Quote:
Originally Posted by Monahammer
No doubt the owners have to consider the financial risk of the contract.
But as a fan, I dont have to care about that.
They can balance that risk against the risk/benefit of not having/having a player as good as healed Eichel. Not having and continuing in mediocrity through a financial downturn could be disastrous for the franchise long term as well.
As a fan, I want the team to be competitive. The best way to achieve that with the current state of the NHL and unwillingness to rebuild through the draft is by gambling on a situation like Eichel.
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The gamble comes down to cost. Jack Eichel is not singlehandedly going to drive you into the playoffs. McDavid, arguably the best player can barely singlehandedly will his team into the playoffs. So again, it comes down to what the price is. Does stripping your team of a top line player, a 1st and a prospect help? Can the Flames afford that? I personally think that's all they can offer without killing their team long term. Teams now realize you have to hit some home runs with the draft in order to do well. I'm surprised how many people here are all in on Jack, without thinking that the team needs to keep their future 1sts to rebuild. If this team was deep with prospects, than giving up this stuff makes sense but it's really not. My guess is there are other teams with better prospects and can afford to give up their future for the win now. This team can't afford it, while giving up more to beat other teams' bids.