I'd have more faith in the Flames approach to development if a) it had demonstrated some modicum of success and b) if they weren't doing the exact same thing that's led to failure each and every time.
If one takes a look back at the Flames draft record all the way to 1990, it's a complete wasteland when it comes to elite talent. And the fact that they continue with the exact same tactics which have yet to show any semblance of success, i.e. the only way you play is if you play like a 30 year old vet who doesn't make any sort of mistakes, otherwise prepare to waste away on the bottom six or press box for a few years before being declared a bust, is bizarre.
Baertschi isn't going to learn anything by sitting in the press and watching the likes of Galiardi, Jackman, Jones, Colborne, and Glencross give away the puck or miss their defensive zone assignments only to be rewarded with more ice time. Nor is Backlund ever going to develop into anything more than a bottom six defensive specialist (and that's somehow a bad thing according to a select few dimwits) if he never gets the chance to play in the offensive zone. Honestly, the level of cognitive dissonance in this case is just mind boggling - when people can with a straight face say that Backlund is on the 4th line because he isn't producing offensively, but at the same acknowledge that it's terribly hard to produce on the 4th line when your linemates are usually Jackman and McGrattan, and yet still believe it's up to Backlund to somehow, magically, produce, even though they know he's not going to, you know something is wrong with their thought process, assuming they even have one.
Anyway, given the Flames record when icing sub par rosters in the hopes of making a prospect that they should feel bad for being naturally talented and making the rest of the grinders feel ashamed about themselves, maybe Hartley really does support the tank. Break apart for Reinhart as the Oilers fan say.
