Something like ECC isn't replaceable if it's torn down. If you added 20,000 residents with a finished LRT line we wouldn't be having this conversation.
Mall capacity at the big 3 is nearly full now. Brewery doesn't have retail capacity. The only places left are the few Langham CRUs, a single Westrich CRU, and ECC. Anything east of ECC doesn't have enough housing to support retail (among other things).
I know some of you may think I'm delusional, but as someone that grew up recently in West Edmonton (Grovenor/Glenora), there is a psychological barrier that makes WEM feel closer than Downtown. The train line will change that. The Oilers dragging in younger people for the last 4 years has also done so much good for DTs reputation.
Getting rid of ECC would be a bigger mistake than the destruction of Tegler.