So I was thinking about the fact that the Flames are basically set on costs for the next 3 years, and I decided to look at the lineup of 3 years ago on NHL.com to get a reminder/perspective on how long 3 years actually is in the NHL.
This is the top 12 scorers up front for the Flames 3 years ago:
- Hudler (out of the league?)
- Gaudreau
- Monahan
- Bouma (buyout)
- Jones (out of the league)
- Glencross (out of the league)
- Colborne (life support)
- Backlund
- Jooris (life support)
- Raymond (out of the league)
- Byron
- Granlund
Bouma and Jones were in the top 6. FOUR of those guys are out of the league, and 3 more are on life support.
On top of that, Wideman (out of the league?) led the D in scoring.
It is actually quite amazing how fluid the league is with respect to turnover.
And the Flames are basically locked up for 3 years, with a decent stable of young prospects for possible injection.
Yes, Backlund is a question mark for next year, but unlike some, I don't foresee any problems - especially with Stajan's contract coming off the books.
If one of the goalie prospects can step up over the next couple years and take the reins, giving us cheap goaltending for a while, the Flames would be in unbelievable shape.
Treliving deserves the slow clap for what he has done with this team.