Just my opinion, but for the reasons set out by Jiri above, the Flames will never (well, I guess there are freak occurrences) succeed by being flashy, "going for it", splashing out on big contracts or big trades, etc. I think the only realistic path for a "small market" team is to be ruthless and efficient. Maximize every asset, don't overhold players, pour resources into drafting, development and analytics, never trade for "Hamonic", never sign anyone July 1-2, etc. In a cap world, you cannot outspend, and our market is at a fundamental disadvantage, so take advantage of the fact that most GMs are objectively not very smart, and most teams suffer from "short-termism". Even the Sharks, long a paragon of steady excellence wound up eating a shotgun. Much like in poker - you win the most when you go against the grain...
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