The Rebiggle is in full flight. Actions speak louder than words. This season’s poor showing that landed them the 4th best lottery odds and a continued effort to turn veterans into futures has given Conroy’s era a clear rebuild aura. In the last Pacific Division Notebook, we noted the Flames needed to find their Dudes and a top 5 pick will certainly give them an opportunity to find one.
There’s a long road ahead for the Flames. The last lap in the Saddledome next season could be another tough one with the Flames working hard to restock their prospect pipeline. Conroy’s efforts from the past few years are starting to pay dividends though. We’re starting to see the tip of their young blood arrive in the NHL, with younsters like Zayne Parekh and Matvei Gridin playing well down the stretch.
It’s a sign that, while they won’t be contenders to open the new barn, they could very well ice a young, exciting roster that’s one the right track. If they continue their current path, they should expect to start the ascent toward contention soon. One more season chasing lottery odds might be their best bet. More than that, and it likely means their pipeline isn’t producing the NHL caliber talent that they need it to.
There are still plenty of veterans kicking around, despite the sell off efforts the past few seasons, too. That leaves with still more trade bait to dangle. Blake Coleman has one season left on his deal. So do Morgan Frost and Ryan Strome. There is opportunity for the Flames to continue to move older roster players as their contracts come due to continue to feed their pipeline and open roster spots and cap space for their incoming contention cohort.
There’s a long way to go yet, but the Flames Rebiggle has a lot of potential.
