Bounces R Way
Registered User
We've gotten far OT so I'll just wrap it up here.I agree there's depth. I just don't see a 1C, 2C, 3C, 1LW, 1RW or 1D. Those are kind of important spots. Maybe Zary or Coronato evolve into those wings, but likely not. We have a guy who projects as a good, maybe great starting goalie. We have depth. Just no game breakers. Yes, I was not a fan of the Honzek pick. Normally he would be a fine pick at that spot, I just saw lots of difference makers still on the board there. Also felt we had plenty of wings.
The only teams that have those kind of positions locked in in their prospect pool are teams that have been rebuilding and drafting high for years. We have Kadri and Backlund at 2C and 3C both signed for a while. I dunno if Zary or Coronato are going to be bonafide top line producers but I like their chances to be top 6 quality. Zary already is IMO. 1C and 1D are hard things to find but I think if the Flames pick three or more times in this upcoming 1st round there's probably a decent chance they walk away with one. The defenseman in particular look good.
Rebuild properly means you add at least one or two top 5 picks. It means you look out past a this year and next horizon. Conroy has taken some steps. I like his trade with Lindholm. I just think any of us could trade the UFAs. The real skill is identifying which vet pieces insulate and support a young roster. It's certainly not all the pieces we have now. Markstrom could go, Kadri could go (if we can move him, maybe though, Monahan brought a 1st).
Well there's looking past this year and then there's looking to compete 5 years down the road. I doubt the late 1sts or whatever Kadri and Markstrom could garner would provide more value to the team next year or the year after than those two would.
If they were going to commit to a full on rebuild the time to do it was when Gaudreau signed with Columbus. They chose not to, I'm not sure if that's the choice I would have made but I at least understand why they made it. Now with the roster they have I would rather go the re-tool root and hope they can knock these next 2 drafts out of the park. There's not one blueprint to contending to the NHL, but the one thing I'm certain of is it's not simply just drafting top 3. Otherwise Buffalo, Ottawa, Arizona, and Columbus would be playoff contenders. You have to make savvy signings and trades and build a culture that has high standards. I don't think you do that by sending a message it's ok to lose.