Quote:
Originally Posted by New Era
Sadly, those veterans are also players every team in the NHL will be able to beat. Our management has put together a group of veterans that will get beat by our minor league affiliate on most nights. Pretty ugly team. The only thing holding the team back is the belief in the young players.
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There is nothing holding this team back. Most of the kids only have a year or less of professional experience each. Usually you need 2-3 years in the minors before becoming an NHL player with limited exceptions (guys like Monahan). Most of the Flames good prospects have very little experience.
Monahan - 1 year
Granlund - 1 year
Jooris - 1 year
Wotherspoon - 1 year
Knight - 1 year
Ferland - 25ish games
Bennett - None
Gaudreau - None
Sieloff - None
Jankowski - None
Kulak - None
Culkin - None
Gillies - None
McDonald - None
Arnold - None
Agostino - None
BVB - None
Only Sven - 2 years, Reinhart - 2 years and a couple other guys have enough experience (and even then it's the early side)
The kids might have skill, but we've seen what happens when you rush a guy that isn't ready. Sven has as much talent as anyone but has struggled greatly at establishing himself as an NHL player because he came to the NHL at 18 and has been rather inconsistent since (injuries do play a factor as well).
Yes, the Flames are going to suck this year. They would suck if they rushed some of the top prospects as well (although not as much). It is annoying to endure, but it is likely in the player's best interest in the long term to get some more time in the minors.