Whatever route the Flames go, I just hope they don’t allow their young draft picks to dictate the culture of the team. The Oilers screwed up bad because they let Hall, Eberle and Yakupov become the culture setters, so there was no accountability and the laziness/losing culture set in. Never let losing and laziness be ok, especially to the drivers of the team. This can poison the well and whatever new pick ups come along the way, they’ll just accept the losing culture as well.
Also, I hope the team slots guys properly. Knowing what you have is absolutely vital in assembling a contender. Don’t slot guys way ahead of where they should be and then reward them with term and dollar figures of a superstar. That just keeps your rebuild in prolonged perpetuity.
The best way to do it is to not fall in love with your guys, be disciplined, slot players correctly so you can pay them accordingly and then constantly augment until your line up is deep. You know you have true depth when your 3rd liners or 3rd pairs can be 2nd liners on any other team and so forth. That’s how you build a contender.
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