Quote:
Originally Posted by Classic_Sniper
The 2014 draft turned out pretty bad for the Flames. Bennett is looking more and more like a disappointment as the season chugs along, hunter smith and mason mcdonald are massive busts. Hickey is gonzo. Just a brutal draft considering how high we picked.
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And the Smith and McDonald picks aren't bad just in hindsight - people here were calling them bad picks the moment they were announced. It really is remarkable how the Flames have hung onto a scouting staff that has proven itself to be so incompetent. There have been drafts when a fan at home making the picks using the Hockey News rankings would have done better - much better - than the Flames.
Maybe ownership doesn't want to pay for top-flight scouts. I don't know. It is interesting that when asked to comment on the strength of the Jets prospects pipeline, Cheveldayoff credited ownership with "recognizing that spending on scouting is an investment, not an expense." Presumably, that belief isn't shared by all teams. I'd be curious to see a league comparison of how much the teams spend on scouting.