I guess we will see how this team responds. Maybe they make the playoffs, or maybe they fall flat. Going to be interesting to see.
I am hoping that this off-season/draft that Conroy knocks out a peg or two and puts the Flames into the McKenna lottery. I do wish that they made a move or two to start moving the needle further into that direction today, but at least they didn't make moves to move away from that direction either.
I am sure there are a voiceferous bunch that will disagree on this, but that's the direction that I hope the Flames move towards. It is just too competitive for them to add through UFA, so it becomes even more imperative to build the core through the draft. An overwhelming majority of core players/franchise players/stars are found at the start of the draft, and this is where the Flames should work towards this off-season.
Will be interesting to see where this team ends up. A top 5-10 pick this year would have been a big step forward this year, but i am personally am much more focused on next year. Hopefully the Flames make the playoffs and add some excitement this season. It would really, really suck for them to fall flat after Conroy gave them assurances that they wouldn't be traded, and end up giving Montreal a top 11-16 pick and no playoffs.
What would be awesome right now is for the Flames to make the playoffs, and blow away expectations by beating out whomever their opponent is in the 1st round. That would be wicked fun!
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