I go back to the summer of 2018 as one of the best and worst summers for Treliving. He was able to adjust the window by shipping out 25 year old Hamilton and 27 year old Ferland and a prospect who would never sign here for a 23 and 21 year old who were both 5th overall picks. In many ways that is the best exact type of trade the flames would love to make today to add 2 pieces that age with that type of pedigree.
The big error came that summer when Neal was given that monster contract. Had the Flames preserved the cap space the flexibility they would have had that next summer when Tkachuk needed a new deal and also a spot they could have used for Bennett.
Peters choosing Jankowski as a center and signing Ryan were also mistakes when the team should have been focused on Monahan/Bennett/Lindholm as centers with Backlund. Lindy could have still started on the wing.
Anyway this org should have hired Sutter that summer instead of Peters and kept the flexibility that would have come had they not given Neal that contract. Derek Ryan was a fine flame but he wasn’t needed then either.
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