travel_dude

Dustin Wolf recalled, Markstrom day to day

Odd that they said decision is not final.

Today at practice: Pelletier-Kadri-Pospisil Mangiapane-Backlund-Coleman Huberdeau-Sharangovich-Kuzmenko Hunt-Rooney-Coronato Kylington-Andersson Weegar-Miromanov Hanley-Pachal Markstrom PP1: Huberdeau, Kadri, Sharangovich, Kuzmenko, Miromanov PP2: Backlund, Pospisil, Mangiapane/Coleman, Andersson, Weegar

Gaudreau had the chance to be a HoF player here, but he lost his way. Priorities. Understandable that he chose family over fame, and good on him for that. He's close to Paddy Kane in points per game, but I don't know if he plays at that level again.

Per Stathletes, current probability to make NHL playoff cut: EAST Lightning: 88.1% NYI: 69.7% Flyers: 51.6% Capitals: 41.7% Red Wings: 29.0% NJD: 11.7% Sabres: 4.9% Penguins: 3.6% WEST Kings: 89.6% Predators: 89.1% VGK: 88.7% Wild: 13.8% Kraken: 12.1% Flames: 6.0% Blues: 0.8% What does that prove for final standings - nothing. I don't really get how they give us 6% and STL 0.8%. The only thing I can figure is that STL can only really reach a WC spot, while we have 3rd in the Pacific and two WC spots to fight for. I wouldn't say we have an easier schedule. They have a B2B against SJS and ANA, while we have 2x B2B's; away VAN/home BUF and LA/ANA.

He looked better than he has. I would keep him up to work with him, but that's just me. I don't think it's the right fit having him on the top line. The line got beat down against CAR, as did Backlund's line. Coleman and Hunt the only players to not have a minus after their names.

He played about 3 minutes on the PP in CAR. Less frustrating watching him as opposed to Ras passing it up high and not shooting. It's going to take a little work to get him to be a good full time NHL player. We have 4 RHS D available and 8D on the NHL roster. Zary and Greer due back sometime soon, with both skating in CGY this weekend. Gilbert is an easy waive. Duehr maybe the most like to be waived as well. Coronato may be a victim, as he was called up for Zary's injury. Currently 13F + Zary + Greer Currently 8D I would prefer to keep Coronato up and maybe create a line with a vet. But Hunt has earned a longer look, even if he has many head shakers moments. With everyone back in this is possible: Huberdeau-Sharky-Pospisil Zary-Kadri-Kuzmenko Mange-Backlund-Coleman Greer-Rooney-Coronato Ex. Pelletier Out - Duehr, Hunt Kylington-Weegar Miramanov-Ras Hanley-Pachal Ex. Okhotiuk Out - Gilbert

Unfortunately, we may need to sacrifice that this summer. We are a couple years away at least from being a real playoff team.

Vegas needs him more than COL did. Need Vegas to take out EDM at some point. A 1st and 50% of a $8M contract for Walker was what COL settled on. A 1st should have been the cost to retain 2 years of RJ. We retained on $2.25M one year and get a 2nd plus a potential 3rd. Plus a D prospect that we actually like.

I think we are likely to finish 8-10 worst. I doubt we get passed by MTL because they have a tough schedule. The rest are anyone's guess. Tough schedules, but playing as the spoler. Buffalo has Byram. NJ has better goalies than they had, but only because one was injured.

I don't know exactly, but we can't expect mostly the same team that two years in a row has failed, to somehow become a playoff team. We have many players that are below their career averages. Backlund, Coleman, Sharky, Kadri, Weegar, Ras are at or above their normal output. May have 1-3 guys that hit 30 goals. If we managed to get a top 6 player, a really good prospect, and solid top 4 D for Markstrom and Mangiapane, we would be better off on that end. Replace him with a decent starter and see who the backup should be. Have a 4th line capable of putting up points or not getting buried. We have almost no other F that are NHL ready. Seems like a bad dream. 4 trades of our old core and we have zero difference makers. One F in all those deals and he was a cap dump. Like the player but he needs a solid C.

I would be happy with Vegas winning a round, and VAN/DAL in the West Final. The two top teams competing. The best seeding I can think of is Round 1 of VAN/EDM and LA/Vegas. Vegas is stumbling along witht now, so I don't know they would beat EDM. But it would be sweet if they did. I just can't picture a playoffs where a team wins becuase it gets 2-4 PPG per game. The first round can be no whistles or a ton of them, but defensive play tightens up.

Perhaps a bit soon to project the AHL level players and QO or raises they might get. It doesn't even concern me since the UFA's aren't even projected into the NHL. The NHL team is going to be interesting as to what they do. I see 10 forward players longer term, with 13 signed and a couple RFA (Dube is likely a walk away). The team needs surgery and we did a wart removal. Trading players who wouldn't re-sign is not a strategy to improve a team. That's all we have done.

The Saul Goodman of Calgary sports.

I don't care what the end result of the article comes to. The click bait and his narritive is that he wants out. He didn't sign up for it. " Nazem Kadri didn’t sign up for this. He wasn’t added to Calgary’s veteran-laden core two summers ago only to see many of the pillars of the franchise traded away by this year’s deadline. The question is, what does he do about it? Does he ask for a trade this summer so he can chase another Stanley Cup? Or does he embrace his role as a mentor and leader for a young, radically retooled team?" Those lines alone are the kind that sets off a fan, and whether they are disputed by the player or not, the feeling is he wants out.

Perhaps I worded it wrong. I was saying that he went off about it. It sounded like he was railing about a breakdown in the process, not the owners quashing it.

Yup 100%.

I don't know that a GM would go off on the owners the way BT did if that was reaaly what happened with the Zucker trade. Stone. Let me see. Trading for a top NHL player while we were still near the top, in exchange for a rookie NHL D. They gave up Branstrom, an AHL player and a 2nd. Two years later, we gave up a 1st, a future 5th, Pitlick and Heineman, who we didn't even look at. The same guy that was such a win in the Bennett trade. The basic org idea is that it's okay to spend to the cap, that you must make the playoffs, that buy outs are okay as a last resort. BT was in on everything, and rarely got close to the finish line. So I don't think the owners killed them off. Where I think the disconnect is, is that the owners think we have a better team than we actually do. They were sold a goalie that would get paid $8M in two years of his contract. A bad year where the coach was sacrificed may have them believing that Markstrom is a god. That the cap spend alone means we have a good team that sputtered a couple of times but would have won the cup in they got in. Hey, we aren't arguing here. The media gives us ideas about the workings. We don't really know. You have to read into the things that are direct quotes to have any idea. What's the latest Eric Francis crap? Kadri may want out since he didn't come here to rebuild. Funny, because he has revamped his game entirely this year with Zary and Pospisil. He might get mad that player X is traded, because they were his teammates. His friends. In some cases he may hold different opinions about having floaters on the team.

Sutter and Riseborough say hi.

I'm not going to worry too much about any of the new guys at this point. I will say that Miramanov is 26, so not exactly young. Not old at all. Oky is 23, Grush is 20. They will need time to figure out the system. Next year they are likely in the NHL for us.

I think they would be smarter to keep Kuz and trade Bread. Kuz has better balance and is smarter. Mange is nothing without Backlund. Mange has a better rep and would bring more in a trade, but not a 1st. It may be smart to keep him until the TDL unless there is a good offer this summer. I would do Markstrom + Mange for 1st, 2nd (WPG), Mercer and Holtz. In a NY minute

They don't worry about one guy that a team wants. Wany Tuck and Krebbs? Sure, we will take Eichel because you are too stupid to deal with him. Want a garbage D? No problem, we will take Stone. Do we care if they may not sign? No, because we will pay them if they do. Meanwhile, we hum and haw about Valimaki or offering better than half broken Monahan. He may not sign. Can't be making trades like that. Ooh, we have a solid offer. Not what we expected so talk for days about it. Delay discussions about a player and guess what, it falls through because of paperwork. Try to offer sheet a guy that has to go through waivers. If COL wasn't as stupid, we lose Monahan before we draft him. We have had the dumbest GM in the history of dumb. Connie is making solid decisions if not batting 100%. BT, Feaster, Riseborough, Sutter, shall I continue?

We have played better against playoff teams. Not so good against the Pacific. I would say at best we are 10-8-2 and I think that's pushing it. Over the rest of this month, we have 11 games and I think we get 4 wins. In April, we may manage 3 wins.

The thing about the F is that they added two players and had a bottom 9 that scored 2 or less per line over the last 15 games or so. I saw the graphic and was not surprised. When the set lines don't score, they go back to the one line that always works. Yeah that D core. Ekholm is the only guy that makes them better. Bouchard scores most of the goals among that group. Outside of one pair, they look really bad.

I liked the move to get Hertyl, but I think he only works for them. Big risk, big payoff. They can manage next year when they see what the results are. If you are a player there, you know they will trade you any time.