Quote:
Originally Posted by Mathgod
^ I appreciate what you're saying here. But it's a long way off from...
That post, especially the last part, seemed to strike a belittling, contemptuous tone toward team tank. And the post got 17 thanks & counting.
From that post, I take it you're fully on the make-playoffs train. How am I supposed to interpret it any other way? And if you want & expect the team to make the playoffs, how can you also be in favor of trading the 3 vets? The two positions don't seem compatible. Those 3 vets have played key roles in getting this team to within a few points of a playoff spot after the bad start. Remove those three (or heck, any two of them) from the lineup, and the team isn't likely to win many games.
Being fluid as a fan is a good thing. Being open to having your mind changed in response to changing dynamics and new evidence is a great thing. I started the year on team playoffs; I saw 2-9-2 and didn't think there was any coming back from it, so I switched to team tank. Now I see this climb back to .500 as a missed opportunity to draft a franchise altering player. Now the team will have to find a way to rebuild without drafting in the top 3 this year. It is what it is. I hope it works out.
This team may make the playoffs, sure. But they've been playing pressure-free hockey since most people in the hockey world wrote them off. Now that they're back in the race, the pressure is going to start to return. How they handle it will say a lot about the type of team they really are. I don't think they'll ultimately make it in, but being in the race might tempt Flames management to hang on to everyone including Andersson, resulting in yet another missed opportunity to secure quality futures. Hopefully you can understand why these kinds of things cause frustration for many fans.
Then again, like you said, us fans have no control over what happens. And spending too much time thinking about this stuff can get exhausting.
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Welp, there's your problem right there. I'm actually not in favor of playoffs this season, but I'm sure not going to be mad if they manage to make it. I'd be proud of them being able to recover from a disastrous start, but I agree that it's best for the long term health of the franchise if they draft a top line forward. I just don't put all my eggs in that basket, as there are a lot of other things that have to go right for a franchise to properly rebuild. Drafting high is just one part of the equation.
So, I've come to accept that there's just too much competitiveness in this group to just throw in the towel, which is probably a good thing for team building and culture but does undermine the roster building somewhat. That's why I'm also in favor of trading the veterans for good returns (not dumping them for whatever you can get) because that will push the build forward at a faster rate by acquiring assets, removing the driving force that is pushing them higher in the standings, and also allowing some of the kids on the farm an opportunity to show what they can at the NHL level.
I think the real intent behind my comment was to not only indicate that this team is playing really well these days, but also for fans to accept that they have a legitimate shot at a playoff spot now. They also still have a legitimate shot at finishing bottom 5. It's a weird season that seems to be quite chaotic around the league unless you're Colorado or Dallas, so it's probably best to enjoy the small moments along the way and not worry about the long term outlook until the trade deadline.
I think the only other thing I'd say is to stop taking internet comments as being a direct personal address to you or whatever group you align with. That always leads to trouble.