Quote:
Originally Posted by Fighting Banana Slug
The best players in Hartley's estimation make the team. The others are sent down or traded. There isn't much more to it than that, as the cap is not really an issue this year.
I think this may well be the way the Flames operate going forward. Stock the team with enough legitimate players so there are tough decisions to be made on the cuts. The "always earned" slogan is a bit of a cliche, but I think they did an excellent job with it last year and hope they continue.
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I agree in general, but I do think the fans need to brace themselves for the potential of a little hanky panky let's call it at the start of the season. Hypothetical example, lets say Mason Raymond just doesn't "really" make the team. Might see him start a for the first bit while a younger guy plays in Stockton as the Flames figure out if Raymond can generate anything in a trade. Then they manage to trade him, or if there are no takers send him down and call up the young guy.
I'm sure they won't do something like that should be replacing Raymond is so much better that the team is much worse playing him, they'll just bite the bullet, but in scenarios where it's kind of close play wise in the short term, they'll manage their assets appropriately and try to get some value for the veteran player before fully doing the "always earned" bit, which to me is smart asset management.