Quote:
Originally Posted by dissentowner
Or trading a player like that for futures is how you end up the Buffalo Sabres. It isn't like Kuz will be 37 when the Flames turn the corner, the goal is to be competitive by the time the arena opens. Kuzmenko will 32, he doesn't rely on his skating but his shot and his smarts which will be the same then as it is now. As long as you don't hand him a NMC you always have options to move him if it isn't working out. What you don't want is to build a team that is ready to compete except they are missing a Kuzmenko on the wing.
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What's so special about the time the new arena opens? People are going to pay a ton of money to go there for the sheer novelty of seeing it no matter how good or bad the Flames are. Then after a few months it will be over, no matter how good or bad the Flames are.
The goal should be to develop an organizational structure where you are perpetually competitive regardless if the arena is 40 years old or brand new. Let's have as few bad contracts on the books as possible to be able to augment a young core with other players as needed.