Quote:
Originally Posted by howard_the_duck
With a veteran laden roster I don’t see a scenario we can have both. IMO, the franchise doesn’t have enough foundational pieces to build with, so that means more delving into free agency and/or dealing draft picks to improve the roster.
It will take more than a starry-eyed GM with visions of building through the draft to change Edwards’ mind. When push comes to shove, and we are 4 points out of 2nd in the division at the trade deadline, do we think Conroy’s stance of trading draft picks will be the same?
|
Will Edwards tell Conroy no if he tries to trade a player in season? I guess we just have to hope that Conroy’s had the conversation with Edwards and gotten some sort of guarantee that he’ll be able to manage Edwards’ assets as he sees fit. A realistic scenario? I have my doubts.
Another risk I see with just going forward is the team may not have enough talent. The NHL roster lacks truly elite players at key positions. The Flames have one player who has definitely been elite in the past: Huberdeau. And they are relying on a post-30 bounce-back from Huberdeau. But even if Huberdeau bounces back, he is a left wing. So, the NHL roster is good, but it lacks elite talent at key positions. Also, the prospect pool is average at best according to outside evaluators. This is a product of trading a lot of draft picks and not drafting high in the draft since 2016. Finally, the Flames are close to a full complement of draft picks, only missing 3 mid-to-late picks in the next 3 drafts. But if the team continues to middle, the organization’s collection of picks doesn’t suggest it’s likely elite talent will come through the draft in the near future.