Quote:
Originally Posted by Flash Walken
Why do the flames trade Monahan for picks and prospects?
Are the flames entering a rebuild period? Not trying to make the playoffs next year?
Without getting a player back who plays 17-22 minutes a night, I don't see why the flames are dealing Monahan.
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Because, there seems to be a feeling that Mohanan isn't a good enough C to be the top C of a successful playoff team. Getting a C of that caliber is not something that is typically available via trade or through free agency. As such, the most optimal way for this organization to figure out that piece that has been missing in the organization for ~25 years, would be to take their chances on other team's higher probability prospects, and/or higher probability draft picks.
Maybe I'm wrong here, but with an aging Giordano, equivalent goaltending, and question marks on the top end forwards on the team, unless there's some magic bullet out there, my guess is the flames are
at best as good as this year's team, but there's a high probability we could see a greater drop off if monahan/gaudreau trades occur (likely resulting in a drop off in their positional replacements at least for next season's roster), if Giordano continues to fade in level of play, etc.
Could Bennett suddenly thrust himself into a true top 6 C? Could Dube evolve into a top 6 winger with consistent point production? Could Valimaki/Andersson's growth offset Giordano's downward trajectory? Absolutely, however, i would definitely not bank on that.