Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe
The 2014-15 Flames were definitely one of the front-runners for the McDavid sweepstakes. I remember many of us - including myself - posting about how good it would be to win the lottery next season.
The brawl in Vancouver drastically changed things. Flames were going about their business really well that season, until Hartley started the 4th line in Vancouver as an FU to the other 3 lines that all played terrible the game before. McGrattan's line was actually pretty good the game before. That's why Hartley started that line in Vancouver. Torts should have just started the Sedins, the Sedins would have probably scored, and nobody would have remembered that game at all. Instead, that brawl galvanized that team, and wrecked Vancouver. Vancouver went on a slump, and Calgary's record noticeably improved, and they were visually better too. McGrattan even spoke about this on a podcast somewhere - how if Torts started the top line, then nobody would even think about jumping the Sedins. Torts is a really smart coach, but he completely lost his marbles that season. However, McGrattan did plan to have that brawl if Torts lined up the 4th line too, so it was premeditated on their part, but not by Hartley.
At the conclusion of the 2013-14 season, I specifically remember 2 people stating that the Flames would make the playoffs the following year (for the 2014-15 season) - TSN's Aaron Ward and our own Cali Flames' Fan. They both got ridiculed IIRC. I seem to remember that most posts were talking about winning the McDavid sweepstakes, the consolations prizes, etc.
For 1.5 seasons, the Flames played well right smack-dab in the middle of their rebuild. It is hard to cheer for losses, but I do not hope for a very quick turnaround again, as much fun as that was. There were simply too many beyond frustrating seasons afterwards. This team absolutely needs elite talent, and drafting high helps in obtaining that elite talent.
One thing that nobody has really mentioned is that there aren't any 'tanking' teams this year, or in the foreseeable future. I have 3 teams potentially blowing it up:
Washington if they implode
Pittsburgh if they can't compete and Crosby gives the ok for a rebuild, or asks for a trade
Edmonton if they lose Draisailt, in which case no point for McDavid to stay, in which case the team sucks.
Every other team that has been bad improved. Calgary seems like the only team that is really selling at this point. Sure, come deadline, there will be more sellers, but there aren't any tankers. There aren't any teams that are trying to be bad right now who have recently sold. I really do think that too many things need to go right next season for Calgary to get out of the bottom 3.
San Jose has a lot of young kids coming through. They will improve, but given what their record was last season, I would be surprised if they improved enough to not finish in the basement.
Chicago I think was particularly bad with the injury bug last year, plus the Perry drama. I think they take a step forward. Arguable if they pass Calgary or not.
Anaheim is getting better. I expect them to improve.
Columbus is my pick for biggest turn-around this season. Coach bump, plus a lot of good young players busting through.
I like what Utah did. I think they move up. Also, they were a playoff team for a while last year, and then they imploded worse than San Jose.
I can go on. Point is, that I do think that for the first time in a while, there are no 'tankers'. There is no danger of a team setting an all-time winless record, or an all time worst Goal Differential, or some of the silly stuff that has been going on. Calgary doesn't really need to 'tank'. They just need not to build a competing team artificially, if that makes sense.
Sell Kuzmenko near the deadline. Sell Mantha. Sell Kadri if you need to and replace his leadership with another vet somewhere. Sell Andersson if someone pays well enough, and replace his leadership with a journeyman at the deadline. I think any going any further would be tanking. Calgary doesn't need to tank to draft high for the next couple of years, unless one of those three teams end up blowing it up. Then all bets are off. Those are three elite tank-commander teams. I know I will be cheering hard for Washington and Pittsburgh to keep winning and making the playoffs. I doubt either of them will, but I am cheering for them because I don't want any other team to start rebuilding at this point. Calgary is the only one that is looking to draft worse than they did last year. Everyone else at the bottom is looking to improve, though it is to be determined how much they do actually improve.
In the 2014 season, Calgary was competing with Buffalo, Arizona, Edmonton, Toronto, Carolina and New Jersey as all sub 80 point teams. It would have been hard to beat out Buffalo and Arizona (54 and 56 points respectively), and even Edmonton with 62. Toronto with 68 would have been possible, and even likely.
Had Calgary not tried to accelerate the rebuild, I think they would have had a chance at Mathews that year - Toronto was last with 69 and won the lottery. I think this upcoming year will be more like that one - no real outright horrible teams, but just 'bad' teams in the high 60's and low 70's. I see this for the next couple of years (again, barring a team from suddenly imploding and entering a rebuild).
This is a perfect time to draft. No real tank-commanders on the horizon, plus it isn't a lower-end draft like we have seen some years with the Taylor or Tyler, or RNH, or the horrible Yakupov year. I think the hockey gods messed with the Flames for a while on their timeline - should have been in the McDavid Sweepstakes, but made the playoffs instead. This time around, Calgary may be getting rewarded here.
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