Not to get overdramatic or anything, but I have a feeling that in a few more years the Tom trade will be one of the biggest turning points in the franchise rebuild.
With Tom getting sent down back to the minor again and all of Horak, Grandlund and Wotherspoon knocking at the door of making the Flames club in the next two years, it's pretty clear that we won the trade. Sure Tom may still pan out to be a solid pick as there is still time, but the potential to have at least two of these guys turning out to be full time NHL'ers is pretty strong.
But I think the biggest benefit of the Erixon fiasco is that it embarrassed the Flames into rethinking their draft philosophy. From that point on the Flames focus has solely been on players with High IQ, a willingness to learn and strong character. They've focused on players that want to play here and want to learn. Long term that's going to be very important for the franchise turn around.
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