Quote:
Originally Posted by ComixZone
Which is why a good team in this situation would build through the draft and not fire off picks like bottle rockets at every opportunity.
Agreed on Hall - if there’s a chance we can get him, we have to.
All this failure is made so much worse because we mortgaged the future just to build ourselves right back into a fringe playoff team with no hope. All those picks spent in trades for utterly irrelevant players when you would have been better off just spending money on bargain UFA contracts. !@#$.
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Naw it is so far from the doom and gloom you are talking about. This isn’t the 07-2013 Flames that rode 2 players that were 30+ to 9th place finishes year in and year out.
This organization has done some solid drafting and developing and their best franchise player is 22 years old. This is a group that has made the playoffs in 4 of the last 6 years but it is becoming clear the core of this team needs to be changed.
I agree the pick trading got out of hand during some of the building years. I hated the Elliott trade the day it was made, Hamonic is easily the biggest blunder for Treliving has made in terms of trading futures. 3 years 5 playoff games for him and an unprotected 1st (that was close to becoming Svechnikov) and 2 2nds. Hell had the Flames made the playoffs in 2018 we wouldn’t have a 2nd this year either. Trading picks for Lazar and Smith also were poor moves and a waste of assets.
Thinking this team was on the cusp in 2017 and blowing those picks on a 26 year old stay at home D was such a bad move. Trading 3 draft picks (pick order locked in) for a 22 year old top 4 D was a brilliant move. Flipping that Dman when the team failed for 2 younger core players was a great move.
This offseason is shaping up to be one that could see this team see significant change with the core. With our best player being 22 I think the key move is trading Johnny for picks and prospects. Trust your scouts and get the top 10 pick I think Buffalo or New Jersey would be willing to move. Get a prospect that could be a core player in the future and someone to help sell Tkachuk on the long term vision of the team. Upgrade from Johnny to Taylor Hall who has the ability to step in and take the role Gaudreau currently has on the team. If more money can be freed up take advantage of the goalie market and sign one of Markstrom or Lehner to a 5 year deal at starter money. Most of all yell ownership they need to open the wallet for a big name coach. They missed badly in 2018 when AV was available and they shouldn’t make the same mistake with Laviolette