Hey the Flames are back to .500! Murray Edwards is definitely going to add vets at the trade deadline!
So the Flames are back in the playoff race, but in the weirdness of the Western Conference, also sit five points out the very bottom. So although some days the Flames seem competitive, they are a team that should be at the bottom of the barrel AND embrace that reality.
Because one thing is certain about the Flames, they are not getting any better. Sure, their defensive game has improved, a couple of rookies are in the lineup, but the vets, wow the vets, are utterly horrible. Kadri and Huberdeau, completely MIA. Huberdeau has 21 points. Morgan Frost has zero puck driving skills that warrant him being anything more than a 3rd line centre, but he can’t cause he also sucks at D. The flames, for decades, and I mean DECADES, have lacked skill up front and particularly down the middle.
So the name of the game remains TANK. Tank to fill up on some generational talent. Sure, it’s going to hurt this year, which is already a loss, and maybe the next 2-3 as well. But right now, the Flames cannot continue as a franchise going into a tax payer funded building and SUCKING for the next 20 years. Do the right thing Murray, commit to the full rebuild.
This doesn’t mean sell EVERYBODY. I don’t like that fan talk. You need players to bring up the next generation of talent. BUT, those players can be found every year in free agency. Which means the assets you have this year, namely Kadri and Coleman, you try to get rid of for excellent returns.
Do it Flames brass, commit to the REBUILD. Commit to the tank.