travel_dude

This season for me will go down as close but no cigar. My pre-draft ranking were big mistakes. Went high on D, so I drafted a lot of D. I have very few other players that met their draft rankings. My best pickups were Weegar and Sharky. Some of my higher draft picks were dropped. I had Couture for what seemed ages. Closest I got to Rocket was about 200 points in the middle of the season. Then the bottom fell out. No better than 4th this season.

I think there are just certain people who's gate and skate don't lend themselves to speed. Choppy skaters. Or they may be slower looking because they can't handle the puck at speed. Monahan was NHL size, so I think the only thing is whether he would have been better off in Junior and then AHL. I don't see what that does to the natural skills the guy had. He was never going to be Matthews. He could have been injured before a playoff game in Detroit riding a scooter. The advantage of youth is the less brittle bones. But if they don't take care of the pieces that need fixing, he's 30 and they just seem to have found it all.

So, he stays in junior for another year (or 2), then either goes to the AHL or NHL. Not sure how any of that makes his career the same duration. Also I would suggest that his injuries could have been worse elsewhere. If anything, the decisions to play him injured was the big mistake made. If he was playing with Johnny today, the guy would have 40 goals, he looks better. I think the play don't play right out of junior is more appropriate to a player that may be out of his realm. Too light. Too soft. Only excels against kids. You probably can make a fair judgement in 9 or less.

So, the two slowest skares on CGY were both played in the NHL too early? Monahan and Tkachuk. Sorry, I don't think so. Skating wasn't going to somehow get better playing in a slower league. And when you are a certain type of player and you are assigned that role by the coach, whatevs. I may lean that way with Bennett, but I think they failed to develop him in the NHL. He was coming off an injury and they opted to play him in the playoffs. Of course they keep him in the NHL after the way he played there. It was the years following that the problems developed.

I don't know about the suspension now, on a different view. It looked like an attempted shoulder check that hit on the head. It could go either way, but I think they may just suspend him.

Season officially done.

I can't tell by the replay how intentional it was. They would have reviewed it, so I think it's the right call. Figures that we will lose him prior to the EDM game.

I am surprised we are losing to WPG. Outplayed them in the 1st and just didn't bury it. Anyway, the only game I want to win is EDM, but I would settle for the loss.

The PP has been much better with Kuzmenko and Weegar. Fast passing, less stupid passes.

Flames always seem to play WPG well. We could actually win the series. For every game like this, there is games like CHI and ANA.

In some ways this is a typical Flames game. Mistakes killing us. We survive the 5-3 only to get scored on the 5-4. 2nd goal a bad giveaway. Wolf has been very good, but he isn't quiet enough. Both goals he slid too far out. The 5 hole was the result in sliding across. I get that he's small but he stands his ground pretty darn NHL-ish. Stay quiet, cover the angles, and don't lose the net. I hope Wolfie gets the EDM game. Markie hasn't been back to Roger's since the playoffs there. That would just mess up the Oilers so much to lose to a rookie goalie. Losing to this version of the Flames. Only game I care about them winning.

Helly is a goalie that can win a game. Unfortunately, this is a team that plays better F than D. Defense wins cups, not F like Kyle Connor or C. McD. Garbage goals are what you need. Dallas to me is built for the cup final. Quick strike and a D that can kill you. They draft so well. They owned EDM last night.

Zary sits tonight. Not sure if injury or hold the kids to account. Nothing to suggest an injury, though. Uggg. Repeat of part of what last game looked like for lineup.

^^^^^^^ Interesting version of Johnny Cash's song. I'll admit I prefer the audio version of the original. But, visually, you can't beat the eye candy. Not official, but it looks like Wolfie starts. Mange and Hanley out, so Okhitiuk likely back in. I heard an odd stat about Markstrom. He hasn't played in EDM since the playoff loss. Somehow, I think the tradition continues, but odd that Wolfie would start 2 in a row. Good idea, just odd.

Seldom are we this far out of it, so I would say in other years there was an incentive for players to play. And coaches to trust the player's jusgement, assuming the trainers and docs said it was 50/50 or better. I think if in question, shut them down unless they are a pending UFA you have no interest in. But then why are you playing a guy like that? Where does that leave us? We had Markstrom out, and now he is playing? We are still penalizing young players but not holding the vets to the same standard. Zary was not goog on a shift where ANA scored, but was he any worse than the other two? Only Zary saw the 4th line of that bunch. It actually made it worse for us.

Gotta love Weegar's comments: #Flames MacKenzie Weegar: “I know that I personally have more care for the next guy beside me to play better. I know there’s a lot of guys in this room that can play better for that next guy beside you. Tonight, it was one of those games where you take a look in the mirror.” 1/2 x.com/WesGilbertson/…

There are many cases where a team ruined a player, at least temporarily. VAN went hard after Kuzmenko and he did what they expected him to do in his first season. Not so much in his 2nd season and he eventually fell out of favor with the coach. The rest of the F were overperforming and he was underperforming. He was given a less prominent role and lost ice time. For the money, he was their Mangiapane, without the defensive play. When we got him, we first focused on getting his game back to 200 feet, or "engaged" as they called it. Sat for a game. He wasn't happy just scoring a goal (like an EN or one in a losing effort), he wanted to be a difference maker. He looks more comfortable with Kadri and Pospisil (or Zary). My beef is not winning games in the last month of the season. It's about playing every game like winning is the only thing to consider. Fine to have a culture of winning and hold players accountable for anything less than their best effort, but we also have a duty to continue development of players that have not yet reached vet status. Not officially eliminated, but almost there. That's not on the players, it's on the coach. Wolf is sitting doing nothing. He will be heading to the AHL playoffs as the starter. He could very well be the backup next season depending on the GM and the health of Vladar.

The team that has struggled to gain traction in a rebuild the most, seems to be ARI. They somehow didn't win the lotto when they weren't 5th last. Teams that had no business winning the lotto were winning it. The league had to come up with the EDM rule of lotto wins. EDM had the following placement in drafts and only now seems to have taken any kind of step: 2007 - 6th, 2008 - 22nd, 2009 - 10th, 2010-2012 - 1st/1st/1st, 2013 - 7th, 2014 - 3rd, 2015 - 1st, 2016 - 4th, 2017 - 22nd, 2018 - 10th, 2019 - 8th, 2020 - 14th, 2021 - 22nd So, more of an example of ineptitude in using the riches to any meaningful way. I have no real belief that we would win the lotto. If the system is fixed, then a team opening anew arena in the coming years will win it. I don't know how you rig a lotto, but if you could, the results back that up. I don't subscribe to the conspiracy theory but would laugh if we somehow won it this year.

Games like this should be learning moments for Wolf, not watching moments. What exactly is the use of continuing to give Markstrom every game. It hasn't helped all season. While I don't blame the goalie, he certainly didn't steal this for us.

Glad that one is done. Eliminated from WC1, and LA can kill us off with 3 points now. Or a win and CGY regulation loss. Could be as soon as Thrusday.

Our 2nd shot in the first 10 minutes oif the 3rd. And it was tied going in.

If you can't get it with your stick, toe it in the net. Kuzmenko has a couple of 2 goals games.

(sarcasm off)

It's a darn good thing Wolf isn't playing. Much more important to watch the team lose, sitting on the bench. Learn how to lose kid. Watch how it's done. Hold the door for me while you're at it.

Reminded me of Pospisil's first NHL goal, except Pospisil's was better.