Quote:
Originally Posted by Ashasx
I don't see a scenario where the Flames make a trade for Eichel and remain competitive.
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If they can keep Lindholm and Gaudreau, I disagree.
A few factors to consider
- If Eichel, who is also injured, formally demands a trade, it puts Buffalo in a position of weakness. They'll have to take the best offer, even if it's 70 cents on the dollar.
- Buffalo is
desperate to make the playoffs and keep their fanbase engaged. Trading some of our better assets in their areas of need (wingers like Tkachuk and defensemen like Giordano/Hanifin/Tanev) might be the short term fix they're looking for. With Reinhart and Middlestadt looking good down the middle, they might be open to focusing on their wings and blueline. Their management also seems... poor.
- The Flames might not be immediate contenders by adding Eichel, but they'd have a foundation to build on. And Eichel may have another gear under a demanding, detail oriented, and proven coach like Darryl Sutter.
- The Flames under Treliving have consistently had better depth than Buffalo, and this year has largely been an outlier. I would assume we'd even keep Backlund around. So If you can build around Eichel, Lindholm, and Backlund as your 1-2-3 at center, the wings can be filled in externally. Say what you want about Tre, but we haven't missed the playoffs in consecutive years. Even after the disasterous 2018 season, we made a quick turnaround.
- Markstrom on paper would probably be a better goalie than anyone Buffalo has employed since Lehner. He's had a bad year, but probably is due for a good one.