The weird thing about Flames history is that in the Fletcher and Treliving regimes they made some incredible value picks -- with the former, MacInnis, Nieuwendyk, Fleury, Hull, Suter, Roberts, Makarov is an amazing haul outside the top 10 and mostly outside the first round -- but depending on how much blame you put on the organization for Bennett Tkachuk is the only top 10 pick who isn't somewhere on the on the disappointment-to-disaster spectrum.
Yes, that's definitely the other part of it. Too many bad but not bad enough teams.
I would love to see someone do a deep dive into the late 90s/early aughts, which were a crucial missed opportunity two ways. Brian Sutter wasn't a bad coach per se but he was a terrible fit in that 1)he got enough out of a poor roster to keep from finishing in the bottom 5 while 2)being impatient with talented young players like Nylander. The organization then kind of got a reprieve when the former 11th overall pick they got for Nieuwendyk turned into a genuine franchise player, only they made two dreadful coaching hires which among other things resulted in the best playmaking C to come into the organization since Gilmour to be traded for a $5 Popeye's gift card. They came close to a championship by hiring Darryl once but that era could have easily been a lot more successful with some better choices the previous decade.
The weird thing about Flames history is that in the Fletcher and Treliving regimes they made some incredible value picks -- with the former, MacInnis, Nieuwendyk, Fleury, Hull, Suter, Roberts, Makarov is an amazing haul outside the top 10 and mostly outside the first round -- but depending on how much blame you put on the organization for Bennett Tkachuk is the only top 10 pick who isn't somewhere on the on the disappointment-to-disaster spectrum.
One of the major issues for CGY is just a general lack of top-10 picks throughout the org's history. Off the top of my head:
Tkachuk, Monahan, Bennett, Tkaczuk, Fata, Phaneuf, Krahn, Nystrom, Stillman.
I think that's it? Only Bennett inside the top-4. Some big misses there for sure, but it just so few at-bats.
Yes, that's definitely the other part of it. Too many bad but not bad enough teams.
I would love to see someone do a deep dive into the late 90s/early aughts, which were a crucial missed opportunity two ways. Brian Sutter wasn't a bad coach per se but he was a terrible fit in that 1)he got enough out of a poor roster to keep from finishing in the bottom 5 while 2)being impatient with talented young players like Nylander. The organization then kind of got a reprieve when the former 11th overall pick they got for Nieuwendyk turned into a genuine franchise player, only they made two dreadful coaching hires which among other things resulted in the best playmaking C to come into the organization since Gilmour to be traded for a $5 Popeye's gift card. They came close to a championship by hiring Darryl once but that era could have easily been a lot more successful with some better choices the previous decade.