[CGYPUKSUX]

Originally Posted by RedWings19405

He was not a maybe prospect in my opinion, but how exactly did Iginla wind up on the Flames again? Some things being thrown out aren't maybe prospects they are guys with merit. Not all of them and I agree I have seen some bad proposals both ways from what the Flames want value wise to what other teams want to short change them with. But almost star caliber players are traded throughout history in the NHL for prospects and draft picks.

Joe Nieuwendyk was acquired by Dallas through trade, for a now player in Cory Millen, and a future player in Jarome Iginla. I don't see much more than that being asked for right now. It's not like Flames fans are asking for a proven first line center. They are asking for guys who have potential to possibly fill that role. The responses are extreme so Flames fans are responding with similar extreme, yet opposite, positions.

Take the Wings. The discussions have been on Filpulla and an assortment of prospects. "Flip" is a second line player, and not a proven first line talent, yet Wings fans are trying to sell him as such. That's your ussue, not Flames fans. Then when prospects are discussed anyone worth a damn is off limits and you're only willing to deal marginal long shot prospects rather than guys that have some serious ability, but years away from hitting that ceiling, if they ever hit it at all. Even those guys aren't worth alayer your team desperately needs. But the problem is with Flames fans and their expectations of what would be needed to move a defenseman that is a top pair player on almost any team in the league.

Serious question for Flames fans, is it ownership that is stopping the rebuild from taking place? Surely at some point in the last five years one of the two GM's has said maybe we should go that route and been shot down by ownership at least that is my opinion.

The rebuild IS taking place. Older players are being moved out in favor of younger guys. Just because the team wants to remain competitive and not be a laughing stock like the Edmonton Oilers does not mean they are not rebuilding. A scorched earth philosophy is not required to rebuild the team. If you want to see where the team is headed all it takes is five minutes work with Cap Geek and a review of the moves Feaster has made. What Sutter did as GM is irrelevant. Just focus on what Feaster has done and you'll start to see where he is taking the team. It requires some critical thinking skills and some vision, which is why it is lost on the majority, but he is setting the team up for a transition that most would call a rebuild. Just because he has not moved the face of the franchise does not mean he has not begun the rebuild.

Originally Posted by 8BostonRocker24

Whenever Calgary's awful drafting record is brought up Flame fans point to Backlund and say: "We have a stud right there" or "Backlund is a future #1 center", so yes he's a bust if 1st line center was the measuring stick. To be honest, Backlund falls right in line with Calgary's drafting record.

Calgary's drafting record is not awful. It has been terrible at finding top end talent, but that was the philosophy of Darryl Sutter. He wanted to bring in players that had a desire to play in the west and had character. The problem there was that Calgary was drafting late and never got a crack at top end guys, and Sutter refused to take chances in the draft. That has changed dramatically since Goulet and Wiesbrod took over the draft. They are drafting more skill and taking more calculated risks in their selections. That showed when four of their recent draft picks were in the top 20 scorers in the WHL this past season, and not one of them was an overager.

Backlund is doing fine. This past season was extremely disappointing, but that was because he broke his hand in the first week or two of the season and was then two months behind everyone and trying ti catch up without a new hand. Ask any skill player what it is like to come back from a hand injury and they will tell you it is brutal as your touch is different and things just don't feel right. It takes time for that to come back. I think this season will be the one where Backlund either establishes himself or becomes a third line defensive guy. It is all going to be about his hands and how that injury has healed.

Ah yes, that magical word on HFBoards, "Potential". We're 5 years removed from his draft, at this point we need to stop using that word. Backlund is what he is.

Yet that's the same crap tossed around about trading prospects. This guy can't be moved because of his "potential." This other guy can't be moved because he's slowly coming on and not yet achieved his great "potential." Why is it that some guys, older than Backlund, get to use their potential as an excuse, but another guy, like Backlund, doesn't get that option? I guess it all depends what team you cheer for and how many fans are willing to repeat the same narrative to support that cause, becuase it isn't based on anything related to hockey or rational thought.