People have different opinions on what tanking is. The last time the flames did a rebuild they picked in the top 6 of the draft 3x.
Had Treliving not butchered that team and keep the core of Tkachuk, Gaudreau, Bennett, Monahan, Lindholm, Hanifin together I think this team is still pushing for division titles and would be a contender.
It could be flipped to ask if the flames can become a contender by tanking? I guess it would make more sense to put a timeline on that because the Oilers became a contender but also drafted in the top 10 11x in 13 seasons. Buffalo has picking top 10 since 2013. There is a chance the Flames go into tank mode and fail to come out like so many teams have tried to do recently.
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