How would you build this team?

[ah123]

Since this is a quiet time, might be fun to do this…

You are the new GM of the Flames starting immediately. I am curious how people would build the team

Scenario 1: Ownership mandate is to build a team which will maximize revenue every year for the next five years. Winning the cup would be nice, but isn’t the primary goal


Scenario 2: Ownership mandate is to build a team which will be a consistent contender. Revenues are secondary for the next couple of years while team gets to contender status

[Jiri Hrdina]

Seems like a loaded question no? I mean from a fan POV we are all going to pick scenario #2. Why would anyone pick #1?

[ah123]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Seems like a loaded question no? I mean from a fan POV we are all going to pick scenario #2. Why would anyone pick #1?

A lot of people propose to fire the GM and rebuild. I am assuming that is now how most teams work. If you were the GM and that was the mandate, what would you differently than Treliving or any other GM

[Goriders]

Colorado was the worst team in the league not too long ago. They didn’t “blow it up” and won the cup this season through filling in around their top line.

The Flames have a lot of good players. Great top line. Good goaltending and a good young group of defenceman.

This offseason is a big one though. It’ll probably decide the team’s fate for a while. A wrong step or two and they could be in a lot of trouble.

But if I’m the gm my prority is dumping monahan and lucic’s contracts somehow. Lucic is a great leader but those two contracts are dead money and will hold the team back from taking the next step.

[Jason14h]

Winning the cup maximizes revenue so I would win the cup for the next 5 years

[NegativeSpace]

Not sure the scenario matters as a long term contender would make more money anyways through long playoff runs and sponsors and merchandise. The path forward however is dictated by whether your two best forwards are willing to sign long term extensions, isn’t it? If you lose those two then we have serious questions at the top of the roster about offence.

[Scroopy Noopers]

Option 3, ownership lets whoever they hire do their own ####ing job and don’t mandate ####.

[dammage79]

I was going to make a thread yesterday titled "You be the GM: Flames 2022 offseason" but as I was getting into it I discovered I couldn't even come up with a plan that didn't include a massive wall of text exploring at minimum, 6 different scenarios all stemming from Gaudreaus outcome.

In other words. I have no idea how I would build this team for 2023 and onward. For now. Maybe if I wasn't living out of a car and off a cell phone and had space and time to actually do the work, I'd have done it.

Two weeks to see how the Flames timline unfolds. Said it before, this is easily the toughest offseason for the Flames in decades. Everything connects so wildly differently for each task on the list depending on the outcomes of one moment.

Because you have to sell the Flames to Johnny for 8 years. You have to have a vision to sell for all the different contract terms you're selling him.

Degree of difficulty landing and sticking this off season on a scale of 1 to 5? 11.

[Vinny01]

Right now the key is securing the long term futures of the2 best Flames drafted players in decades in Gaudreau and Tkachuk. Hopefully they make that plan work because if they don’t I am having a hard time seeing how they proceed with the win now mandate

[Mathgod]

Originally Posted by Goriders

Colorado was the worst team in the league not too long ago. They didn’t “blow it up” and won the cup this season through filling in around their top line.

They got the best defenseman since Orr as a reward for that bad season. Do they still win the cup this year without him? Doubtful.

[saillias]

Very carefully

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Mathgod

They got the best defenseman since Orr as a reward for that bad season. Do they still win the cup this year without him? Doubtful.

that multiple other teams passed on...there is a massive amount of luck involved

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by Goriders

Colorado was the worst team in the league not too long ago. They didn’t “blow it up” and won the cup this season through filling in around their top line.

The Flames have a lot of good players. Great top line. Good goaltending and a good young group of defenceman.

This offseason is a big one though. It’ll probably decide the team’s fate for a while. A wrong step or two and they could be in a lot of trouble.

But if I’m the gm my prority is dumping monahan and lucic’s contracts somehow. Lucic is a great leader but those two contracts are dead money and will hold the team back from taking the next step.

Colorado arguably traded two of their best players in a 29 month period for a boatload of young players. They also got one of the best players in the league at 4th overall the year they finished dead last. They made a pretty significant rebuild that basically blew up the Duchene, O’Reilly team (which was more or less a bubble team). Not saying the Flames should blow it up, but if Johnny walks I would be looking at the possibility of doing it for sure.

[ForeverFlameFan]

It all starts with: Re-signing Gaudreau

If Gaudreau is gone:

- Package Tkachuk and Monahan to grab either Chychrun/3rd OA + another significant asset from AZ, 2nd OA+Zacha+ something else from NJ, or 7th OA/Sanderson ++ from Ottawa. Maybe Smith as a middle pairing LD from NJ to go along with the theme of a top pick in this draft and/or LD player/prospect to round out the top 4 in Calgary, and another solid piece to help the retool.

- Use the excess cap space to grab some UFA’s like Forsberg, Kadri, Malkin, Giroux, etc. Short term deals for some vets that have experience in the playoffs. Sutter could have a say in some of this. If we suck a lot without Gaudreau and Tkachuk out of the lineup (which is likely), sell high on Lindholm/Markstrom/other vets and begin a rebuild. The fans imo would embrace it.

If we re-sign Gaudreau:

- attempt to re-sign Tkachuk too. He needs to be kept too for 6-8 years on a 9-10m deal and continue to give Calgary a top 5 first line in the league. Gaudreau, Lindholm, and Tkachuk must be kept together at all costs if we are able to retain our star wingers.

- Trade Monahan: this has to happen regardless. Love the guy, especially during his early years with us. But, we need his cap space to remain competitive. We need that cap space to sign Gaudreau and Tkachuk to their new deals. And that’s not even accounting for Mangiapane and Kylington who need raises. If not Monahan then Lucic needs to be dealt. We can’t afford to have both on the team anymore. I remember the Pens wanting some physicality so if Lucic+for Zucker ever worked I’d be all for it. We can get Ruzicka and others to play a mean game.

[Buzzard]

Originally Posted by dino7c

that multiple other teams passed on...there is a massive amount of luck involved

They picked a highly touted prospect that THREE teams passed on. Don't mean to be a dick, but how is this luck? I mean I guess every draft pick relies on a certain amount of luck, but it's not like Makar was picked at 116 in the fourth round or anything. Sakic, and probably every GM knew he was going to be good.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Buzzard

They picked a highly touted prospect that THREE teams passed on. Don't mean to be a dick, but how is this luck? I mean I guess every draft pick relies on a certain amount of luck, but it's not like Makar was picked at 116 in the fourth round or anything. Sakic, and probably every GM knew he was going to be good.

Good, yes. Very good - probably.

But no one saw this coming, you simply can't. If he was projected to be this good, he would have gone 1OA with the same kind of hype as McDavid and Matthews got.

[Macho0978]

Originally Posted by ForeverFlameFan

It all starts with: Re-signing Gaudreau

If Gaudreau is gone:

- Package Tkachuk and Monahan to grab either Chychrun/3rd OA + another significant asset from AZ, 2nd OA+Zacha+ something else from NJ, or 7th OA/Sanderson ++ from Ottawa. Maybe Smith as a middle pairing LD from NJ to go along with the theme of a top pick in this draft and/or LD player/prospect to round out the top 4 in Calgary, and another solid piece to help the retool.

- Use the excess cap space to grab some UFA’s like Forsberg, Kadri, Malkin, Giroux, etc. Short term deals for some vets that have experience in the playoffs. Sutter could have a say in some of this. If we suck a lot without Gaudreau and Tkachuk out of the lineup (which is likely), sell high on Lindholm/Markstrom/other vets and begin a rebuild. The fans imo would embrace it.

If we re-sign Gaudreau:

- attempt to re-sign Tkachuk too. He needs to be kept too for 6-8 years on a 9-10m deal and continue to give Calgary a top 5 first line in the league. Gaudreau, Lindholm, and Tkachuk must be kept together at all costs if we are able to retain our star wingers.

- Trade Monahan: this has to happen regardless. Love the guy, especially during his early years with us. But, we need his cap space to remain competitive. We need that cap space to sign Gaudreau and Tkachuk to their new deals. And that’s not even accounting for Mangiapane and Kylington who need raises. If not Monahan then Lucic needs to be dealt. We can’t afford to have both on the team anymore. I remember the Pens wanting some physicality so if Lucic+for Zucker ever worked I’d be all for it. We can get Ruzicka and others to play a mean game.

Hopefully Gaudreau sign for 8 years $9.5 mil if we want to keep Tkachuk between $9 and $10 mil for 6 to 8 years. Anyone who says Gaudreau gets $10.5 mil or more but thinks Tkachuk is going to take less on a deal that is all prime years is way off.

I’d love to hear Tkachuks agent response to this idea when his client put up 105 points and was plus 50 himself and is 24

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Macho0978

Hopefully Gaudreau sign for 8 years $9.5 mil if we want to keep Tkachuk between $9 and $10 mil for 6 to 8 years. Anyone who says Gaudreau gets $10.5 mil or more but thinks Tkachuk is going to take less on a deal that is all prime years is way off.

I’d love to hear Tkachuks agent response to this idea when his client put up 105 points and was plus 50 himself and is 24

Depends on how honest Matt and his agent are with themselves. How many points do they think they get absent Gaudreau? On say, St. Louis?

[Macho0978]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Depends on how honest Matt and his agent are with themselves. How many points do they think they get absent Gaudreau? On say, St. Louis?

I agree that Gaudreau is better but Johnny also got 115 playing with Lindholm and Tkachuk. How many points does he get if Sutter splits that line up all year?

My point was more that some suggest Johnny isn't worth $11 mil per year on a 8 year deal. IMO he's not worth $11 mil on a 3 year deal and if Johnny gets $11 mil it will impact Tkachuk's contract. 29 year old Tkachuk will be better than 34 year old Johnny IMO so if you want Tkachuk at $9 - $10 mil you can't give Johnny $11 mil and good chance Tkachuk isn't signing for 6 to 8 years at $9 - $10 mil when he is 24. 5 years max so he can get an 8 year deal when he is 29/30.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Macho0978

I agree that Gaudreau is better but Johnny also got 115 playing with Lindholm and Tkachuk. How many points does he get if Sutter splits that line up all year?

My point was more that some suggest Johnny isn't worth $11 mil per year on a 8 year deal. IMO he's not worth $11 mil on a 3 year deal and if Johnny gets $11 mil it will impact Tkachuk's contract. 29 year old Tkachuk will be better than 34 year old Johnny IMO so if you want Tkachuk at $9 - $10 mil you can't give Johnny $11 mil and good chance Tkachuk isn't signing for 6 to 8 years at $9 - $10 mil when he is 24. 5 years max so he can get an 8 year deal when he is 29/30.

I agree that Tkachuk wants to be paid. But I think Gaudreau gets his points with generally any top line quality line mates whereas I think Chucky is normally a PPG guy on most teams top line (I used St Louis because that’s always the rumour).