Quote:
Originally Posted by blankall
And the line between 2nd round knockout and championship is extremely thin. Like 1-2 good moves, could bring in the missing pieces the Flames were missing. The championship teams always have a bunch of players they've drafted well, plus fill out the roster with great moves. The odds of all that coming together from a rebuild are very slim, hence why most teams end up spinning their wheels.
|
I don't think the Flames were missing anything this season. Their best players simply didn't play their best when it counted. Another top forward or defenseman wasn't going to overcome Markstrom's play against the Oilers. It's all about timing IMO. The Avalanche had underachieved in the 2nd round for a few years but this season they finally put it together. Tampa is maybe the only team right now that is seasoned and good enough to be able to just turn things on in the playoffs. The rest have to hope they can play at their peak at the right time.