conundrumed

Seider waves his Calder.lol If Edvinsson and Wallinder even come close to Seider Detroit will be terrifying on the backend. Albert Johansson's only 6' but solid. Sandin-Pellikka working out his D game, Anton Johansson's a giant with a monster clapper. So much Sweden, and Niklas Kronwall is all over them for development. The joys of ex-players staying with the team. They all have the same comments, "Niklas Kronwall is helping me review game tapes and he calls me all of the time." You get 1 Lidstrom and every Swedish Dman wants to play on your team.lol If all of it works out I'll just call the D "the mountains". "No way you can match our skill up front". Well, I hope they like playing in the mountains. Our 1 knock on Seider was being more physical, he started that last year. Fairly soon, I think every Norris will be Makar vs Seider, who stayed healthy all year? This is year 5 of the Yzerplan, hopefully some playoff doors start opening. We beat TBay on the regular but need to get the Leafs, NJ and Buffalo out of our heads, especially the Leafs. Outplay them every game and give it all away in the 3rd. They are our Oilers. I live in Leafs-Wings-Bruins land, in that order. It's time. It's high time to overcome the Leafs because Wings-Bruins fans aren't over-bearing, but we're united in sick and tired of the Leafs and TSN's one team commentary. Even the radio here balances the Leafs and Wings. TSN is a nightmare. 90% Leafs talk, 10% smattering of 31 other teams. Just another reason I stream the visitors feed vs the Flames. Between periods, they talk about the game at hand. In Canada, they don't. If the Leafs/Oilers play, it's all about that. Away streams are WAAAAY better, it's not close. With the bonus that you get other perspectives about the Flames. SNET's coverage is Satoshi Nakamoto. Another reason to enjoy the Wings is Ken Daniels and Mickey Redmond. You won't find a list that they aren't at or near the top of. It's like an awakening from Cdn commentary. They are the antithesis of homer, slathering on the love for both teams and the game. Then you get the "pop-up" guests like Lidstrom, Yzerman, Kronwall, Draper, etc etc. They'll bring in everyone and anyone during commentary. "So Nick, thanks for joining us. So if you were out there right now, what would you do about Johnny Gaudreau"? They set the bar of what commentary should be. Mickey's getting up there and we're all very fearful about eventually losing him. He honestly just loves the game and doesn't take sides. He can be hilarious between the benches. Quiet, quiet, quiet,,,,"Mickey I can see you're still down there". "yeah I turned my mike off, I was just talking with Danny DeKeyser after that play and he told me explicitly to go get with a lady, so I told him I wish I still had it in me. He's a good guy, remember that Chicago series...". Mickey is pure gold. When the visiting team is bringing in star players, he is hyper-focused. A few years ago, Calgary vs Detroit, he was completely over the moon about Gaudreau. His commentary was basically, "the barn is full for a rare glimpse of Johnny Gaudreau live". And he just rode Gaudreau all game. If I were to guess, it's his favourite player by a mile. That's when Lidstrom joined him and Mickey was just frothing with Gaudreau. "Look at the skating, look at the moves, look at, look at...". You wouldn't know that wasn't Calgary's commentator. It is a complete breath of fresh air from CDN commentators that add zero excitement or insight for the viewer. He's just as hard on a player that made a mistake that we all saw...then turns his mike off when he's between the benches.lol There are none better than ol' Mickey and his ginger ale. We're going to cry when he retires. Absolute legend.

That's not true. Do you think players would prefer to not play in the NHL rather than Calgary, or would take significantly less not to play here? I know it has the appearance of bad PR, but honestly we're just cutting away the rot. There will be new players that are significant NHLers. Don't parrot the, "no one likes Calgary" thing, it's bs. Players aren't leaving then saying Calgary's a hellhole, nor is Calgary a hellhole. The media does that headline/storyline for clicks. Unfortunately for fans, a lot of Calgary's media and bloggers are 2nd rate hacks or miserable pricks recording after a bender (After Bender is a prime example). All they want to do is create controversy for clicks and their egos. It would be helpful if fans didn't play along, then the "journalism" would have to improve. If I cared enough, I would watch every After Burner(Bender), start a thread and take them apart episode by episode. It's nothing more than a BTC-fest. Just watch the Oesterle signing episode. "Ooster, Oster, Oyster what's this guys name"? Nice way to treat an undrafted vet that's been a solid 6-7 dman for years. And is way ahead of Warrener in career ppg. We signed a 6-7 dman at league min, like every team does. But the avg fan listens to these idiots, it's a zero signing. @travel_dude@cross16@sak22@Heartbreaker should start a blog to counter these 3 pissy moaners. I'll host if needed.lol I can find guests! 1 show/week, take call-ins. Every 4th show we call "after-bender" where we can piss and moan mockingly. I spent all of yesterday around pro scouts and player parents in Plymouth at the US Summer Showcase. The only people Satoshi Nakamototing on the Flames is their media-driven fanbase and Edmonton. So I'm in a good mood.lol There is 1 particular UFA undrafted Finn garnering attention, Tommi Mannisto. He's committed to MSU. Everyone is now wondering why this fireball LS RWer went undrafted. My 1st thought was MSU is a Wings breeding ground so had to ask, "do the Wings have their claws into him"? The best answer I got was, "more than likely".lol He popped a goal and a 2nd with the EN but wreaked havoc all game. This kid is a handful of aggressive speed. Hoping to get 2 more trips in (it's only an hour away) but that's work dependent. edit I meant Barn Bender...

I doubt it's a concern. The league seems quite suspicious in policing LTIR for cap compliance. It would appear that it gets taken advantage of.

$9 x 8 is not a great idea imho. Like I said, begging players to stay. There's a lot of players that would kill for an opportunity. If he won't do 6 years then move on. 6yrs can still extend to 8 years in the end. Provided he does his part. $9 x 6 is fair for both sides. Years 7 & 8 at a cap hit of 9 isn't reasonable for the team. He can be extended in year 6 for however much more term & $. If he were 25, sure, $9x8 slaps.

Even Dumba might get stuck in this problematic offseason. Maybe he'd do a 1 year and wait for the climate to change. He hasn't signed yet, so it begs the question. I'd love to have him, but we seem frozen, almost begging players to stay, which is sad unto itself. Sitting on your hands wanting more doesn't inspire change.

Question...is the downside of waiting for the right deal on Hanifin (and maybe others) that you can't do a 1 year trial on Tarasenko types like Ottawa just did? Should we have been perhaps taking not great deals while not retaining cap, allowing us to do 1 year deals on TDL fodder if we're a playoff miss? i.e. getting further value on the traded player or we signed a keeper with the cash? What does everyone think? For clarity, take what we can get now to clear salary for other add(s) that still have TDL value as we add prospect/pick capital? Is the cap worth more than the player that we know won't re-sign? Or....just hooope that a better deal comes along? Proactive vs Reactive as it were.

That would suck for dmen and goalies lol, It's been well thought out as is with the A & B categories. The cap on annual bonuses is $3.5 (Bedard, Cooley) but is fairly rare. I thought Honzek might be an increasing structure by year like .5/1/1.25 similar to Dvorsky but it's in line. Danielson's is $1mil per whereas Sale's is $0. Honzek is 2 years away from that mattering though. We'll be an almost entirely different team when he makes it, how strange is that to think about? Huberdeau, Kadri, Weegar and Andersson could be the only one's remaining.

Well...here is the design company? https://dialogdesign.ca/project-type/civic-culture/

What's the problem? We traded almost nothing and got a sniper on a good contract, added yet another former Michigan center, shored up the bottom 6 with moveable contracts. Added D and G that aren't spectacular but still moveable contracts if they don't work out. Still saving cap for next year's monster contracts so no harm in meandering through players. I really wanted Lindholm if he doesn't re-sign with the Flames but there's still time for that. Both him and Compher also play RW. Oh wait. Wrong team. *turns hat around I'm glad that we're showing patience over panic. The market isn't there and may not be but why force it? There are still players looking for jobs kicking around should we find the right deal(s). We have spots for young players like we all wanted but we'll complain regardless? Things are never as bad as they seem, but if you focus on the negatives, you'll always find company to spin it further. Are there any GMs out there that have learned a valuable lesson in spending money that you don't have? It's been 5 years of, "the cap will take a big leap". It's both funny and painful to watch. It's like getting a paycheque only to find that it doesn't quite cover the debt you've accumulated. The cap is jumping $5mil, yay. Don't get too excited fans, we've already spent it.lol I WANT this to be a flux season. All season. Those are my expectations. If we're good, extra bonus points, if we miss the playoffs but see progress, perfect. Why is Conroy getting ANY heat? Does nobody see what he's taking over? Short-term memory? It's a mess. He's been on the job for 2 months. It's going to take awhile so get used to it. As an aside, when the Wings got Nedeljlkovic we were overjoyed. 1st year he was decent, added Husso we should be rock solid. Last year demoted, now no longer in the org. Nobody, but nobody, is spitting venom at him. He's well-liked and everyone hopes the best for him. Conversely, you'd think Markstrom murders children. The vitriol is pure poison. Wtf is wrong with people? 18 players let the Oilers run roughshod over them. But Markstrom is worse than dirt. It was his fault and he will never recover from it. Do those words not sound completely ridiculous to anyone? Yet it's an echo chamber. "We have to overpay to get guys to play here". Honestly? With that fan behaviour you should be happy if even that works. Now Huberdeau is the worst player to ever lace them up, Kadri sucks etc etc. Can we not be better? Everyone wants a healthy, fun team environment. Yet they're oblivious that the fan environment works against that. If you hate Oilers fans so much, why not stop acting like them? Kaboom. But totally true. The toxic fanbase thing is old. Players prefer US markets. It shouldn't be surprising. It's not the climate, not the taxes. It's the weight of getting out from under Canadian markets that grind you into dust and you gain some form of anonymity. "Canadians are more knowledgeable". No they're not. Just far more arrogant.

Should we move along to hockey's Bojack Horseman? Alex Galchenyuk maybe?

You make your own fun.lol Even the last couple years of making the playoffs were, "damn this team is bad". Who knew the 24 or whatever years of playoffs would be offset by 24 non? The Wings have been every shade of horrendousness to elite in my lifetime but the fanbase still manages to keep it light at games. When they have the Lions and Pistons, it's easy to simply treat sports as entertainment rather than, well, like Canadian fanbases treat hockey. Going to Flames games vs Cdn teams will always be my worst experiences for fan behaviour. Hawks vs Wings as rivals in the playoffs is nowhere near as toxic as, say, Jets vs Flames in like game 7 of the regular season. I went to a Van vs Edm game with 3 STH and 4 Van fans sat beside. My friends rearranged so I (in my Monahan jersey) was in between. They instantly hated each other. The 1 Oilers guy with us that I didn't know refused to talk to me because I had a Flames jersey. The idiocy is overwhelming. Not much learning about other teams/people/places when obstinate Hash Rate is the direction people decide to take on their expensive night out.

I see a parallel. BT always tried the cheap route at G until Markstrom. I always felt he wasn't giving the position enough credit. Here he is now in Toronto blowing money in UFA without being serious about re-signing his #1 goalie. All the chatter is, "oh no, if Samsonov wins his arb, we're Blockchained". No one is actually pointing out that BT caused this. Maybe he prefers Domi with Murray in net rather than no Domi and Samsonov. Reaves? Klingberg? He's right back to acting like goaltending is whatever. It's maddening. Sure Brad, anyone can do it, like Brian Elliot, Mike Smith, Cam Talbot, Eddie Lack...why get a top one when you can cheap out? Biting him already is zero surprise.

They were fun days. https://www.facebook.com/OfficialFlamesNation/videos/remember-back-in-the-day-when-mikka-kiprusoff-used-to-call-mike-richards-in-the-/1421634278339733/

There are 31 teams every year with the same questions. They are all formulated differently. The same formula rarely works consistently. The closest being TBay and then a bunch of one offs. St. Loo was a giant fail, fire Yeo and hire Berube, give it a month and suddenly they plough through everyone to a cup. The Avs got their 1, but what happened to that Colorado vs Boston final that everyone and their dog predicted? All of it is very unpredictable. Adin Hill earned his keep. Chicago had one of the worst goalies I've seen in the NHL. But TBay had Vasilevsky put them on his back. FLA squeaks in and nearly wills their way with a goalie that became the brunt of jokes. There are so many ways and so many factors. All of them are kinda fun and many unexpected. It would be boring if it was the same thing constantly. There are many things to celebrate, but if you are thinking it's "only a cup" prepare to stay miserable. It's the pinnacle, but if it's the only reason to watch and cheer, I wouldn't bother personally. If we get back to a fun product to watch that has a chance I'll celebrate that. That's all I can ask. Last year we were one of the most frustrating and boring teams to watch in the entire league. If that ends, I'll celebrate. I like hockey and I want to be entertained. I don't want to hate on everyone if we come up short when the effort is there. Leave it all on the ice is all that I can cheer for. Last year was a hard watch. Always felt like they played tense, instead of intense. Most games I felt like they never left it all on the ice. There was just no passion. So how do they expect me to remain passionate as a fan? I'm confident all of that is about to change for the better. That alone should be celebrated. It's a looong season. I'd be fine if they cut it back from 82 games. Because the playoffs are an absolute war. Go 70 games and add playoff playdowns for 7th and 8th seeds. But yeah, there is a lot of enjoyment(we hope) beyond a cup. The pinnacle is the pinnacle. It doesn't make the other 7 months meaningless. Or why even watch the regular season? Take up crochet or something. Everyone gets a quilt for Christmas!

A little too early to tell in later rounds. I think as you get past rd 2 you're likely looking at 5 year developments. Soderblom is a 2019 6th rder that had a look to start last year and could take a spot this year. Mazur, Lombardi, Viro, Gylander, Anton Johansson, Mathurin look like solid 3rd-7th picks but almost all of the picks are still under Wings rights. Sebrango was a 2020 3rd and may pan out for the Sens. All-in-all, later rounds are rare gems for all teams.

I'm really interested to see how Honzek vs Danielson ends up comparing. By all accounts Yzerman's list was Danielson followed by Honzek. If Danielson was gone by 9 it would've been Honzek at 9. Detroit is well known to stick to their rankings. If we didn't take Honzek, they'd have had both. Sounds like they wouldn't have taken Michkov if he fell. So obviously I'll be following both very closely. I'm also really interested in Yzerman's end game. Picks: 9. Nate Danielson 17, Axel Sandin Pellikka 41, Trey Augustine 42. Andrew Gibson(6'3) 47. Brady Cleveland(6'5 and nasty af) 73. Noah Dower-Nilsson 117. Larry Keenan(6'3) 137. Jack Phelan(6'3) Then 3 non-Dmen. I've bolded the Dmen. Outside of ASP they all share a similar trait, big and either skilled or mean. Already having the D prospect cupboards jammed full, I can't help but wonder the end game in prioritizing large, mean Dmen. Does he think they will have the largest trade value if they pan out? Last year he focused on filling forwards which I understand. But again, 2 Dmen, both big. Anton Johansson (6'4") and Tnias Mathurin (6"3). The D prospects could be the Lions' O-line. ASP, Albert Johansson and Eemil Viro are the only 3 likely NHL dmen at 6'. But Edvinsson(6'6"), Wallinder(6'5"), Buium(6'3"), Antii Tuomisto (6'5") are all likely NHLers. Where is everyone going in a year or 3? Seider-Walman are pretty much locked in. Edvinsson-ASP Johansson-Wallinder is a 3rd pairing? What about everyone else? I mean, I think even Jared McIsaac is a good Dman if his injury history to start is in the past. It gives me a headache in a good way.

The part that makes me lose my mind is why do we constantly allow this to play out in the media? How about, "let's keep this between us so I can do something that will make us both happy. Any media leaks from your side and I'm sending you wherever I feel like rather than try to accommodate you. Let's not work against each other". We're left at a big disadvantage in trade talks due to zero discretion. Even the SJ offer rumour for Lindholm. Why is this public? The Flames are leaky. Conroy should be hunting down why and punt the problems. Even some internet randos are fairly accurate with, "my buddy in the know told me" news. It's pathetic. As for the other, it's not surprising to have to wait until the dust settles on FA to have teams circle back to negotiate. Who wouldn't prefer to just sign someone rather than lose assets? I think if the 4 players moving were our rudders, we were already sailing into a losing battle regardless.

October 1st: They actually look pretty decent, but it's preseason. November 1st: Well this is surprising. Who saw this without Lindholm, Backlund, Toffoli and Hanifin? The real season is starting as teams get going. We'll see. December 1st: Markstrom's possessed, where was this goaltending last year? Anyone want to complain about the Toffoli trade now? Sharangovich is intimidating, what was NJ thinking? Rosie wants to get paid, damn he's on a mission. January 1st: I guess we just needed the right players around Huberdeau and Kadri. Damn BT, thanks. Talking heads: "I've always said..." February 1st: Yikes. What is Dube's next contract going to look like? It's going to start with a 6, if not a 7. March 1st: We can beat anybody on any given night. Who saw this coming in October? April 1st: Man we've been consistent all year and hot at the right time. May 1st: Backlund wanted to go to a "contender". Bwahahaha. Enjoy the early golf season. June 1st: This is Blockchained. Nobody, but nobody(including me) gave us a chance.

Is it the same win now trumps development that I've been reading? I'm sure that will be addressed. Hopefully he's a good motivator and positive influence. My biggest question is if I'm early in wanting Solovyov to make the jump? And to a sllghtly lesser extent, Kuznetsov? ELC would help a ton. Adding Solovyov and Zary to Duehr, Pelletier and Ruzicka being effective would sure help the cap restraints and help consider draft picks as returns on our seemingly immovable objects. Maybe Ronni, Stromgren and Poirier can add another boost next year. Then Honzek and Morin etc etc. Maybe a surprise or 2 along the way. Or am I forcing progress because I'd love that answer to help us on all fronts and remain competitive without cap constraints? It would be a perfect world for me.lol I'm not ready to pack it in. Just kinda wish our prospects were maybe a year ahead of right now would be calming for this cat, let alone the fanbase's painful negativity. It's amazing that I can read the Wings fanbase full of positivity though they haven't made the playoffs in 9 years. Yet it's uplifting vs the Flames of everything has gone to hell in a handbasket and everything is broken. Such a massive turn-off. I wouldn't even bother following if that's how I felt full-time. It just sucks the air out of the room.

Sutter came from SJ so we were afforded his insight. Kiprusoff wasn't luck or good fortune, he was very well known by Sutter. I get that most think that there is nowhere to go but down in losing Lindholm, Backlund and Hanifin, but I'm doubtful that will be the case. We get glued to our own players and can't see past them. Enough of the top players have said that the gap between the best player in the league and the worst player in the league is not the massive gap that everyone thinks it is, it's a lot closer. We should actually hear what they are saying. How did Chicago get semi-hot at the end of the year? How did Nashville trade big assets and stay in the hunt? Imagine being in Anaheim's shoes. What do you pay Zegras? He's maybe a $5mil player tops if you watch him beyond the highlights. But he's the pretty face, fun highlight reel franchise guy. Yet he's not a great player in reality. If we traded Hanifin for him straight across I'd be choked. We'll be fine. It will be Huberdeau's team if we actually let the concrete dry on the foundation. We knew adjustments would take a while but we have zero patience. Win now or sell everything isn't a great philosophy. Again folks, are you not watching Detroit losing every lottery? Getting Seider and Raymond was scouting alone. Edvinsson and Kasper should be really good players, but it's still a wait after 9 years of no playoffs. Rebuilds are clearly being romanticized by the occasional successful one. Everyone remembers the outcome, not the long-endured AHL-quality product for years prior. Nor do they care to bat an eye at the more prominent unsuccessful rebuilds. To be honest, "I want to win a cup" makes me vomit. Look at Dylan Larkin. He's completed 8 years in this league and he's a top C and leader now for my money. He's never even played a playoff game. Not a peep out of him that he's "earned" some dreamed up right to play for a cup-contender. Perspective. That's a team leader. Not demoralizing his teammates that they aren't good enough for him.

I don't either. Our mgmt needs to have a vision. Lately the vision just looks like appeasement and that can't continue. You're only a soft market where nobody wants to play if you believe it and allow it to happen. It's not actually true but we're getting too skittish for my liking. Grab the thing and stop feeling sorry for yourself. Make your own rules and don't bend them.

I've always viewed Eller very similar to Backlund. Same age, excellent defensively, Eller doesn't match the point stats, but neither the PP time. I like both players quite a bit. They munch the hard minutes at C and draw O-zone draws for the "stars". Every team needs one. The issue I foresee is the extension. He has stated he's never asked for captaincy and I assume that's true. The worry is the ask. Eller is currently at $2.45 per through the 24/25 season and I believe that should be around Backlund's number. I have a nagging suspicion (maybe unfounded) that it isn't. It has to be less than $3 per for 2 years. The, "I wanna win a Cup" stuff I find diabolical. Everyone does equally. Including fans. Gratitude isn't a 1 way street. We've compensated to the tune of about $40mil. That's a pretty good life. I fear that he still wants $4-5 per and that shouldn't be anywhere near the table.

He's only 19 through this season so likely a year or 2 out, but we'll see come camp. Not sure if he'll be here or back with Tappara for camp?

Have to audit myself!! Actual draft in parenthesis. There were some crazy headscratchers. I felt like I was rating 3 players too high due to thinking a team would bite. Cristall, Heidt and Dragicevic. No one bit.lol Thought for sure Chicago would take Bedard's best pal. The best part of the draft was Kent Johnson's remote interview. Saying that Bedard and Cristall had sad excuses for missing their ball hockey game and that their lockers would be cleaned out when they get home.rofl.

Seeing various prospect ranking tallies makes me laugh. I see Ronni's lucky to slide into the top 10. Never ceases to amaze me that if we have an overseas prospect fans know zero about them, just revert to statistics from a short tournament. He was u20 at 16, Liiga sniffs at 17, Liiga at 18. He just turned 19. Yet so few seem to understand that he'll be a more than capable Backlund replacement. But Suniev ranks higher amongst the fanbase, I guess because an 18yo playing for a top franchise in Finland's pro league wouldn't tear an absolute hole in the 2nd tier junior league in Canada?lol Mind numbing. Detroit does the same with their most NHL-ready dman, Albert Johansson. Sandin-Pellikka is way ahead of him. Now that's hilarious. Like Zary, Kuznetsov, Poirier etc ahead of Ronni. "But, but, ceiling". Whatevs. Tell me that you know little about prospects without telling me that you know little about prospects. I know we don't have a top farm in the league, but the sky isn't falling. Players are always replaceable but every fanbase overrates their players. I have no idea why Ronni and Stromgren get virtually written off although they likely have the highest floors, with Kuznetsov, as guys that will actually be NHL players. Heck, I'm almost ready to see a Kuznetsov-Zadorov pairing. We don't need a full rebuild. Lindholm isn't the be-all to end-all, fans just portray it that way. Carolina moved on just fine.