The New York Rangers were actively in a rebuild in 2019. No one over a point-per-game, the fifth-highest scorer had only 37 points, and the team was looking to collect young talent. That all changed in July 2019 when they landed Artemi Panarin in free agency. Landing a superstar kicked everything into overdrive. The Rangers truly believed that with a couple of more pieces, they could be contenders. The rebuild was subsequently rushed, and now today, the Rangers are at an all-time low, literally. They are 27th in the league and last in the Eastern Conference, and a tale of what not to do, especially for the Calgary Flames.
The Calgary Flames are currently in what Don Maloney has called a “rebiggle”. Not a full teardown, but a hybrid retool. Since taking over as General Manager, Craig Conroy has consistently gotten draft picks, as evidenced by yesterday’s Rasmus Andersson trade to the Vegas Golden Knights. Not only did they garner so many draft picks, but they also have hit on so many of them. Zayne Parekh, Matvei Gridin, Andrew Basha, Jacob Battaglia, Cole Reschny, Cullen Potter, and potentially Ethan Wyttenbach as well. With the course that they are on, there is quite a lot they can learn from the Rangers’ failures.
Success cannot be rushed
Not just when it comes to building a hockey team, but in everything, success cannot be rushed. For example, last season we saw Calgary way overperform and believe that they are a playoff team. That just isn’t the case. They’ve come back to earth this season, sitting near the bottom of the standings. It goes to show that, while they saw some success last year, they can’t rush the process that they are currently going through. Look within the division, and you see the San Jose Sharks, who are now reaping the rewards of the rebuild.
The point of all this is to say, we can’t go expecting the team to start pushing for the playoffs. It is all on the Flames to stay the course, because we have seen what happens when you expedite that process. You lose 10–2 to the Boston Bruins, 8–4 to the Ottawa Senators, and have your fans booing you off the ice. There’s a reason why all the Stanley Cup Champions are led by homegrown talent. Take Cale Makar and Nathan MacKinnon or Alexander Barkov and Aaron Ekblad, for example.
The foundation has been built
In saying all of that, Craig Conroy and company are on the right path. The past two drafts have been home runs and added talent to a previously depleted prospect pool. Similar to the Rangers in 2019, when they brought on Adam Fox, Pavel Buchnevich, and more. The difference will arise in the offseason. The Flames almost certainly won’t be targeting any of the top available free agents in July and instead focus on the draft.
The focus should be on developing prospects into bona fide NHL players and adding young talent around them. A path similar to the Montreal Canadiens, who are now sitting third in the Atlantic Division while having one of the youngest teams in the league. As I’ve stated multiple times, Calgary can’t do what the Rangers did. The Rangers not only rushed their rebuild, but they also messed up the development of Kappo Kakko and Alexis Lafreniere. That’s something that absolutely cannot happen with Zayne Parekh or any other prospect. With what has been set up already, that would be a cataclysmic failure.
When will they be ready to compete?
If the team follows their yellow brick road, we shouldn’t expect them to be competing once again until after Scotia Place opens up. That being said, it all relies on an “if”. Ownership has made it clear that they are not interested in waiting that long. Which sounds exactly like a team that is currently struggling out east. It’s alwaysrough for a few years, that’s how it goes, it’s also the best way to ensure success, the Rangers tried to cut corners, and they are paying the price.
