[Gaskal]

A lot of the stuff ol' Don is saying, being a mouthpiece for ownership and all, I can understand where it's coming from. But like others have pointed it out, boy was that delivery off the mark!

I don't think the Flames are completely tone-deaf or they would have had Conroy say this stuff publicly instead of Maloney - they know the fans are ready for a rebuild. Rest assured... If Eric Francis is saying it, if Boomer & Warrener are saying it, if the fans are practically screaming for a proper one seen through the right way, it's not as if the head shed are stuffing their fingers into their ears and saying "lalala" on purpose in spite of all this appetite.

Do you hang the gloves up and sell right away? I don't, there's not much point when you have the least amount of leverage and especially not when it's still a buyer's market. Signaling to other organizations that you're mailing it in this early will only get you lowballed in the offers. And even though the Flames have been firmly parked at the bottom of the standings for the majority of the year so far, what harm could it really do in waiting it out until the TDL, particularly when your place in the standings aren't looking likely to waver much between now and then anyway? So I understand where the organization is coming from when they say they'll reevaluate where the team is at when the deadline comes. We'll probably still be in dead last or next to dead last. No sense in antagonizing the players who give a damn about the team and culture and are aiming to win every night, standings be damned.

On that note - regarding Kadri, also understand the comments from Maloney there. I think if he wasn't so enamored with the team and city he would be shopped more aggressively. Loves it in Calgary, wanted to come here in particular, and brings a winning culture - and that doesn't happen very often. I think he probably retires a Flame unless another GM wants to blow their brains out asset wise. You want to make the player happy first and foremost, and if Kadri really likes it here, it leaves a bad taste in everyone's mouth if you publicly declare plans to send him away later this year. If he miraculously has the patience to sit through a rebuild and mentor our young centres, who am I to question that.