Culture is huge. Flames didn't exceed expectations because Wolf came in and dragged this team kicking and screaming into what should have been a playoff spot in any other given year. That's not what I saw. I saw a team that worked extremely hard at a very consistent rate, and Wolf was a part of that success.
Will the Flames buck the trend of only being able to put together ONE season of high-compete? That's what strong culture to me translates into - a team that competes hard consistently.
Yes, I get the argument that with giving up so many points in one goal games, some of that can be reversed and this team can get into the 100pt club. Sure. Absolutely.
However, if the culture doesn't stick from last year to next season, then it can quickly go the other way, and the Flames lose a lot of games by 2 or more goals - Wolf or not.
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