travel_dude
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Everything posted by travel_dude
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I watched the Leaf (bury) beat the Oilers last night. If our defensive system or breakout approach matched that used by the Leafs, we would be winning a lot more games. Can we rent Babcock for a few weeks?
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If the Flames motto is always earned, then Hartley has not earned any forgiveness this season. Like last year, Russell is still blocking a ton of shots, but is that the best defense or just a last line of defense before the goalie? I would rather see him play the man. The coach seems to put a lot of stock in blocking, and it takes its toll on players (Russell, Bouma, Brodie). I think we have a good enough defense to be able to keep out 80% on the PK. Scoring on the PP is low because of lack of any consistent strategy. Have 2 wingers stand at the blueline and wait for a player to skate it in? Or the same setup with a dump in? On a nightly basis, we see two lines producing offense, but usually it is a two-man unit. Or it is a 4th line and they don't get enough minutes. Granlund, Ferland, Frolik and Bennett have looked like the most dangerous players the last two games, but are sparingly used or left off special teams. I would like to see the coach adapt to what is happening on the ice. If a line is getting its head kicked in, change out one or more of the players. Like last year, Hartley took a long time to realize that the best players are the youngest. Johnny, Bennett, Ferland, Jooris and Frolik have played the way we want, but the supporting casts or usage has not been optimized. How long before we see a regular shift of Johnny-Bennett-Frolik? Or a Ferland-Granlund-Hudler line?
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I don't think Hartley is at fault for the GT situation as much as his usage of them has not helped. The only positive outcome this season was from running Ramo for 12 games. Had he done that with Ortio for maybe 3 games in a row, we might have a better idea if Ortio is a NHL goalie or not. The win/you're in system worked last year, but there was no real strategy of giving starts to one guy until Hiller was injured. Where Hartley is most at fault is not adapting to the struggles of individual players. Backlund is struggling, even if his line if providing offense in spite of him. Johnny's line is really struggling, even if at times Monahan is having a good game. They are getting the best starts, but struggling with it. Russell is struggling with defensive coverage, so why are you still giving him the green light, or using him to exit the zone? The special teams are struggling, and even if it's the responsibility of the assistant coaches, Bob still has to step in to fix it. I agree that he is not mixing up lines enough. We have the exact same top line as last year. The 2nd line depends on a gritty center playing the wing. Backlund is up and down with his FO%. Against CHI he was 72%, but Pitts and EDM he was below 30%.
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I think it's an excuse to blame effort. A lot of games we get on our heels early due to not being able to execute a zone entry or zone exit. We end up spending the next 3 minutes in the same cycle. That can set the tone, and it's hard to break out of, since the other teams feed off it. I have seen quite a few games where we were outplaying the other team, only to see a simple dump in by the other team turn into a deflating goal. If Hartley is responsible for the systems used, he needs to go.
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Leafs are supposedly thinking about waiving Bernier. I don't think it would work to claim him, as we don't have the space or roster available. Perhaps a Hiller for Bernier trade would make some sense to both parties. Not a big risk to the Leafs, as they don't have any confidence in Bernier anymore. Not a big risk to the Flames, as he couldn't be any worse than Hiller and he could get some confidence back. If they waive him, he will likely clear. We could make the trade with him assigned to the Marlies and bring him to CGY (or Stockton). Would need to call up Simpson or Ortio until we saw what Bernier looked like in the AHL. He may be one of those types that get better with a move. His stats were better in Y1 ib TO, similar last year, and better than Hiller this year (even in 0-8 starts).
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It's a pic of his 5-hole, his 3-hole, his nn-hole. It also a picture of the well of Hartley witty sayings about this team - as you can see it's gone completely dry.
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I would also think that Russell playing halfway between the two forwards definitely left lots of time to make a clean pass or shoot. Very little gap, and the pass may not be on the tape. Too much and it really turns into a two on one. You could see that Hudler had a good angle on the player, but Russell backing off gave enough room for a good pass. It didn't have to be perfect.
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We are beyond the coach's ability to fix the goaltending problem. Hiller has not shown the ability to stop 92% or better of the shots at all this season. There is no reason to believe that will change. BH can give Hiller all the starts in the world, but he isn't getting that SV%. Ramo has shown the ability to turn in that kind of game, but will still let in a game-changer every once in awhile. I don't think we will see much better than 6/10 from him. The defense is playing safe, for the most part. They will pinch at times but mostly on the rush or trying to hold the line with pressure. What you don't tend to see is those 50/50 plays that the Flames typically pinched on last year. The ones where the puck is close to a Flames defender at the line, but they back off. These happen a lot when we are applying pressure. The things that BH can do are fix special teams and defensive systems. Those two things alone could be the difference between a loss and a win. 0-3 on the PP and Sharks 2-2 on the PP. Possible 5 goal swing. The only other thing BH can do is play the goalie that makes the most sense. Rusty Hiller? Don't start him on the 2nd of a B2B against a division leader.
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You will have to talk to Bob about his coaching strategies. Last year, he made questionable choices, but was rewarded with average goaltending and above average top line production. This year, he is still making questionable decisions, but the goaltending is sub-par, Ortio's play included.
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Unfortunately, this was an obvious result. Play Hiller in the 2nd half of a B2B against a fresh team that is near top in the West. Use your better goalie in a game against a team that isn't that good. Oh, BTW, Ortio is looking better in his 2nd game. Only 1 goal so far on 16 shots.
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If you are going to cherry pick players with similar cap hits, remember that some of those were signed a long time ago. Keith was signed for 13 years, with a declining salary (from $8m - $1.5m). Seabrooke signed for 5 years after consistently putting up good numbers. He will be a UFA the end of the season and likely gets more than Gio. It's not like we signed Hamilton without seeing results in past seasons. We paid more for the extra years of UFA status.
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Pretty low risk to claim him though. Montreal could have done that while Price is on the shelf. After Price returned, he could have been offered back to the Flames, assuming that he wasn't better than Condon.
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I understand this. and it was possible that Hiller declined. We will probably never know if he was asked. All I was getting at was that it was an option. With Hiller starting cold against a hot Sharks team, he will be under the gun. He may be fine or he may give up a bunch of goals and get the hook. His body of work this year when healthy does not give me a lot of confidence. Not saying Ortio should have got the start, just stating the obvious,
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I guess that must be Ortio's 5-hole. 4 goals on 12 shots? Yikes. First action in a long time, so understandable I guess. After a rather solid Ramo performance, we likely get to see Hiller against a hot Sharks team. The Sharks had a 6-0 road trip, followed by a home loss to CHI on Wednesday. And they play the Flames after a Flames road loss. Captain Hook may be on standby for Hiller's first game in a month.
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I've always felt that a sport that everyone can play, drink before, during, and after should be something you pay to do, not get paid to do.
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Unless I am mistaken, he didn't want to go down on a conditioning stint now, with both Gillies and Poulin injured. End result is the same, but he could have been claimed as an NHL goalie. EDIT: Scratch that thought. It was discussed earlier in the season. Probably when there were three goalies all healthy.
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I think he was forcing the decision by BT. Keep him up or waive him. Worse case is you get claimed by Toronto.
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To be fair, I think you have said elsewhere that NHL players are overpaid as a whole. $10m for Kane or Weber, or $6m for Johnny Hockey. Sounds like a lot. How do you go about valuing a player in the NHL though. You can say a top 4 dman makes at least $4m, depending on the length of the deal. A top 2 make about $6m. A top goalie makes about $6m. A top forward makes about $6m. Intangibles play into it. Shot blocker, heart and soul guy like Bouma gets more than his equivalent on another team. I thought he was overpaid, but don't have a big problem with it. Hamilton is going to be worth the trade (by a long shot) and the salary. Gio's may be harder to justify if he doesn;t return to form soon. Monahan and Johnny will get market value when they sign. $6m is likely the starting point. Same for Bennett if he keeps it up. Frolik was a steal. WPG is missing him, for the sake of a $4m salary offer they could have made. He is our most consistent player. As far as contracts in general, it's an entertainment business. Movie Stars get more. A useless nobody like Kim Kardashian makes tons. How much does Tome Brady make? How about Beckham? Soccer players make way more money.
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I wonder what Bob will do if Hiller loses his first game back. Will he give Hiller the chance like Ramo had or will he return to the win/you are in scenario? So if you were the coach, which game do you give to Hiller? "Easier" game against the Yotes or HNIC game against the Sharks?
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Stockton Heat Updates [2016-2017]
travel_dude replied to travel_dude's topic in Calgary Wranglers and Flames Prospects
Unfortunately, once one of them plays well enough to be tradeable, we will need them here. Burying them gives a slight relief of $950k. Ortio up and one of them down would save us about $350k in cap. -
Stockton Heat Updates [2016-2017]
travel_dude replied to travel_dude's topic in Calgary Wranglers and Flames Prospects
At that point, Ramo hadn't played 10 in a row. Hartley had seen Ramo have two outstanding performances followed by two not great ones. As far as the relevance of the contracts, they are very much so. Having $8m tied up this year means we are rather tight to the cap. If we traded one of them for a better, more expensive goalie, we would be really tight or maybe not able to swing it. Or if we were able to get rid of a multi-year contract by taking on a one-year deal, we could only if it fit under the cap. I am hoping (not holding my breath) that one of these guys is on the move before Christmas. -
Stockton Heat Updates [2016-2017]
travel_dude replied to travel_dude's topic in Calgary Wranglers and Flames Prospects
Well actually, Hartley would be forced to play Ortio in one of the B2B games. If he managed a win, Ramo would get a few games off during the 14 day stint. If after the conditioning stint, the decision could be made with more evidence than 2 games in a season. You would have Hiller fresh off some games in the AHL. If he sucked in the AHL and Ortio managed a win or two in 2 or more starts, then you probably waive Hiller. But instead we will see a "rusty" Hiller come in Friday or Saturday. Maybe it's for the best. I am sick of goaltending issues, so either Hiller comes in to be the #1 or he should go. I am ok with keeping Ramo as a backup. but not keeping Hiller as one. $4.5m is too much. Ramo's salary is bad enough as a backup. -
Stockton Heat Updates [2016-2017]
travel_dude replied to travel_dude's topic in Calgary Wranglers and Flames Prospects
Poulin had surgery on his dislocated kneecap today. Gillies decision is expected this week (surgery or not). I thought that waiving Ortio was the riskiest move BT could make. Hiller could have be sent for a conditioning stint, seeing as he is coming off IR. No need to waive him, unless he blocked it. Least possible risk. And you actually get a better read on a goalie coming off IR. -
We have seen 2 games of Ortio (plus 2 flawless relief stints). Hiller played 7, but his last was a stinker (the one he was injured). Ramo played 14. Hiller has been the worst of the three.
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I'm not sure I trust Hiller, given his last starts. He is a month since playing. You may not agree, but Hiller should have been assigned (agreed to of course) to the Heat for the 14 day stint. If Hiller starts and gets lit up, what then? If Ortio gets claimed, what then? Neither of those is certain, but both are realistic possibilities. No different than waiving a Paul Byron.
