travel_dude

Hasn't Kadri already set the bar for the new deal? Younger than Kadri, but the peak is similar. New deal is probably in the 7.5M and up range. So, would that be crazy for our current only #1?

If they decide to call back up Pelletier (no reason why they wouldn't), the most likely to come out is Ruzicka. After that, it would be Ritchie followed by Lucic. The leash is long, so they get promoted when they play well enough and sent to 4th line if not. Ruzie is struggling to contribute at 5v5 on the 4th line, but he's quite good on the PP. I also would say that Ruzie has been as good as Lewis on faceoffs. Actually about 4% better.

You don't have to talk about what it was like in the old days. I was unable to watch most Flames game due to the East Coast bias (and time zone). Now, I have access. I like to hear anaylsis of the team, so you take the good with the bad. Hearing about who the Flames are targeting is just interesting to some. I am not a fan of reality TV in any way shape or form. I don't think sports rumors fall into that category. If they talk about Connor McD getting caught cheating on his GF, who gives a crap. It's not hockey. I feel the same towards hearing TMZ style reporting on celebs. Reporting on hockey may not be your cup of coffee, I get it. I do think that the Sutter hiring was not a BT move. He may have been able to fire Wardo, but I think his choice was being told to him; you fire Ward, you get Sutter. As far as informing Wardo, who knows. It's not like he didn't feel the heat. Or that he may have been told long before that he had expectations about performance.

The guys like Ritchie and Lewis were after-thoughts for the most part. BT signed Rooney (a mistake for the type of team he came from). The Neal for Lucic thing was selling the owners of a less expensive contract. Simplest thing would be to have bought Neal out, but that's a lot of money. At least Lucic is a character guy that gets fans going in a positive way. And to the owners, it saves something like $4M. What was expected at camp by BT was that at least one prospect would make the team. Sutter gave him the cut list and BT needed to figure out how to make it happen. Newly signed Meloche was gone and so was Valimaki. That's not on BT, it's on the players and the coach. Sutter's comments from last year were that Mackey was more NHL ready. Even if he didn't live up to it this year, that view was being held. Kylington put a crimp on the GM's ability to call up players. Had to dance to get players up at times. So, it comes down to the coach to use the players he's given or not to use them. What I find odd is that before Phillips was called up, Sutter went on a rant about the player's size. When he came up, he sat, he played, he sat then was sent down. Pelletier was used the same way, though he showed more of a NHL game. Zohorna and Duehr both came up and were used rather quickly. Duehr sat out so that Pelletier could stay in the lineup. Ruzie sat out initially. This while using Lucic in a top 6 role. Anyway, this is going off on a tangent. We should probably be trying out players at the NHL level. If we need them during a playoff run, we would need to call them up before the deadline. Otherwise, they are in the AHL until the Wranglers are done. Untested/unproven players could be a difference maker, but throwing them in a game 7 isn't really wise.

Sports is closer to the movie industry than most workplaces. Do you often get stopped on the way in the door and some random person asks for your autograph? Is your autograph worth money to people? Do people call you up to ask your opinion on lifestyle or news or sports? Canadians are obsessed with hockey. Kids have heroes in sports, so it's odd that you think there shouldn't be any appetite for hockey stories. Saying all that, it's a shame that the team could be so clueless in dealing with the coach. If you know you are firing a guy, why pretend that it was just decided. Show some class and inform the coach early. Give the reins to the A/coach so that the team knows what's going on. And the fans. They might not agree, but at least it shows some class in being upfront.

Comparing news media to sports media is quite funny.

What is a 4th line these days? It's not a slow dump in line. Forget about what you want to call them, what would you expect to see from the trio in the NHL? One would expect the same as they play in the AHL, with a lot harder competition. They aren't sheltered in the AHL, so you may want to in the NHL. They do with our current 4th line, as best they can. We have defensive C's on the top and 3rd line now. You could give them good starts. Anyway, all I was getting at was trying to get an opinion from someone that sees them play as a line. It won't happen, but I was interested what they might be like as a line in the NHL.

They cause a ghost effect sometimes. When a player is viewed, sometimes behind the net, they are faded out. I find the racing ones to be annoying; the ones that move the length of the boards. My pet peave

That was the most frustrating thing about the days of Gio. Line up three players after the game and they say the same thing. We need to...... I was tired of it. I would say the culture is better today, but I think there is some underlying things about the room. You won't ever hear about that kind of thing. If the players call a player only meeting, then maybe it's real. Was some rumblings about the "taking a Satoshi Nakamoto" comment, but you take the good with the bad. I doubt that is much more than a passing thing.

It's why I voice concern about the use of the call ups. It doesn't always come from just looking good in camp. We have played poorly against weaker teams. Would like to see young guys used more in those situations. CHI was two games that the vets did not look good. They came back in one, but were run over early. Those two games were not the only ones I can think of. Since you have likely seen the three ply on a line, let me ask you this. Would a line of Pelts-Zohorna-Phillips be able to do something in the NHL as a 4th line?

"My guy" is always going to be the one that best suits the team needs. Do we need another Ritchie? Nope, not unless we sit Lucic. The younguns lighting a fire under a vet is a good thing. You want to play, do something. The Heat from Cali was a great team last year. Not just a NHL wanna be bunch of guys. This year is the same, just close to home and gives the coach and GM a better chance to discect them.

The only reason why there is time is lack of injuries in the F corp. No, we don't need Phillips right now. Pelletier is showing he belongs in the top 9 so far. Duehe looks like a Hathaway type that can play in a few roles. Ruzie can play 4th line or better. I just don't want to be again in the situation where we only move up Lucic if we had an injury. We lost Huberdeau and used Ruzie on the top line. That was fine. It worked. Lucic in the top 6 is and was not a solution.

Phillips is a work in progress. Not sure if there was enough runway to really know where he is. It's not like the Flames are so convincingly awesome in the top 6 that I wouldn't take a longer look. I saw some decent shifts from him as well as some meh ones. Sutter may have even given him a plan to work on in the AHL. Anyway, we have new fish to fry. The reality is that you can't have Pelletier, Ruzicka, and Phillips up in the top 6 on any given night. One or two may belong there. One may play there way up to that point in a game. Let's see how these two work out.

I don't know that Phillips had a bad set of games or not. It's hard to get a read on a player in limited play situations. Was he there to play with Backlund and learn the D side of the game? Perhaps. Not a bad strategy, but his forte is a goalscorer. I won't belabor the discussion about the player, since he's not really suited for the NHL team. Top 6 RW or C is about where he would best fit, but no way he gets that assignment without plodding in the bottom 6. Sutter is looking for roles for the players. That's sort of the problem. Not everyone fits the role he needs.

It's important to understand that public comments about a player just getting a shot at the NHL have to be better thought out. You saw a public admission of that in Sutter's comments after the fact. The GM has a responsibility for PR for the team; it impacts signings and trades. And the fans pay the bills.

Odd news, and I'm not even sure it's important.... https://www.hockeyfeed.com/nhl-news/darryl-sutter-called-into-meeting-with-flames-gm-brad-treliving?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=mh&utm_content=tweet

I'm tied for the 2nd Wild Card spot. Like the flames, I hope my position improves.

Do we have a Suckage thread? Really it doesn't matter who they play should they make the playoffs. I am surprised they are winning games right now. Big winning streak, McD with 92 points including 46 PP points, and $9M of cap relief used to ice a team. 4 forwards with > 60 points and the next highest poinst by a forward is 15. $32M buys you 118 goals.

No doubt they will sign him. I like Raty and Beauvillier. Other than the fact that VAN wasn't going to be able to sign him, this is not a great trade. Not sure what VAN is even doing. Did they want a tear down or re-tool. This has bits of both.

If we had Wolf's numbers for one of our NHL goalies, we would be laughing. That kid is crushing it.

The transition for top 6 players to the NHL is difficult if the spot available is a 4th line grinder role. Not every team has that type of 4th line; some are speed and forecheck. Duehr had success when Kadri played on his line for a shift. Or when Pelletier was there. You know, some speed. Ruzicka played well in the top 9, and the top line wasn't exactly bump and grind.

Don't let it get to you what people say. We are a bunch of people with opinions. Some opinions are backed up by other's comments, while others are jumped on. There is never anyone's intent to make a person feel small. You will see some barbs being traded between some people. But sometimes that starts with someone trashing someone else. Be respectful and that is how you will be treated, or so we try to be that way.

The blame to the goalies is about the same as the blame to the D. It's very targeted and covers up the overall play of the team. It's not A + B. It's A + B + C. The goalies are wandering and the D try to figure out what the play will be. Poor communication leaving the D scrambling to get to the spot the goalie wants them. Refer to as the Mike Smith problem; D rush the first pass when they get it. The D are making passes from a standstill to a F. The gaps between them is too far. The F are not breaking out as a unit. They are standing still when the long pass gets to them. The good: Goalie stops the puck behind the net and makes a drop to the D. The D skate out and make a short pass to a moving F. The F hit the O-zone with some speed and backup. There isn't a dump/deflection and chase, so we maintain possession. At the worst, we are in the zone to get the puck back. Not one in and the rest back. The Bad: Goalie stops the puck, then handles it with pressure coming. The D scramble to get the puck clear of pressure. They make a short pass in traffic. The ugly: Goalie stops the puck and drops it to the D. The D sit back and wait for the team to start moving. The other team sends one guy in and the D pass it back and forth. The F have vacated the zone and are on the other side of C. The time dely means they are just situated, not really moving forward. The D makes a long pass. Picked off pass, retrieved easily by the D, or quick transition at the blueline. I have tried to find how different we play when the different goalies are in. Both goalies play the puck and fire it along the boards. Both make little passes to the D. The one difference I have notices is that Vladar is less scrambly in the crease. He gets beat if his positioning is off or if he can't get back over. His glove is often a bit low on high risers. He is good in one on ones. Marky makes 10 bell saves, but they also seem desperate. He lets in goals from the puck being pushed in past him. He loses his crease. He's good on one on ones but is succeptable to shots from the circle or slot. ANyway, no one cause, but if one goalie is getting better results, then go with that for now.

Good to hear from someone watching the AHL team. The problem with using Zohorna and Duehr is the lack of quality spots in the NHL. Unless you use them on lines with the equal amount of skill, they seem to be out of sync. Nothing against Lucic or Lewis, but we have enough younger players to creat a decent 4th line. Zohorna, Duehr, Ruzicka, even Ritchie (though I would say Ritchie is less than those guys). Instead, you play 1 or 2 with the lesser vets. 4th line NHL players with 3rd or 4th line capable prospcts. Maybe even higher. Zohorna is a bit more like Ritchie, though. Ok for a 4th line. Can score.

Well, the SB is the only big amont he would see without playing in the NHL. Getting a free degree from Harvard? Worth close to the amount of that SB. Fox gave it up to sign into the NHL directly. Don't get me wrong, I think he will be a Flame. I just don't know that the timetable for him playing will make a lot of people comfortable. He could sign this sprng, but the timing probably excludes him from the NHL Is that really going to make him want to sign this year?