If the Flames do not rapidly accelerate their acquisition of draft picks to fill out the system with capable depth players, this entire rebuild will be cut off at its knees before the core group ever has an opportunity to contend.
I think on a fundamental level the ownership of the organization does not understand this which is why the Flames have found themselves mired in mediocrity at best and floating down in the cellar at worst.
There is no room on the bottom pairing for even a 2 million dollar player. I have no problem with Engelland, his signing, his performance or his cap hit right now, but the Flames simply WILL NOT be contenders as long as they have more than 3 million TOTAL tied up on the third pairing.
You can't pay your 4th line centre 3.5 million dollars. you can't pay him 3 million dollars. You can't pay him 2 million unless he's the best goddamned 4th liner in the league.
The problem is, you need to have decent enough players to fill those roles internally or you'll continue to have to go out and buy them. Playing underqualified players isn't a solution either, rolling with Kulak and wotherspoon and jankowksi and shinkaruk isn't going to win the team any games. You need Ferland's and Boumas and when one of them scores 17 goals for the first time since midget hockey, you sell his RFA rights and look to draft another one.
Ferland is an example of the type of player you want/need, a guy who can play in a depth role with enough skills that he can pot 5-10 goals for you a season and bring energy and relative defensive responsibility, but who also shouldn't cost you an arm and a leg to re-sign every couple of years.
And if he gets good enough, you move him for more draft picks/prospects and start the wheel again like Chicago did with Andrew Shaw for example.
If the Flames aren't sellers at this deadline it will be a massive mis-step for the organization with huge opportunity cost consequences.
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