We don't really need another 1st at the expense of guys who are almost NHL ready like Dube and Fox. Flames need good young players now, not guys who might turn into NHL players 2-3 years from now. The window is opening right away.

Fox is going back to Harvard for another year . . . and has not necessarily committed to playing for CGY in the future.
If we can flip him for a mid to late 1st then the timelines for getting that player into the lineup are not that delayed.

Then how about Bjugstad for Bennett and Dube?
I agree CGY window is opening quickly - so getting an established 1st line RW in exchange for Bennett and a guy who hasn't yet cracked the lineup makes sense.
If CGY waited for possible breakouts by Bennett and Dube - that may take a couple years!

I'm all for giving Brodie a chance to rebound after last year - having him clicking gives the Flames a better opportunity to win than handing minutes over to a rookie . However if the price is right, and coaches were confident enough in young D-men, I would take the picks.

Although Bjugstad is a RW, I wouldn't say he's an elite one and so the trade of both Bennett and Dube is a big loss for the Flames, because I believe Bennett is still improving and Dube will be an effective middle 6er probably this season. Are we really gaining anything over having Ferland as 1RW, outside of a RHS? Throwing in Fox and a 4th for a 2018 1st rounder (15 OA) also seems like a big gamble, unless there was some insider info leading you to believe we could not sign Fox.

As for Brodie, although we MIGHT make out fine with the picks in 2-3 years, he should be used in a hockey trade to get that top-level RW we need now.

I agree with the premise of a #1 RW, but Bjugstad has only cracked 20 goals once in his career, and his 19 last year was largely a product of playing with 2/3 of Barkov, Huberdeau, and Trochek. I don't see him as a guy worth giving up those kind of assets for. Fox fora 1st I'd be ok with because it seems less likely that he will sign here with his going back for his senior year, but Flames management probably knows more about where his head is at than I do, and if he does want to come here, he could be a great addition.

The Brodie deal isn't bad, but I would rather package Brodie, Bennett and Fox (or something similar) to go after a legit top line RW like a Mark Stone or Mike Hoffman.