Quote:
Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction
I hope the decisions are easy and favour inserting rookies into the line-up.
Veterans always have an advantage as they have been conditioned for the NHL by being in the NHL. There comes a point where there only way to progress a prospect is to give them meaningful NHL experience.
I think it will be a real shame if a prospect like Granlund is pushed aside for a veteran because the veteran is better conditioned to the NHL. Same thing goes for guys like Reinhart and Baertschi. If we can't put up with the growing pains of rookies, then we are doomed.
Switching gears.... but can Granlund be moved to the wing? With Monahan Backlund and Byron as young centres, and Stajan as the only older veteran (and we do need some older veterans at each position IMO), he will be hard pressed to make the team as a centre this season if we are going 100% on merit and not on the idea that rookies sometimes deserve to be forced in (as I described in the first paragraph).
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Well the good news is the Flames are no longer kidding themselves into thinking they are playoff contenders. That drove a lot of veteran over rookie decisions in the past.
They know they're bottom five, and regardless of what they do at camp they will be bottom five.
So that sorts standings out of the decision process and should send decisions to development as the number one goal. At least I hop so.
Teams can go too far the other way too; push too many rookies into the lineup ~Oilers~ in order to sell the "youngest team in hockey, on the way up, look at all these prospects!" mantra.
that's why I think Buffalo made the Gorges trade, added Gionta, re-signed Moulson. They are risking the McDavid thing, but they seem to be following the Flames model more than the Oilers version.
Will be interesting to watch.