Quote:
Originally Posted by TheSquatch
If the best talent won't come or won't stay, ... it's maybe less about vision and more about day to day realities.
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Calgary will always have some challenges. Smaller market, Canadian, western conference, and less preferential climate. These will always be hurdles to overcome, but I don't think they are major issues to overcome.
Smaller market - Some players will always strive to play in places in New York, Miami, Dallas, LA, etc... But there are only so many roster spots available. There are some players that actually don't like massive cities, so occasionally it works the other way.
Canadian - Nothing anyone can do about this, but really only an issue for attracting American players.
Western - No player really likes the additional travel, but I can't see it as a major deal breaker for turning down a lot of money. Could be a hair splitter though. Half the league deals with this one though.
Climate - Some players care more than others. Very few places with NHL teams have decent winter climates though.
Seeing both Gaudreau and Tkachuk leave really exaggerated the issue IMO. Gaudreau put in a lot of time in Calgary though, and that shouldn't be forgotten. If you take Tkachuk at face value, there was a time that he was willing to sign long term in Calgary. The Flames offered a bridge, and he took it. Huberdeau signed a long term deal, as did Weegar. Kadri was one of the most sought after UFAs, and he signed in Calgary, same with Markstrom a couple of years ago. Zadorov could have taken a different offer, but circled back to Calgary. There are also guys like Bouwmeester and Hamrlik if you want to go back further.
The things is, players also want to win and have personal success. If you look promising, it can cancel out some of the other issues.