Quote:
Originally Posted by Major Major
I mean, this kind of just accepts that Huberdeau and Weegar were mirages. I don't buy that for an instant. Their skill will break through eventually.
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I don’t think they were mirages, but they weren’t Florida’s Barkov and Ekblad. We lost Gaudreau and Tkachuk and we did not replace them with players of similar skill/ability - which makes sense, as Gaudreau and Tkachuk are two of the top-5 wingers in the sport. Huberdeau was a (strategically deployed) 2nd line player and a PP specialist in Florida - and he was awesome in both roles, and with Barkov’s line doing the heavy lifting it allowed him to flourish…but that’s not the role either Tkachuk or Gaudreau played to carry this team to success. No one of Gaudreau and Tkachuk’s skill level was available, so we ended up with the next best thing…and here we are.
Weegar is effectively another Hanifin, and Huberdeau just doesn’t look like a play driver in this system/with these teammates. We’re clearly trying to put Huberdeau in the same spot as he was in Florida with these somewhat constant line changes but all that has done is further expose the lack of top end talent on the team.
The Flames lost two elite/franchise forwards and aimed to stay competitive through team depth. It’s not working (so far), and I’m increasingly pessimistic that it will with this current mix. The alternative (to the Florida trade) was a full rebuild (which was my preference) - but I still think Treliving did a damn good job in what he was attempting to do…I just don’t think it’s the way you win this league anymore, and this season is a good case study in that.
Your stars drive your success. This team has no stars (Huby may be one…but he certainly isn’t one here so far).