Now that the Rebuild is here...

[CaptainYooh]

I was actually thinking about starting a similar thread about how long it could take? What a horrible feeling for a fan watching his team giving up completely! This was the feeling I had this evening watching the game. Am I mentally prepared to see Flames suck this bad for the next 3-5-7 years?

Some interesting quotations from an older 2010 thread:

Originally Posted by Caged Great

...

The Flames do have a small but good nucleus of younger players. The Stajan's, Bourque's, Giordano's etc. and while those players are all good secondary pieces, the Flames need to develop primary pieces. Backlund, Brodie, and Erixon might be the only three players in the organization that could develop into 1st/2nd line players or top for 4 men. Getting any top players is not likely to happen through free agency, so you pretty much either have to blow, or increase your scouting staff in order to find some gems. ....

Originally Posted by Phanuthier

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Sorry to be a downer, a win is great... but I'm not sold yet. There are so many holes all across the board that I just don't believe. The problems run blood thick, and a little makeup isn't going to cure that. Its the erratic play, the many many comments from coaches saying the biggest problem with the players is in between the ears, the criticism of the leadership group. The coaching isn't great either. Its not even about the wins and losses, its not even really the talent, its the cracks in the vase that are very very evident. That being, team psych, the leadership of this group, the stuff that you can't justify with numbers. This is Brent Sutter saying it, Darryl saying it, Peter Mahr saying, now many different anonymous 3rd hand comments that are consistant with everything said and seen. I would very much be on board with burning the house down and rebuilding, although it would be sad to see Iginla/Regehr/etc go...

Originally Posted by TOfan

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As for the argument that the flames should tank for a few years, that is equally as dumb. First of all no team ever just tanks a season for a draft pick. Chicago had the worst owner, arguably, in pro sports. Pittsburgh was bankrupt and was nearly re-located. Washington was a dead-beat franchise that couldn't draw 8,000 people to a game. Edmonton began last year with the hope of making the playoffs, and if it weren't for a terrible season of injuries they wouldn't have finsihed last in the league. and the list goes on. Teams that finish last are ussually terrible franchises. ....

Originally Posted by c.t.ner

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I'm still not convinced that this concept of tanking for 2-3 years is the best method of developing a team. It takes a lot of work and a great team of scouts to build a quality franchise. It takes more than 3 quality picks to make a contender, you need a strong supporting cast and some that come from having lower ranked players becoming diamonds in the rough.

This one is still very much on the ball, I think:

Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe

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Winning teams that remain competitive every year do not run the risk of losing money, losing respect, and possibly re-locating. Calgary is pretty much one of the 'bright lights' in the NHL with respect to revenue (sure, the Canadian dollar has something to do with it, Alberta's mineral resources has something to do with it) but Calgary would still be a money losing franchise had it not been for '04, and the constant competitive product they have put on the ice.

I think that for sure this franchise can withstand 1-3 years of 'sucking badly' and drafting high. However, not every draft is deep. Some #1-#5 players wilt and barely leave a mark in the NHL (if at all), and there is absolutely no guarantee that Calgary manages to start winning after tanking.
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Maybe I am overly-skittish, but tanking and running the risk of losing this organization (we all know that the Dome would NOT sell out like it is - the late 90's was proof of that) on more or less a gamble. Most teams stay at the bottom, or rise to mediocrity. Sometimes a few good seasons, and then back down to mediocrity because they can't retain their free agents that come of age (which are younger now, btw). Maintaining a strong team is the best way of maintaining a strong franchise. ....

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by Miniac

I will for sure be trying to get season tickets next year. Just so I can watch our prospect grow and develop.

If the Flames can get Johnny Gaudreau to sign I bet they make a big summer push focusing on him, Sven and whoever they draft with their top pick this year.

Sven Baertschi, Roman Horak are who likely players full time next season. Whoever we draft in our top spot should be likely to make the jump right away too. If Gaudreau makes the jump to pro I think he has an outside shot as well, hard to judge though.

You put those guys and build them up along with Backlund and Brodie and people will stay feeling good about the future and still be there.

[PeteLFan]

Would the flames be willing to deal St. Louis 1st and Sven to move back into top 3 and do a mackinnon and drouin picks.

[Badger Bob]

Happy that it's finally happening because of the honesty. It's understood that they wanted to sell tickets and jerseys. The reality was that 8th place was the most that they could hope for, but that wasn't even a realistic goal. It reminded me too much of the late 90's. The team would be off to a slow start, put some wins together to tease fans after the New Year, get hot near the end, miss out and end up with a mid round draft pick.

The best thing to happen to the franchise, right now, is to be awful for a couple of years. No more "project picks" either. The product on the ice hasn't been anything to get excited about, but watching how the picks develop should make it interesting.

[Jbo]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

If the Flames can get Johnny Gaudreau to sign I bet they make a big summer push focusing on him, Sven and whoever they draft with their top pick this year.

Sven Baertschi, Roman Horak are who likely players full time next season. Whoever we draft in our top spot should be likely to make the jump right away too. If Gaudreau makes the jump to pro I think he has an outside shot as well, hard to judge though.

You put those guys and build them up along with Backlund and Brodie and people will stay feeling good about the future and still be there.

I can get behind a lineup like that....I wonder though, having recently moved from Season Tickets to a game pack, if Im thinking the same thing 2 years from now.

Side note....does a rebuild have any kind of impact on the new building?

[dammage79]

Originally Posted by PeteLFan

Would the flames be willing to deal St. Louis 1st and Sven to move back into top 3 and do a mackinnon and drouin picks.

I wouldn't but that's just me.

[Bunk]

Originally Posted by J-bo09

Side note....does a rebuild have any kind of impact on the new building?

Lower salary amount = more money owners can put toward arena themselves??

[Jbo]

Originally Posted by Bunk

Lower salary amount = more money owners can put toward arena themselves??

I was thinking more like names to sell the building, a good team etc...but thinking about it, by the time that gets done these guys are gone anyway, so a moot point.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by J-bo09

Side note....does a rebuild have any kind of impact on the new building?

I'd hope not. You can sell a rebuild, easily. Look at how it sold in Edmonton. You just have to sell the hype not the substance. If the Flames get that first overall pick and that guy makes the team out of camp, that jersey is going to be the most popular one in the Dome overnight.

The dynamic has changed a lot since the 90's, where you sucked and no hope was in sight. On the ice, or financially.

[calgARI]

I don't have confidence in the GM who clearly has no idea what he's doing and never has any sort of plan.

That said, I am confident that the team can rebuild quickly in large part because of how the economics of the league work. Those who want the team to suck really badly for a few years are going to be disappointed in part because there is a salary floor that the team has to meet.

If you look Florida last year and Phoenix the last couple of years, I expect that is kind of what the Flames will look like next year. They will have to sign some mid-tier UFA's so they can fill the roster out and meet the floor and I would imagine there will be some exciting young players in the mix as well with Baertschi, Backlund, Horak, Brodie, and possibly 1 or 2 guys they draft in June.

So I am glad they are gutting the foundation of a team that hasn't done anything together and the two major pieces of the 04 run are done. They luck out in that it's an incredible draft which is going to help faster than we probably realize especially in terms of getting UFA's interested in signing. I for one think it would be awesome to get a bunch of second-tier guys who are looking to prove themselves after years of mostly very comfortable players.

As mentioned at the top, I worry about the current GM being able to successfully do this. I am a big advocate of getting Burke in who has been with teams through all stages of competitiveness including ground zero a couple of times. I am also not sold on a coach who doesn't seem to have any idea how build a defensive system and hasn't exactly hit it off with Backlund and Baertschi.

The Flyers rebuilt fast after the worst year in franchise history. It helped that they had Carter and Richards, but make no mistake, they had to make a lot of good moves sending guys out of town during that year and bringing in impactful young players (Coburn) as well as impact guys in their 20's and 30's (Hartnell, Timonen, Briere, etc.) but also keeping around some good veterans. I think it is realistic they can get impactful young players in this draft who can step in right away and have an impact plus Baertschi and Backlund will be key guys for sure.

[Badger Bob]

Originally Posted by TOfan

First of all no team ever just tanks a season for a draft pick.

Pittsburgh tanked their season with Mario Lemieux looming on the horizon.

[starseed]

Calgary has added more than 400,000 people since the mid-late 90s. Even if the dollar falls back to ~80 cents/USD, we can survive 3 years of bottom feeding. Times have changed, and this franchise is not going to leave this city. We are projected to grow by the current population of Winnipeg from 1996 to 2016.

Quick fixes, band-aid solutions, short-cuts.... these have to be avoided going forward. We have to build this organization from the ground up, the right way. We have some great future potential on LW, and goaltending already, the draft this year will be a great launching point, but it cannot be seen as the end of the rebuild. Avoid blowing the load of money on free agency and build the team brick by brick.

[mister__big]

With ownership and KK's win-now mentality, I can foresee a summer where Feaster throws a ton of money at 2nd-tier players while giving them long terms and NTCs in hopes of a quick fix. Then we'll be right back where we started, except without our best players Iggy, Bouw and Kipper.

[CSharp]

Wow, do some of you have delusion de grandeur? Frickin 2-3-5 years for a full rebuild until the Flames are back into playoff contention? You guys for real? Cripes, how long did it take the Hawks, Blues, BJ's, and countless others to even get where they are today? The Oilers are like going into their 6th or 7th year where they don't make the playoffs. This time we don't have any potential stars to look forward to like we did in the past with Fleury to Iggy. This rebuild really bites. We're in it for another long haul boyz & girlz.

[jg13]

Originally Posted by PeteLFan

Would the flames be willing to deal St. Louis 1st and Sven to move back into top 3 and do a mackinnon and drouin picks.

I'd be shocked if any team would accept this.

Big win for the flames IMO.

[Hair bleach and Vodka]

Originally Posted by PeteLFan

Would the flames be willing to deal St. Louis 1st and Sven to move back into top 3 and do a mackinnon and drouin picks.

Honestly I'd do that in a heartbeat. I really like Sven and think he'll be a solid contributor, but I think if you can get a game breaker like Drouin along with that #1C you take it and run. Sven's so highly guarded by us because we haven't had anything to be excited about in a long time.

[flamesaresmokin]

Originally Posted by PeteLFan

Would the flames be willing to deal St. Louis 1st and Sven to move back into top 3 and do a mackinnon and drouin picks.

Would any other team in the league be willing to move out of the top 3 for that kind of return?

[dino7c]

Iggy wouldn't have waived 2 or 3 years ago

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by PeteLFan

Would the flames be willing to deal St. Louis 1st and Sven to move back into top 3 and do a mackinnon and drouin picks.

If a team is third worst in the league, they need game changers. I love Sven, but why would a rebuilding team trade out of the top three?

[Bend it like Bourgeois]

I wish actual nhl players were coming back but it's still early so who knows. Wait and see. There is still free agency and other deals to be made - or not.