Thus far, I look at the future core this way:
Established star:
Wolf (I feel he is here already, or if not, almost here)
Potential star:
Parekh
Gridin
Wyttenbach
This is the first of what I expect will be two consecutive 'bottoming out' seasons in which the Flames are likely to select high, and where most stars are found. Plus, these are two good drafts to bottom-out in. Plus, there is a lot of draft capital too. Maybe there are more stars already drafted that will pop, and maybe the ones listed don't pan out, but that's how I view it today.
I keep thinking about the 2011 draft every now and then. Flames almost won a cup from that draft in an alternative universe. They entered that draft short of picks - 1st, 2nd, 2nd, 4th, 6th. Every single player played at least 30 games, with 4 out of the 5 playing 140 minimum. Baertschi, Granlund, Wotherspoon, Gaudreau and Brossoit. We all know they had Kucherov on a short list - Todd Button had Gaudreau and Kucherov on a separate list, and was trying to gauge on when to draft them.
Conroy is giving our scouts a lot of ammo. He is also not making them pick 'safe' players. Flames have been picking up skilled players. Heck, even Phillips looked like a great pick once we saw him play, right? Had Button been given more picks that year, maybe Kucherov would have been picked. Maybe if he was encouraged to go after skill first, Wotherspoon wouldn't have been picked and instead it would have been Kucherov. It didn't happen of course.
Now we are under Conroy who is taking Calgary through a much more thorough rebuild, adding a LOT more draft capital and prospects, and encouraging and valuing skill (but still looking for size as well - this won't be a smurf team either). I am really bullish on the Flames coming out of this as an exciting product that will actually challenge for a cup at some point. I think this team will be fun to watch in a couple of years, and then they will become exciting when the entertaining team starts becoming successful.
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