The Calgary Flames are set to enter the darkest year of their rebuild yet, as the roster they have right now looks like it could compete for one of the bottom five teams in the league. From a standings perspective, it will likely be an incredibly tough year, but it is all part of the process. The end goal is to succeed and compete with the best teams in the league, however, for the team to get there, some pain will have to be felt initially. But how long should this pain be there? How soon do you want the Flames to exit their rebuild? We asked, you answered.
Want to take part in Sunday Census polls? We send them out every week on our Twitter at @wincolumnCGY. Follow along or send in ideas for the next poll!
The desired timeline on the Flames rebuild
We presented the below poll to our readers.
Now, start competing in 2024–25
Not many people chose this option. If the rebuild only lasted this short of a time, it likely wouldn’t even be called a rebuild. It seems impossible to try and find key pieces to build your team around and instantly become a contender in one year. The only team that I can think of that found a way to do this was the Vegas Golden Knights. However, that was a very different circumstance and situation as they were gifted some very talented players in the expansion draft.
This is also a good signal that the fanbase is more than willing to go through a rebuild as what could come on the other side is worth the wait and suffering.
One more year of pain, compete in 2025–26
Though this takes more time than the last option, it probably still isn’t enough. People agree with this too as a small number of votes went towards this option. If this upcoming season goes as expected, the Flames may end up with a top-five pick in the upcoming draft. Now with this, they would likely have another elite prospect to pair with Zayne Parekh, however, there is no other prospect in the Flames system that has that level of star power. The organization would likely want some more elite level talent in their cupboard before they decide to shift gears.
Two years of tanking, compete in 2026–27
Around a quarter of the votes went towards this option. In a perfect world, it would only take two years, however, I find this a little bit too ambitious. Not only do the Flames need to stock up their cupboard with prospects, but there also needs to be enough time for these prospects to develop. And if the team is making high picks for the next two years, they will likely need a year or two to develop before they may even qualify as full-time NHL players. Now this isn’t saying that the team may not improve from now to then—in fact, they should if things go to plan—but expecting them to be back in the playoffs that soon may be a very tough task.
New arena, 2027–28
This might be the most reasonable option for the team, and it looks like most readers agree with this. Why not turn the page with the new generation of the Calgary Flames with a brand-new arena? By this time, the Flames should have a good quantity of top talent in their prospect pool, and some of their prospects have hopefully already become full-time NHL players. It is around this time when the team should be able to see what their core would consist of, and how they should start building around it. This also assumes that all their picks go according to plan.
Time will tell when the Flames are done rebuilding
The real answer to the question of when the Flames should exit their rebuild is “however long it takes.” This truly feels like the first time the Flames have committed to rebuilding the team. When going this route, it is essential that it is done properly and not rushed. If the team rushes this, we may see many more years of the same old mediocre approach. Not good enough to compete for a Stanley Cup, but good enough to squeak into the playoffs every year or two.
Fans don’t want that, they want a team that can compete with the best of the best. Although the process to get there may involve a lot of losses initially, if the team does this right, the franchise should reach the top level in the future.
You must be logged in to post a comment.