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rickross

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Everything posted by rickross

  1. rickross
    Truth. I too was a bit harsh on Thuggie Dougie last year but adjusting to a new team and coach takes time. Now he's gotta learn an entirely new system again in year 2, I'm willing to cut him some slack. He's a multiple 40pts+ D man and he's a pup at 23. He out scores a lot of our forwards so he's an asset for sure. I can see why some are frustrated with him at times but any team in the league would love this kids services. He has a pretty unique skill set and as he matures he could become that #1 pairing D. It helps to have mentors like Gio and Brodie, we're lucky to have him. He's not my fav D man but he's a really solid asset to have at this stage in his development
  2. rickross
    Looking back keeping a guy like Anton Stralman in the system would have paid dividends today. It's too bad we're stuck with Wideman this season, he's good for the PP and has a nice shot from the point but I can't ignore his defensive lapses anymore. I personally think Kulak has been one of our most improved D players, he's been on the fringe for a couple years now but atleast he can keep pace with today's NHL. Other than providing grit and size the Grossman signing is still a head scratcher. It's always a risk when a new coach comes in and tries to turn his man crush on former players into reclamations projects.
  3. rickross
    It's one of the most unique structures in sports. Our arena is shaped like a saddle! Even Jerry Jones isn't THAT much of a cowboy! It's a major fixture of Calgary and i hope they don't plan to demolish it if they secure funds for Calgary Next. The city is missing out on a ton of key tours and events because the ol' Dome is too old to facilitate a lot of the new tech and stage props of todays world.
  4. rickross
    We need a new arena. Period. Watching Friday's game really made me realize how outdated the Saddledome is. It's served its time but that thing looks archaic when compared to Rogers Place. Now I just want a new arena so we can run an absolutely, unneccesarily long opening ceremony prior to a game against the Oilers
  5. rickross
    Do the Flames fire BT immediately if he's unable to come to terms with JH and his camp?
  6. rickross

    Goaltending

    rickross replied to s4xon's topic in Flames Talk

    Ortio just signed in Sweden. Wish him well, still get the feeling he has some untapped potential there. Man..we really don't have luck drafting goalies!
  7. rickross

    Goaltending

    rickross replied to s4xon's topic in Flames Talk

    It was interesting to hear how close the Flames were in acquiring Bishop from TBL, Elliot is by far the more cost efficient option but would we be better off in terms of pure goaltending had we traded for Bishop over Elliot? It's hard to stop if Bishop is that much further ahead of Elliot if he is at all.
  8. rickross
    They've definitely gotten younger...their D looks a bit thin but if Chychrun pans out they should be ok in a few years. They will need a better balance with vets in the lineup. I'm just impressed at how quickly they've restocked. They've gone about it without attracting too much attention but their right up with there with the Jets abd Sabres in terms of talent in their respective prospect pools
  9. rickross
    I just mentioned this in another thread...kind of ironic how I just mentioned the Coyotes and here they are adding more quality prospects. Don't know if I'd consider Crouse a "blue chip" prospect but he's a great asset to acquire. Pretty impressed with how quickly Arizona has turned around there prospect pool!
  10. rickross
    It's a bit of a subjective question..its why I used "blue chip" and asked how ppl would rate our group. It's hard to define a blue chip prospect, MAC331 brought up the example with Chychrun..some don't see him as blue chip, where as the Coyotes did.
  11. rickross
    Outside of the NHL, who are the Flames true "blue chip" prospects? Tkachuk seems obvious at this time but where would you categorize guys like Janko and Gillies, Kylington and Wotherspoon etc.. Most of the former blue chips have all graduated to the NHL level but our prospect pool while vastly improved in all areas doesn't really carry many if any elite prospects. I guess time will tell if they develop into top end talent but on paper we have some really good prospects, outside of potentially Tkachuk we don't seem to have any game breakers. How do you guys see it?
  12. rickross
    If Prybil and Rittich perform well this season it will really make the roster choices interesting. I'm not expecting much really from either but having the potential there never hurts. Prybil could be the dark horse this season if he proves productive, Frolik, Brower and a relatively productive Prybil isn't a bad mix at RW. Obviously time will tell but we are much better positioned at the RW spot than last year
  13. rickross

    Goaltending

    rickross replied to s4xon's topic in Flames Talk

    I just saw the Leafs signed Enroth to a $750k/1 yr contract. He was one of the goalies s lot of ppl thought we should have considered as a viable backup...even a potential starter. We have Chad Johnson now locked up for a similar price but you have to wonder if Enroth has some potential that's yet to be unearthed. Don't mind Johnson at all but Enroth is still intriguing
  14. rickross
    The Flames are a completely different organization today. They've adapted well to the new NHL and thankfully have started seeing the value in drafting and development talent from within. I'll give Feaster some credit for getting the ball rolling but Treliving for the most part has been really good for the rebuild. I was mentioning how far the front office has come now housing names like Treliving, Burke, Pascall and now Maloney as a scout. That has to be one of the most stacked front offices of any team.
  15. rickross
    Prybil will take some time but but it would be so satisfying for one of these touted European forwards to make an impact with the Flames. Nakladal did well going down thru the AHL first so let's see if Prybil's game can translate to the NHL.
  16. rickross
    Thanks for the correction! Shink(??)-Janko-Poirier Mangiapane-Pollock-Vey Klimchuk-Hamilton-Prybil Carroll-??-Smith/Hathaway Im probably forgetting someone but maybe they resign some of those pending RFA back. So far it appears to be a fairly balanced team
  17. rickross
    In Stockton we might see lines.. Tkachuk-Janko-Hamilton Mangiapane-Pollock-Poirier Kilmchuck-?-Smith ?-?-Carroll I might be missing some pieces but the top 6 could be pretty solid.
  18. rickross
    There's usually a dark horse that emerges out of the prospect pool. I'd like to see Falkovsky turn into a steal as well as Mattson.(.if not all the picks )but maybe some guys we maybe aren't really paying as much attention to. Regarding size it really hasn't worked out as well as the Flames had hoped..still have hope for Kanzig and Smith but it's like waiting on Chris Breen all those years back.
  19. rickross

    Goaltending

    rickross replied to s4xon's topic in Flames Talk

    I was thinking more in terms of them coming into their own as opposed to taking over or even vying for a starting role this year. I'm not expecting our goalie situation to magically resolve itself in one year but I'm hoping we can start to better define our prospects after this year. It'd be nice to know if Gillies is the real deal and can stay healthy, same thing for Macdonald, what do we really have in that kid ? One more year in Jr. for Parsons will be telling for his potential. I'm just thinking someone will stand out from the bunch this year. Elliot for sure buys us time but I still only consider him a short term fix.
  20. rickross

    Goaltending

    rickross replied to s4xon's topic in Flames Talk

    Almost forgot about Rittich..he's the real unknown in the goalie equation. Pretty much we are in the process of rolling dice on starting goalies. You'd have to think atleast one of them (outside Elliot) step up in a big way this year. If not then...yeah we are cursed at the goalie position
  21. rickross

    Goaltending

    rickross replied to s4xon's topic in Flames Talk

    If McDonald and Gillies are the goalies in Stockton next season and both put up good numbers it could turn the fortunes around for Stockton. It's healthier looking at our goalie depth and hopefully Schneider and Parsons can make cases for themselves. If Parsons can take the U.S. Team starting position we'd have a good staple of young U.S goalies in the ranks. As much as I like Brian Elliot I could see Johnson being the surprise pickup this offseason
  22. rickross
    I too was a bit surprised when they too Macdonald over Demko. It's interesting to see how 2 of our top goalie prospects are Americans. Hopefully Parsons makes the U.S. Team and really gives us a good showing on the international stage. I'm more confident in our goalie situation now, BT managed to shore things up quite neatly and tidily.
  23. rickross
    I agree, I think one of the biggest improvements the Flames have made is transitioning young players. Since the Sutter Regime its been a complete 180. I think the cupboards have been filled with quality prospects quicker than most anticipated and now we have this healthy logjam of prospects. If anything I really want the Flames to finally have a competitive AHL team. It'll make all the difference in creating that winning culture the Flames have been trying to cultivate. It will be interesting to see how this years draft turns out in hindsight it seems like we may have landed some more future pieces.
  24. rickross
    I think it will be very interesting to see how Gulutzan manages the youth on this team. With his new associate coaches signings he gets NHL and AHL experience so maybe we'll see a more fluid transitional system for the prospects. It really is a big gamble by Treliving. Under Hartley a lot of young players thrived..itnitially..JH and Monny are the obvious ones but Jooris, Ferland, Bennett and Bouma saw some success under Hartley. Hopefully this new coaching staff can further excel prospect development and aren't a hindrance to the rebuild.
  25. rickross
    I'm tempering expectations for all the new prospects, Tkachuk especiallly. Tuulola the same way, it was one scrimmage game nothing to get over excited over however its really rewarding to see the potential is there with such a late round pick. I'm still not comfortable with our goalie prospects, I'm still salty the Flames didn't take Demko over Macdonald, i'm really hoping MacDonald and Gillies can give us a full season of solid goaltending so we could get a real pulse on the Flames goalie situation. It would be a huge boon to finally be able to develop goalies within the Flames prospect system.
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