Quote:
Originally Posted by VilleN
What? So you believe that Tkachuk is as valuable to this team as Iginla was to his team? Tkachuk is anywhere from the 3rd-5th best player on the team. Iginla was #1. His name was synonymous with the Flames. It’s not even remotely close. If Gaudreau held out that would be close to your Iginla comparison- but the teams Iginla played for he wasn’t one of a few comparable players. He was it. As Iginla went, the Flames went.
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When the Flames were terrible, yes, as Iginla went so did the flames. But when the Flames were viable contenders, there was more than one guy. When they added Kipper, the team went from a non playoff team with a 50 goal scorer, to a playoff team with a 50 goal scorer. And when Iginla struggled, the Flames had a backstop. During both of their tenures, Kipper was arguably as important as Iginla.
The team makeup is different than when Iginla was here, but Tkachuk is the second best offensive player on the roster. The Flames are absolutely dependent on him to be in contention. If you subtract his 77 points last year or his 30+ goals, where is the team at in the standings? You just don't replace that offensive output with hardwork and backchecking. There's a reason a team with prime monahan and Gaudreau and backlund and Giordano struggled to make the playoffs: alone, they aren't enough.
Nylander is what, the 5th best offensive player on his team? It's not even close to the same thing about who needs who more. The Flames NEED Tkachuk.