I think it is way too early to pass any judgements on the team right now. Just nice to see them winning and working hard. It is once again a very likeable and entertaining team to watch.
As for how successful they will become, who knows? I think you always need to be careful in how to manage a team. I would love a McDavid or Eichel on this team just for the sheer pleasure of watching a superstar for the next 10 or 15 years. However, they don't come with "Stanley Cup Guarantees", as many posters have already covered.
I think the most important thing the organization can do is walk the fine line between avoiding a purposeful tank, and making changes to artificially make the team more competitive. Ottawa is a good example I think of a team that looked like it was on the upswing, and then crashed back down. I do think a rebuild should take a few years to collect enough talent and depth.
You do not lose on purpose to collect that talent, however. The minute you do, is the minute you become not only a failure of an organization, but a demoralizing and embarrassing organization to play for. It is one thing to fail and rebuild - top management will avoid a total rebuild, great management will rebuild well - but it is another thing to embrace the losing culture and start focusing on the losses as the means to become great again. Terrible management embraces losing.
Flames need to keep walking the line. Having two solid goaltenders and a decent defensive unit on the ice will help keep the youth developing properly. Shaky goaltending can result in an entire team playing scared, and then demoralized as a goal goes in that shouldn't all too often. That is not an environment to try and develop anything but failure.
Don't be Edmonton and suck on purpose, for you will continue to suck even after you shouldn't suck any longer.
Don't be Ottawa and think you are further ahead than you really are, and make some moves in anticipation of that (i.e. Bobby Ryan - great support player, but they gave up quite a lot and I think it will haunt them), and didn't make other moves to thinking they could win with parts of their old core (i.e. Spezza, Alfredsson).
Just my opinion anyways.
I did group Montreal with Ottawa as a team that thought they were further ahead than what they really were, and I was wrong there. I don't think Montreal has the talent and depth to win a championship, but they are one of the best teams from the East, and look to be one of the best teams in the East for a number of years.
Finally, you don't need to add a first or second overall pick to your organization. This is a very deep draft with loads of talent. Flames will end up adding a couple of quality players wherever in the top 10 they end up drafting. There will also be no 'savior' for this organization to look to - they will do what good teams do and look to each other.
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