robrob74

is Utah changing their staff?

If his brother is really good, could it inflate his stock by playing with him, and this year's bro isn't as good? Or he's the real deal?

Ya, I don't think it's that Marner, Matthews or Nylander aren't playoff players... they've had no depth. similar to Edmonton, Do you think McDavid and Draisaitl would have a cup by now had they had an average goalie, some D and a bit more depth? is it the cost of paying the top too much?

definitely! It's why I loved Hathaway and we should have forked out the little extra, if that was why he left? He might have wanted closer to home anyway, but loved that guy. He was doing little things, creating in the way you're describing, causing penalties or leaving play in a good way. we look at the Flames, when the 4th line was getting 3-6 minutes, what does that say about the depth? The 4th isn't easy to fill with players that push a team over the jump. We are the same... my signing for '04 was Ville Nieminen. I think pests help too. Although, Simon and Gelinas were big too. but I agree, Johnny got his points, Monny goals too, decent numbers, but a one or two line team can get stopped. it's also why I'm afraid the Canucks can do some damage, I think a few signings this last summer put them where they're at.

I like Tanev. He plays on that edge. I wonder if his health is overblown, or if he is injury prone? I worry about the message playing injured sends. I don't mind playing through stuff, but nearly ruining a career over injury is a lot though. Calgary and maybe a lot teams might turn a blind eye or be quite ok... some are good to put some on LTIR, and not be as injured though... I think Calgary let a guy like Monahan play through it because they're not deep enough to make it without a top player...

I think a dichotomy and both... I think JJ is saying, if more players come from the professional city town area, then the teams will create more development programs for kids and grow the sport that way... though, the sport is a tough sell over football, baseball, or basketball, or other US sports. tough.

my bet is, 18-26. Think you're right though, and they've already shown they're leaning that way. Maybe a pick and an underused player that is a few years previously developed. my scouting fear is targeting UFA. We've had a few good hits lately, but some bad ones. Coleman, Markstrom good... maybe some can add a few good UFA signings to ease the apprehension!?

i think there are young teams that haven't reached prime ability. I guess you can call that playoff experience. I also wonder, Vegas has done well at getting deeper into the playoffs than many lately, when they have made the playoffs... for me, even the most playoff experience can lose because it's such a hard task to win a cup. i understand what you're saying though. And just think, some teams play to lose while others play to win. Maybe it is circumstance or coach philosophy. we kept saying the Flames had bad playoff experience, yet Johnny and Monny made the playoffs early in their career. And they needed more playoff experience but looked similar every year. I just think, either a player plays to win or they play tentatively and lose. The Leafs have plenty experience but play to lose. Only one team wins, I think a team can have a good playoffs and still lose in the first round in heartbreak, it doesn't mean they're not a playoff team, just they played a really good team and pushed a really good team to their limit.

would you have a salary cap in your system? If you're creating more stars, you fork out more money.

i don't believe in you're a playoff team with experience. Experience can matter, but i think some players are born for the playoffs and some just aren't. Like the Leafs have a ton of experience but never go deeper. Granted they're playing teams that make the finals sometimes, but...

we could see it on TV. We could see it from our chair, and then you hear Johnny tell us all of that stuff... so it's probably more about that than him in general.

To your point and hear me out; he's scored some goals. Grant that... i am sure Conroy is looking at it like, what else does he do? Is he killing penalties at a good clip? Is he scoring 5v5 vs just the pp? im with you, is this the player? How close does he resemble kuzmenko? Is kuz's contract the one to base the contract on?

did Mangiapane say something?

possible the fact he and Johnny being somewhat a defensive liability together played a part of my bias... And they decided not to try Tkachuk with them as he was doing ok with Backlund. Benny was a mess. I'm not saying he was terrible at everything.

the thing about cup winners is, Crosby, McKinnon, Toews and Kane, Ovechkin and his linemates, Etc, there's an expectation that goes with their elite personality.... I liken it to Yzerman, Sakic, Lemieux, Messier... there's excellence. How many teams don't have that yet still win? once in awhile you get the blues. Sometimes you can get elite deeper in the draft... most of the time it's early, and sometimes it depends on the draft, which is why we are a year late to the retool, again... All good to have the mindset but there needs to be some elitist players coming in. Johnny has elite edges and vision. Tkachuk elite hockey sense. But they're not the full package...

i didn't get the memo. lol. To me he was just a shot. I didn't get the love fans had for him. He didn't seem as special as some made him out to be. also because he played injured so much i feel Bennett could have jumped up and we would have had to play him, and I felt Benny with Johnny would get a few goals. Monny wasn't the player to build around in my eyes and we were stuck with him. Solid #2 and low #1... I also felt we rushed him. i get it, 21 as a rookie. Maybe the year after he gets 30 as a rookie but developed a defensive game and worked on his stride

im not frustrated with the league process, I want the Flames to get a 1st overall as much as some of us, but realistic they need to tear to extreme bare bones, and ownership will do it when it's a must, yet avoid until the writing on the wall is barely noticeable.

the audacity.

A tricky one yup. At least I'd get to see Calgary draft 1st overall once in my lifetime maybe. I'm pushing 50 so it's possible I might not even get to with your suggestion, if it took 10-30 years to get there lol. What might be more interesting to adapt your idea would be, if a team gets 1st overall one year, they can only draft as high as 4th or 5th overall the next 5 drafts? I dunno what a magic number is. Say a team drafts first overall one year, but they're in the #2 or #4 Spot, they automatically get pushed to 5... or 4 depending on the rule. im ok with keeping it as is. id prefer a true lottery, but give the worst teams more balls in the bin to increase odds that way... Coming out of the machine: Ball 1 SJS - 1st overall Ball 2 SJS - where their pick lands in the second round ball 3 Flames - their 1st round pick ball 4 SJS - where their third rounder lands ball 5 CBJ they get put onto the 1st round section.... its their spot and so on, the Flames would get 9 Balls, San Jose gets 16... a team just out that just misses the playoffs get 1. The next would get 2, then 3 and so on... They'd still have a chance at winning it all, but that last team out only get one ball's chance.

Dallas in 7 Avs in 6 Canucks in 6 Oilers in 7 Hate the Oil, but LA still isn't deep enough in Net and if the goalie can pull it out. They've been so inconsistent as a team. I think the Canucks added the right kind of depth in the summer, what the Flames needed to do. Avs, not a believer in Jets. Don't like Toffoli or Monahan. Dallas is deep. Depends on VGK stars coming back healthy enough.

Florida Bennett's in 7 Toronto in 5 or 6 (they gotta shut it out early or they choke in game 7) Rangers in 5 Canes in 5

When my dad was alive, he was hardcore Leafs. So when they Purged the Flames of players and turned to instant playoff contender status, I cheered them. As much as I hated the deal, that's on the Flames and not the Leafs... so the ex Flames I still liked and cheered for, like I did with Niewy... Roberts, etc. I guess I'd still not mind if they went a few rounds or all the way, just be like, here's to you Pop! I used to be everyone but Canucks or Oilers. Now I don't seem to care. Although, I hate their fans mostly. So it's more so they don't get to gloat and rub it in my face. I was the only game 7 Flames fan in '94 in a room full of 'Nucks fans... yuck. I felt like the way Steve Bartman looked sitting in the stands after interfering with the pop foul ball... only, the Flames didn't have an extra inning to make up for it.

So, they're moving to Utah and then expanding back into Arizona or Phoenix? why not move the team back? I guess they need to settle the players in. Not fair to them. I find it weird the Winnipeg team is called the Jets when we all know they're the Arizona team.

I just did a draft lottery simulator. About 70% of the time we moved to 10 or 11 draft spot. Once in the whole time we got 1st...

ya, I think he's priced ok... and if he was on the market could fetch a bit.... but I like him.