Team: 2023-24 Calgary Flames

Initial Creation Date: Sep. 6, 2023

Published: Sep. 7, 2023

Salary Cap Mode: Basic

To win these days, teams need top end centres. CGY are always mediocre so they can never draft high enough to draft a centre. What they gotta do is take shots at multiple young centres and accumulate picks to draft ones they actually like.

Traditionally, the Flames have always had good defenceman but never game breaking offensive talent. So the clear answer is tank.

This year's roster is still good enough not to land them in the top 5. But if I were the GM, I'd trade Lindholm and Hanifin first to help tank.

CGY doesn't have a high end D prospect in the pipeline right now. By the time Ceulemans is ready, should be by the time the Flames are ready to contend. CBJ won't need him or Sillinger. Adding Lindholm to that roster would ease the load on Fantili and Johnson. CBJ's got the wingers already.

I see them in a 3 year rebuild. 2023-2024 - goal should be to finish bottom 10, 2024-2025 & 2025 - 2026 - goal should be to finish bottom 3 to be able to draft the offensive talent they need.

By then, Drury, Sillinger, Pelletier, Coronato, Zary, plus the 2 high end picks they make should be their core offensive group. By then you still have Huberdeau, Kadri, Sharangovich, and Coleman.

The defence - Andersson and Weegar are still gonna be good, Ceulemans will probably be ready for a top 6 spot. And you supplant that with some good vets like Kulak.

I could see Mangiapane getting traded next year as the Flames should be tanking next year

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