Blow it up!

[tony-soprano]

Old guns era..they shouldn’t have brought back those reverse retro pedestal jerseys.

[GreenLantern2814]

This is like inverted tanking - pay a bunch of guys who aren’t good enough now, but might still be able to be a decent supporting cast to a new crop of top picks.

[SoulOfTheFlame]

It hurts to be right.

[Bunk]

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

If the high earners continue to play poorly, there's no fighting it.
What could they do to fight it? Win hockey games somehow?

In a sick twist of fate, Treliving seems to have locked the team into a tank & rebuild anyway.

Overpay Hanifin and Lindholm. Some Hail Mary “hockey trade”. Don’t underestimate their stupidity in this regard. They’ll still suck but with boat anchor contracts and fewer draft assets.

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

Have a strong feeling they'll hang around in those Lindholm negotiations as long as possible. Might even come up in their offer because the Flames gonna Flame.

But thankfully Lindholm will be the one to walk away because no amount of money could make 8 years here palatable.

[Hemi-Cuda]

Honest question, when was the last time a player signed a big contract in Calgary and actually delivered? Huberdeau is obviously in the running for worst Flames contract of all time, but I really can't remember the last time a player signed a long term/big money contract here that was actually worth it

[jg13]

Andersson signing in 2020 for 6 years at 4.5M AAV.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

Honest question, when was the last time a player signed a big contract in Calgary and actually delivered?

Good question. It's hard to think of any.

Bouwmeester was close I guess. He didn't get the team over the hump, but he wasn't terrible at least.

Hamrlik was decent I guess.

It's hard to think of any big ticket free agent signing that was an absolute slam dunk though.

[Phil Russell]

Treliving panicked when our two superstars walked and made two dreadful signings. IMO Conroy had to walk the group back given the Sutter effect last year, and a stagnant trade market, in hopes that the group could turn it around. They can't and won't but they had to give it a go. Now is where we see if the correct correcting action can be made by the franchise. The forced rebuild is now the only wise option . . . is the franchise wise enough to seize the moment is the big question for me. And given that the trade market remains stagnant, we may not know the answer for most of this miserable season.

[1qqaaz]

I still think Jiri Hudler's 4 x 4 contract in 2012 was probably the best in the past long while. He averaged 64 points per 82 games as a Flames then was traded for a decent haul.

[Mr.Coffee]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

Honest question, when was the last time a player signed a big contract in Calgary and actually delivered? Huberdeau is obviously in the running for worst Flames contract of all time, but I really can't remember the last time a player signed a long term/big money contract here that was actually worth it

Iginla

[devo22]

you can absolutely rebuild with huge long-term contracts on the books. Chicago kept Kane and Toews, L.A. kept Kopitar and Doughty, and I'm sure there's more examples. It would have obviously been much easier, had they committed to a rebuild when Johnny bolted and Tkachuk wanted out ... not trading Tkachuk for a "win now" package and not giving up a 1st to sign Kadri would have made things a lot easier. But if they flip Hanifin, Lindholm, Zadorov and Tanev at some point this season, they can still amass a nice collection of future assets that will help right the ship. And honestly, after seeing the first part of the season, no one can seriously argue that re-signing these players will get this team anywhere.

Problem is that I just don't see ownership being on board with this. If the options are brutally tearing it down or keep trying and ending up in mediocrity, the Flames will always settle for the second option.

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by devo22

you can absolutely rebuild with huge long-term contracts on the books. Chicago kept Kane and Toews, L.A. kept Kopitar and Doughty, and I'm sure there's more examples. It would have obviously been much easier, had they committed to a rebuild when Johnny bolted and Tkachuk wanted out ... not trading Tkachuk for a "win now" package and not giving up a 1st to sign Kadri would have made things a lot easier. But if they flip Hanifin, Lindholm, Zadorov and Tanev at some point this season, they can still amass a nice collection of future assets that will help right the ship. And honestly, after seeing the first part of the season, no one can seriously argue that re-signing these players will get this team anywhere.

Problem is that I just don't see ownership being on board with this. If the options are brutally tearing it down or keep trying and ending up in mediocrity, the Flames will always settle for the second option.

Big difference is that Kane and Toews were near the end of their contracts when Chicago pivoted to rebuild. Kopitar/Doughty better examples, but both of those players were playing well.

Calgary can indeed rebuild, it will just take longer. Will ownership allow it? They wouldn't when Johnny and Tkachuk bolted, which was the opportune time to do it. We can criticize Treliving all we want, but I doubt he had much choice but to sign Hubby and go for it.

[Flamesfan05]

It’s incredible that people still give Treliving a pass

Regardless of ownership, dude is incompetent. He left the team in much worse shape than he found it 9 yrs ago.

Lack of talent from top to bottom, handcuffed his successors for years to come. And ran like a loser.

Regard blow it up. No worries, it will whether they want it or not. They will have to draft themselves out of this mess. No quick fix left.

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by Flamesfan05

It’s incredible that people still give Treliving a pass

Regardless of ownership, dude is incompetent. He left the team in much worse shape than he found it 9 yrs ago.

Lack of talent from top to bottom, handcuffed his successors for years to come. And ran like a loser.

Regard blow it up. No worries, it will whether they want it or not. They will have to draft themselves out of this mess. No quick fix left.

I doubt anyone is giving him a pass per se.

But we don't know what mandate ownership gave him. Without that information, it's hard to judge his moves.
It's clear that Treliving wanted to move on, and it's not inconceivable that he didn't see eye to eye with ownership mandates.

And it's not like his moves regarding Hubby etc. were universally panned at the time made.

[devo22]

what was the line at the presser back then? "I'm not ever allowed to use the word 'rebuild'"? The fish rots from the head down. No one is giving Treliving a pass, but ownership calls the shots in terms of direction. It's not the GM's decision whether to rebuild or not.

[madmike]

To be honest, I've been pro-tank for a while and if BT managed to get the Flames to a level where they're able to tank, even if it's by mistake, I won't be upset.

Being constantly stuck in the middle is exactly where you don't want to be as an NHL franchise.

The only big negative I see to a rebuild with this roster is Huberdeau and Kadri aren't going to appeal to fans as much as some up-and-coming young stars might. But there's no way around it.

Hopefully Conroy is smart enough to deal Lindholm and Hanifin for picks/futures, rather than paying a premium to keep them. The way the team is going right now, I find it hard to believe either wants to stay.

[VilleN]

I would say Gaudreau delivered on his 6 year contract here... but I digress, end the nightmare. Trade players. Accumulate picks and prospects.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by The Cobra

I doubt anyone is giving him a pass per se.

But we don't know what mandate ownership gave him. Without that information, it's hard to judge his moves.
It's clear that Treliving wanted to move on, and it's not inconceivable that he didn't see eye to eye with ownership mandates.

And it's not like his moves regarding Hubby etc. were universally panned at the time made.

He's a hard working GM but he's reckless. It's one thing to make a bold move here or then when going for it but it seemed like after a good start with the Hamilton trade(s) that his bold moves started bringing diminishing returns. It's common knowledge today that the draft is more important than ever when it comes to building teams but Treliving still considered draft picks trade currency first and foremost as draft picks were simply not going to stop him from getting the veteran depth player he so desired. Due to his overreliance on trades and acquiring veteran players, he botched the salary cap to the point he could only bridge the teams top young player which led to him leaving the organization at 24 years old. Brad couldn't even keep his best drafted player for the beginning of his prime years. That's just terrible asset management from a guy that simply doesn't know when to take his foot off the gas.

[bax]

Originally Posted by Goriders

There aren’t enough guys who hate losing on this team. Too many retirement contracts.

I’d keep the following and start working the phones to get rid of the rest:

Markstrom
Coronato
Anderson
Backlund
Zadorov
Gilbert
Mangiapane
Greer
Duehr
Lindholm

One way or another. Huberdeau has to leave.

Hate to break it to you but, Huberdeau isn’t going anywhere. It might be the least tradable contract in the entire league.

It really isn’t that bad in the grand scheme of things though. In fact, it probably helps in forcing the Flames into a rebuild. Will help the team get to the cap floor over the next 3-4 seasons and by all accounts he has a good attitude and has embraced a leadership role. Even when you stink you need some vets around to prevent a Buffalo/Edmonton situation.

Anyone hitting UFA over the next 3-4 seasons needs to be on the block. Bring in as many picks and prospects as you can and hope you are on an opposite trajectory than you are now by the time the new building opens up.