i think it is inevitable that the flames have to bulk up their d through trades/free agency. Our young forwards should be making their push to play meaningful roles on the team in 2-3 years. Unless we grab a top 3 pick dman that is able to jump into the league (which itself is questionable) i would imagine that any defense draft pick is roughly 5 years away from actually playing top 4 minutes, not just the sheltered bottom pairing/PP time.
The oilers problem isn't as simple as not drafting dmen. Sure they got some good picks in the 2nd round onwards, then nurse coming in. The issue is that young dmen, no matter how great they are prospect wise, usually require a strong veteran presence of guys who know how to successfully play the position in this league to learn from. that is what will help the shultz's, petry's, klefbloms, etc, actually become good players in the league.
Sure the oilers didn't go out and get the top pairing dmen that they need, but at least they realized ference isn't the guy, they need guys that are in the prime that can show the guys how to play in front of hte net, when to pressure the pucks, what kind of angles to play certain guys, etc.
flames will be smart to ensure guys like giordano, smid, and an influx of others throughout the rebuild are always on the roster, regardless of how many picks are used on dmen.
|