[CP Story] Rebuild Provides Excitement

[Bingo]

http://www.calgarypuck.com/2013/07/r...r-flames-fans/

[burn_this_city]

Very well put Bingo, probably one of the best write ups I've seen on this board.

[puckluck2]

Excellent read, thanks for that.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Great write up. I know that two extremes usually provide balance, but I would prefer the moderate thinking poster over any extreme viewpoint. IMO, that's where the real discussions begin.

[LouCypher]

Great write up, I would have to say my excitement level is higher then it has been in a few years simply because I think the expectations are realistic. Also its fun to see of the group of prospects we have which will emerge to help form the new identity of the team.

[kyuss275]

Great write up.

[Roof-Daddy]

It is exciting. In past years, a prospect at the level of say....Agostino, would have been close to being our highest rated forward prospect. Now, I'd say he's at best our 6th ranked forward prospect behind the likes of Baertschi, Monahan, Gaudreau, Jankowsi and Knight....and even guys like Poirier, Klimchuk and Granlund are all in that conversation as well.

[Canada 02]

In hindsight, I'm glad the rebuild is starting now rather than 1 or 2 years ago. Realistically, the earliest the rebuild could have started was the 2011 trading deadline, months after Darryl Sutter was fired and Feaster became interim GM.

I wonder, had they traded Jarome and other assets at that time, likely for prospects and picks, would the hockey staff and scouts at that time (pre-Weisbrod and revamped scouting staff) have acquired good prospects or drafted well? Their body of work up until then would suggest no. Also, the 2011 and 2012 drafts were not deep like 2013.

I doubt Feaster leading Sutter's hockey staff would have made the right decisions; Feaster with Weisbrod, Goulet and at least 5 new scouts and a new way of scouting adds to the encouraging situation now

[UKflames]

A really good article that pretty much sums up the team at this junction in time.

Well done sir.

[moon]

Originally Posted by Canada 02

In hindsight, I'm glad the rebuild is starting now rather than 1 or 2 years ago. Realistically, the earliest the rebuild could have started was the 2011 trading deadline, months after Darryl Sutter was fired and Feaster became interim GM.

I wonder, had they traded Jarome and other assets at that time, likely for prospects and picks, would the hockey staff and scouts at that time (pre-Weisbrod and revamped scouting staff) have acquired good prospects or drafted well? Their body of work up until then would suggest no. Also, the 2011 and 2012 drafts were not deep like 2013.

I doubt Feaster leading Sutter's hockey staff would have made the right decisions; Feaster with Weisbrod, Goulet and at least 5 new scouts and a new way of scouting adds to the encouraging situation now

It depends on how much you believe the rumours (particularly the LA ones) because if the rumours of Schenn/Simmonds/Voynov etc. being included for Iginla are anywhere close to being true then obviously it would have made much more sense to have dealt him then.

Not sure the return is looking all that great with Weisbrod et. al. but I think they have shown to be sub par hockey evaluators so far so I guess I could understand if people think they are better than average guys and will work some magic.

[edslunch]

Originally Posted by moon

Not sure the return is looking all that great with Weisbrod et. al. but I think they have shown to be sub par hockey evaluators so far so I guess I could understand if people think they are better than average guys and will work some magic.

Facepalm!

[FBI]

Love the choosing of character guys strategy.. That's going to pay off big time in the long run.

[Huntingwhale]

Nice write up and it echos what the entire city of Calgary is feeling: rebuild properly and patiently and the fans will continue to support the team. Continue to spin the wheels with ''big name stars'' and the fans will grow restless. Those who complain about a rebuild and how were going to lose and how the team should always try to spend to win every year, are the bandwaggon fans who are still stuck in the twilight of 2004.

One of the smartest things the Flames did all summer was really market the scrimmages. As Bingo said, fans were lined up early and packed the place...for scrimmages! Now, names like Kanzig, Gaudreau, Monahan etc are becoming household names in the city. Fans have something to look forward to and once we finally get over the hump and back into contention, those who stuck around will reap the benefits.

I'm excited for this rebuild. I can stand losing, as long as the team puts forth an effort and has a clear established view of the direction they want to take. We've had neither of those for the last half-decade. And to put it bluntly, the Flames have never really been in this position before since they moved to Calgary. I'd hardly call the last young-guns era a rebuild. There was nothing to look foward to year after year. The Canadian dollar sucked, the team didn't spend to keep its stars, and we became an after thought. The only highlight I can recall during that era was Iggy. That's it. Nothing coming through the pipelines, the Flames threatening to move if the ticket drive didn't come through. It was a sad time before Darryl arrived.

Now, I think most of us can see light at the end of the tunnel. Do it right this time. The true fans will wait.

[Tinordi]

I don't see a tonne of naysayers, just people more tempered in their expectations.

Naysayers are people saying that prospects wont work out. I don't see anyone saying that certain prospects will bust.

If you respect statistics then you know that it's a long shot for any prospect to make it. That understanding should be baked into any discussion on the future. We're talking like all of our prospects are going to graduate when in reality less than 20% do. It's not being a naysayer to point that out, it's being realistic.

With that said, I'm as excited as anyone to see how this plays out. Many have been advocating for 4 years now to blow it up and rebuild so it's refreshing to see it finally play out. And it looks like they're going to do it proper (God I hope they do). There are no shortcuts, there will be short term pain, this team will be worse before it gets better, but if you allow it, it will get better.

[Miniac]

Very well done Bingo.

[Badgers Nose]

Really great article, the writing on this site has improved dramatically every year. Thanks for putting in the effort!

[Igottago]

Definitely some reason for optimism, but I hope people understand that the rebuild has basically just begun. When the Flames are getting beat routinely in the upcoming winter months I think we'll hear a bit more grumbling and impatience for those who can't stomach rebuild. It'll be an interesting season from a player development standpoint but I think it'll be a brutal season from a competetiveness standpoint. Hopefully people are prepared for that.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Canada 02

In hindsight, I'm glad the rebuild is starting now rather than 1 or 2 years ago. Realistically, the earliest the rebuild could have started was the 2011 trading deadline, months after Darryl Sutter was fired and Feaster became interim GM.

Why would you be glad about starting your rebuild year 4 into 4 straight years of missing the playoffs? What about those non-playoff teams of the past few seasons was worth having to wait longer for a competitive new core?

[Canada 02]

nm

[polak]

Originally Posted by Igottago

Definitely some reason for optimism, but I hope people understand that the rebuild has basically just begun. When the Flames are getting beat routinely in the upcoming winter months I think we'll hear a bit more grumbling and impatience for those who can't stomach rebuild. It'll be an interesting season from a player development standpoint but I think it'll be a brutal season from a competetiveness standpoint. Hopefully people are prepared for that.

If anything, my expectations are so low that there is a far more likely chance that I'm positively surprised this season as opposed to negatively surprised.