Quote:
Originally Posted by nemanja2306
Last few years, the Flames were accumulating draft picks. Some of them were used to draft a few good prospects, others were used as currency (Hamilton trade).
Once in a while, especially when its considered a weak draft, you need to take a shot on players such as Lazar.
The problem becomes when you trade the picks every year, especially for aging veterans. Lazar is 22, he still has some upside.
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That is a very fair assessment.
The hesitation I have with giving up the 2nd round pick is the Flames still don't really seem to have good prospect depth in the AHL. There are a handful of guys that look like they have potential, but no absolute blue chippers right now. So as much as the Flames want to compete at the NHL level, they also need to stock the cupboards. You'd like to think that between the 2nd and 3rd round pick given up this year, you'd find one solid prospect.
The Stone and Lazar deals make sense and are logical. Now the team really needs to hit on their mid first round pick this year and hope that the trend of our AHL prospects falling off begins to reverse. It would be crucial to see a solid 2nd year of development from guys like Andersson, Mangiapane and Kylington.
I was also hoping Janko would get some NHL games this year to prepare him for success next training camp. But with all the forwards we're carrying, seems unlikely unless there are injuries. Which to me means, Janko could still play in the NHL next year but may bounce back and forth before making an impact.