travel_dude

Regardless of what round they were drafted, what I have been seeing on twitter and opinion pieces is a lot of grumbling about players not being tried at all. Whether they are high picks or not, many teams have played players from 2019 and 2020 draft years. Maybe the term graduating is the wrong one to use. How about "trying out" a player? Last year was a year where we didn't have many injuries, but we still managed to look outside for players. Two players at TDL and we send out 3 picks.

Good analysis. Luck and situations sometimes look the same in some of the data. Last year, Mange found quiet areas to get into but he was also playing against a top offensive line. On the road, he was less line matched so he played against non specific lines a lot more. Maybe had some reason for being a road warrior. One thing to mention about shot volume though. He's missing the net, so those aren't even counted. I do find that 3 guys are all in the same paint. Nobody in the quiet area. 4 bodies in the way of a clean shot. Too bunched up in the O-zone.

Coleman/Dube/Mangiapane are basically the same size. But I think Mange is a better transition player and Backlund has shown he is too. To me that implies: Ruzie-Kadri-Dube Mange-Backlund-Coleman The first line there is a wild card and hasn't been tried, but I get the sense that a big forward dovetails with Kadri pretty well. That 2nd line is proven to work. Why did we think it was wrong to keep them together?

I have been saying this for some time, but Mangiapane belongs with Backlund. Backlund gains the zone with ease and is able to track the puck in board battles. He finds open players or creates 2nd chances for others to bury. IMHO. Kadri needs a big power forward type to complement his game. The closest player I can find to that (with the right skill level) is Ruzicka. Perhaps Ritchie could get to that point, but I can't tell some nights. Right now we have two question marks playing with Kadri. I don't know if there were ever dominant as a line. They were good at the start, but that doesn't prove much. If both guys drop in the roster and Ruzie/Coleman jump up, we have the same setup with Backlund as we did with Kadri. Maybe worth a shot. Ruzie-Kadri-Coleman would be interesting, but I suspect you want Coleman with Backlund/Mange.

He's a dark horse for the Hobie right now. Has played so few games compared to the league. The good thing is the NCAA not bad for developing players. If it's this season, fine. Another year wouldn't kill it. But i get your point. The thing is, if you are trying to convince a player to sign away their education, you need to show that you play signed players. Not just send them to the AHL.

None of these guys are pro rookies, just NHL rookies. At some point every player is one. Ruzicka is a relative rookie on this team and is almost the top goal scorer. He has off nights. And he's less consistent a player than Phillips is and Pelletier has become. Sutter complains about getting to the dirty areas, but every team needs to snipe goals as well. Anyway, not really disagreeing with you, just suggesting that big guys aren't the only ones to score big goals. A guy leading the AHL in goals has to be doing something right.

Yes, I think the entire fanbase is a little miffed about lack of graduating forwards from 2018 onward. Every team has prospects, and we are loathe to try them. If the team was stacked, then I would understand. But we have a 4th line that gets owned in games. I think at one point, the 4th line was 10 chances against and 1 for. On the road that can happen, but should be cause for concern that you are playing them too much. Would rather a tired Backlund than a slightly winded Lucic. This isn't the same as Baertschi getting healthy scratched for lacklustre effort. This is about making use of the depth you drafted. If they can cut it, you have the next wave. If they can't at least you see what you lack. Phillips may not work, but what a story if he did. Two other first rounders playing pretty high level not being used.

Ball said the same thing during the last broadcast. Including the full CAR game and the relief against BUF, he is .930 this season. That excludes the SEA game which was bad on all counts.

If you are gonna make a trade, trade from surplus. And trade when the season is still young. Jarnkrok/Carperter were bad trades and meant burying Ruzicka last season. If we are gonna make a trade for a RW, then we need to send out a winger that isn't fitting in. Dube is about the only player in the top 9 that comes to mind. He has value. He is underperforming for us. It "seems" that him and Mangiapane are in the same role. Neither is a playmaker. Neither is a power forward. Kadri played best with a power forward. If you go the route of bringing up an AHL player, then Lucic should be victim #1 and Lewis #2. If that means the AHL player bumps down say Dube, then you have a reasonable 4th line. Dube-Lewis-Ritchie Or if you keep Lucic in, then it's Lucic-Dube-Ritchie. The goal should be improve the overall team. Sitting one of the 4th line guys helps.

Good job Deedsy. Didn't expect you to update them, just having fun with a lineup of 2 Ruzickas. Let's see how long the lines stay together. Interested to see how Ruzie does with Backlund. But honestly, that's the line I worry the least about. Kadri has gone cold. Dube scored in two games but before and after was cold. Mangiapane not looking close to the same player. So, here's a thought. Ruzicka has helped the top line get back some finish. Other than maybe faceoffs with the 4th line, he was not bad. Kadri line not generating much. Play him with Kadri?

It's the right move. Vladar has been better in high volume shots against. Last 2 starts: CAR 33 shots, 2 PP goals against PENS 39 shots, 1 goal against Markstrom WAS 25 shots, 3 goals against PHI 25 shots, 2 goals against FLA 35 shots, 4 goals against Remaining games this week, MTL and WAS. Would even consider split duty on those. Maybe it's time to alternate goalies more regularly. Or I am overthinking it. Sutter probably looks at shot volume and maybe past performance against team X.

So, it's probably safe to say that RW is the greatest need right now. Dube and Mangiapane not cutting it in that spot. Coleman can seem to handle it. I suppose the callups really depend on need. RW is the biggest need, so Zary followed by Phillips makes sense. Pretty stacked on LW and LHS's. I don't know that Pelletier has had much time at RW, and maybe it isn't a big deal. Assuming we call up a player for the top 9. What makes sense is to drop Dube to C the 4th line. Lewis sits. Huberdeau-Lindholm-Toffoli Ruzicka-Kadri-Zary Mangiapane-Backlund-Coleman Lucic-Dube-Ritchie If you went with Pelletier, not sure, but might still be able to use the same combos. What really stands out for me is that the 4th line is ineffective. Lucic hasn't ever been healthy scratched in Calgary. Lewis is doing little to help get the 4th line out of the mud, and is not effective on the PK.

Probably just a result of a recent game, but Wolf is .915 and 2.59 GAA. Anyway, the goaltending is worse for the early part of the season than the last two years. Markstrom was a stud last year with a strong start. The year before he started strong and faded to average. Vladar is playing very well, but Sutter wants W's. Backups regularly take the starter role at times in a season, but we won't see that here.

Good job Deedsy. Might want to check the Flames lines; 2 Ruzicka's. Based on the last practice, I suspect the line may be changed a bit too. Daily Faceoff has adjusted the lines to match practice. By no means am I complaining. Will be interesting to see what Ruzicka can do with Backlund. And the return of Hiberdeau to the top line. Minutes matter, so the top line will depend on who is playing the best and who is needed on the ice. Will probably see Backlund and Coleman with other players, since Ruzie doesn't get to play > 16 minutes often.

Even though he had a "bad" camp, there is no reason why everyone was excluded from the AHL forward bunch. He did start slow in the AHL, but has heated up with Phillips. What bothers me is that Sutter uses the camp as the only thing to gauge a player. Very seldom does a guy get called up and used where he makes the most sense. Ruzicka spent time on the 4th line last year. Deserving maybe, since he was not a strong FO person. So, right now, the struggle is to bury the puck. Sutter admits that scoring is tough, but is otherwise not harsh on the team. In public anyway. Yet we have two players that consistently have put the puck in the net or set it up. Both somewhat similar in size to Mangiapane and Dube. Neither struggling with consistency. Then you have Zary who is NHL size and having a good bounce back. Perhaps Sutter decided the identity was crash and bang with some talent. We lost two players at the very least that brought that game with some scoring. And we lost a player that (when he wasn't broken) could hit the net. The 4th line used to be a threat to injure, now they are a threat to be scored on. Most teams' 4th lines outplay our 4th line and some give trouble to our middle 6. Not good.

We were discussing it here, and I saw the tweet. I posted before using due diligence. When I checked into it a bit further, it was a re-tweet. But should have caught the reference to AHL Heat, which is passe. Not used yet to the Wranglers.

It was a tweet that happened to be from 2019, but was looking new.

My bad. Jumped the gun there.

Never mind that last one. Stupid me not looking at the date.

The #Flames have recalled forward Matthew Phillips from the @AHLHeat .

I don't have a problem with the content of the lines, but I night suggest a few swap from LW to RW. I'm never 100% sure if Coleman is RW or LW when he played with Mange. I thought he mostly played RW with Mange on LW. Ritchie on LW seems off. Maybe Dube there and Lewis at C. Dube takes 50% of the draws or better, depending on how they are doing. They revert to their normal spot after the draw. Other than that, it would be interesting to see Phillips play with Kadri and Ruzicka. There is some experience there. Phillips would need to use his positioning to get in and out of trouble. Can't say it would be any worse than the 2nd line is now.

I don't have the luxury of extended views of different combos. We had Hubey not meshing for the first 6 games. The reaction was to mess up every line. We have one line that plays well per game. Sutter messed up the top line when he bumped down Ruzie to the 4th line for 1 2/3 games. There may have ben good reason for it, but the solution was worse. So, here is my crazy view of Kadri. He played well with Nichuskin, who was a power forward. They caused a lot of disruption on the ice. The closest thing we have to him is Ritchie or Ruzie. Maybe Dube works at RW there, but not sure. So, let me put it this way again Hubey-Lindholm-Toffoli That puts the top players together now that they have started to play better individually. Want to see Hubey pass a bit less and shoot more. Ruzicka-Kadri-Dube Someone capable of making a good pass to the C. Each one of those guys can have a lethal shot. Ruzie needs to be a bit less shy around the goalie. Mange-Backlund-Coleman What can I say that wasn't [proven last year. These guys are dominant. They all go to the net. Backlund wrister isn't super hard, but it can be accurate. 4th line If you are going to sit one player every game, why is it that only the new Flame is getting sat? Sutter claims FO% makes a difference. Lewis 36% Rooney 42% Might as well have 3 guys that can skate. Lucic is painful to watch for 50% of a game. He gets moving sometimes, but it's like watching a train stop and go back the other way.

Toffoli is the least worry on the roster. Lindholm not scoring where he was money last year. Mangiapane and Dube both look sub par in the execution. Lucic has fallen off to the point of being a scrub. Lewis only seems to have a positive effect at 5v5 and then it's just dirty goals. Which is fine, but little effect when that 4th line is together.

That may be the case, but I find they often pass off from the direct shot. What makes Stone's shot most effective (IMHO) is that it is a direct shot. Anything other than caught by the goalie is a first or second chance. That doesn't always mean the dirty goal, as much as being in position to jump on it. Teams that defend the box well don't give time and space to get a stick on it. Ruzicka scored because he slightly delayed and pounced. Dube and Mangiapane both drove to the net looking for that 2nd chance. Too many players in the way to get anything on it. So, my motto would be drive to the net, but hold back a little. Be slightly back of the F with the puck, to allow the pass or pounce. Not much good when the D takes away the pass without having to overcommit. Ras is being too much of a bumper at the blueline, but not getting it down low. No direct shots. Anyway, not sure it's something that change unless you build the lines to work that way.

Some alternate lines today. Not sure I like Mange on RW. #Flames lines and pairings at Monday practice: Huberdeau-Lindholm-Toffoli Dube-Kadri-Mangiapane Ruzicka-Backlund-Coleman Lucic-Lewis-Ritchie Rooney Hanifin-Andersson Weegar-Tanev Zadorov-Stone Mackey Markstrom Vladar