Quote:
Originally Posted by Bonded
I don’t know. I think it is bad management at the Canadian level. Similar to the Rangers, they try and stay competitive with UFAs. Calgary had the best set up to rebuild for any team in years and instead committed big contracts to three older players. Kadri had other offers than Calgary.
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I think a big part of resisting rebuilds in Canadian markets is the fact that it is already harder to lure players here, let alone convince them to come to a rebuilding team on top of that.
Part of any rebuild is to build through the draft, then when the window starts to open, supplement the team through trades and free agency. Most teams in the U.S. have no problem with that second part. They don't need to think about it that much. With Canadian teams, it is a lot harder to count on that part because free agents are less likely to come, and like a quarter of the players, and most of the best players, have movement clauses. If you do rebuild, you risk getting stuck in the first part of the cycle, unless you totally luck out and get a McDavid.
As much as I would like the Flames to try a rebuild, I get the resistance to it and can't blame management.