The secret to the rebuild is to find players after the first round. Your first rounders should step in and play but it is the other rounds that count more. That is what creates depth and why teams like the Oilers are in a perpetual rebuild. It is also why the Flames were talent poor for many years.
I think the Flames rebuild started in 2009 when the team committed to improving its scouting, that paid off in the subsequent drafts and has helped the Flames build some pretty good depth, like the Hawks did before getting Toews and Kane. I think we'll be looking back at the 2010 draft as the that started the turn around. That was the year they drafted Reinhard, Ramage, Arnold and Ferland. They follow that up in 2011 with Baertschi, Granlund, Wotherspoon, Gaudreau and Broissoit. 2012 brought Jankowski, Sieloff and Gillies. Last year we added Monahan, Poirier, and Klimchuk. This is likely the core of the future team. Add in some interesting pieces from trades and free agency and the roster begins to come together as the existing team fades. There are a couple of cogs missing in that mix, but the 2014 draft and moving some our vets should address some of those needs.
I agree with those who say we don't need to spend years pulling an Oilers failure plan to build a good team. I think the team knew this and made strides while they still had Iginla and were on the playoff bubble. A couple of years at the bottom is likely all this team is going to feel as far as pain goes. They have been quietly rebuilding and are showing some good signs of turning it around quickly. The trick will be this spring when they add three good college kids to the mix and have another high draft pick. 2014-15 and 2015-16 will be a great time for the Flames fans as their prospects start to mature and step up into the bigs.
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