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2nd Star of the Week honors for Rittich

There are potential some veteran coaches that might come available in the offseason. Jon Cooper Peter Laviolette Rick Tochett (doubtful but apparently his contract ends this year) Paul Maurice Torts Boudreau Flames would be wise to wait. Maybe Ward is a find but don’t rush it.

JTech brought this up in another thread, but imo Conroy is on the bench strictly so management can figure out what is going on and out some pressure on the players. I think the organization has had enough of the blame the coach idea. there were some things going on I didn’t like, but If the players were tuning him out I would agree the finger needs to point to the players. That’s ridiculous after a 50 win season.

A bit of a write up on Ward. He's got a cool background and has had head coaching success at multiple levels and won a championship in the German Hockey League. Many may remember he was a finalist when the Flames hired Gulutzan. Buzz seems to be that players like him. I saw some good changes right away in he Buffalo game so I'm hoping more come. Peters was turning this team into a low event, grind it out style that doesn't really fit them. Need to get some off the rush looks happening, more pressure in transition and get the D back involved. That and hopefully he brings some fresh ideas to the line combos and maybe he wont' have some of the same bias that Peters had. Every coach is a little different. I'd be surprised if he's a long term option though. I suspect it will remain an interim situation. https://calgarysun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/calgary-flames/geoff-ward-the-obvious-choice-for-flames-head-coach

While there is no deal it does sounds like there are letters of understanding so there could be a legal element to this. Will be interested to see/hear more from. but I mean in the era of cuts I think it's perfectly reasonable to question cutting such a large cheque for a mostly private endeavor. I don't like the rationale of simply putting it towards the Green Line because I think that project has been very mismanaged, but the idea behind what they are doing is fair.

https://www.google.ca/amp/s/calgarysun.com/sports/hockey/nhl/calgary-flames/rittich-has-been-fantastic-find-for-flames/amp

could also find the several other posts where I say how I was wrong about Lindholm. But even if I didn’t like the trade (and I still don’t love it) “bag of pucks” was never accurate and a bad phrase to use. It just shoes a big biases And confirms why I don’t feel it necessary to keep reading.

“Hamilton and Fox for a bag of pucks” no need to keep reading after that.

I'm not upset but I am surprised given the break. But they do need to give Talbot starts

I agree and to expand this is what i'm getting at with parity. Typically contending teams are more veteran based so they know that there isn't a value in sweating a so/so performance in October. That and i think parity has also made the talent level less of a difference from team to team and it's more the team that gets hot at the right time and not so much the best teams on paper that become contenders. I think there is more of a focus on peaking at the right time.

Totally agree. I wonder if it's parity linked. It seems to me a lot of contenders have stopped caring about October and are willing to let it take time to find their game and coaches are adapting. Maybe it's the softer coaching style, or the idea that it's better to peak at the right time. Not sure exactly but i don't even bother looking at standings or doing any analysis in October, it's basically a throw away month. Neal with a horrible turnover the other night that lead to the Arizona winning goal. he is the same Neal that Flames got last year too the only difference in the puck went in for him on the PP this year where it didn't last year. The trade is starting to play out just like many thought.

I don’t have a problem with that ruling. Punching unsuspecting players in the face should net you a few games. that being said the league should also be calling these spears on goalies so this shouldn’t have to be a thing.

props to you on that one. You’ve been a supporter since day 1 and helped change my mind on him. he’s such a great fit for this team. He’s got me convinced the Flames have found something.

There games are not really that similar. I don’t consider tkachuk aggressive, he’s more the agitator (after the whistle, behind the play, get under the skin) type of player. Bennett’s the aggressive, throw big hits, put people on the ice type. not saying Bennett doesn’t need to continue to Work at things as he does. I think he’s made strides with the stick penalties, which are the problem, but you are going to get marginal calls when you play the way he does. He could also start drawing more which would change the conversation.

Imo for the most part Bennett has cut out the bad penalties. There was the one late in the game earlier in the season but the rest have imo been attributed to aggressive play (which you want from him) or some incredibly soft calls. case in point, last night. If you want a player to live on the edge you have to accept your going to get calls like that.

Simple math sure. Even though Schneider is not their youngest goalie..... Just find it funny that Schendier is their best goalie prospect due to 12 games at the AHL level and we are going to ignore a much bigger sample size in the WHL/ECHL. But 5 games is enough to decide Zagidulin is not good and no better. A lot of goal post moving, but that's no surprise.

Parsons is hurt. Gillies was hurt and returned only recently. also interesting you posted this now and not when Zagidulin was 2-0 with a 94% save %

Talbot was so good I would give him next game. No loss of confidence in Rittich whatsoever I just 1- don't like treating him like a 60plus game starter, and 2- I think that's how good Talbot was last night.

Ya results in such a small sample size don’t really mean much to me. Ignores things like luck for example so I stand by the statement. I’m more about process then results. if the Oilers can get avg it better goaltending it is possible they can look better than stats suggest because McDavid and Draisaitl are that good and raise others around him so we’ll see if they can buck the trend.

Honestly I don’t even understand why the discussion is so centered on junior or not. If you think that would make a difference fine but the reality is no one is right because we don’t know. Maybe it would have maybe it didn’t matter but there are no facts that prove it or disprove it unless you’ve created an alternative universe we are unaware of. It’s all a matter of opinion. for me it’s not the crux of the issue because it doesn’t really matter what type of development you’ve had prior to getting to the NHL you still need to develop at the NHL level I think it’s pretty clear the flames went quite wrong with Bennett at the nhl level so imo it’s not very relevant whether or not he went back to junior because it’s highly probably the results are the same because the problem has been his nhl development. I don’t agree with this notion that players come to the nhl full developed and ready to go, nor is it accurate either. I didn’t like Hartley but he was good for young players. He had a plan, he put them in situations that maximizes their strengths and minimized their weaknesses. It’s no surprise that Bennett looked awesome under Hartley, had a bright future and then it went away once that plan wasn’t as clear.

oilers are a bottom 5 team in: Corsi % Fenwick% shots for% XGF% scoring chance for % bottom 10 in high danger chance for % that’s a below avg team at 5 on 5, especially when you factor in opposition.

At 5 on 5 the Oilers are a below avg team. They've had the 2nd or 3rd easiest schedule to start the year and currently have a PP running at 45% and a PK that is running at 88%. Lots there that screams mean regression.

funny to read the “they should have sent him down” stuff when the consensus from most was he was a Calder candidate and compared well to McDavid. A lot of revisionist history here. Development is more than just junior, AHL there is developing at the NHL level too, and it doesn’t matter if you’ve spent 1,2 or 4 years in junior this is still a necessity. I don’t think sending Bennett down to the OHL for another year changes anything because imo where this has gone wrong is developing Bennett at the nhl level. No defined role, trying to get a young player to carry sub par line mates, and really no patience with his game and never being put in a position to succeed. that’s key for young skilled players you have to find ways to let them succeed. case in point Draisaitl. They tried many times to get him to carry his own line and it didn’t work, but rather than stay with it they’d put him back with McDavid. It hurt their center depth but it allowed Draisaitl to continue to build confidence, work on his offensive game and find a role. He still isn’t great without McDavid but oilers have been patient letting him find his way and he’s rewarding him. Flames never did any of that with Bennett and there’s evidence that it would have worked