Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe
I think it would be a monumental mistake to trade away next year's pick.
It isn't just McDavid. It definitely starts with him, but it hardly ends there. Eichel is making a strong case for pushing McDavid aside as the #1 pick (though I doubt he makes it - but he is a far better center than anyone this year). Hanifin has some scouts saying he is the best defencemen in the last 10 years - better than either Jones or Ekblad. Might be true, and it may not - but he seems to be at the very least at the same caliber as Ekblad and Jones. Barzal is another guy that gets overlooked - some scouts think he is better than Reinhart was at the same age - we will have to see if that is true as well or not, but I wouldn't disregard it right now (and I am super high on Reinhart, and think he is criminally underrated - he projects into a 1st line center for even a championship-level team in the future, imo).
Also, where was Bennett ranked before the season started? Anyone have him as a potential #3 ranked player this draft? Where did Ehlers come from? What about Drouin last year? Drouin was definitely more on the radar than Ehlers or Bennett, but nobody ever thought he would be that good and be drafted that high. There will be more surprises.
This team is not a championship team. This team will not be a playoff team next year, barring some miraculous phenomenon. This team is closer to selecting 1st overall next year with a few key injuries happening, than squeaking into the playoffs.
Also, I am not sure what others think now, but I don't want a team that sneaks into the playoffs. I want a 1989 Calgary Flames Caliber team. I want a team that roars into the playoffs, and does so yearly (too bad economics took that team apart so quickly). This team is 2 drafts - just one more season's worth of solid drafting, imo, of becoming a future contender. This team is only a few moves away from being a future playoff squeaker.
I have mixed feelings upon hearing Burke's "This team has been performing well since January and have been going at a playoff clip" speech. I am very proud of this team to have done that, but it also terrifies me to think that Burke may feel this team is 'ahead' of what it really is, just like he felt the same thing in Toronto.
Toronto came out of their rebuild having little depth. They are no contenders, not by a long shot. Yes, their team play was atrocious, and they will more than likely improve under a new coach - but they are not a Stanley Cup contending team.
I love the prospects that are coming up. I believe in them, and I think there will be a large number of them currently in the system that will have NHL careers. This team is, however, low on the high-end talent still. That 'elite' talent level. They need to make sure they get this year's 1st round pick right, but next year's could end up being the most important draft pick the Flames have made since MacInnis.
/rant
Edit: We need to be careful of small sample sizes. The Flames may experience loads of problems. Ramo may regress. Injuries can plague this team. You can't discount what may happen, especially in an upcoming draft that has everyone saying may be the best since 2003, and looking like it will be on-par with 2013.
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