Quote:
Originally Posted by Vinny01
I would rather the Flames hold their chips for another year but I can unfortunately see why they would push forward. Kadri/Huberdeau/Weegar/Coleman/Backlund are not getting any younger and Wolf/Coronato/Zary/Parekh are all making an impact or poised to make an impact next year.
The “Nashville” model is a cautionary tale for the Flames to consider avoiding. They had a great year in 2023/24 and made the playoffs while also pushing the Canucks in a first round series. They then went out and added 3 of the top UFA’s on the market and the team was awful this year. Hey maybe Flames fans want that so we can get a top pick next year?
The Flames version of the Nashville model for me are targeting Bennett, Ekblad, and Boeser or Ehlers. I do not see Marner coming here unless Kadri has somehow sold him and I just doubt that. Steinberg and Francis sure seem to pound the Bennett drum to think he is going to be getting a huge offer from the Flames if he gets to UFA. Ekblad was extremely close with Huberdeau and Weegar so I do see a scenario where he would consider coming here and they shift Weegar to be his left side partner like he was in Florida.
I do think they will flip Andersson so I can see a situation where they still target a futures based return. I am also not convinced they go big game hunting but I do think “it makes sense” knowing this organization has no desire to tank and if they are bought into Wolf being a top 5 goalie then the push to win will be immediate
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Minus Weegar, pushing your chips in on that group because they are getting mid 30's or over is the silliest thing ever and I can't see Conroy pushing for that. Most likely getting instructions from the man above.