Tear it down? Can this fanbase get behind a rebuild?

[schteve_d]

I'm not sure if this warrants a new thread or not as I know it's been talked about in a lot of different threads but I would like to know where the hardcore fanbase sits on the idea of this team going into a full rebuild. A poll would be great.

I don't know if I'm just getting older but this franchise is just less and less interesting to me every year. I'm a die-hard fan and won't go cheering for another team so as my interest in the Flames wanes, so does my interest in hockey altogether, and sports for that matter as I don't watch much for other sports.

The last couple of years, the state of the planet, etc. have been difficult but even taking that out of it this franchise has had their moments here and there but have mostly been pretty pedestrian and boring for an awful long time. I don't feel at all connected to this team like I did say ten years ago; again, maybe it's the natural progression of things but I feel like I could if there was something to connect with.

My thinking is that I could get behind a full "tear it down and rebuild". There's literally two or three players that I'd like to stick around and the rest could stay or go and I wouldn't care either way. I feel like chugging along in mediocrity is a lot less interesting than trying to get behind a bunch of young players really trying to make it. I would have fun following a bunch of picks, some that come out of nowhere and "make it" while others that I have high hopes for fizzle out and disappoint me. Leaders could come out of nowhere and so many things could happen.

I need something different from this team, I think. Sure I'd love to get behind a couple of bold moves with a win now mentality if it was even remotely feasible but I just don't see it. I want to get behind something I just don't see any other way this team will truly interest me in the foreseeable future.

Am I fickle? I don't think so.

[Vinny01]

I can get behind a rebuild but my wallet can’t. If they tear it down I am canceling my season tickets.

[dissentowner]

I think this roster is a lot better than what they showed under Ward. Until I see a full season with Sutter behind the bench I am not in favour of a rebuild at all.

[schteve_d]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

I can get behind a rebuild but my wallet can’t. If they tear it down I am canceling my season tickets.

Fair enough. I've never been a season ticket holder nor have I ever even lived in Calgary but I have to say that I'm surprised that anyone is doling out money to be a season ticket holder for such a long stretch of mediocrity. I'm lucky if I get to three games a year in Calgary and a handful of others elsewhere, usually a few in enemy territory!

Even trades and trade talk don't interest me any more. It's like we'll trade out one guy for one other guy, or two guys for one guy or one guy for three guys but at the end of the day it's the same thing with two different names. I really do sound jaded but I think I've chugged along in this for long enough. I need this team to excite me again, or at least interest me again, or I just may not be interested for much longer.

[Roof-Daddy]

This team has no elite center, and doesn't likely have one in the pipeline.
This team has no elite #1 dman, and likely doesn't have one in the pipeline.

They don't really have an elite #1 goalie either, and likely don't have one in the pipeline.

They will need to build a really deep and well balanced line up in order to have a legit cup contender, but that will be hard to do when they waste so much cap on Treliving's misses all the time, and with core wingers being due for big raises coming up.

Yes, they should tear it down but they wont.

Our only hope to get an elite C is to trade for Eichel and hope his neck holds up.
D will have to be built by committee, unless something falls out of the sky.
Need Markstrom to hold up as a strong #1 into his mid 30's.

Really seems like a long shot to me.

They should really be able to kick start a rebuild off properly by dealing Tkachuk, Monahan and Gaudreau though, before it's too late. Lindholm would also bring a haul, and then it'd be several years of pain again.

But it's be pretty pain all the time anyways.

[Reggie Dunlop]

The best way to avoid a rebuild is to never build in the first place.

[schteve_d]

Originally Posted by Reggie Dunlop

The best way to avoid a rebuild is to never build in the first place.

Clever.

[burn_this_city]

The fanbase isn't the issue, can ownership stomach bottoming out over a 3-5 year period with potentially no playoffs for a decade? As soon as they trend upward the mentality shifts to, lets make the playoffs and hope for a run.

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by schteve_d

Fair enough. I've never been a season ticket holder nor have I ever even lived in Calgary but I have to say that I'm surprised that anyone is doling out money to be a season ticket holder for such a long stretch of mediocrity. I'm lucky if I get to three games a year in Calgary and a handful of others elsewhere, usually a few in enemy territory!

Even trades and trade talk don't interest me any more. It's like we'll trade out one guy for one other guy, or two guys for one guy or one guy for three guys but at the end of the day it's the same thing with two different names. I really do sound jaded but I think I've chugged along in this for long enough. I need this team to excite me again, or at least interest me again, or I just may not be interested for much longer.

Surprised people are filling out money? I get they sucked in the playoffs but it was unreal to watch them in the 50 win season scoring 5+ goals many times.

I have had tickets for 4 years and they made playoffs in 3 so I think it is fairly over dramatic that you say you are surprised anyone would be a STH.

I am super excited for the roster retooling this summer I think it will be significant

[DeluxeMoustache]

I am up for whatever. I expect I’ll watch it as I seem to have formed a habit.

I moved from third row of the 3rd level to 1st row behind the goalie once as a challenge to making maximum seating upgrade just added to the on ice entertainment, and although the Brent / Gulutzan years made me discontinue my season tickets, I still have seen pretty much every game since

[howard_the_duck]

Rebuild. I’d sooner pay money to watch a young team with future upside (I.e Ottawa) vs the Flames situation, which has very little upside and is poised for more mediocrity.

[Savvy27]

I'm too interested to see if the team can build on the foundation put in place by Sutter to wonder about a rebuild. I was really struck by how he was able to transform their game over a couple of months to resemble the underlying stats of his successful Kings teams. These Flames somehow turned into one of the best defensive and puck possession teams in the league under Sutter in a few months. Really remarkable.

Coaching is a really underappreciated aspect of team success on this board, which is bizarre because as Flames fans we have seen plenty of mediocre coaching. This time around Sutter will be able to give input on the makeup of the roster and have a full training camp.

It's fair for fans to be down on the roster due to a lack of success, but I really hope that when the season opens up in the fall that there is some optimism and excitement for a group that finally has an elite level coach.

[Locke]

Downfall is inevitable. At least we dont have far to go.

I understand that I'm a third-tier fan. The Flames get a lot of my attention but not a lot of my money.

This group is going absolutely nowhere. Tear it down. Burn it to the ground.

[bubbsy]

Rebuild for me.

The flames didn't really build much of a young core during the bottoming out phase of the previous rebuild. It's very hard to build out the top parts of the roster (top6 forwards, particularly centers, top pairing d, starting goaltending) all from free agency and trades. Some of these key roles have to be built from within, and often times require exceptionally high draft currency to attain.

Bringing in sutter, delays the inevitable rebuild that is required, of course.

[ForeverFlameFan]

Rebuild when Sutter is gone. Yes, you’ll probably miss out on Wright and Bedard, but there’s a very slim chance we would suck enough to get either one, especially with the lottery changes.

Try and get Eichel, try to re-sign Gaudreau, make moves to make this team better while we still have Sutter. We dug ourselves our own grave by sucking in the previous season, but we’ve always been pretty meh against just Canadian teams. I think we will have a much better season next season, it’s just a matter of getting players that know what it takes to get past round one.

I want a rebuild too, but based on bringing in Sutter ownership disagrees. Try and compete to get past round 1 (and hopefully a long playoff run) for the next 2 seasons.

[undercoverbrother]

I can’t handle another version of the Young Guns.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by ForeverFlameFan

Rebuild when Sutter is gone. Yes, you’ll probably miss out on Wright and Bedard, but there’s a very slim chance we would suck enough to get either one, especially with the lottery changes.

Try and get Eichel, try to re-sign Gaudreau, make moves to make this team better while we still have Sutter. We dug ourselves our own grave by sucking in the previous season, but we’ve always been pretty meh against just Canadian teams. I think we will have a much better season next season, it’s just a matter of getting players that know what it takes to get past round one.

I want a rebuild too, but based on bringing in Sutter ownership disagrees. Try and compete to get past round 1 (and hopefully a long playoff run) for the next 2 seasons.

We have to actually make the playoffs first!

This was the single easiest year ever to make the playoffs. And we did not.

Either this team needs a heart transplant or they just suck.

The Oilers made the playoffs. Thats how stupidly easy it was. The Oilers made it. They only have 2 good players.

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by burn_this_city

The fanbase isn't the issue, can ownership stomach bottoming out over a 3-5 year period with potentially no playoffs for a decade? As soon as they trend upward the mentality shifts to, lets make the playoffs and hope for a run.

This is not true. Unless we see a big bounce back in Oil or another form of industry to really stimulate our economy the Dome will be littered with empty seats.

I couldn’t sell my tickets in the whites for even my cost the last couple years despite the flames being a very good or competitive team. End of the day the owners need people to spend cash so while I think people will still support and follow the team I am not sure the Flames are going to get a ton of post Covid cash where people want to travel and do other things than watch a young team tank for over $100 for a ticket

[ForeverFlameFan]

Originally Posted by Locke

We have to actually make the playoffs first!

This was the single easiest year ever to make the playoffs. And we did not.

Either this team needs a heart transplant or they just suck.

The Oilers made the playoffs. Thats how stupidly easy it was. The Oilers made it. They only have 2 good players.

And then got easily dismantled. They’re a good regular season team.

We haven’t made the playoffs with Sutter at helm now. I’d like to see how we can do with a coach that knows what it takes to make the proper playoff adjustments.

Coaching goes a long way, look at Trotz with NYI. On paper, how much better are the Isles compared to us? Not very much.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by undercoverbrother

I can’t handle another version of the Young Guns.

What, a proper rebuild under a salary cap is not even remotely comparable to the old NHL where Calgary was a feeder team for the major markets.