I won't be surprised at all if the Flames move up to take Ekblad. Burke hasn't hesitated to move assets to get someone he really wants. And Ekblad ticks three boxes:
Top pairing defenceman. When Burke went after Phaneuf, he commented that the number one need for any team that wants to contend is a stud defenceman. I doubt his thinking has changed, and Treliving has also said he likes to build teams out from the back end.
Size. Team needs more of it. And sooner rather than later. We don't have much coming down the pipe in terms of size, so one way or another we're going to have to move assets to get big players who can actually play.
Ability to step in now and improve the team. The braintrust of the team doesn't want this to be a long rebuild. They don't plan on sticking around the bottom of the pack for long. You have to think they're looking at ways to improve the team now. Ekblad is NHL ready.
The others in the big four only tick one box:
1st/2nd line centre. That's an important box. But no more important than top-pairing defenceman. And none of the other top prospects really help with size (except Draisatl) or win now.
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Originally Posted by fotze
If this day gets you riled up, you obviously aren't numb to the disappointment yet to be a real fan.
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