Quote:
Originally Posted by Flames Fan, Ph.D.
I think people are underestimating the timeline of even an optimistic time-to-recovery after a couple of seasons of tanking.
Look at the Sharks. I think it's fair to say people are excited about the prospects they have drafted from being bad/tanking. San Jose last made the playoffs in 2019, and were 8th in the pacific in 2019-2020. So they're already about 6 years into their tank, and likely not seeing their first playoff taste for another 3/4 years. They were still 40+ points outside of a playoff spot last year.
Next year they're what, 15-20 points out at best? And the following year? We know from the Red Wings trajectory that you can be right around that line without making it for a few years. Then you get into the playoffs and figure out that's a different beast on top of it.
If the Flames tanked for the next 2 years, you're looking at a minimum of 6 years from today to even get into the playoffs. Wolf is then 30, soon due for another contract, and seriously thinking if he can win anything here.
It's easy to discount the timeframe because we're not emotionally following those other teams year in and year out. It seems like San Jose is looking all exciting now because we're just tuning in, but it's pretty much been misery for 6 straight years.
That's bad.
Oh, and if the tank does 'work' for San Jose and they miraculously win a cup in the next 6 or so years, then it likely means that the tank didn't work for another poster child of tanking in the west: Chicago.
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And in San Jose's case they didn't really tank or do what people are asking the Flames which is trade all their vets over night.
Look at the 18-19 roster:"
Burns - Traded July 13 2022
Hertl - Traded March 8 2024
Couture - LTIRetired
Meier - Traded Feb 26 2023
Pavelski - Left as UFA (2019)
Thornton - Left as UFA (2020)
Karlsson - Traded Aug 6 2023
Vlasic - Buyout (2025)
Kane - Released (2019)
Lebanc - Left as UFA (2024)
Donskoi - Left as UFA (2019)
Jones - Left as UFA
Dell - Left as UFA
It took the Sharks 5 seasons (2019 to 2024) to tear down most of the remaining pieces from their prior playoff team, doesn't just happen overnight.
And they didn't initially plan to tank...they traded for Karlsson and Kane in 2018, and then 18 months later were moving on from veterans because they just sucked.
And it's funny people use the Sharks as the example, because actually the Flames traded more pieces in their re-building effort than the Sharks did (Lindholm, Hanifin, Tanev, Markstrom, Toffoli, Mangiapane, Zadorov vs Meier, Hertl, Karlsson, Burns)
What the Sharks were able to do this past season though was acquire guys like Walman, Blackwood, and Granlund that they acquired as cap dumps, but then turned them into 1st / 2nd round picks.
Personally think that's kind of what has alluded the Flames to this point more than not tearing down the old roster fast enough.