[ComixZone]

Catching up on yesterday's Flames talk.

Pike talking about how the opportunities if Johnny left could be like when Gio left...Freeway, you tried hard to put lipstick on a really ugly pig, but woof. There's no argument to be made on this front. How you build a top team is through top talent. Full stop.

Sending a sweetner with Lucic, no matter the cost, is better than losing one of Gaudreau/Tkachuk/Mangiapane. Whatever juggling you need to do is what you need to do to be a good team.

No Gaudreau? This team loses any shot at winning the Cup. They don't have enough talent as-is. Without Gaudreau? Ooof, that's a long road back to where they were last year (which already wasn't good enough).

If Johnny leaves, the only real path forward is a rebuild. You can't overcome a lack of top-end talent.