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Originally Posted by GioforPM
Fine. I still say you need veteran forwards.
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Which, at this point, you've still got in Hudler and Backlund. These guys have played tons of NHL games in their career and rarely make mistakes, other than the occasional brain fart.
Gaudreau and Monahan have shown the maturity of veterans that most young teams would die for. They're right up there with the Tavares' of the NHL in that sense.
Colborne will be in his 6th year as a Pro (3rd exclusively in NHL).
Bouma's 6th year pro (his 3rd full year in NHL, and would probably be his 4th if not for his injured campaign)
Byron will be in his 5th year pro, 3rd in NHL.
Shore will be in his 5th year pro.
At some point you graduate to a veteran, and it usually happens when you've been on a disciplined playoff team.
And hey, if you make a mistake, you've got very experienced blueline and goaltending to depend on behind you. Don't forget there was a point in the season where Stajan, Raymond, and Jones were all injured and the Flames didn't miss a beat (well, they did have issues, but I'd argue that was mostly because Backlund was :also: injured). And there was a point where all three of those guys were back and the Flames hit an 8 game losing skid.
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Shore has already been more useful than Corbin Knight, so that trade was a win IMO. I think they will qualify him. I could see him as an eventual Stajan replacement.
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I project Shore as a winger going forward who can fill in at center on the 3rd/3th line if (when?) Backlund is injured. His skillset, especially on the PP, is wasted on a 4th line.
I expect Bill Arnold to be our 4th line center eventually. But until then, Jooris and Colborne have both been very effective at center even on the 3rd line, so it's beyond luxury to have these guys on the 4th line if Bennett is our #2/#3 Center next year.