Quote:
Originally Posted by kehatch
Both teams failed to recognize the need for a rebuild until the bottom fell out. ...
The Flames could have been ahead of the curve by recognizing the need to rebuild two or three seasons ago. They didn't. Now we are in the basement throwing Hail Mary passes on prospects. As is always the case many fans are just assuming those passes will connect.
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I disagree with most of this. Flames were mediocre but didn't "bottom out" entirely. Their biggest losing streak occurred after they traded Iginla and Bouwmeester. If anything the bottoming out happened after the Iginla deal was put in motion. After a couple weeks the team settled down and got back to mediocre levels.
I think getting "ahead of the curve" is much more difficult than you assume it to be.
I would suggest that in many ways the Flames did recognize the need to rebuild two or three seasons ago. They fired Sutter and there was all sorts of discussion about a rebuild. But a tear down was not easy to accomplish and plus there was the legitimate business concern about trading the two key players responsible for getting the franchise back on its feet. Iginla and Kipper contracts had value to ownership beyond their on-ice performance. That is almost certain.
On the ice, Iginla with NMC + 7.0M Cap Hit for 2 or 3 years and his 2010 season was not that strong. Not many teams would have room to fit him in at the best of times. Bouwmeester with NMC at 6.68M with 3 or 4 years left and not putting up numbers was also very tough to trade. I would suggest that the underperformance of some of the high paid players at the worst time made them virtually untradeable, like it or not. Iginla is tradeable with 1 month left on his contract, and Bouwmeester's bounce-back year makes him tradeable with 1 year left. The Flames were more or less destined to ride it out.
I think the false assumption being made is that there was massive trade value available for these guys two or three years ago. Rumours are only rumours, and I don't believe that the Kings (for example) were offering the same package for Iginla that they offered for Mike Richards. Richards is much younger, plays centre, had a long term cap-friendly deal, and like Iggy he won a gold medal and went to a cup final etc.
I also think the Hail Mary comment is awesome hyperbole.