[FlamesAddiction]

I don't think that trading up to the top 3 or 5 in the draft is an option unless you want to include top young players like Wolf or Coronato. This team isn't bottoming out with Wolf in net and it would be a monumental waste to even try.

The way I see it is you either go hard trying to acquire players at or near their prime like Pettersson, Rossi, Marner, or whoever else might be available, or you just accept being in the mushy middle.

Sure, there is always a slim chance you find star players outside of the top end of the draft in that much middle, but it's probably a smaller chance than if you bottom out and try your luck with the lottery. You can certainly go a generation without it happening.

Or if you really wanted to bottom out, start by trading Wolf and hope to win the McKenna and/or Dupont lotteries then hope beyond hope that the goaltending situation resolves it's self in 5 years or so. I know this is going to be unpopular and I am prepared to take my lumps for this suggestion, but I would actually consider this route. I feel that this team should be bottoming out and rolling the dice as a lottery team in 2026 and 2027. I feel that as nice as it is to have a gem like Wolf, it's bad timing given where the team is right now. For me, goalies are the cap stone, but not where you build your foundation.

Just for ####s and giggles, say you could trade Wolf to Chicago or San Jose for their 1st this year and draft Misa, then win the lottery draft McKenna in 2026 and/or Dupont in 2027... would you take that? I know that there is no guarantee that we'd win the lottery, but just as a thought experiment, would you take that if that was the result? I would and I think the odds of bottoming out and winning the lottery are greater than staying in the mushy middle and hoping established stars come to Calgary via trade or later round drafting. I think elite and generational forwards are the biggest keys to long term success. Edmonton is going to their 2nd finals in a row with Stuart Skinner in net and Florida is going to the 3rd in a row with a goalie they had to overpay for from the free agent heap. The three Vezina candidates this year were all sent packing, plus other elite goalies like Oettinger, Binnington, and Thompson. Based on regular season save%, the #4 and #20 goalies left in the finals. I think long gone are the days when a team could be talent deficient and ride goalies while focusing on defense. With out elite top line centers, you just aren't going to get there no matter who you have in net.