Quote:
Originally Posted by StrykerSteve
Outside of Colborne, every one of us pretty much pegged this as the opening night lineup before ever seeing a single development camp/training camp scrimmage/preseason game. Players that we thought had good camps, were sent down, not because they played poorly, but rather because it was convenient.
Those that made the lineup, made it primarily because of their contracts, and those that didn't would've had to have had an amazing preseason to avoid being sent down. The one real surprise would be Street, and even then, they already had him clear waivers so they can send him back down once Cammalleri comes back.
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Sure, I don't disagree.. but this is part of asset management.
Is Horak, Knight, Reinhart, Granlund, Ferland, etc., going to suffer or have their development stifled by playing in the AHL vs the NHL? You can make a stronger case that it is more beneficial to over-season prospects than rushing them, correct?
Also, look how seemingly great the Flames have been drafting in even the late rounds. Hey, if Jackman plays this way throughout the year, you can probably trade him for a 4th or so at the deadline. Maybe a 5th or 6th. That could potentially be another Brodie, or Harrison, or Arnold, or Ramage, or Gaudreau, etc. Sure, the likelihood of that is low, but the Flames have been making late picks count a bit more of late. The more bullets in the chamber, the more likely the Flames are to draft and develop some more impact in the future.
As long as the prospects aren't having their development derailed, what is the issue then? Teams need to maximize contracts, cap and assets in the best way possible to eventually challenge (and win) the cup. If a team gives in and just unloads or sits potential players that can return future depth and options, just to appease a fanbase, then they are going about their business all wrong.
You may not like it, but I would prefer the Flames to keep doing exactly what they are doing now. It would be a different story to suddenly see Cammy, Stempniak, Stajan, Jackman and whomever getting multi-year extensions this season. It is another to let them play, hopefully build their trade value, and have them return more possibilities for the future.
Injuries and trades will happen. Most of the notable prospects will get a turn in the NHL, and there will be more and more permanent room on the roster for them as they show they deserve it. I like Horak and a lot of other prospects, but they didn't exactly prove that they belong in the NHL right now either. Out of place? Not so much.. but they didn't exactly kill it at camp and make it impossible for the Flames to send them down either. We would be having a different conversation if that was the case. There is obviously room for them to continue developing in the AHL, and in the end, it will just make the Flames that much of a better team later down the road (which is really the goal here, isn't it?).