Quote:
Originally Posted by madmike
Hardly. The Flames may have to convert some LW over to RW, but how do you go to guys like Reinhart and Granlund - both of whom have paid their dues - and tell them thanks for your all your work and your great AHL seasons, but we're giving Hayes an open slot over you because we could get him for free? What kind of a message are you sending your prospects then?
There's also the cap issue. The Flames can only handle so many rookies because they're so close to the floor. They don't really have room for more than 1-2 this year.
|
It doesn't really matter now. But you slot Hayes in ahead of them if he is better at hockey.
It is important to give your prospects opportunities, but it is also important not to be the Winnipeg Jets, if you can bring players in to better your organization you do. And not to be the Oilers you can write down on paper that Linus Omark and Magnus Pajarvii will be a great 3rd line, but you should keep trying to improve your team, just in case they aren't.
I think you look at Poirier as a good RW prospect who could fight for a spot in the next two years, beyond that..... Guys like Reinhart, and Wolf may be converted to RW and have a chance at filling in. I have no idea what Wolf is, and I believe Reinhart can be a bottom six forward at the NHL level soon. But it would be foolhardy to bet on it.
RW is also our weakest position at the NHL level, and there will be allot of opportunity to fight for a spot. Raymond, Glencross and Hudler have played right wing, but I believe they would all prefer the left side. Colborne might get 1 more shot at Center. So you have Jones, Byron, and McGrattan playing RW on the bottom half of the roster. Probably 2 of the 4 guys mentioned above playing on the top half.
5/7 aren't really RWs, (Raymond, Glencross, Hudler, Coolborne, Byron)
Up to 5/7 could easily be gone within 2 years. (Glencross, Hudler, Jones, Byron, McGrattan). If we are so overwhelmed with prospect depth we need to make space for them.
I know draft order is not everything, but if Hayes had signed here he would have been the 2nd highest drafted RW prospect we had, and he's coming off an MVP nomination in a league where guys jump straight to the NHL every year.
For all of those reason if Hayes' only focus was the easiest route to the NHL he would have signed here.
The point of my post was that he obviously has faith in his ability to make it so he chose his destination based on other factors. Quality of team, Location, perhaps the feeling he got from management.
All of that said he would have probably been the #2 RW
prospect in our system, so its not like its a franchise breaking loss.
