Quote:
Originally Posted by Erick Estrada
Really given the age of Markstrom, Lindholm, Backlund, Coleman, Tanev, Mangiapane, Toffoli, etc this team really isn't in a position to rebuild as a lot of their best players are either in their prime or nearing their best before date. They have no 1st round pick and just 3 picks in the entire upcoming draft so it's simply not a good time to rebuild. In the event Gaudreau leaves they would be best served being aggressive in free agency for a player like Forsberg or Kadri. I have no issue with the Flames rebuilding but I think that has to come naturally through poor play and bad seasons. Coming from a 111 point season I just don't think it's practical to throw in the towel even if your best player leaves as remember the Islanders actually got better when Tavares left.
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My problem with that is that the team is worse than they were last year, and worse than they have been in recent years. It's not like the Flames have been some steady contender for years - they've been in and out of the playoffs, and have had extremely limited playoff success when they do make it. The Islanders "got better" when Tavares left for a short period of time. Now? Look at where they are. They won nothing at the end of the day because they were a poorly structured team that was incredibly well coached.
Going out and spending money on Forsberg while losing Gaudreau just even more firmly entrenches this team in mediocrity. That's even without considering that Forsberg signing here would be the single biggest free agent signing in organizational history. We've NEVER signed a UFA of that quality. They just don't choose Calgary. Why would Forsberg choose Calgary even from a roster perspective without Johnny here. A team losing their best player doesn't exactly scream like "oh hey, that's a winning organization!".