Too much drama around Colborne, Horak, Monahan and Reinhart (though I throw Reinhart in there as I feel he is borderline NHL ready for a prospect).
Flames are in a rebuild. To me, a rebuild means acquiring as much young talent with upside as possible. Does Colborne fit that? I think so. I myself think Horak is more deserving and has shown more than Colborne has, but I am fine with demoting Horak for now (and Monahan back to Junior, and Reinhart to the AHL), if it means the Flames acquire more talent and competition.
Yes, Colborne's status defeats the whole 'meritocracy' for now, but do people really think it will last all season IF Colborne sucks past 20 or 30 games? I don't. Trading for him and then exposing him to waivers without giving him a chance would be the ridiculous move.
Flames will open up their roster as the season progresses through trades and injuries. Horak and Reinhart will both be on this team in time, and we will all most likely get to see forwards like Granlund, Jooris, Ferland and any others that impress in the AHL. I am not high on Colborne, but I can at least acknowledge that he does have some upside, a 4th is at least 'fair value' for him right now (if not a bit of a bargain) and the Flames are in a rebuild.
Besides, the Flames will most likely have injury call-ups, and other teams may run into injuries as well forcing them to make trades for a few of Calgary's players, not to mention the deadline. I would expect to see most of the higher-end and more NHL ready rookies have a chance to shine for at least for a short stretch, and some may end up being here most of the season.
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