Something like that is what I see and hope for as well. I think the idea that you can trade out a pile of guys and get a pile of superstars back is goofy, and I think if the Flames can land a legit superstar of any kind, it will be a win.
Answering the question of the OP, it's not easy to see a road for the Flames here - the pieces you might want to get rid of (Gio, Monahah, Gaudreau maybe...Tkachuk maybe) if you get rid of them, it leaves big holes. The issue is that the team HAS big holes to fill already, so if you start swapping pieces, all you do is change what hole there is.
If you could get a legit 1c and put Lindholm as 1RW, that helps a LOT. Monahan has to play 2c at this point for the team to go anywhere, he just isn't good enough against the league's best centers, because he's not mean enough, and he's not fast enough. It is what it is.
So I see all kinds of paths available, and what it will come down to is what peices/offers come in from other teams. The difficulty is that I think those offers are going to be mediocre, and I expect a mediocre product next year too, I just don't see a quick turnaround here, because so many pieces are just not quite good enough either for actual skill or just for slotting.
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