travel_dude
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Everything posted by travel_dude
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One step at a time for LB. He needs to gain confidence before coming back to the AHL. His last two games were forgetable. There is no rush with him, as we have 3 better goalies ahead of him on the depth chart, and another playing his butt off in the NCAA. In fact, it is actually better for him to stay in the ECHL for now, as JoeyMac can play a limited backup role on the Heat. For now, until proven otherwise by a significant number of starts, we have 2 quality goalies in the NHL. Ramo will get better, and Berra could stay the same, and we have 1a/1b goalies. Many probably feel Ramo has been crap, but he is still adjusting to the style of game and the lack of defensive help. He's has two very good games (LA & WASH) and a couple where he let in some softies. His first game should have been a win, but OV and the team woke up. Ortio will eventually get a call up, assuming we can send someone down without waiving them or someone is injured. That will come in time. Brossoit will get back to the AHL once they decide he is ready. Joey will probably get traded to a team in need of a backup later in the year, probably for future considerations. No real value there.
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Don't worry man, Ortio is playing hot, so he will get the starts. Ward wants to win as well, and there is no pressure from management to develop JoeyMac. He is only there as a backup, and will (might) only get a call up if one of the Flames tenders is injured or falls on him face. His parting comments probably soured the coach a bit. You might be more likely to see Ortio as a call up.
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Spooky. Another thing that sounded similar was Harley talking about 5 game sets. Dutter did a similar thing as they got closer to the playoffs, so that they wouldn't look at the standings so much. The fireman's helmet is a throwback to the green hardhat as well. The one thing missing is Marty Gelinas as the FO specialist. We have two Finnish goalies in the system; Ramo and Ortio (from the same place as Kipper). I will hold off a wee bit on the predictions, as we haven't been too successful in Cali yet. When we can beat the Ducks in Anaheim, then we may have something.
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I like that we have two goalies with different styles. Coaching just needs to figure out which styles play the best against which teams. Berra was solid, and what worked against a team like the Hawks was freezing the play a lot. Lots of face-offs hurts a team like them, because they are great on the rush. Beyond that, team defense kept a lot of shots to the perimeter. I haven't totally figured out Ramo's game yet; he does seem good on defending against break-aways. Think he may be more of a butterfly goalie, but a bit scrambly at times. Not enough games yet to get a read on him, though.
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To be fair, we only have had one starter in that bunch. He has had the reins since 2004, and started the vast majority of games. This is really the first year that we are searching for a new starter. Our backups have not fared well over the years, but none of them really had "starter" potential (IMHO). Sure we messed up with Irving, but he showed he couldn't even beat Taylor or Brust for the Heat job. This year was supposed to be Ramo and Berra competing for #1 or #1a/1b, but we were stuck with McBackup to start the year. That was just because coaching was not ready to commit to the rebuilding at the net 100%. The Ramo/Berra tandem will at least show us how much we are in need, or at least provide us with some league (or below) average goaltending we lacked last year. Combine that with the strong early showing by this team (no surrender) and we are not a bottom 5 team this year. We have been somewhat lucky with shots against not killing us, but then again we have been better lately at the PK.
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One has to think that the defensemen on the Flames' "list" were picked prior to where we wanted to pick them. I would not have given up Mony or Poirier for the defense that were still available at those picks. Klimchuk is a great pick and may just be the steal of the draft. I was never that big on Nurse, and none of the guys I was big on made it even as far as the Poirier pick. I'm not losing sleep over this as there are several guys in the pipeline that may (could possibly) end up as a #1/2. As you said, we have some vets that could fetch some pieces we could use. This year's cap constricts some of the contenders from making moves to help their teams, so they might have to give up something good to make room for the Iggys and Jagrs at TDL time. There may be players available this summer that we can easily afford that match our long term need. Either through trade or FA.
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No argument about him letting in soft goals. Dubie let in a ton so far. He was an NHL goalie last year and is having a rough start. Both will improve with average defense.
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SA/G and GPG are only half the story. If we are 18th in shots per game (30.0), that usually means we allow too many chances per game as well. The way TO defenders cleared out the front of the net was a big difference between the two teams. Yes, the goaltender was responsible for making those 2nd and 3rd saves due to mishandling the puck, but scrambling in front of his is all on the defense.
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Ask Nucks fans about games where Luongo let in softies or looked stupid with the puck by his feet. Does Ramo need to play more like the Washington game every night? Yes. Is he ready for the scrap heap after 6 games? No. Like it or not, Ramo is our goalie for Y1 of the rebuild. We better learn how to reduce his workload in-game, start clearing the crease, and give him the tools to win. Teach him better positioning for play behind the net. Get him working with the D in practice on communication and D-man tendencies.
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One of the things that Calgary has lacked (no Vancouver pun intended) over the years was a go-to backup. One that you could trust to bring in when your #1 needed a break or had a history of playing a team badly. Joey does give us a bit of confidence, in that he is used to the role and doesn't need constant tuning to keep sharp. He was signed as insurance, in case we didn't get Ramo signed. Given his age, the potential for one of our goalie prospects to make the jump, and the availability of adequate backup goalies, so this is probably his only NHL contract with the Flames. I feel it serves the Flames better to have Ortio, Berra or Brossoit take over his role and develop along the way. If Gillies develops the way he has been so far, in 2 years time we will have him and Ramo/Ortio/Berra/Brossoit being the tandem. Anybody else is trade or release.
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I will only comment on Ramo, as we tend to go round and round on the others. Ramo is getting better with each game played. I don't feel many of the goals he let in were that bad. What he is showing is a bit of rust, and adjusting to the move to NA ice. His first two starts were separated by two weeks. In both he was hung out to dry. Two strong teams with elite scoring. He then played in LA, where he earned the win with a decent defensive game being played in front of him. Then, even though he is hot, sits until the Dallas game. The Flames were tired and showed it in how they played in front of him. He followed that up with another solid effort against Washington. The Flames defense needs to stop the breakaways from happening (though he has played those excellent), clear out the players in the crease, and eliminate the scrambling D-zone play in the slot area.
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Yes, I saw that. There are a number of games coming up (B2B) and you will see the games being split between goaltenders. Ortio gives the Heat a better chance for the win and has gotten some playing time in Alaska. Brossoit has been just OK, and needs to get some work in.
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The weird thing is that the Flames current sit 17th in the League, tied with Montreal. In the West, we sit 2 points back of 8th. Hartley is winning in spite of some of his decisions. The things he is to be applauded for are the following: - Giving Ramo a shot - Going back with the Sven-Mony-Huds line - Recognizing the skill of Colborne and rewarding him with decent line mates (Cammi and Gali) - Using McGrats and Jackman sparingly of late - Sensing the skill and compete level that Russell has I hope that Hartley does understand that we need to see what the prospects have at the NHL level. Butler and SOB are adequate (at times), but we have more in the pipe. I can accept a trade for a top 2 potential defenseman, but only if that also is a long term solution. Even if we are still in the playoff hunt by TDL, I really hope we don't trade for any short-term rental types.
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Team has already said they won't go with 3 on the roster at the same time. Otherwise Berra would have stayed up initially.
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Say what? If I'm not mistaken, the Heat played OKC Oct.18 and 19th. That was this week. Berra did get a 2-1 SO win, right? The game before Berra let in 4 goals and was replaced by Brossoit.
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Did you miss the score from the next game, where Berra took OKC to a shootout, and won 2-1? Ramo held his own against the best team in the NHL at the moment. Getting lit up with 3 PP goals is not the end of the world, and even Hartley said Ramo played extremely well. He is getting the start against LA. As far as I can tell. Hartley is making roster decisions. I don't always like them, but he makes them, not Jay.
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"face palm" I am saying nothing other than you relegate all Flames goalies to being sub-par. If I'm not mistaken, the only goalie you have given the benefit of the doubt was Taylor. If it wasn't you, then sorry. Point is that you can't make blanket statements without proof. Well you can, but it is just your opinion, not fact. Wait till Ramo plays 10 games before you say he sucks.
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I won't focus on your "facts" except the one stating the draft will be the most exciting part of the season. That is just wrong. Already we are seeing some exciting games, with sub-par goaltending. We are missing 3 vets and still managing to win some games. As far as acquiring lots of sub-par goaltending, I think you make statements without the benefit of hard evidence. We have seen exactly one game of Ramo's and none of Berra or Ortio (or Brossoit).
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With a SA% of .863 last night and overall .891 that is not much better than we had last year at our worst. 15 goals against in 5 games. GAA of 2.99 Wow, just wow. Mind you, he would be an improvement to the Oils goaltending.
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Thar she blows. Actually, Cross is probably right. He has a chance to play now, so give him some starts and bring him back to start for the Heat. Brossoit could use an actual start too. Might get put on in relief if Berra starts to falter in a game.
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An interesting twist today; Ortio assigned to Alaska and Brossoit recalled to the Heat. I guess its the only way Ortio will get consistent starts. Brossoit could actually play a game soon. Practices and the occasional start might show what he has to offer. Ortio, on the other hand, needs to play. Whether that is the Heat, the Aces, or the Flames, he needs to play on NA ice again to get his game on track. I hope this isn't a bad thing for him, as he did show some promise in the pre-season.
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Lol I've nothing against Ramo. I'll admit that I never agreed with the original trade that brought him here, but that wasn't specifically about him. But that's all in the past. I am concerned that we've clogged our development system with 27 year olds. That being said, Ramo should get his chance at some point, and I will be cheering for him when he does. I think it'll be soon. Why does it matter that 2 of our goalies are over 25? Aren't goalies typically late bloomers? Let's face it, Ortio is at least a year away from the NHL, assuming he even makes it. Brossoit is more like 2 years away. Gillies is at least 1 year away from turning pro, and could need a year or two in the A. Whether Berra or Ramo are our short-term solution, or merely a stop-gap like JoeMac, we really aren't clogged with NHL ready goalies. We have several options now and for the future. Much like prospects, one or more could become stars. Mane than 2? Trade assets.
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The only "obvious" thing I was talking about was that Joey was not the long term filler for the team. The rest of it was me talking about goalie prospects in terms of when I felt they would have any real impact on the team. Just my opinion, not obvious. BTW, I don't WANT Ramo to be the starter; I want the Flames to resolve the short and long term goalie situation, not put in a stopgap measure. I will cheer any win by the Flames. I did last year as well, when we were without a replacement to the Kipper legacy.
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You are kind of ignoring the obvious. Berra is in the plans for the Flames in at least the short-term. Goalies take time to develop, and Ortio is the only one that is nearing the typical age as a NHL starter. Gillies could have another amazing year (or 3) and stay in college until he is done. That is too far away to not have Ramo or Berra (or some other option) step up. Unless Ortio steps up and grabs the spotlight, now or next year, you will see Ramo/Berra or replacement as the starter for the next few years. Brossoit is still too yound and unrefined. JoeMac will (most likely) not be here next year; we can't be rebuilding without taking care of the situation in nets. JoeMac has not played more than 20 games in most of his career. He is a great bet as a backup; he will play his butt off when he gets the chance. Does he have it in him for 40-60 games this year? I doubt it, but it's still possible. Will he play 40 games or more? 50/50 on that. Coach will play him when he is hot or not. I have no issue with him winning games for us, and starting when he is hot, but the rebuild is going to be longer than 1 year, so lets figure out what we have past this season.
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The longer we run with JoeyMac as the starter, the more we run the risk of creating a Irving/McElhinney situation. The coach has more confidence in the established goalie. The team doesn't play well in front of the backup. The backup gets fewer starts as the games become more important. Ramo gets the first start of the year. He gets shelled with 39 shots, and loses it in SO. The team didn't cover his butt. JoeyMac play the 2nd of a b2b and gets the win with a good, but not great game. Instead of going back to Ramo, and working your butt off to get him the win, they start JoeyMac. Joey makes some decent saves, but the team fails to help him close it out. Next game, go with the "hot hand" again. Joey gets some great saves again, and gets the win. I love to see the team winning at the start of the season for a change. We always had the slow Iggy starts, and the Kipper not at the top of his form, and the backup not capable of winning more than 1/3 games. We are proving the talking heads wrong. What worries me is that we are starting down that road again; looking at results and thinking that winning is the only important thing. In a rebuild you look for any positives, but you don't forsake the issues you need to solve; developing a goalie with a longer shelf life, evaluating all the prospects in your system, improving FO, special teams and defensive coverage. Starting Joey is good in the short term, but doesn't solve the issue in nets. Continuing to start him just delays the problem, and make it harder to solve down the road. Maybe I just overreact, but I want more than an "insurance policy" as a long term replacement to Kipper.
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