The Flames will be trying to win and move up in the standings. To me, that means they are no longer a rebuilding team.
IMO, they are in transition.
They have many solid core pieces, but most of them are still young and developing.
They still have a few 'filler' players that need to be replaced. And some of the guys that will replace them aren't quite ready to do so. Guys like Wideman, Stajan, Bollig, etc will be replaced over the course of the season (and maybe next season in Stajan's case).
They also have a new coach, which will require some getting used to.
Overall, I think the goal this year will be to continue to improve, and to continue to develop players. But at the same time, there will be a full on determination to win.
I think from the beginning of the rebuild, everything has pointed to 2017/18 as the year the Flames would emerge as young contenders. I think that is still right on track. This year, everything will be focused on getting there, as opposed to getting younger and getting new players.
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