Flames Timeline To Compete is Still a Couple of Years Away
Eric Francis of Sportsnet joined Steve Kouleas and Anthony Stewart on Sirius XM NHL Network Radio to discuss the Calgary Flames and their timeline to compete. The goal, as Francis says, was to become competitive when the new building opens.
NHLRumors.com Transcriptions
Steve Kouleas: “So when you look at those guys and then assets, what are we looking at to get back to where they were when they surprised last year, where they lost the tiebreaker and got to 96 points. It was a fun ride, and maybe delayed what we’re seeing now by a year. But you enjoyed the fun ride. So what, what is kind of, what you think is the time frame for the plan moving forward, Eric?”
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Eric Francis: “Well, the timeframe for when they’re competitive compared to what the plan is could be different, right? It often is from organizations. Look, I think there were a lot of people in this city were really hoping and counting on, and what I think management was hoping for as well, was that when they opened this new building, two seasons from now, the team is competing for not just a playoff spot, but maybe have a chance at winning a round for a change.
I think that plan, has been railroaded this year, and the fact that they’re now going to have to liquidate their best center, the best player in (Nazem) Kadri and Blake Coleman and these guys, tells me that I still think they’re three, four years away from being a competitive team. Meaning that I guess anyone could still squeak into the playoffs one year, but to really have a chance to do some damage, I still think that’s two, three years down the road, at least.”
NHLRumors.com Note: The Calgary Flames are going through a rebuild, even though management calls it a retool. They want to get younger, but not too young. That is why Nazem Kadri, Coleman, Zach Whitecloud, MacKenzie Weegar, and others are available. But with a new building coming, the Flames want to be in the playoffs by then. But they have a long way to go. The best thing for Calgary would be to get a top pick in the NHL Draft and bring life to the organization, as Matthew Schaefer has done for the New York Islanders.
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