Quote:
Originally Posted by Royle9
I understand wanting to pick high, I really do.
But the tank group seems to think in order to do so we have to get rid of every veteran and then some even think we need to get rid of Wolf... just to TANK.
Can it not be a bit of both? It doesn't need to be a complete bare bones sell everything, in fact no team ever really does that to start a season. We need a balance, we need to have an identity and understand when our window will be and Craig has that. He's said multiple times that they project to have a GOOD team by the time the new arena opens and that's their long term vision.
For now they stay competitive and try and promote from within.
Of course he's said they'll want to watch for young guys who fit the window via trade and then any big star UFA that may make sense *Cough Makar* cough.
I think he's stuck to the plan he's been very transparent about.
But somehow its just not good enough (or bad enough in this case) but NO team ever just sheds every player over 25 and fills their roster with prospects and young guys.
|
I think that was kind of the plan this past season. Nearly everyone and their dog expected the Flames on paper to be a bottom lottery team or at the very least, bottom ten. I believe that they intended to be deadline sellers, hence why Mantha was signed. Dustin Wolf changed everything. They have an elite goalie in his prime now.
My position has always been to pick a lane and commit to it one way or another and this team at the moment needs to figure out how to get the rest of the horses to move out of the mushy middle. I could support either an aggressive retooling or bottoming out for a top draft pick, but I don't think "just be Dallas" is a plan. Every team, even teams with high lottery picks, are trying to "be Dallas" in the sense that they all also want to hit big on draft picks outside of the lottery range. It's not like every other team is thinking, hey why didn't we think of doing that. Waiting to see if the Flames can be that over the next 5 years doesn't seem like a solid strategy given the low probability that it can succeed.
The Flames also have the disadvantage of being on a lot of NMCs and currently not being a top destination for free agents which makes an aggressive retool harder.