Quote:
Originally Posted by bax
Jones = I believe was traded at the same draft we picked Tkachuk? End of the day we didn't have a first round pick to offer. Tkachuk was too valuable and that was the right call.
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Jones was traded (twice) the same off-season as the Hamilton deal but San Jose gave up a pick the following year (2016 - Tkachuk draft).
So Flames had already given up a first and two seconds that offseason to get Hamilton, and really goaltending wasn't as big an issue at that moment in time. They were a playoff team that had okay goaltending the year before (Hiller: .918, Ramo: .912) and a promising prospect in Ortio/Gillies.
At the time Jones still was a big question mark coming off a .906 save percentage that year, and even now he still isn't what I'd call an elite goaltender.
Under any circumstance I'm happy we didn't trade the 2016 pick that became Tkachuk.
In reality the Goaltending issue didn't really become a major topic until after the 15/16 season. And that was when the Flames acquired Elliott and were also involved in the Andersen and Bishop rumours. Then after that season they acquired Smith, after the Raanta, Fleury, and Bishop (again) deals didn't happen.