Quote:
Originally Posted by ComixZone
Pittsburgh got lucky with Crosby, Malkin, and Fleury.
Chicago got lucky with Kane, and Toews.
LA got lucky with Doughty, and Kopitar.
It’s not really luck. It’s getting the opportunity to build a team on a sound foundation by choosing not to overpay middling free agents to stay just competitive enough to barely miss the playoffs/be first round fodder, and choosing not to leverage the future by trading away prospects and picks for minor short term gains.
Championship teams are built on the backs of top draft picks. Pick at the top of the draft (and don’t screw it up), and then find good players late in draft, sign smart contracts, hire a great coach, make good trades and generally be one of the better managed teams in the league - you have to do all of these things to build a Championship quality team - and the Flames haven’t done it, so they aren’t of Chanpionship quality.
|
Really look at the comparable markets to Calgary who have tried what you are suggesting. Buffalo and Edmonton who have both been twisting in the wind and absolute garbage for over a decade doing what you are advocating.
Sure Tampa has Stamkos and Hedmen but Stamkos is no where near as relevant to their success than 2nd rounder Kucherov and 3rd rounder Point or late 1st rounder Vaslsilesky. Hedmen absolutely is their pillar on the back end but the key components of that team were not picked high in the draft. Username flubbed on 3 top 10 picks in 4 years post Stamkos/Hedmen in Connolly, Koekkoek, Drouin.
Unless Calgary somehow gets Bedard we are far more likely to have a Edmonton/Buffalo experience than we are Chicago/LA.
LA also only had Doughty that was a top pick. Kopitar, Brown, Richards, Carter, Quick etc all later picks in the first round or beyond