Quote:
Originally Posted by CliffFletcher
Internal cap. Any GM in Winnipeg is going to have to take the same approach. People think just because there's a cap in the league now every franchise is on an even playing field. Truth is this is still a league where some teams are handicapped by finances. And since it wasn't so long ago that the Flames were one of those franchises (and they could become one again), I'm not going to criticize the moves (or lack of moves) made by GMs who are operating under budgets with less flexibility than their peers.
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True north had to be well aware of the environment that they were getting into. Having an internal cap hasn't hurt Anaheim from becoming an elite team. I believe that you have a rookie gm that was in over his head when he was hired and hasn't been surrounded by a good management group that knows how to make a small market work. Chipman could spend a bit more on a gm that knows what he's doing and not bumbling through his job.
Re-signing Stempniak wouldn't have broken the bank. Casting a solid vet away who has experience working with young kids and showing them what it takes to be a pro is bad hockey management. Allocating the money that you would have paid Trouba and re-signing Ladd would have kept continuity in the dressing room and veteran leadership that a young team needs. Instead you sign Brian Strait and Shawn Matthias. Hardly confidence-Inspiring moves.