420since1974

I like your lineup, just not sure of the makeup of the 4th line. Huberdeau (LH-LW) - Sharangovich (LH-LW/C/RW) - Kuzmenko (LH - LW/RW) Zary (LH - LW/C) - Kadri (LH-C) - Pospisil (LH - RW) Mangiapane (LH-LW/RW) - Backlund (LH-C) - Coleman (LH-RW/LW) Pelletier (LH-LW) - Rooney (LH-C) - Schwindt (RH-RW/C - Duehr (RH-RW)

At this time, I don't have any issues with Huska. He has coached several of the Flames at the AHL level. I hope that Calgary goes for a retool by trading the current UFAs for NHL RFAs, prospects and draft picks. This would allow the team and coaching staff to grow together and hopefully be competitive by the time the new arena opens.

Calgary is currently in 24th place after 49 games played. I think that Chicago, San Jose, Anaheim, Ottawa, and Columbus probably have the bottom 5 spots locked up. The Flames might be able to drop below Minnesota, Montreal, and Buffalo and end up with the #6 OA draft pick, which would give them the following lotto odds: #1 = 7.5% #2 + 7.7% #3 = 0.2% #4 = 0 #5 = 0 #6 = 34.1% #7 = 41.4% #8 = 9.1%

I feel that Ruzicka plays his best hockey in a Top 6 role and it does not necessarily have to be at C. His best games with the Flames have been at LW and he showed that he can play well at RW at times during his time with Sarnia (OHL) and Stockton (AHL).

IMHO, the Calgary Flames are simply not good enough to be a play-off team this season or next. I think that they are best served to trade all of their major upcoming UFAs (Lindholm, Hanifin, and Tanev) for current NHL players under the age of 23, highly ranked prospects, and draft picks (the more bullets in the magazine, the better). I feel that for the last 5 seasons Calgary has had quite decent amateur and pro scouting. Add in a little draft lotto luck, and the Flames could well be very competitive by the time the new arena opens.

I often see people comment that the Flames never play a full 60 minute game. I would counter that I have seldom seen any NHL team play full out for an entire game. It is simply impossible to sustain that level of play for an entire 82 game schedule and the play-offs. There will always be some lapses during games and even the very best teams can occasionally lose focus for entire games against mediocre opponents. This is why no NHL team has ever won more than 65 games in a season.

Markstrom loses his catching glove during a goal mouth scramble with 12 seconds left in the game. No problem, Tanev stops the puck just before it crosses the goal line and then blocks another shot while Markstrom is still lying on the ice. So often, he has blocked shots or made stick checks at crucial moments in a game. If he was a little younger and less injury prone, I wouldn't even consider trading him. As it is, if Conroy can get a decent return for him at the TDL, I'll be fine with it.

In a very limited viewing (11:58), I think that Kuznetsov had a pretty decent game. 2 shots on net while being defensively responsible. I'm not going to knock him for a goal that was banked in off of his shin pad. He's only 21; with a few more seasons under his belt, I feel that his size, skating, and hockey IQ will enable him to become a reliable "stay at home/shutdown" NHL defenseman. Ceiling = 2nd pairing. Floor = 7th D.

Merry Christmas all!

Gilbert is picking up some of Tanev's minutes and is a +3.

IMO, Colton is inside Hanifin's head tonight. His two "retaliation" penalties (roughing and slashing) led directly/indirectly to both Colorado goals.

I'm not unhappy with this trade at all. To begin with, we have no idea on how his agent's trade request impacted the dressing room. The Flames got the services of a 3rd pairing defence man for 2+ years and came out ahead with a 5th round draft pick. I'm not too worried about the in-division trade as no one knows if Vancouver will be able to re-sign him after this season. Even if they do, I'd only worry about his hits, not his abilities at either end of the ice or fighting skills. If anything, I feel that trading Zadorov this early just raised the price that Calgary can ask for Hanifin and Tanev at the TDL, albeit with one less potential buyer.

I'm quite fine with keeping Pospisil on the NHL roster. To me, his play would have to drop off dramatically to require his return to the AHL.

Unfortunately, I was not at home for the game and have only seen the highlights. From that very limited viewing, I only saw one goal that Markstrom SHOULD have stopped. Tanev and Hanifin had a good night. Scoring was spread out very well among the 4 lines. Sharangovich was my star of the game. I especially liked his post game comment: “I think it's really a good comeback. The first two periods weren't good. The third period, we played more aggressive, better forecheck.

I don't really care too much about how the organisation looks overall with five players voicing their desire to leave the team since last season ended. Sure, it may make it more difficult to attract UFAs for a while, but when was the last time the Flames really made out well by signing a UFA? Now is the time to do a major restocking of the prospect cupboard and rebuild from within. Definite temporary pain for potential future gain. I accept that there is absolutely no guarantee of that gain actually happening, but the Flames have NEVER tried that route since they arrived in Calgary. I have seen them win the Stanley Cup. Over one third of the current league (11 teams) have never won a Cup, so I would not mind seeing them try it at least once.

Ever since he entered the NHL in 2013/2014, I have always been impressed with Zadorov's skating. To me it is among the best of the big men (6'4"+) in the NHL. However, to me his hockey IQ seems to be average at best and some of his decisions at both ends of the rink can make for quite an adventure, so I feel that he is best slotted as a solid bottom pairing D. IMO, not quite worth the $3.75M per season that he is currently being paid. However, it is definitely an asset that he can play on either side with very little drop in his play. He has also has a strong physical presence despite being only an average fighter. I was also quite impressed by his "no excuses" interview from October 24. That said, during those somewhat rare times when he is "on his game", he is easily a strong 2nd pairing D. Both his skating and shot can be intimidating, so he can certainly be a major asset in the offensive zone, especially on the PP. If his game was more consistently ON and had even a decent D partner, he could well be worth up to $5M to $6M per season. As it is, I believe that the Flames would be best served by trading him no later that the TDL for draft picks and/or young prospects. Unfortunately, that makes the trade options limited as most of the teams in the NHL are capped out.

I feel that there is a fair chance that both McDavid and Draisaitl will leave the Oilers before or when their contracts expire. If Edmonton is smart, they will trade Draisaitl (10 team trade clause) before his contract expires for as much as they can get. McDavid has a NMC, but might agree to a trade if the Oilers continue to suck. If Edmonton can trade both for a good return, they will be ahead of Calgary by 2026/2027 because the Flames most likely will not be able to rid themselves of the Huberdeau and Kadri contracts without giving away draft picks which would crater a rebuild.

Now that Connor Zary is on the Flames roster, Adam Klapka is the current leading scorer for the Wranglers (4g+3a=7pts in 7 games).

I'm not sure that Love would have fared any better than Huska. I do not feel that the issue is coaching; to me, it's all on the players. Wrong players, wrong mix, it doesn't matter much. Since the Flames arrived in Calgary, I have yet to see them sell off veterans and stock pile draft picks. It is just about the only thing that they have not tried. Sadly, I'm ready for it.

I agree that Markstrom is in the 2nd tier of NHL starters. IMO, somewhere in the 8 - 16 range of the 32 team league. If team defence was up to par, he would be closer to 8 than 16. I would just run out his contract until it expires in 2025/2026. I'd replace Vladar with Wolf after the 2024-2025 season, even earlier if the Flames can trade and recoup the cost of Vladar (3rd round pick). Sergeev (20) and Yegorov (18) are still future possibilities, I have lost some confidence in Chechelev though he is still just 22.

This is fine by me. I will continue to cheer for the Flames, but a deep and lengthy rebuild would not bother me at all. Pick Top 10 for 2 - 3 years in a row, I'm good with it. I am even willing to lose trades to create Cap Space.

Zadorov

Zadorov being honest again. Put an "A" on his chest!

A great show all around, well worth the ticket price. "Black Water" was the first of the encore songs. IMO, Pat Simmons stole the show even though Michael MacDonald received the most cheers. Simmons vocals were strong and his guitar playing was fantastic. I was really amazed with his talent and endurance at 75 years of age. That skinny, long-haired, little freak was still jumping up and down and running from one side of the stage to the other. John McFee was killer as well. I'm not sure what happened to Tom Johnston, he wasn't on the stage at all.

To my eyes, another game with too little effort from most of the team. I can't fault Markstrom on any of the goals; two deflections and a screen. Oh well, at least I will enjoy myself at the Saddledome watching the Doobie Brothers tonight.