafting history - and think outside of the top picks. Your top picks are really wonderful - nobody is going to say they stink. It is what you do to supplement those picks - and the Oilers haven't been able to do that 'easier' step - getting good depth, grit, and leadership abilities. You guys DEFINITELY have the talent, but you don't have much else. That is why your rebuild has been taking a long time.
Flames will not last as long as the Oilers in the basement for 2 reasons:
1) There is a PUSH to not do that. Edmonton's owner and management seem rather complacent to me (outsider looking in, but that is what it seems like, especially based on the lack of veteran acquisitions)
2) Oilers started off with next to nothing in their prospect depth, and without a good leadership or core of supporting players to help shoulder the burden, especially on Defence. Flames seem to have more of those pieces than the Oilers did, no?
It is really only a matter of time before your management team FINALLY loses patience. Perhaps the Oilers' fans finally lose patience and stop selling out, forcing your management team to do something, or forcing the Katz to change management. Whatever happens, your Oilers' team will eventually become at the very least a decent team - just too much talent for that not to happen. Just has been a waste for your team thus far not taking advantage of the ELCs.
Just because that has happened to your team, it does NOT mean that it will happen to the Flames. I can't really name another team off the top of my head that has been in a rebuild for that long, in a salary-cap world, who supposedly has an owner that wants to win and will spend to that cap. I think the Oilers are the EXCEPTION to the rebuilding rule, not the standard.
Flames could very well screw it up as badly as your Oilers - but statistically, it will be an anomaly. Name another cap-spending team that has languished at the bottom of the standings for so long during a rebuild? Go ahead, name me one example OTHER than yourselves?