cross16

Agreed, and will double up that losing Muzzin really hurt to. I think they win game 6 if he is healthy the whole game. Marner and Mathews going to have long off seasons. Tough to win a series when your best players don't produce.

I have zero concerns about the Flames in the draft and have full faith they'll have a great draft. Their amateur group is top notch IMO and has been for years.

I cannot think of any draft in recent memory where it went according to consensus. Someone always falls and this year I'm betting it's more than 1 or 2 guys. Someone on those lists is going to fall out of the top 10. More just a question of who is it and is it a player the Flames like or not. I think this is the type of draft where you be patient and if it doesn't go your way then trade down and get more assets. I'd be fine with moving down multiple times as I find there are plenty of intriguing options ranked in the back half of the first round so getting those plus more lottery tickets late in the draft could really pay off.

Looks like some in Florida are finding out that liking Bennett is a bit of a roller coaster

Tanev is probably the peak for Larsson though IMO. I didn't like the Tanev deal, mostly due to term and injuries, but at least he had some metrics that pointed to him being really good in the right situation. The nice thing that stuck out about Tanev was he had really good defensive metrics but still promising stats moving the puck. Larsson does a good job at preventing goals but he's really below avg everywhere else and the type of dman the league is quickly trending away from. Be interesting to see where his deal falls but I wouldn't pursue him if I were a GM. But of course I fully support the Oilers giving him whatever he wants.

Brodin is significantly better than Larsson though. Easily worth that difference IMO.

There were rumors swirling before the playoffs the Oilers and Larsson were close on 3-4 year extension just under 4 mill per. See if that's true or not.

Not for me. They take Chaz Lucius and i'm equally as happy

It's hard to gauge the COVID impact but I have a hard time seeing him signing for less than 6. Don't see why he would take a pay cut given he's the best center on the market. He was their 2nd line center that year between Lucic and Eberle as Oilers were playing McDavid with Draisaitl pretty exclusively that year.

This is not a bad prize at all if no one falls. I'd be very happy with Sillinger.

Problem I see, if you are RNH is where are your going to go that's a better situation for you? Edm does not deploy him as a 3rd line center he's in in their top 6 and plays in all situations so I don't see him getting more ice time in another spot. I understand the argument of he could be the number one center on maybe Ari/CBJ but is going to those teams better than giving up the chance to keep playing with McDavid/Drasaitl? The only way I thikn that is true is if they give him a long term deal that basically takes him through the rest of his career. If he needs to keep playing for another contract I don't think there is a better place for him than Edm. I think RNH is a good, but not great, 2nd line center on most teams and he would be smart to use UFA to extract as much as he can from the Oilers but ultimately I think the Oilers would probably be smart to not give into him. Other teams may throw more money and longer deals at him but I think Oilers would be smart not to budge because I think they could go to UFA and replace RNH with players like Danault or Wennberg. They are not as good as RNH but they would allow for more money to be spent on other needs and I don't think the downgrade is talent is that steep. If they can get a top 6 center and winger in UFA for the same cap hit RNH is likely going to need that is the smarter way to go. Having said that I am 100% behind the Oilers paying RNH whatever he wants.

NHL CSB has their final lists out. Further proof of how open this draft is. List is pretty all over the place compared to other resources https://media.nhl.com/public/news/14983

Story of the Calgary Flames for quite some time as it relates to development. I'm with others, I don't' see it as that much of a loss. I'm actually in the camp that Gio played relatively well this year and didn't lose the step that some thought but I also thikn the level of game he put out there last year would be easily replaced by Valimaki. Hanifin- Anderson Valimaki - Tanev Mackey - Stone/Savard/Schenn/Bogosian I have no problem with that D core.

The rules depend on where you are playing when you are drafted. For players in Canadian major junior the team gets their rights for 2 years. So 2 years to sign them and if they don't sign them they go back into the draft. If they were go to unselected in that draft they become UFA or if they get selected again it's another 2 years and then they would be a UFA. College players, or anyone pursing the college option, you maintain their rights until they are done school or 4 years. European players is 4 years as well except for anyone playing in Russia as there is no transfer agreement so those rights you hold into perpetuity.

It is really not. 13 mill this offseason with no tough re signs (Dube and Valimaki as RFAs but both not getting long term deals) and really only Derek Ryan as a UFA. Gio is up next offseason so 6.75 off the books and Lucic is done in 2 years. I don't think the cap is your hindrance in acquiring a number one center, it's actually finding a team willing to deal you that player. The Flames can make it work with the cap for sure.

Until the Oilers can become a good 5 on 5 team, or the NHL changes their playoff officiating, they are going to continue to struggle in the playoffs. They rely too much on the PP because their depth is just so bad and when whistles go away in the playoffs they are in tough. Having said that I do think the Oilers probably deserved a better fate in this series but that's how the playoffs go sometimes. They have cap space opening up but a big question of what they do with RNH and still ALOT of holes they need to file. They basically do not have a middle 6 and with no high end forwards prospects coming i'm not sure how they plan to move the needle. It's not a great FA crop this year. I'm legit interested on how McDavid handles this and does he ask for a trade because I don't see a path to a contender in the next 2-3 years (that isn't even fool proof) and i'm sure he sees the same thing. He's got to be tired of this.

Because you can say it for every team not just the Flames. But yes its not at all what i'm saying because Markstrom was fantastic to start the season and the Flames didn't take advantage of it and there were games down the stretch where he was excellent and the Flames couldn't score. I only comment on the save % because it sticks out. The Flames were excellent defensively under Sutter and unfortunately Markstrom wasn't as good as you would have thought, but plenty of logical reasons for it too IMO.

There is no "loophole", the rule is the same for both major junior and college free agents that once you play your 4 years you are a UFA. the only difference is major junior players would have to get more creative because you are done major junior at 20 and you can keep going in College. But the rules is the exact same for both.

Connor Mackey was one of the best college free agent FA last year and choose Calgary too. Flames made Panarin's list as a finalist as well when he was coming over. Whether or not the signing is successful or well liked has more to do with pro scouting and your own personal opinion. The point was if Calgary was toxic or had a bad culture I don't think you'd be seeing those types of signings.

For me if the flames moved Gaudreau they’d be the coyotes right now, not the coyotes minus Kessel. how much they underachieved is fair debate. I think it’s quite a bit personally and had Markstrom been healthy or they have Sutter for the whole year i think it’s easily an 8-10 pt standings swing so i think there is more runway down to the bottom.

I think the Coyotes are a good example. Pretty good D core, avg to below avg offence but a good d core, goaltending and a defensive structure keep them from bottoming out. That would be my fear with moving Gaudreau for picks, unless your willing to go deeper of course. I just think if you want to rebuild and do it right it's gotta be deep. Your moving out Gaudreau, Backs, Gio, Tanev and Markstrom. Anything shy of that and i'm just not sure I see a bottom 5 team unless they had a big run of injuries.

I don't think I agree with this. For full disclosure I am in favor of a rebuild so I think if they want to do this it has to go deeper than Gaudreau. This isn't going to land well for most people, but the reality is the Flames actually played some really good hockey under Sutter. At 5 on 5 since March 10th: 5th best in the league in CF% 4th best in FewickF% 8th best in ShotsF% 11th best in goalsF% 3rd best in XGf% (they trailed only Toronto and Colorado) 5th best in Scoring chances F% 3rd best in High danger chancesF% 6th worst in Save % What sticks out there is the Save% because under Darryl the Flames became on the best defending teams in the entire league at 5 on 5. All of these numbers above are due to improvement in the defensive side of the game, they were avg offensively. Not to pin this all on Markstrom (I think his injury is really what derailed his season) but Flames get avg or slightly better goaltending under the first month or 2 with Sutter they are in the playoffs right now. Argument could be made that if the team is already avg offensively so take our their best offensive player and what do you have? It's a fair one but i guess I would counter by saying what is the read on Markstrom? on Tkachuk? I bet both players bounce back next season so then the argument becomes is the loss of Gaudreau offset by that? Even if they don't is the loss of Gaudreau worth 10 points in the standings when they were already a below avg offence? I don't think it is personally. Not advocating the Flames are a good team or that a rebuild isn't necessary or anything like that. Based on observations of the team game under Sutter I just don't think a rebuild is as easy moving Gaudreau, you'll need to go deeper but I am in favor of having that conversation.

Toxic is harsh. Flames have signed plenty of UFAs and had plenty of people want to stay in addition have attracted some pretty high profile amateur and pro free agents. I don't like how they handled this but I also highly doubt this was a situation where the players said i want to sit and Flames forced them, that would be toxic. i agree though, where is the next man up philosophy? Tanev is hurt then cool it's a great opportunity to see why Kylington or Valimaki can do. Monahan hurt, cool then shut him down and move Bennett there or Dube back to the middle. How many times do organizations find players due to injuries and requiring others to step up? If you shut down Monahan early in the season maybe the Bennett thing is salvageable. A lot of that is coaching too, not just management.

I'm happy for Lomberg. I always liked his heart and his attitude so happy to see him score a big goal. Very cool story for a guy who has earned it. He's playing the same role in Washington he played in Calgary. Washington thought he was worth 4 years and Calgary didn't and I also suspect Flames would have had to pay him more $. Perfectly rationale IMO to not want to give a player like that a 4 year term. Good on Hathaway for looking like he proved them wrong but I have no problem with the process in letting him walk.

Once again, organization looks pretty bad in all of this. Tanev played through how many meaningless games? And players like Kylington and Valimaki sat in favor of this? I understand players have a role in this and very likely push to play but I think at some point the organization needs to step in too. End of season injuries are understanding but playing through it the way they did doesn't sit well with me.