Quote:
Originally Posted by Igottago
The Flames are a class organization in a lot of ways but I do think they consistently fall short of expectations, because they kind of don't have any. Iginla was traded in 2013 and now 7 years on into "the rebuild" you never really hear any expectations that the rebuild was actually supposed to yield results.
Maybe its just modern times but every reaction now is ho hum, let's see how it goes next time. At least in the Sutter era there was usually more palpable disappointment when the team failed. The goal for any NHL team ad its management team should be pretty obvious -- become a contender and win a championship (or more). That's all there is to this entire enterprise. I never hear management talk about how they think the rebuild is going, where they think they are or should be, and how they get to the end result that this is all about. Maybe 30 years of first rounds exits is just so deeply engrained in the organization but it would be refreshing to hear that these results actually bother somebody. It has nothing to do with being dramatic in the media or embarrassing players -- but the simple acknowledgment that they fell way short (again) and intend to do something about it because they expect results.
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You don't get two first round advances in 30 years with having high expectations from the top down.
The organization based on results is very ho-hum. With how long it took them to finally end the Iginla era, and start a rebuild, which at that point was too late value wise for the players they did get rid of, I think the franchise doesn't have enough passion/desire to be the best in the league.
You don't have to be throwing sticks into the stands every time things don't go well, or throw players under the bus. But I think internally that if there was more quotes from upper management that had stronger language in how they are dissatisfied with another season cut shorter than anticipated, or putting out a public challenge of being a cup contender for the season, it would show some swagger that the club is very serious in wanting to win it all. And when you have that type of attitude, normally the results follow suite with it. Maybe not Stanley Cup every year, but probably would have made the second round of the playoffs and beyond, at least a few more times in the past three decades.