Quote:
Originally Posted by Groot
The amount of things that had to go just right to get the Panthers here is absurd.
A 35-year of Bobrovsky finds his game again at an elite level
One of the best waiver pickups ever in Forsling
A 12th overall pick turns into a >0.70 PPG in the playoffs by his 3rd season in Lundell
Not one, but THREE buy low trade candidates that then took their game to another level after arriving in Florida. Bennett, Reinhart, Jones.
Picking up a young, 24-year old former Cup Winner that becomes a playoff stud, because a team leaves them unqualified because of cap constraints in Verhaege.
A GM screws up and let's an elite player force his way to RFA or be traded, have that player choose the Panthers and have their former team like the Panthers offer the best in Tkachuk.
And finally their top 1 and 2 picks a decade ago actually turned into elite players, unlike dozens of others selected in the same spots, with Barkov and Ekblad.
All very fortuitous and I'm happy for the Panthers, especially if all the above is what causes McDavid to leave Edmonton without any Cups.
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Agree with your points.
However, my grandfather always said you make your own luck. Everything you listed above are clever moves where they got younger, left spots open for guys in their own organization, or filled with cheap vets.
Bobvrosky was a large mistake in the UFA market, until recently...but he was still a skilled guy at one point.
Making our own luck Flames addition:
1. Have more than 7 picks every draft the next 5yrs
2. 2 yrs where we pick in the top 10...ideally with multiple 1sts in those years from jettisoning UFAs/RFAs
3. Sign 1 skilled UFA vet to a PTO at fwd and 1 at D each season as a mentor
4. Leave spots open to grow from within, and use young players to fill holes. DO NOT sign vets to take bottom 6 or bottom 4 positions. If we're bad we're bad because of growing pains here.
5. Jettison RFA/upcoming UFA players that don't fit your age window. Since we don't have a #1 or #2 center, well technically we don't have an age window at the moment.
Where we won't make our own luck.
1. Keeping veteran players on retirement deals
2. Red paper clip strategy - where we think we can trade up for a #1 or #2 center, it depletes our draft assets, that yes have a probability against them, but they're acquisition cost is less
3. Signing big ticket / big term UFAs
4. Trading draft picks
5. Ignoring the fact our age window hasn't opened yet. Parekh and Wolf are the start of a core...we're still missing a #1 C. Wolf (if he lives up to the hype) can play 10-12yrs at a high level, same with Parekh. Zary and Coronato are 9-10yrs, and more likely in their 4-5yr window at the moment. Lock them up, but we shouldn't be building around them.
