The Flames are really caught between a rock and a hard place. They have some interesting pieces to make deals, but they have no direction. The team is playing a style almost a decade out of vogue. The current NHL is focused on speed, quick transition, and penetration of the middle of the ice into the high danger areas. This team is playing a ring around the boards game and it is highly ineffective and leads to little success. Worse, it is like watching paint dry. The team made a mistake hiring Sutter and will pay for it in the upcoming years as the prospects in the system are not built for the game he wants to play. So what would I do?
1 - Fire Sutter and the entire coaching staff. Get rid of them and their game plan. It is terrible hockey and not suited to the talent on the team.
2 - Hire Bruce Boudreau. The guy knows how to use talent available to him and will use the players to the best of their abilities. We may not win more, but we will at least have a product worth watching.
Recognizing that #1 and #2 are not remotely possible, then start building a team that is more likely to be successful under the Sutter brand.
3 - Make a deal with Seattle to take Milan Lucic. I'd swing them a 2nd in 2022 and their pick of of any of our prospects not named Zary, Pelletier, Kuznetsov, Poirier, Ruzicka, or Wolf. Just get that $5.25M contract gone.
4 - Trade Matthew Tkachuk and Oliver Kylington ($7.8M) to Nashville for Filip Forsberg and Viktor Arvidsson ($10.25M). Both players have played under the up tempo own the boards systems in the past and have been successful.
5 - Trade Johnny Gaudreau, and Noah Hanifin ($11.7M) to Philadelphia for Travis Konecny, Jakub Voracek, and Morgan Frost ($14.6M). Recoup a 2nd line and a center with potential.
6 - Trade Sean Monahan ($6.375M) to Arizona for Lawson Crouse and Barrett Hayton ($2.295M). Get some size and another center with potential.
7 - Sign Dougie Hamilton. Need a number one defender who can run a damn PP.
8 - Re-sign Brett Ritchie for league minimum.
Forsberg ($6M)-Lindholm ($4.85M)-Arvidsson ($4.25M)
Konecny ($5.5M)-Frost ($.863M)-Voracek ($8.25M)
Dube ($1.5M)-Backlund ($5.35M)-Mangipane ($2.425M)
Crouse ($1.4M)-Hayton ($.895M)-Ritchie ($.700M)
Giordano ($6.75M)-Hamilton ($7.5M)
Valimaki ($2M)-Tanev ($4.5M)
Mackey ($.925)-Anderson ($4.55M)
Markstrom ($6M)
Domingue ($.7M)
$74.9M ($6.5M capspace)
9 - Work with what we have in the system and hope. See of any of the talent on the farm can help. Unfortunately I don't think there is much there. Ruzicka and Mackey seem to be the best hope and they don't move the needle much IMO. Hopefully Pelletier, Zary, and Kuznetsov can come in the next couple years and be change agents.
10 Move out players at the trade deadline where possible and draft some talent with size, especially that shoots right. Restock the minors!!!
That doesn't work...
11 - Suck and rebuild.
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