Quote:
Originally Posted by dino7c
sorry I have had how many years of hearing about how shrewd the Sens and Sabres are
there is a middle ground to losing on purpose
even the Oilers, nobody in the history of the league has tanked so bad and they are down to a 2 year window and IMO 10 game win streak against bottom feeders aside I don't think they can beat a deep team in a 7 game series. They certainly won't be better next year. Tick tock
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There needs to be a balance between "Playoffs at all cost" and "Tank to lose on purpose" though.
I think following either path can be just as dangerous.
If you tank to lose on purpose you may cut too deep to the core of the team and not have the base to add the young assets to when actually trying to build the team back up and get stuck in a perpetual re-build.
If you go to "playoffs at all cost" you're probably making short term decisions, and not properly managing your assets or acquiring the top end talent you need to succeed.
Either path is likely to fail IMO.
The right path IMO is still "What do I need to do to build a top 10 team" and I think for the Flames right now that doesn't necessarily mean "I need to tear it down to studs and do a 5-8 year re-build" but I do think it means that you can't let the short term shiny jewel of the playoffs blind you from long term success.
Letting Tanev and Lindholm walk for nothing does not help this team become a top 10 team. I'd argue giving them long term deals or raises wouldn't help either. The assets you can acquire probably do help you though longer term.
Hanifin is a tougher subject because I do think trading him can help towards being a top 10 team, and I think re-signing him could help towards being a top 10 team. It really all comes down to the equation of "What does he cost to re-sign" vs "What trade offers are on the table for him".
So really what the Flames can't do is make the short term decision of "we need to keep these guys to make the playoffs this year" because IMO that would be in direct conflict of building a team that is a sustainable top 10 team over the long term.