travel_dude

Huh?

TBH, I don't know what to do with Backlund. He's our best defensive C, but is going to start aging out as a top 6 option. Ryan isn't that far off, but is a better 4th line C right now, if we have depth. If we trade Monahan for a RW, then we lose that depth. If we trade Tkachuk for Eichel, we maintain that depth and actually are better. Ideally, if we plan on a big makeover, we ship Monahan + Tkachuk for Eichel + Reinhart. We get back a top C and a top RW. Obviously, it's going to take more than just Monahan + Tkachuk, but it does allow for a big change to the core: It still leaves us short. Gaudreau-Eichel-Lindholm Mangiapane-Reinhart-Dube Ruzicka-Backlund-RW Lucic-Ryan-RW That 3RW is critical. Don't think we have anyone in the system to play there.

I don't think we need to go there. He's an option for then as it is; leadership, protect kids, Left Coaster.... If he stays here, I think we have to be honest with him and tell him his role is changing. I've got no issue with him being a net front on a PP unit, but we need players that can get the put to the net. Line number is meaningless; if we have two lines that can survive and thrive in the D-zone, he plays on one of them. To put it simply, he can't just get 15 minutes a night because Backlund does.

He plays much taller than his actual size. Can't remember the last lazy play I saw him make. Knock him down (happens a lot) and he pops back up again. Could use a few more players like that. I would like to see him be part of a line built for the top 6. Playing with a broken Monahan or asking him to drag along Lucic is asking a bit much. 3M line was deadly, but we aren't using that now. Mangiapane-Lindholm-Tkachuk was pretty decent, but then again Gaudreau lit up that line as well. Need something better than Mangiapane-Monahan-Ritchie.

Finally, we get to see him suit up. Of course I have concerns that he will get stuck forever in Stockton or end up tolling on the 4th line. There doesn't appear to be too much difference in size between him and Mangiapane, but of course that's no ideal size. It's probably way too early to project him into the lineup, but I think we have to start building away from guys like Lucic. He's here 2 more years. Sign UFA's with future usage in mind, not just the immediate. Thinking out loud.

2018 - Traded picks bad. Having 3 players in the AHL is not a bust. 2019 - really? You must be able to project a 1st rounder to be a bust. We really get you don't like the player. 2020 - There are several picks I do not like, but others that could be steals.

Draft failures are not always picking the wrong guy. Poirier may have been the wrong pick; choppy stride but nose for the net. There were personal issues below the surface that scouts would never pick up on. And the development path for him may have played a big part in the failure. Those are two very different reasons for players failing. Mason MacDonald should have had warning bells going off, so no excuse there; completely bad pick. Klimchuk should have been able to transition to the NHL, so I will think that to be a development fail. A team picks Kucherov in round X and they are a genius. 29 teams passed on him. My point is that as long as your top 2 round picks are NHL players that contribute according to their draft placement, you are doing well. 3rd round and beyond success rate is much less, so finding gems is the goal. Too often, I think we critique based on drafted player lists (1-7th rounds) for a year or draft rankings and complain about picking player x and not player y. Sure, some are WTF moments. Others are "What did you see there". What teams don't share is the reason why they went there other than the opinion. No empirical evidence, no chance at success for the position, just opinion. Pelletier picked because he told them they would regret not picking him. Or some other nonsense. He was scouted for a reason, and attitude wasn't it.

To be fair, from 2015 onward, we've had successes and fails like every team: 2015 - 3 players selected 2nd round and 4th have played in the NHL, one player in KHL 2016 - 3 of 4 from rounds 1-3 are NHL'ers; round 4 onward not so much (one too small for Sutter) 2017 - round 1 and 4 have played NHL games; round 5-7 not good 2018 - first pick starting in round 4; 3 of them in the AHL last year for 1st season. 2019 - a bit early to call any busts; 2020 - 4 of 6 look like they could be NHL eventually The issue for me is we don't have enough 2nd rounders. We seem to hit on most of them. Anything past that is gravy.

Feas-brod was the problem. Decided they knew more than our scouts. Bees was good at scouting US players, but I think he got caught up in it a bit. Janko was one thing (not a terrible pick where he went), but Garrisob? Gilmour was just a reach from a well coached team, since they were watching Janko at that point anyway. I think we do a decent job scouting, just that tje local leagues are easier to convince the majority about. OHL not so much this year. Q league had a lot of games. European ones were hit an miss this year.

MVP of tournament and selected to team all star. Impressed that much after miisng the first three games. Got there just in time to score 3 GVG. If only he wasn;t too small and to unskilled to score in the NHL. Wait.....

Oh, I thnk he is very much a Sutter player. Sutter used him to help Backlund and Lucic. I guess where he plays depends on what we have let after the summer.

Feaster seems to have some blinders in his drafting, mostly Feas-brod. Kanzig - the next Charo. Harrison - another HS kid in the US.

I think it runs a lot deeper than that for the cause. We have holes because we haven't drafted enough over the last 5 years or longer. 2 wasted 1st rounders in 2013. 2 wasted 2nd rounders in 2014 No 1st in 2015. No 2nd 3rd in 2017. Nothing until 4th round in 2018. No 2nd in 2019. My issue with Flames drating (when they actually keep the picks) is that they draft BPA that meets their model of a player. Lavoie was probably BPA well over Pelletier, but he's notoriously "lazy". We weren't the only ones to pass on him, but skills alone made him BPA. Bennett was BPA, but there were traits that they viewed as making him a no brainer pick. Tkachuk was exactly the player we should have picked, even if Pooly was available. I guess picking BPA does help you if they end up being a good player. Trade a LHS C for a RHS C. Or trade Tkachuk for a #1C.

As much as Getzlaf is a good player to target, he can stay home and get 3rd line minutes over that role in a new city.

Big win for TC. Not usually into these, but it was a great win for the team. Start tourney 0-3, then beat US and Finns to win gold. Mangiapane held off the score shhet, but he wins the MVP of the tourney. Well deserved.

Messed up on Kanzig. That was before Burkie. I remember Burkie saying Feaster hit on all three 1st rounder in the 2013 draft. That was something he said when he joined. The fact that the Flames owners decided to bring in Burke was likely in response to Feaster getting jack squat for Iggy and J-Bow. I thought that the Monahan and Klimchuk picks were the only good ones in that 2013 draft. Tim Harrison? Kanzig? Roy? Seriously? Burkie was the bad influence on the 2014 draft. Bennett was a no-brainer, though perhaps we should have been looking at why he passed down to 4th as the top player. Ehlers was coming off a rookie season scoring 49 goals and 104 points. On a team with no Nate MacKinnon. Just food for thought. Burkie had his hands all over Bollig, Mason MacDonald, Smith, Austin Carroll.

He's not worth over 6. What he is is a player that attacks the net. The exact opposite of most of our team.

You agreed with Smith, MacDonald and Kanzig? All Burke and his truculence fetish I have no words.

RNH has a FO% around 44% I understand. That is pointless for us, and him playing LW is a non-starter. Those are my biggest reasons. I'm hoping he hamstrings EDM into overpaying. I've got no problem with Danault, but I think you get rid of Backlund if you do that. Cheaper and younger. I don't think we are any better with the three you suggested than what we have. Faster for sure, but Backlund is also going to tail off.

Even Mike Johnson, noted Flames hater, has been talking about him. This is great experience for him regardless. The open ice a bit easier for him to get space, but then again he's always in the middle of a dogpile. His 2nd goal was textbook Mangiapane, and we've seen him score that many times. Good for him. An unlikely hero.

I would wrather EDM pay 7x7 than us. He nowhere close to worth that much. A decent 2-3C, but not great. He's played winger to McDavid or Draisaitl at C for most of the last few seasons. At times with both. That doesn't scream play driver to me. I don't think we can match what the Oilers are willing to pay, and that's still a hometown discount. On the open market, there are teams desperate for what they think he is. I think he's a decent player, but a LHS smaller frame player with just a good wrister doesn't scream must have. I do agree that we need to find (or develop) that 3C sooner than later. We don't have a lot in the pipeline; Ruzicka, Zary....Buehler....

I think you may be mixing up Faster with BT. Feaster was gone before Sam was drafted. You could say that Feaster as responsible for us drafting 4th overall. Sam drafted by Burke (and BT), along with MacDonald, Smith and Kanzig. That was Burke planning for the future before BT has any real say.

I've looked at a few mock drafts. The most commone: Sillinger - LHS C Lambos - LHS D Coronato - RHS LW Others of note: Lysell - RHS LW Wellstadt - G (JJ would love this one, even the name suits him: http://www.tankathon.com/nhl/mock_draft) High praise for Lambos, though I'm not really sure about it. Again these are somewhat based on BPA ratings they have, bit the way teams view the players.

How I rate that trade is a 12th overall this year for a former 18th overall and Gaudreau for a 4th overall. I'm not sure I see that being much of an upgrade for the Flames. Then again, I probably have a lower opinion of a player on his draft +1 season. Here's an interesting stat from this season: Mercer - 1.5625 P/GP Francis - 1.5652 P/GP Francis actually maintained it for a longer stretch. I'm assuming Mercer missed some games?

You mean sign with a NTC for a flat salary amount that doesn't match NJ's needs? Then he rejects the trade? Just kidding about the NTC, but really it's something BT would need to give to get a long term deal.