travel_dude

Let's face it, Sutter played him for at least one reason. What that is, I can't be sure. But the fact he's out instead of the guy called up (Ruzie), shows that the 4th line was working. I agree he should not be in the lineup.

I have nothing to do with it. LOL. The timezone change to regular playing times will impact Toffoli a lot no doubt. He hasn't played since Sunday, so I think the B2B he has coming up is more concern.

That is not really a surprise is it? The 4th line was generating chances and looking dominant at times. Ya don't mess with that.

Your choice. Thanks for creating the thread. We have now a place to talk about the player.

As a MOD, I don't seem to have the ability. Thread starter should be able to. Suggestion: Tyler Toffoli - New Flames and Only #73 in Flames History

I'm okay with either. Nothing is set in stone at this point.

Continue the record there RD. Excited to see a new look top 9.

What is not to love about this version of the Flames? Can't remember a D core that has played with the same mindset. 4 lines now with little to complain about. A starter leading the league in shutouts, by a wide margin. We gave up nobody playing in the NHL to improve a potent 2 way team. Cheers.

Well said. We can debate the cost and the strengths/weaknesses of the player, but make no mistake, we had a serious hole in the top 9. Ritchie may be effective in some aspects of the game, but he's not an everyday player. INstead, we have a player with decent numbers in playoffs, a player that knows how the coach thinks and a player that should integrate well within a Flames gameplan. Unlike the VGK, we won't be facing scrutiny from the league or other NHL teams for questionable cap management. That strategy might hurt them in the long run, as Stone is a big piece of their regular season play. If a rusty Jack isn't enough to offset the loss of Stone for a number of week, they could be in some trouble. Yeah, I know they are the top team in the Division, but they are 13th in the league in points %.

The Big Smoke is all that. Bunch of smoke. They can't afford anyone. They would first need someone to retain 50% of the cap on Charot. Then get another team to do the same. And somehow get rid of Ritchie. A 1st alone wouldn't cut it. Would need to add at least a Kase or something to get the convo started.

Can you please explain? I don't know what you are talking about. PC's ?

I like that statement. In some ways Sutter mothers them too. No son, you can't play with the big kids yet. You look so small in your cute little gear. Wait til you geta as big as your big brother. JK. He is reluctant to try a kid out unless his hand is forced. He won't dump a Pelts into a 4th line grind, and if we are 100% healthy in the top 9 (with Toffoli added in), it doesn't scream a need. Yes, I would love to see Pelts get a shot. But only 3rd line or above. He might have chemistry with Ruzie, but that line is big and shifty. Some very good work on forecheck and possession. I wouldn't say that is where we should place a Pelts.

Nice to hear you say that. I think we were starting to be in the conversation before this trade. The good thing is we didn't give up the present to add to the present and future.

Would you give up Zary + 2023 1st for Keller? Assuming we could afford it. This is more of a summer deal.

ARI could probably use a 2023 1st as much as a 2022 one. So many teams have already traded the 2022 picks that the chances of finding a partner willing to pay are less. No, I'm not suggesting that we should do that, just that the door isn't closed. VGK, COL, FLA and CAR don't have a 1st in 2022. Some of those teams might want to make a deal with ARI.

Obviously, we aren't getting Hertl. In division makes it near impossible cost wise. Even if they wanted to trade him to us. I doubt MTL is considering tradin Dvorak, since they just have got him and haven't had a full year to look at him. You keep him over a Byron. What else is available out there? Domi isn't a top C, nice piece but not #1.

I would be very careful with the top line. They are rocking. Monahan and Backlund could benefit more than the top line with a consistent shooter. Backlund does have Mangiapane. Monahan has Ritchie and Dube. I know Monahan isn't a great playmaker, but anything is better than Ricthie.

I think you need to work at integrating him into the team. See how he works. See what makes sense. Try one thing that seems to make the most sense for a few games. Different types of teams. There are probably 3 places where he could play but only interested in ones that make us better overall.

It always comes down to winning the division or conference or whatever. He's not even in the conversation, which I could really care less about. He deserves praise and most fans seem to be giving it. That is awesome in itself. I do think Sutter has changed a bit with the times. Most of what he preaches is old school, but has never been in dispute. Possession wins games. You don't have it? Get it back. Limit the time the other team plays in your zone. The difference is that it's not just a big man's game. There is room for Johnny. He gets buy in because what he says makes sense.

There are obviously some similarities between Bennett and Dube. Both have another gear we have not seen in CGY. Both avoided lengthy (or any) AHL time. Dube spent part of last year on the top line. I suspect we might regret trading him. But maybe not so soon. He's never really solidified his position as a C and doesn't stand out like Mangiapane. I can't put my finger on it. To your point, this is team positivity, not individual player stuff. I know Conum backed off Ritchie a bit, but his intentions are fine. This team has done what none of really expected to see in less than a full year of Sutter. We found an identity that never existed. We are playing above the level of competition, not down to it. We are a ways from being a contender, but only from overall talent, not give.

There are three guys that haven't looked right all season, and all three of them have missed time to injury. Ritchie is one of them. He doesn't have good hands to begin with. Can he be an effective player at time? Yes, but you don't want to see him playing the entire season. The chemistry of the Monahan line could be better, and since Monahan is getting his game back on track, getting Dube going is important. Playing him where he is not comfortable is not a great solution. It's not even ragging on Brett. It's finding the right mix to roll 4 lines. Swapping Monahan with Ruzie might change it a bit, but jeeze that 4th line looks good now. The most likely alternatives are a farmhand or a trade. A farmhand is easier, since it doesn't disrupt anything else. You play them and evaluate. Not just the boxscores but the fancy stats and eye test. Pelts is a natural playmaker, so having a guy to feed Monahan and Dube would be like finding gold. Without impacting anything. Waive Richardson and get him some games in the AHL. Too early for a team to claim him. The positivity in my head says that Pelts is exactly a Sutter player. Doing it now gives BT some runway to figure out what is really needed. A winger is fine, but a C makes a lot of difference. As would a #1D.

The three games in hand over the VGK are critical. Set the stage. Win 2/3 and we are 3 points up at that season stage. 3/3 is 5. But the big thing for me is that we play well in a difficult schedule. February is slack compacred to March. Some teams had a vacation. Some got suckered early and lost a buch. We basically play 3 per week this month remaining. March and April is either 3 or 4 per week. This schedule builds character. Play at a high level every 2nd night. This is our playoffs right now. Play to get to the top so we don't have to face a top team. At the very least get home ice.

We are perhaps starting to see a team that breaks through the defensive trap. NYI is one of the best defensive teams out there. Dallas is another that gives you very little to work with. Even though the score was a little lopsided, it was a close game. Good to see that we don't start getting frustrated and cheat. Stay within the structure. The two goals we let in were related to D. Hanifin deflected one in. Zaddy goes down and Lindy drops the player to go cover behind. Can't do much about the 1st one. The second was a mistake; sure that Sutter let him know. I won't get too high about the win, since it was a schedule win. The B2B wins were more impressive, yet we played one tired team in each of them. The Toronto win was huge. BJ and ANA coming next week. Not powerhouses, but these teams have guys surging.

An interesting perspective.I don't know any coach that would throw a game. Did he use these games to make a statement? This the the best, see how you do with goalies struggling a bit? You don't get Markstrom to cover for you? I will be honest. The Flames struggle coming out of extended breaks. Their conditioning would be suspect having all of them with Covid or exposed. They weren't able to practice until the 27th and then went on the road. 4 games in 6 nights after a month off. IMHO, he used these games to break down the team a bit. This is what you should expect every night in the playoffs. Best on best. I thought he had an interesting perspective on Ruzie last night. His skillset is not 4th line so he needs to be giving 3rd efforts. As in 1st, 2nd 3rd effort. That's why he's here. Not to grind away.

Gets the 1st star tonight. Nice. Well deserved. The Guddy goal was a complete \ly dominating shift by the 4th line. If only we could get the 3rd line going. Like if we only had a RW that could make more than the occasional hockey play.