“I’m not allowed to ever use the word rebuild” - Calgary Flames

[Mr Positive]

Why are there so many teams who refuse to rebuild? Like I get it being a playoff team is more profitable but when you suck year after year and take a miracle to make the playoffs while your team is filled with prime aged or declining talent.. Just rebuild.

Imo no team chooses to rebuild. It's thrust onto them and they roll with it as it happens. In the situations where it looks like it's more deliberate it's a poorer team where the owner tells the GM to cut salaries

 

[Matty Sundin]

Owners are hesitant to do rebuilds, especially a greedy oilsands chairman like Edwards. The hardcore knowledge fan like say most of this board would understand a rebuild. They would understand trading away star picks for future.

A casual fan which outnumber what I said above, doesn’t understand that fully. They get upset if they trade a star player for just picks and “nobodies”. They think they just suck and the gm is doing a bad job and they stop watching, bandwagon to another team cup cotending team, stop paying and stop attending games.

Even for myself its also hard to get into a season knowing your team is probably not gonna accomplish much.

Also rebuilds can take much longer if in the wrong hands and can last for a decade sometimes.

 

[Nogatco Rd]

Damn

I just don't get this. Even when the Leafs were horrendous I still enjoyed watching them. I mean bad hockey is still better than Love Is Blind.

could also just do something other than watch tv

 

[SeanMoneyHands]

Billionaire owners wanting to pad their pockets in the short term with more money. They only care about themselves. Groundbreaking news.

 

[nbwingsfan]

This is true. But teams like Calgary should have off years or 1-2 year rebuilds. When Tkachuk wanted to leave, they should have used him to get younger. Not older with an anchor contract.

Oh absolutely, but can be hard to convince owners to lose money for a few years.

Most teams are usually just forced until a rebuild because they’re so bad with so many boat anchor contracts and little to no prospects/young players (see: Detroit 2017-2021)

 

[1specter]

Reminds me of the Leafs circa 2006. Good luck guys.

 

[Field of Dreams]

No to to mention so much of it relies on luck.

The Wings look a hell of a lot better today if they ever won a lottery or even simply didn’t drop

The Leaf’s look much worse with Laine instead of Matthews.

NJ shouldn’t have Hischier or Hughes

NYR should be a powerhouse is Kakko & Laf didn’t bust.

So much luck based results due to the lottery

Sure you have to get lucky, but the goal should be to set yourself up to have the best odds of being lucky. Over time with the law of averages you should be much better, even if you don't get generational talent. That's a rebuild.

 

[SeanMoneyHands]

7 more years of Huberdeau at 10.5M per.
6 more years of Kadri at 7.0M per.

Things are only going to get uglier in Alberta.

 

[Fatass]

Sure you have to get lucky, but the goal should be to set yourself up to have the best odds of being lucky. Over time with the law of averages you should be much better, even if you don't get generational talent. That's a rebuild.

Yup. Planning, patience, and luck. A rebuild will have (likely) 3-5 years of high picks. But some of those high picks might be misses. So those misses need to be covered by hits in later rounds. Seems that the successful rebuilds have some players that are either core, or really good support pieces, that come from picks outside round one. And still there needs to be smart trades to fill in holes in the lineup.
Is there a Cup winner in the cap era (other than Vegas) that built most of their core via trade?

 

[HugginThePost]

Damn

I just don't get this. Even when the Leafs were horrendous I still enjoyed watching them. I mean bad hockey is still better than Love Is Blind.

Here‘s the thing, I was a seasons ticket holder from 2000 to 2013, then moved to Houston. Kept up with them while I was here. Went to the Dallas games. Did all the regular things.

I find myself 25 years into being a fan of the Flames. In that time I’ve gotten one Cinderella run in 2004. The rest has been an utter shit show of mediocrity. A few years of “potential’, only to be crushed in the playoffs.

The 2022-23 season was the beginning of the end. A pretty talented team, a decent goalkeepe. They has a shot. But no, they spat the dummy and managed to scapegoat Sutter for their pathetic season. We’ve now seen it has nothing to do with the coach, it rarely does.

The Flames will always be stuck in mediocrity, it’s their destiny. At least Oiler fans get to watch McDrai. Flames fans get Hubby and Kadri?!?!

Hell, maybe it’s worse for them?

I’m 52 now, I have a wife I genuinely enjoy spending time with. So, I’m not watching Love is Blind, I’m enjoying my time with her. I get a lot more out of that versus watching the Flames lay an egg every night.

Ill catch the Heritage Game on Sunday, but that will probably be it for the year.

 

[Play]

Kill me now.

No. You got so much left ahead of you, a little bump in hockey is just a little bump

 

[NVious]

7 more years of Huberdeau at 10.5M per.
6 more years of Kadri at 7.0M per.

Things are only going to get uglier in Alberta.

They'll probably eventually get rid of them for 50% retained and not much back.

 

[PeE eL DuBoiS]

I'm not a huge fan of Shanahan, but I'm thankful he reportedly meddles with his GM's influence over the TML. Because Treliving having free reign over Toronto is somewhat terrifying given Calgary's current lineup and contract situation.

 

[deleted user]

I'm not a huge fan of Shanahan, but I'm thankful he reportedly meddles with his GM's influence over the TML. Because Treliving having free reign over Toronto is somewhat terrifying given Calgary's current lineup and contract situation.

That may be your saving grace.

 

[nbwingsfan]

Sure you have to get lucky, but the goal should be to set yourself up to have the best odds of being lucky. Over time with the law of averages you should be much better, even if you don't get generational talent. That's a rebuild.

Or you end up middling and no where for a long, long time, loosing a TON of money.

There’s no real right or wrong way. Buffalo is on their like 3rd attempt at a rebuild.

It took getting a top 5 talent of all time to get them relevant again, and if then they’ve still kind of failed

Took Detroit like 7 years because they kept loosing the lottery.

Boston has retooled without tanking.

NYR retooled without tanking (to go with brutal draft picks)

For sure just continuing to sign/trade for old guys way past their prime just to barely make the playoffs is the worst possible decision though. No debate there

 

[gach]

Calgary is in a very very peculiar market also. They can't rebuild since they not only tied up huge sums of money to underperforming players, but they have that arena deal coming. They genuinely have to stay "competitive" so they don't leave.

But they're not competitive

 

[Michoulicious]

Why are there so many teams who refuse to rebuild? Like I get it being a playoff team is more profitable but when you suck year after year and take a miracle to make the playoffs while your team is filled with prime aged or declining talent.. Just rebuild.

It's too late to rebuild. They signed Kadri, Weegar and Huberdeau to humongous deals and are actively trying to do the same with Hanifin and Lindholm.

They won't be able to start a real rebuild anyways for the next 5 years, then they can try to look forward a 5 years rebuild.

I think they are even in a worst spot than the Penguins (who are openly all in), which is saying something.

 

[Mike Jones]

The hardcore knowledge fan like say most of this board would understand a rebuild.

This is certainly true of the Calgary fan base. Calgary fans, for the most part, understand the ups and downs of NHL teams. Some young players are already in the Flames' organization to make the rebuild possible and successful.

It's too bad ownership and management don't feel they can trust the fans to stay with the team through a 2-3 year rebuild.

 

[Channelcat]

Keep your 1st rounders and you are always rebuilding. It is possible to rebuild and remain competitive.

 

[Mike Jones]

It's too late to rebuild. They signed Kadri, Weegar and Huberdeau to humongous deals and are actively trying to do the same with Hanifin and Lindholm.

They won't be able to start a real rebuild anyways for the next 5 years, then they can try to look forward a 5 years rebuild.

I think they are even in a worst spot than the Penguins (who are openly all in), which is saying something.

The Flames can easily start the rebuild this season. There are currently seven players on the NHL roster with expiring contracts. Trade all seven prior to and at the deadline and the rebuild is off to a quick start. Kadri, Weeger, and Hubs aren't going anywhere so they can sit in the locker room and watch everything spin around them.

 

[viper0220]

The Calgary Flames might not want to use the word rebuild for the next 2 years because of the pick that was sent to Montreal.

If we had a owner that was not so greedy, we would not be in this mess. Now we can't rebuild for 2 years because that means Montreal gets a high pick.

At least that's the way I understand.

Brad Trevling really f***ed this team.

 

[WaitingForThatCab]

That's why we all work random jo-blo jobs and have nothing to do with running a multi million, or billion, dollar sports franchise. Because we don't have a damn clue despite a lot of folks thinking they do.

I think 90% of the people who post here, even the deranged lunatics, could absolutely manage the personnel of a hockey team better than the guys who ran the Panthers for 15+ years.

 

[Field of Dreams]

Or you end up middling and no where for a long, long time, loosing a TON of money.

There’s no real right or wrong way. Buffalo is on their like 3rd attempt at a rebuild.

It took getting a top 5 talent of all time to get them relevant again, and if then they’ve still kind of failed

Took Detroit like 7 years because they kept loosing the lottery.

Boston has retooled without tanking.

NYR retooled without tanking (to go with brutal draft picks)

For sure just continuing to sign/trade for old guys way past their prime just to barely make the playoffs is the worst possible decision though. No debate there

First of all, Boston is an outlier, i wouldnt bet my franchise on replicating their black magic.

For every example of failed rebuilds there's examples of successful rebuilds. One theme I see often in failed rebuilds is they attempt to prematurely end the rebuild, and ironically just extend it by being impatient.

 

[Brookbank]

First of all, Boston is an outlier, i wouldnt bet my franchise on replicating their black magic.

For every example of failed rebuilds there's examples of successful rebuilds. One theme I see often in failed rebuilds is they attempt to prematurely end the rebuild, and ironically just extend it by being impatient.

Indeed there's some black magic going on there. They made these guys cup champs.

 

[Brookbank]

Because most rebuilds fail and are costly and teams hope they can get lucky and find diamonds in the rough.

I mean if Boston can find Pasta, McAvoy, Swayman and Poitras without tanking, why can’t I?

Its almost all about getting lucky. But burning the team to the ground when you know there is a generational talent going #1 over all, is more than luck. It is basic strategy. I hate the Hawks with a passion. But the current management group used some common sense and now they have Bedard.