Quote:
Originally Posted by Royle9
If Johnny walks and this team doesn't rebuild it would the the most Calgary Flames thing to happen since well.. the Calgary Flames.
What an absolute dumpster fire this would cause, similar to Iginla going for nothing because this Franchise held on to him for too long and didn't do enough around him during the prime years...
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I personally find the level of panic around the possibility that Gaudreau signs elsewhere in the coming weeks patently absurd. I get where the fear comes from, but it strikes me as 1) demonstrably ignorant of the team's current situation, and 2) prematurely alarmed by the immediate future.
On the first point, absolutely everyone should know by now that the Flames WILL NOT be embarking on a rebuild this summer. Sutter is still under contract for another year, and while Gaudreau is arguably the team's most important player, he is still just one player after all, and the rest of the roster is still also relatively young. Management will seek either to fill the hole left immediately through free agency and trades, or they will supplement with smaller deals, and see how things go to start the season.
This brings me to my second point. The team will almost certainly not be as good as this year's version, but the fact of the matter is that we have no idea at this point how good or bad they will be once the season is underway. The Pacific Division is still one that is wide open, and there really isn't much long-term ground lost by playing the year out. I think the more prudent thing to do would be to see how things go through the first half of the year, and to make a decision about the longer-term future much closer to the New Year. At that point we should know what to expect from the group, and whether or not they can make another run in the playoffs. If the team is as bad as some imagine they will be, then the TD is the opportunity to move assets for futures, and to embark in earnest on a rebuild. It makes good sense, since it also coincides with the end of Sutter's contract, and Monahan's, and leaves all of Backlund, Lindholm, Toffoli Tanev and Hanifin with one year remaining on theirs. Several of these are very attractive, low-cost assets for a team looking to make a run, and would command a substantial return if the decision was made to move them next summer.