Making the playoffs or keeping our top-10 first round pick 2025?

[Goriders]

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

lol serious ? Too much talent ?

You move Andersson because he’s going to cost 7 plus and is already isn’t the best skater and his offensive game is dropping off. We have a lot of guys in the pipeline.

You contradict yourself. We won’t be able to draft a center so we have to use cap space to get one via feee agency or trade, but who will trade is one. I mean we can go to free agency and get is a Chandler Stephenson. Rebuild complete.

They have too much talent to be picking top 3. That just isn’t going to happen.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Originally Posted by Goriders

They have too much talent to be picking top 3. That just isn’t going to happen.

We really don’t. We have an elite goalie winning us games. Too much talent doesn’t get you a 26th ranked offence or bottom tier PK. We lead the league in shootout wins with 3 and tied for 1st with 7 loser points on pace for 17.

Lots of work ahead. Starts with trading Andersson first and having conversations with some of the other guys.

[Winsor_Pilates]

Originally Posted by Goriders

They have too much talent to be picking top 3. That just isn’t going to happen.

Neither is getting a centre of that level via trade or having one become a free agent & come to Calgary.
So that leaves us where??

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Goriders

They have too much talent to be picking top 3. That just isn’t going to happen.

Sure, but you're plan leaves us nowhere near being a contender, so then what are we doing?

[Goriders]

Originally Posted by jayswin

I understand what you're saying, but what you're describing - Re-sign Anderson to his 29-37 year old deal, let young players take all the spots and go to free agency to try to get the number one centre etc. Is going to leave us about 3 elite/star players short of being a contender, and then we'll just hang on as a middling/playoff bubble team until we need to tear down and rebuild again.

I just think you're underestimating what it takes to become a contender in this league. We're not a re-sign Andersson, fill out roster with young players and sign a centre in free agency away from being anything.

I don’t think we’re as far off as you do. I think the organization has plenty of depth at goaltender and on defence. Almost too much on D. There will never be enough open spots for them. We have three good goalies.

They also have some good young forwards. What they don’t have is centers. The ones we have are aging out. You are not going to find 2 or 3 impact centers via the draft. It would more than likely take too long. The draft is such a crapshoot the odds are against you as it is.

You don’t have to build your whole team through the draft. I’m betting no team has done that. Even Conroy himself said they will use their cap room when the time is right. Which more than likely doesn’t mean on a 4th line RW. If you don’t get lucky in the draft It’s filling in final gaps when you think you have built enough of a foundation. My guess is that will be an established center in free agency.

[Goriders]

Originally Posted by jayswin

Sure, but you're plan leaves us nowhere near being a contender, so then what are we doing?

What every other team is doing. Drafting good players and developing them. Signing free agents and executing trades to fill in needs. Maintaining a technically sound coaching staff with good leadership skills.

Then praying.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Goriders

I don’t think we’re as far off as you do. I think the organization has plenty of depth at goaltender and on defence. Almost too much on D. There will never be enough open spots for them. We have three good goalies.

They also have some good young forwards. What they don’t have is centers. The ones we have are aging out. You are not going to find 2 or 3 impact centers via the draft. It would more than likely take too long. The draft is such a crapshoot the odds are against you as it is.

You don’t have to build your whole team through the draft. I’m betting no team has done that. Even Conroy himself said they will use their cap room when the time is right. Which more than likely doesn’t mean on a 4th line RW. If you don’t get lucky in the draft It’s filling in final gaps when you think you have built enough of a foundation. My guess is that will be an established center in free agency.

Lol, the final gaps. This fan base is hilarious. We "tore down" for one season and we're already talking about needing to fill in the rest of the gaps with free agency. To your first sentence, yes we are as far off as I think we are. You're crazy if you think we're on our way up and ready to fill in gaps with free agency and not through the draft. That's literal insanity. We need at minimum two more bad seasons where we get a top 10 or better first round pick (this year is starting to look like a bust).

[Paulie Walnuts]

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

Neither is getting a centre of that level via trade or having one become a free agent & come to Calgary.
So that leaves us where??

With too talented of a team with 3 great goalies. One who has barely played NHL games and another rocking a .886 save % and 3.08 GAA.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Originally Posted by Goriders

What every other team is doing. Drafting good players and developing them. Signing free agents and executing trades to fill in needs. Maintaining a technically sound coaching staff with good leadership skills.

Then praying.

Huska has always coached poor offensive teams. The teams who dip into free agency for tjr big fish end up like Seattle or Nashville.

The teams doesn’t need good players. We need elite players. Outside of the draft it’s almost impossible.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Goriders

I don’t think we’re as far off as you do. I think the organization has plenty of depth at goaltender and on defence. Almost too much on D. There will never be enough open spots for them. We have three good goalies.

Hahahaha, 3 good goalies and too much depth on defense? What are you smoking, man? Do you even know what building a contender looks like? These are crazy statements.

[Jay Random]

It's possible for these two things to be true at once:

1. This team needs to build through the draft for long-term success, and it will take several years of high picks to fill the pipeline, especially at centre.

2. This team isn't bad enough to end up in the bottom 3 of the standings this particular season, after compiling the record they have so far.

I think a lot of posters in this thread are kind of arguing past each other, on the assumption that accepting one of those two points means you have to reject the other.

The good news is that both the 2026 and 2027 drafts are supposed to be better at the high end. The Flames will have plenty of opportunities to suck.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

Huska has always coached poor offensive teams. The teams who dip into free agency for tjr big fish end up like Seattle or Nashville.

The teams doesn’t need good players. We need elite players. Outside of the draft it’s almost impossible.

Exactly, we HAVE TO build through the draft being an undesirable market. What Goriders is proposing and where he thinks this rebuild is at is absolutely asinine and not in line with any sort of reality.

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

This is where I have been, up until now. But the Flames keep refusing to slide and they are starting to define their lane:

Make the playoffs: almost no chance, IMO. There are 8 teams in the West that are at least +7 (and on pace for at least 96 points). I don't see any of them falling off - maybe VAN, but even if they struggle for a while here, I don't see us keeping pace. The Flames would have to get better in the 2nd half to make the dance - I don't see that happening.

Bottom 10: there are 8 teams that are at least -3 (on pace for 75 pts or less). And the ones that are -3 are MTL and ANA, so I don't have a lot of faith that they are going to suddenly get good. With the Flames at +5, these teams are getting too far away from us.

That leaves 8 spots, from 9-16. And unfortunately(?) the Flames are 16th. Here are the 8 teams:

16: CGY +5
15: UTH +4
14: PIT +1
13: STL +0
12: CBJ -1
11: PHI -1
10: NYR -1
9: NYI -2

In order to finish bottom 10, they need to fall behind 6 of those 7 teams. NYR will likely right their ship at some point, and UTH is playing pretty well. But we can't expect any of the other teams (except maybe STL) to pass us, we need to fall behind them.

The Flames need to start losing SOON if they want to sneak into the top 10. But right now, the safe bet is that they finish 12-16

Excellent post, Enoch. Depressing, but well done.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Originally Posted by Jay Random

It's possible for these two things to be true at once:

1. This team needs to build through the draft for long-term success, and it will take several years of high picks to fill the pipeline, especially at centre.

2. This team isn't bad enough to end up in the bottom 3 of the standings this particular season, after compiling the record they have so far.

I think a lot of posters in this thread are kind of arguing past each other, on the assumption that accepting one of those two points means you have to reject the other.

Goriders is talking about filling the gaps with our cap space and saying #### it to the draft.

The gaps on this team cannot be filled via free agency or a single trade. It will take some suffering and people need to accept it. This isn’t a good team. It’s being propped up by goaltending and loser points.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Jay Random

It's possible for these two things to be true at once:

1. This team needs to build through the draft for long-term success, and it will take several years of high picks to fill the pipeline, especially at centre.

2. This team isn't bad enough to end up in the bottom 3 of the standings this particular season, after compiling the record they have so far.

I think a lot of posters in this thread are kind of arguing past each other, on the assumption that accepting one of those two points means you have to reject the other.

The good news is that both the 2026 and 2027 drafts are supposed to be better at the high end. The Flames will have plenty of opportunities to suck.

100%. But goriders seems to believe this team is actually at a point to be competitive without building through high pics in the draft. I mean he literally mentions three good goalies and possibly too much depth on defense and needing to simply add a good centre through free agency. That's delusional takes on where this team is at.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Sandman

Excellent post, Enoch. Depressing, but well done.

Yep, we're at a point where we're a team that will likely only succeed through quality draft choices, but are good enough with Wolf as a goalie to avoid drafting high to get those elite pieces. Cool, cool, cool.

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by jayswin

Yep, we're at a point where we're a team that will likely only succeed through quality draft choices, but are good enough with Wolf as a goalie to avoid drafting high to get those elite pieces. Cool, cool, cool.

We can’t even lose right…..

[Paulie Walnuts]

Originally Posted by jayswin

Exactly, we HAVE TO build through the draft being an undesirable market. What Goriders is proposing and where he thinks this rebuild is at is absolutely asinine and not in line with any sort of reality.

Not to mention a lot of good young forwards. I can count exactly 2 of them on the roster right now.

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

Goriders is talking about filling the gaps with our cap space and saying #### it to the draft.

I don't read those posts as saying that. There's a time to fill the gaps with free agents, but I don't think anyone is arguing that that time is now. I do think Goriders is wrong in assuming that the team will more or less steadily improve from here on out. They have lots of good depth pieces but no gamebreakers so far except Wolf and possibly Parekh.

The gaps on this team cannot be filled via free agency or a single trade. It will take some suffering and people need to accept it. This isn’t a good team. It’s being propped up by goaltending and loser points.

That's true. But since it is being propped up, bottom 3 this season is pretty much out of reach and we don't need to waste energy worrying about it. Next season I foresee a younger and less experienced roster losing more games, and not starting the schedule 4-0-1.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Jay Random

I don't read those posts as saying that. There's a time to fill the gaps with free agents, but I don't think anyone is arguing that that time is now. I do think Goriders is wrong in assuming that the team will more or less steadily improve from here on out. They have lots of good depth pieces but no gamebreakers so far except Wolf and possibly Parekh.



That's true. But since it is being propped up, bottom 3 this season is pretty much out of reach and we don't need to waste energy worrying about it. Next season I foresee a younger and less experienced roster losing more games, and not starting the schedule 4-0-1.

Well maybe try reading his words again. He's pretty clear in what he's saying. The team is good, 3 good goalies, Maybe TOO MUCH depth on defense coming up and we need to plug the biggest deficiencies in free agency.

Originally Posted by Goriders

Per above I said fill the roster out with young players. They have a number of good ones. Especially on D instead of Hanley and Barrie.

I’d resign Anderson if he wants to stay.

The team has too much talent to be picking in the top 3. I think unless they get lucky the biggest deficiency center is going to have to be addressed via their cap space in free agency or a trade. Trade route would be harder. Who’s going to trade you a player like that?

Originally Posted by Goriders

I don’t think we’re as far off as you do. I think the organization has plenty of depth at goaltender and on defence. Almost too much on D. There will never be enough open spots for them. We have three good goalies.

They also have some good young forwards. What they don’t have is centers. The ones we have are aging out. You are not going to find 2 or 3 impact centers via the draft. It would more than likely take too long. The draft is such a crapshoot the odds are against you as it is.

My guess is that will be an established center in free agency.