If this sort of article was written about the Flames in the mid to late 2000s, I would have agreed with it. Kipper, Iggy, Regehr weren’t getting any younger. The Flames were trading away futures to “win now” at a time when the prospect base was pretty mediocre. The door was closing and management was doing everything they could to keep it propped open.
But this article is 3 to 5 years too soon for this current iteration of the Flames. For the next 3 years the Flames are in great shape, and likely a few more after as well.
-They have a young, cost controlled core
-Gio is likely going to be able to perform up to his contract for the next 3 years (after that, who knows)
-They have great defensive and goaltending prospects, and the odd forward prospect that could surprise some people. Tkachuk is producing like a $5 million dollar player, yet he’s on an ELC for the next two years. Jankowski and Foo will likely outproduce their ELC’s. The defensive prospects will provide solid depth value when they start cracking the lineup for the Flames.
-Goaltending is a concern, but if Smith/Lack don’t work out, hopefully one of Parsons, Gillies or Rittich does. This is one area where I am jealous of the likes of Edmonton and Toronto as they have their starter for the foreseeable future.
There will come a time when the pundits can write “the door is closing” articles about the Flames again. But the Flames aren’t at that stage in the development cycle.
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