My problem with the Flames thinking they could acquire an elite long-term piece (centre or a defenceman) by trading a couple of late 1st round picks or other similarly valued trade chips is that the team that is giving up on that 22-24 year old thinks that he won't become that elite player. I don't know if I believe that the Flames think they can acquire a new core this way.
That's not to say you can't go out and win trades, but I think the Flames need to have faith in their amateur scouts. This is an organization that should be approaching draft capital similar to Carolina. This team should truly try to pick as many times over the next two to three drafts as possible.
If you can't have that kind of faith in your scouts to rely on them in times like these, nothing really matters then.
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