[Heavy Jack]

Originally Posted by Caged Great

Basically the only way you can become a contender without top 5 picks is if you have all the horseshoes.

You need to hit hard with mid to late round picks and they need to become star players. You need multiple Gaudreau caliber 2nd round and on picks where you are getting legit top tier guys.

The only easy way to get them is if you're picking in the top 5-10 or so. We picked in the top 6 three times recently and hit homeruns with two of them, getting legitimate top line players in Monahan and Tkachuk.

It is possible to build a contender without drafting in the top 10, but realistically from the 1980's the Flames have only hit that hard on Wolf and Gaudreau since Fleury. Servicable players are useful. Guys like Mangiapane are helpful. The only way to win is if you have 5 top tier players and a good supporting cast. The Flames only have Wolf at the moment. Everyone else is either not yet in the NHL or not that good. Even Coronato and Zary as good as they've played are not at that level.

It's not easy getting good without being really bad. You can be stuck in the middle forever though. Oh wait that's almost the entire Flames history.

Teams that rebuild need 20-25 top prospects to turn it around. The Flames list in my opinion

Parekh, Gridin, Basha, Battaglia, Mews, Honzek, Morin, Suniev, Coronato, Grushnikov, Zary, Stromgren

There are a few the might push themselves onto that list (Eg. Kerins, have to see him at the NHL level)

12 is decent for this part of the rebuilding process. We still need a lot more youth, period.

Great post but to add, I think great teams build from the net and D out and right now with how stellar Wolf is looking at still so young paired with how quickly CC has rebuilt the Dman prospect group I’d say the flames are definitely on the right track. We will need a lot more to continue to go right but I’m excited so far at the work that’s been done since BT took a flyer.