travel_dude
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Everything posted by travel_dude
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Potter isn't a prospect, but is no better than Engelland. Can only comment on Wotherspoon; he was good by the end of his call-up last season. Only reason to bring him up is if he plays every night. He would need to play left D and have Diaz play right D. I think we need a Regher style guy on the 3rd pair or 2nd pair; a guy that plays shut-down and makes the other team think twice about taking liberties. Engelland only polices the ice when he plays, so Johnny and Raymond (smaller guys) will get nailed on occasion.
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Ya got me. Mixed him up with Jiggy.
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Hiller does have a cup ring does he not? What I like about having him is that he knows what it takes to win the big games. Ramo is capable of coming in as relief or to give Hiller some rest if he has a bad game. Ramo actually has a better win/loss record than Hiller and was the starter last year down the stretch. He has had some bad games and has been pulled, but so has Hiller. He hasn't had that many stretches of games to hone his craft, post injury. I have more confidence in our tandem than I would for some other teams in the playoff hunt (SJ, NASH, LA, VAN). They are basically one goalie teams.
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I can hear the crew from TSN (is there any left or are they on SN or CBC?) having a jolly-good laugh about us getting him for the 3rd time. I think he did have a good final year here, but I think his career might be winding down. If we did that trade we would need to insist SN get Peter Loubo to say "doink" every time he hit the post.
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Not referring to Kessel, but the 1st is on the table (in my mind) for any top prospect or very good, young D-man. Sure, we need to stock the cupboards, but we are light on the 25-29 year old players. And we are really light on high rated defense prospects. If someone offered a Nurse, you are crazy not to take it for a 1st.
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Sorry bud, but I just don't get your suggestions. How much better does splitting up the best pairing in the NHL get you? They are combined for the most points for a D pairing and Brodie is +23 and Gio is 44 points. Wdieman is sitting at 33 points, ties with Brodie. So, you move Brodie to the 2nd pair opposite Wideman; who plays opposite Gio? Russell moves down to 3rd pair and Smid sits, leaving Diaz or Wideman. Without getting a top 2D, there is no point in disrupting our top 4. Even if you bring in a #2, do you want to bump Gio or Brodie?
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I wonder if Kessel could be a 60 point player outside TO or the East? Some players are/were better suited for the less physical East. We all thought (at least I did) that Olli would be a 60+ point player coming here, but only managed that the 2nd time he was here, in his final year. Different players react differently to different circumstances; Phil could maintain it or be another Olli.
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I may be mistaken but MAC has been suggesting breaking up Brodano for quite some time. Check post #201 in this thread for context. Russell may not be over 6 feet but plays tougher than Brodie and Wideman, so there's that. I think there are better options than Smid/Engelland, Smid/Diaz or Diaz/Engelland. As I said, I would want to pick up a top 4 player to add talent to the 3rd pairing and give some insurance.
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You keep suggesting breaking up a top 4 set of pairings that absolutely work. You have provided no proof as to why it makes sense to split up Brodie and Gio, other than he is a LHS. He has become a premier player playing on the right side, but you want to switch him. Wideman is -1 and Russell is +9; doesn't that tell you the problem is not with the 1st or 2nd pairing? Diaz hasn't been too bad in limited games, but ideally we should concentrate on bringing in a top 4 D to replace Engelland or Smid. Top 4 would provide some insurance in case of one of our top 4 getting injured between now and the playoffs.
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I would add Klimchuk to that list, only because we have no idea of his ceiling as a pro. We are seeing good things out of Baertschi and Poirier so far, so I wouldn't want to move him yet. In 3 years time are we going to be overloaded on LW? Don't know who will actually make the NHL yet.
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I don't think anyone was really saying Russell is a weak link. I would rather have 3/4 and 5/6 be on the ice for a similar amount of time, assuming they are somewhat equal. Having a big drop between 2nd and 3rd pairing means we risk them being on the ice or the other pairs have to play extended minutes. Russell on the 2nd or 3rd pair doesn't matter to me as long as you get similar minutes of his shot blocking.
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I think we agree here. I suggested Franson as an upgrade to Engelland or Diaz, and having an offensive threat on the 3rd pair would allow a better balanced attack/minutes. Engelland and Diaz are a liability together, as is Smid and either of those two. If we went FF's route, that would also work, because it would still allow minutes to shaved off the top 4. Whether that means you drop Russell to the 3rd pair or bring in someone to help the 3rd pair, it's all good. Russell is a shot-blocking machine, so if his minutes remained the same, and he was on the 3rd pairing, we would be instantly a better team. That is assuming we had a defense-first player on the 2nd pair.
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Wideman is a pretty good 3/4 defenseman, and worth the contract in the near term. Franson would be a good add, if part of the deal was a conditional pick. Otherwise, he would be an expensive rental. He could become a big part of the Flames if he was signed, although I'm not liking the rumoured $$ he wants. He could be a 3rd pair guy you could play more than Engelland, thereby reducing the minutes for the top 4. Having a 3/4 capable guy as depth is a good thing. Agree not to be in a bidding war for him, though.
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Having solid offence on three lines would be scary-good. Minutes could be balanced better, but Engelland becomes a 7th D. I don't see him be able to play (defense) on the left side. Diaz is respectable there but Wideman or Franson gives us better one-timer options on the 3rd pair RD.
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Teams heading for the playoffs can likely afford a 1st. Wouldn't mean that much to a top team like DET. Add a good DET prospect, and it would be seen as a win for TO. They might need to send back a D to make the $$ work. Frankly I don't know. If it is us, I doubt TO trades a D for a D prospect with limited offense. More likely a forward prospect; Hanowski? Seriously, likely a guy like Klimchuk or Shore (not going anywhere).
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I am less worried that he wouldn't sign; we have dollars to spend and would give him a decent deal, Burkie is here and probably respected by Franson, and there is a future playoff team here (now or soon). Any deal could include a conditional pick if BT and BB were worried. In the long run, it would be cheaper to get him here and sign him than try to sign him in the off-season. If we were the only bidders, that deal might fly. He is a good target for teams trying to make or compete in the playoffs. Maybe LA makes a trade for him, or DET, or some other team. GlenX has to want to be traded. If he does, he may not fetch a 2nd. Ramo may not get you much. If you do trade him, you are ending the season for the AHL team.
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Watching the Oilers play PEN last night (just waiting for real hockey), Fasth had a good style against them. I don't know that Hiller would have won that game with their crappy defense. Ramo might have. I don't think you can take the start away from Hiller, because he has earned it. But sometimes you have to look at game film and match your goalie's style against the team you are playing. Ramo is more like Kipper, while Hiller is more of a rigid style, where positioning allows you the best chance. Hiller played against the Penguins last game, so it might make sense to play Ramo. Might is the big word.
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Just to clarify; The team is in Addy not Abby this year - 'dack, not 'ford
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I would have suggested Ramo start and Hiller backing up. Give the kid a break and not expect him to deliver a win in Anaheim for the first time in 10 years. There's a fine line between going with the hot hand and overplaying a rookie goalie.
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My first reaction was the same. But then I think that Smid's return just means that Spoon or Granlund has to go. With Spoon sitting until next week, I also have to wonder what is happening with the defense. Are they about to demote Diaz? Trade Smid or Russell? Sit Engelland? It just doesn't make sense to me to have a 7th D called up for injury replacement unless he plays. Sure it is just a extra body around for last minute scratches. But it isn't any way to use a farm hand that projects to be a NHL player. Goalies are even more important to manage their rotation. Ramo went cold when he sat this year for extended periods (as well as last year behind Berra). Hiller was in a 3-goalie situation last year and came out without a job. Joni just needs to play as much as possible. Sending him back to start dominating the AHL was the best move (IMHO) unless you trade Hiller or Ramo now. And if he is the backup here, he needs to play every 3rd game at minimum.
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I agree that Ortio should have been given the night off. It's not about "going with the hot hand" all the time; you have to consider the body of work he faced and spread the responsibility to the rest of the team (ie. other goalies and players). That is good, and bad. Joni was called up last year (missed the All Star game last year too). The good is that he will get a few more starts. The bad is that any losses will have a negative affect on his confidence. And, unless Hiller or Ramo is being traded, he will rotate in and out of the group of 3. Ramo is ready to play. Hiller is ready to play.
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TBH, going into the summer Ramo was the Flames #1 goalie. Hiller was signed to be part of the goalie equation, but probably wouldn't have signed if he was told he was the backup. And BT/Hartley were probably expecting a big competition for #1, which they got early on. Both goalies have tendencies that expose them and teams watch films to see them. Hiller is basically the same goalie, game in game out. He lets in softies due to minor positioning problems (loses track of the net, I think). Ramo is more like a Kipper, who will amaze you some nights and make you scream other nights. His problem is getting on a roll. With Kipper, you get a bad game and the next is solid. With Ramo, you probably don't see the next game with him in nets. Trading either of them now doesn't make sense. They have low value. And we need to see Joni finish the season strong in Addy. At TDL, unless you get an awesome return, why bother trading them. You need to see who takes you further this season and keep them next year. Trade or don't sign the other. Do it before FA to see if any team is desperate (assuming it's Hiller).
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Actually, Shore is still exempt. If he plays another game, he is eligible. I wonder if BT is keeping his options open by not playing Shore for another game.
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I hope that he is in Calgary long enough to see what he has become. Is he a 4-4-1 goalie like last year, where he looked other-worldly in stretches or is he a Ramo, who has 2 great games in a row and then hits a wall (or the wall hits him, Mr. Diaz). Ramo is ready to play, so right now we are carrying 3 goalies. I would like to see him get the start against ANA to break the curse, but maybe that is too much to ask. LA is next, so we'll see who starts. It either Ramo or Ortio; battle of the Finns.
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You say he is already playing better than Ramo. How do you see that? He gets a well-deserved shutout in the only game he has played this year in the NHL. Ramo gets b2b shutouts, but he does not deserve to play anymore? If he gets b2b shutouts and then follows it up a few more wins and I will agree with you. Until then, he is just another Flames backup that gets a win. I haven't seen enough games with Ramo in net, where the team has played well in front of him to decide what his future is here. The same goes for Ortio. Age has nothing to do with it. Making timely saves does. Hiller hasn't shown enough recently to show he is deserving of the mantle. Both he and Ramo have given up a weak goal per game.
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