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Originally Posted by 868904
Interesting you point to that 89 team because even though they had some big and tough forwards, they also had 3 undersized and highly skilled wingers who drove the offense in Loob, Mullen and Fleury. Not to mention an undersized second line centre in Gilmour.
If the Flames feel Keller is a Patrick Kane or Gaudreau type player, they have to take him regardless of size. They can always fill the rest of the forward ranks with size to support the skill.
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I remember Cherry remarking on the Flames roster of that time that they were all either road-runners or giants. Burke has made a similar comment, that it's okay to have smaller players, but you have to surround them with beef.
The problem is, it doesn't much help you play a physical or heavy game if that beef is all on the 3rd and 4th lines, and the 3rd pairing defence. You need size and power in the core, and in the lines that get the bulk of the ice time. The '89 Flames had McLellan, Paterson, and Niewendyk on the top two lines. At the time, those were big guys. Throw in Roberts (and the fact Gilmour and Mullen were both highly gritty players), and you had a team that could fight through checks and handle a rough game when its best players were on the ice.
So how can the Flames add size and a heavy game to their top two lines? They can trade or sign guys like Lucic and Okposo. But the price will be high. Very high. Or they can draft and develop them internally. Sure, you can take a few wild swings like the Hunter Smith pick. Low-odds gambles with later picks. Or you can draft for size with your high picks. That means putting a premium on guys like Logan Brown.