really unclear why this seems to be a somewhat contested topic.
The flames took an asset from a position of organizational strength, which they may have lost on waivers given an influx of players potentially making a push, and traded it for a former 1st rounder prospect who was having a pretty solid year of development in the AHL. At the time, I would argue most would have considered it a solid wager the flames made, and considered it a flames 'win' on the prospect potential.
The prospect potential doesn't seem to have been realized, and the player the flames traded has become a decent middling forward on a team that finished bottom 3 that year, and a bottom 2 the year after (full year with the team). So, at this point, unless shinkaruk continues to develop into something at the NHL level (not counting on it), the canucks won the trade. If granlund turned into a bonafide top 6 player, sure there'd be some regret. That isn't the case here.
If the opportunity comes up again, where a middling forward/prospect is traded for a former first round pick who seems to be developing at a decent rate, I'd be happy to see the flames make a similar bet..
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