@The Cobra
I get your point, but Treliving has gone to an extreme Pittsburgh did not. I get dealing away a player or pick from strength, but the Flames are not in a position of strength at this point. Pittsburgh was very smart with moving their picks, insuring they had a couple picks in the second round to compensate for the loss of the first. Pittsburgh dealt firsts in 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2018. But they did so having multiple picks to restock. Consider that during that period they still picked eight players in the top 100 and six players in the top 60 (one was at 61 for nitpickers). If the Flames deal away the 1st in this draft, that will mean the Flames will have drafted just two players in the top 100 of the last three drafts (Valimaki and an undisclosed player scheduled to be picked in the third round of this draft).
Trelving has done an outstanding job in creating a budget that protects us from becoming the Blackhawks or Kings, where we have a good run, but it is short and back to the basement. I agree, follow the Penguins' approach to remain competitive long term. Deal that first, but stock up those seconds so you still have good players filtering into the system. We haven't, and that gap is going to be very apparent in the next two years, just when we have to resign some big guns and are looking for some cap flexibility those good young players are expected to provide. Consider the loss of Brodie and Hamonic because of cap considerations without having Andersson (2nd), Kylington (2nd), and Valimaki (1st) to backfill them. The situation would be kind of dire and shutter the window quite quickly. Because of these guys, the window is likely extended to the end of Gaudreau's contract, and possibly beyond. Asset management does not cease just because you open a window. Good asset management pretty much extends how long that window is open.
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