Quote:
Originally Posted by Textcritic
Then what?
The Flames exchange the possibility of a late round pick (probably third or fourth round) for a backup goalie heading into the playoffs. This is a great trade off as far as I am concerned, even in the light of the fact that Ramo is likely lost to free agency this summer.
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This is the kind of planning that got Calgary to drafting 5th overall.
This year is an affectation. Holding onto guys who weren't or who made themselves not part of your plan going forward to satisfy what are, in the common parlance of this board 'gravy' games, is wrong headed. It's the same kind of thinking that saw Calgary hold onto guys like Tim Jackman in favour of 'the run'.
Ramo has actual value as a capable backup. He won't be in Calgary next year barring Calgary trading Hiller. Calgary is not even a lock for the playoffs themselves. When polled, of the 241 CP respondents, only 11 thought Calgary would be a playoff team this year.
Dubnyk was turned into a 3rd rounder. They signed him in the off season. That's found money in the draft. You package a couple of those found pieces of money and you buy into the 2nd round, etc The market is pretty much set and I don't think it's as soft as some do. If Ramo nets you an extra 3rd or 4th round pick, why not take that instead of sacrificing a few games just to hold onto him?
Sure, Hiller could get injured and then you're in a situation of Ortio/Jabroni, but again, this is a gravy season. It's not the end of the world. It's year 1.75 of the rebuild. Turning over roster players for futures when you aren't contending is just part of the process that a successful franchise should be following, and despite the success of this season, Calgary is still not a successful enough franchise that it can afford to take a year or two off from turning expiring contracts into extra bullets in the draft gun.
Last year, Berra was turned into Hunter Smith.