I still see a bottom 10 finish for this team very likely this season. However, I am not going to sit around and mope because this team is winning - winning is fun. I am not happy about losing to Utah tonight, but I am comforted that it will help the Flames draft higher (assuming they fall to the bottom 10).
If they draft in the top 10? Fantastic. This organization needs an injection of HIGH skill.
If they make the playoffs? Fantastic. Would love for the 2nd lowest capped team with zero expectations to make the playoffs embarrassing a couple of other teams that should have made it, and maybe further embarrassing their 1st round opponent too. That would be epic. Either way, I am happy.
The in-between part sucks, and I just overlook it for now. Plenty of games left for the Flames to go either way. The Montreal trade hovers like a dark cloud, but it is what it is now. That's Treliving's mistake. Conroy can't really pull the plug on this season yet just because of optics. Even if the Flames end up picking 11th, it is still better for the organization than finishing 16th and just out of the playoffs, because they are picking 11th in every round rather than 16th, if that makes any sense. Just the optics suck.
At the start of this season, I just came out with the attitude that I will enjoy every win as they come, and I will comfort myself with losses that help this team draft better, and not cry or pout about which segment of the overall rankings they end up in - the bottom, the mushy middle, or into the playoffs. Just enjoy the ride.
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