Redslinger

There's a part of me that thinks that the Flames may regret it down the road if they don't re-sign Ortio. I think he could turn out to be a very capable goalie. But over the last few years I haven't liked some red flags that have appeared in regards to his attitude. Sometimes he comes off as a little entitled. He also seemed to sulk when he was sent down to the AHL. I guess it would be best to move on from Ortio but I also think that with a new opportunity and a new environment he may do very well.

You mean like Dallas at the trade deadline?

I don't think Nylander would be eligible to play in the AHL next year, would he?

Sorokin seems to be talented but he's very young and has never played in a North American style game. He would need at least a couple of seasons in the AHL to see how he rates. So, I think it's a stretch to say it'd be the equivalent of a Murray or Vasilevsky, both of which are proven commodities, more or less. He has the potential to be a future starter but is unlikely to be in a position to succeed in the NHL for a while, so he certainly isn't a solution for the Flames for next season.

Saskatchewan does well in the CFL because it's the only "major" sport they have and tickets are reasonably priced. Plus there are 9 home games per year which makes it relatively easy to travel from Saskatoon to Regina, which together have about 400,000 people or roughly 1/3 that of both Calgary and Edmonton each. The entire population of Saskatchewan is probably a little less than that of Calgary and Calgary is one of the leagues smaller markets. If there were 41 regular season games, priced significantly higher than a Riders ticket with essentially no corporate money a team in Saskatchewan would be doomed to failure. Winnipeg is the leagues smallest market and it has a population over 600,000 and a relatively decent corporate base and they are struggling despite selling out every game. Riders fans can be "rabid" because that's all they have going for them. It's a little sad actually.

Mais pourquoi?

At this point I'd rather have Murray than Vasilevsky, if given the choice. Murray seemed more poised and calm. Quite often when Vasilevsky got scored on he'd look flustered. It didn't really seem to affect his play that much though. I wouldn't complain if the Flames got Vasilevsky in the offseason, but he wouldn't be my first choice.

My largely unresearched list of possible goalies as possible Flames starter that may be available if the expansion draft goes ahead, by team: UFA's- Cam Ward James Reimer Ana- Gibson or Anderson (RFA) Dallas- Lehtonen or Niemi Detroit- Howard or Mrazek (RFA) Islanders- Halak or Griesse Rangers- Lundqvist or Raanta Ottawa- Anderson or Hammond Philly- Mason or Neuvirth Pittsburgh- Fleury or Murray St.Louis- Elliott or Allan Tampa- Vasilevsky or Bishop Vancouver- Miller or Markstrom Winnipeg- Hutchinson or Pavelich I'm not 100% sure which of these guys have NMC though. In my opinion, Anaheim, Detroit, Pittsburgh, St.Louis and Tampa should all be Flames trade targets. But what would it take to get the guys likely to be available? My guess is: Anderson- 2nd round pick plus either a roster player or prospect Howard- 2nd or 3rd round pick Fleury (I believe has a NMC)- 2nd round pick with maybe a little more added Elliott- probably same as Anderson Vasilevsky- Close to Anderson So, is it worth it for one of these guys or is it better to just try to sign Reimer, Ward, Ramo or another UFA? If so, Reimer will likely be looking at $5 millionish. Ward and Ramo would obviously be less.

Burke was asked his opinion and gave it. Doesn't mean that's how the team will be run on the ice.

It's not just the pedigree of the defensemen in Edmonton that's a problem. It's also that many of their forwards have either never been taught how to properly support the D or the behavior hasn't been enforced properly. Even if they move a guy like RNH (who happens to be one of their better defensive forwards) for a defenseman or two the team culture is still suffering. There are guys like Hall and Eberle (in particular) who get a tonne of ice time that are either clueless or careless in their own zone. But I digress... At the moment, Elliott appears to be a real possibility for the Flames. I don't know what Hitchcock was thinking but there's a chance he may have damaged that relationship permanently. He would be a HUGE upgrade in net. Also, I don't see anything wrong with having Ortio as a backup either especially if you have a real #1 ahead of him.

That's a reasonable argument (besides the tanking part). However, the team did make the playoffs with the exact same goalies the previous year. How was Treliving to know that Hiller would mail it in, Ramo would get injured and all of them would start slowly? In addition, there were a few reports that Treliving was trying to acquire a goalie but the prices were too steep. Because of the likely expansion draft and some other factors, this is the season that Treliving should be able to get a decent goalie without overpaying.

Rather than coming to a conclusion by reading between the lines I'd suggest that most of the answers can be found in the lines themselves.

Didn't the Panthers miss the playoffs for 10 straight seasons? During that time they did the Oilers thing and stockpiled young talent. So when Tallon was hired before the 2010 season he had some decent pieces to work with. Then Luongo essentially demanded a trade back to the Panthers which immediately elevated the team from perennial loser to knocking on the door. Even so, this was his 5th full season with the team. In that time his teams have made the playoffs twice and missed three times. He's had some good drafts and made some decent signings but I'm not comfortable calling it a fast turnaround. But...this does go to show the importance of goaltending, at least in the regular season. A top goalie can steal games and make a team look a lot better than it actually is. However, in the playoffs most goalies tend to perform fairly well so it's a wash in terms of competitive advantage. If there's any conclusion to draw from this I'd say it's the following: Get a competant, reliable goalie and backup but don't spend too much on them.

Does Murray even need to be protected? My understanding is 1st and 2nd year players are exempt. If so, the Pens can protect Fleury and keep both goalies.

Based on the current trajectory and age of the teamI think that the next goalie the Flames get will be the "caretaker" goalie until the real #1 emerges and is expected to carry this team in the playoffs. It could be that the "caretaker" goalie ends up running away with the job (ala Kiprusoff) but that would be a pleasant surprise. The core players are still developing and likely to hit their peak in the next 2-5 seasons. If the Flames want to make a run at the Cup you want a goalie at his peak in that timeframe. That may be Gillies or possibly even Macdonald. It may be a guy like Fleury, Murray, Anderson, Bishop, Gibson, Reimer, etc. But most of those guys, especially the older ones, will likely not be at their peak in 5 years, although Murray, Gibson and Bishop very well may be. So, if the Flames get a goalie to tend the fort for the next few years before getting "the guy" to make a run with, they likely shouldn't be paying that caretaker top dollar. If they're spending more than $5 million on a goalie for the next few seasons I think it may be a mistake.