89Again

Why is Johnny not thrown out as a C option? I have my doubts that he wants to resign but the Flames did believe in him and put him on the map. If he would resign for 3-5 why does he not make a good C? He has high compete and he strikes me as a pretty level headed individual. I also think Elias is another good option for many reasons?

Not big on size but this looks like a skilled kid. I was looking for a move up but this seems pretty solid just worried we end up with another Fox scenario!.

But we stil have Backlund playing great defensive hockey! Sutter called it, Big and fast with grit. Its been said on here for years and yet we got smaller and slower with no grit. The interview with Bennett says it all.

Always knew when they traded him we were going to regret it. Just shows how poorly the Flames are managed. Quite the joke. Super happy for Benny, I will be cheering for the Panthers this offseason!

Its ok, we still have Backlund defending well!

Bennett 2 more points!!

Sam Bennett OT winner !

Its very simple; they cant shift the paradigm - same thing every year and expect a different result. Chucky is not the issue Look at the size of the team, look at the toughness of the team - are they hard to play against..... we have all been calling this crap out for years. This isn't the Swedish elite league. BT has been GM for 7 years. The coaching line up above of Gully, BP and Wardo is laughable and likely is the biggest issue but unfortunately now we have to deal with a negative culture. I think we had many good pieces, BT has been good on the deal but man did the Wardo world kill the mojo of this team. They need more Sutter .... they need more size, many components are young. Its time to mix it up and get some of the old blood upstairs and downstairs gone.

I dont think the Flames managed Bennett well but I am more concerned that since we won the cup our consistent poor performance has bred a culture of, “defend to save the ability to win” instead of a culture of, “bring what you will and we will still beat you because were better.” I am more concerned every day that we have a culture of expecting to lose. I think BT is good at the deal, he’s not a guy I would want to negotiate with but he sucks at developing a winning, culture. You must have the right mix of skill, heart, goaltending and personality and not necessarily in that order and once you have it is has to be managed to retain it. This is why good coaches are geniuses and this is where BT fell flat on his face. The elite businessman and professional sportsman thinks this no longer matters but in most cases it does and the Flames have not had this since Bob Johnson and Crispy. Bennett and Rittich I think could have been part of a winning team, they were heart and soul, they were a big part of building a team. We have all been analyzing like mad individual players etc. We have done it for years but I now think the problem starts and ends with the coach. Having said all of this I believe strongly that Sutter is a step in the right direction. I just hope he stays behind the bench.

Finally good he can prove people wrong. We should have traded Mikael Backlund. We need more strong Canadian talent.

Fully agree, Sam always tried to do everything for the team. He needs to continue focusing on his hockey skills and speed while staying away from fights where possible. Hopefully Florida gives him that chance.

Surprised they pulled the Wardo plug in this shortened season after just giving him the reins. But.... it had to happen. This must be the owners. I was a fan of DS as a coach but not as a GM. As I look at the team and how they play I have to think this is a pretty solid move. DS will get them engaged and make them more of a team but I wonder if he understands the importance of fitness. I am starting to wonder if this team is as dedicated as they need to be on that component of the game. Their back to back effort and third period work raises questions. Nice to see a solid and decisive move - thumbs up.

I agree, he had structure, was a motivator and a leader by example. BT took him out because he knew he couldn’t control him and he thought he could do it all in the front office. Get a cheap coach, still win and take all the credit and money. He was wrong.

Bennett is all crossed up. I have never seen a player thrown around a line up more. Yes he has missed his opportunities but then when he does well, those opportunities are pulled. My bottom line with SB is that when he came into the league he was leaner, quicker and had an internal expectation of scoring with confidence. Now he has fallen into a pseudo tough guy banger role and is always worried about the D side, he’s slow with no confidence. He gets picked on the breakout, his pass is always to late, he makes solo rushes when he shouldn’t. Pretty sad to see as you still see the skills at times but his confidence has been destroyed and he has gotten bigger to fit a role but that has hurt his offensive production. I think many fans are frustrated because they see these glimpses of skill but then a dumb mistake is made and the opportunity quickly fades. Without a doubt he has heart, he has tried to do everything they have wanted of him but that was probably a mistake. These guys come in so young, they need a sound mentoring system and a coach who knows how to develop them. If that doesn’t exist they shouldn’t be with the big club until they mature. We have not had a good coach in three tries, who’s fault is that?

Fully agree Ward needs to go now.

Im totally with you on this one.

Great to see someone call me out on Riggins but he held the stick the wrong way!! Goalies, never an easy one unless you have a superstar that’s working.

Its easy to make the case why Ward is back. I think he did a decent job taking over but I believe the key to his success has much to do with his support. If we lose some of those guys I’m worried. You cant help but like the guy, he made a good call shaking Backs up and Talbot was a good call in the playoffs no matter how much I like Rittich. But... I don’t think he’s an elite coach and I dont think BT wants an elite coach because he’s insecure in his position. This is unfortunate as BT has made some good calls and I bet he’s pretty sly on deals. Never the less he probably needs to go for the reason above and when that happens it will eventually lead to the demise of Ward. They likely are waiting on Conroy whom I really don’t know but I dont get good vibes when listening to him. We rely too much on guys that have been around a long time and just don’t have an edge. That Jamie Benn edge. I will acknowledge that Backs is a great two way Center in the regular season, he’s a decent second line center but he’s not going to lead you to a cup. The Flames play nice guy hockey, it doesnt work. We just have too many guys that can’t stand up and dish it. These guys think they try hard but they don’t or can’t. Mony, Janks, Backs, Ryan and the entire D core. Most of the guys who do have heart are under 6ft. I didn’t include Johnny because he's just too skilled, he shouldn’t have to dish it, he should play with guys who create space and can dish it or guys that are so skilled the entire line scares the daylights out of everyone (basically with some one as skilled as him, very rare) we don’t have either. You cant have all small guys and a bunch of wimps, no matter how big the hearts are in the small guys. The D core strikes fear into nobody. Gio is getting up there and despite his massive heart has never struck fear into anyone. I am worried if we dont resign Brodie but we need some size and toughness back there and we have no difference maker on D for the PP. Hanifin has been a major disappointment. Andersen is good but he’s not ready to be the top D and again no fear into anyone. Valimaki will be great but he wont be big and no fear. Finally, I don’t like the goalie head games. We did well when we had a good solid number 1. Lemelin, Vernon, Kipper. Having said this, I fault no one on goalie choice. Its a very hard call to make. You could go out and pay big bucks and then the guy loses it for some crazy reason not even related to the rink. Goalies, very tough, we are probably doing ok. GM and Coach - not easy jobs! In the end Dallas has done pretty well in the Playoffs, we lost Chucky and almost beat them. The team is still young. Go Flames!

Yikes, like the brown stuff on a wagon wheel it just keeps coming around! What we dont need is a continuous revolving door of coaches. Give Ward the season, and make a solid call in the off season.

I second this one. The league is bigger, faster on the same small ice. If you dont have grit and heart its not happening and at the same time you need the speed skill as well. I am ok with our goalies as I like their compete, despite a bit of a let down recently but we need more grit up front preferably on the right side and I would be trying to add a big physical stay at home D on the back end. Thats what Brad Macrimmon brought to the team. As I have said before, I would serve up Backlund, a young D and perhaps even our pick if the right guys were available.

Does anyone know the status on the Bennett injury? Is he really injured, seems strange there is no news but maybe I missed it? Are they shopping him?

Just not sure what the deal was with Hamilton in the dressing room? I know he got points but I was not a big fan when he was a Flame. The brother thing was strange if it really was a brother thing as reported. Lindy is really good and still young, RW who also plays centre I would think is quite valuable.

I think losing Ferland and Engelland has had a big hit but I have expected more from Hanifin.

Have to say these lines look really interesting. Would like to see it

Definitely the number! Definitely Jobu!