[Hugh Jahrmes]

As much as we hate to admit it, there is likely phenomenal (relative) growth in edmonton during that period.

Unfortunately guys like Nikitin are only short term anchors, and the graduation/growth of Klefbom, Nurse, Reinhart, McDavid and Draisaitl would have any team pretty damn excited for the future.
My fear is that the regime change combined with a group of young guys coming up together may actually result in them playing FOR each other more. Nurse appears to not only be a very respectable talent, but he's s big boy, too - I don't see him, or proven winners like McDavid, staying silent when Eberle goes full pancake or Hall Hallsy's his way out of a fat "-" after getting completely burned on a play and giving up. All it's going to take with the amount of young talent (hard to believe, with how long some of their "kids" have been In the league) are a few polarizing personalities who haven't been neutered by the Oil system yet. Imo, they likely have the talent, and enough of it, coming up to turn the culture around, assuming the desire to win hasn't been completely stamped out of their current core. As Flames fans, we've seen how quickly things can turn around.

BoA is going to be epic though, and man would it be sweet if they ran with those orange monstrosities and this generation of unearned potential fails as miserably as the last. Would be a shame to have that as McDavid's legacy though.. Still wish he would have an advisor with the parts to publicly flog the team before the drsft.

To add; I see Chia Pet as a complete non-factor in any possible turnaround.. Their management changes were the best example of addition by subtraction I've ever seen. Sure, he may make a few decent moves, but I also think that the Hamilton situation (I fully back those speculating moving him to Calgary was a direct shot at Chia) will end up as one of many moves where we see Edmonton either overpaying or flat out rejected when it comes to meeting their glaring holes. After watching handouts that could have turned many respectable struggling franchises around be completely squandered, I'm sure GMs speak freely among themselves and voice their individual desire to avoid giving the next handot.