I personally would prefer a Lindholm trade and a rebuild. With that said, it's obvious that is not the direction the organization is going to take.
I don't believe all hope is lost though. If Lindholm re-signs, I think this version of the Flames can potentially compete, maybe even win a division. There are multiple things that need to happen for that to become a reality, but I think it goes without saying that Markstrom and Hubby rebounding are the most critical elements.
If both can rebound to even career average numbers and a couple of the young guys make a bit of noise, we could be dangerous. Even if Hubby stays around the same ppg as last year and doesn't rebound, with very solid goaltending from Markstrom and/or Vladar/Wolf, we still have a decent chance.
But, the nightmare scenario, imo, is re-signing Lindholm and further committing to the core and then have both Markstrom and Hubby have similar performance to last season. I don't see much chance of anything good happening for the team in that scenario. And it will be very hard for Conroy to revamp the roster with so many pricey vets locked in long-term.
I remain somewhat positive for now. Here's hoping Lindholm signs for $8.5 million x 8 yrs, or less!
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