I'm going to jump in here because this is the thread that is going right now.
I think the Calgary Flames are a very conservative organization. No surprise given where they are based and their ownership group. In a league known for conservative approaches, they are a good fit.
I remember when Treliving was first hired and the talk was all about how prospects needed to ripen in the minors/AHL until they were ready. There was no need to rush a player into the NHL. I remember that every rookie started on the 4th line and earned their spot up the lineup. Defensive depth is needed for a playoff run. A whole bunch of old-fashioned home truths that belong in the past.
Anyone remember Team NA in the world cup? It was a coming out party for young talent in the big leagues and the Flames must have missed the memo. Treliving hired a series of old-school coaches from the Babcock tree (who was himself identified as a past-his-prime dinosaur and was jettisoned in the name of progress) and stuck his fingers in his ears and covered his eyes against any indication that this approach was outmoded.
All that has happened is the league has gotten younger, faster, cheaper while the Flames toil away and fans wonder why our own draft picks don't get a chance to actually play.
I don't know. Flames had one of the best young players in the league, several very good young pieces, a top prospect in Bennett and they chose to overpay gritty washed up veterans to play prime minutes instead.
And they blew it.
What a waste. Hopefully heads roll.
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