travel_dude
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Everything posted by travel_dude
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I think your avatar brings out the Seto hate. Not very popular player in this board. He is averaging 2-3rd line minutes and PP time, so he is expected to add offense. Don't take it personal.
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Brodie has already tied his season high of 4 goals. At this pace, he could be in Norris discussion along with Gio. The dynamic duo continues to impress. Gio is rock steady and hit hard. Brodie adds the flash and sneaky-good play that you look at after the fact and say WTF. Or likely, how the _?
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I am probably dreaming, but if we could swing a Wideman-for-Larsson deal, it would provide us with the high-end D prospect we need. Yes, it weakens us a bit now, but he has put up 27 points in 129 games on a defensive team. He is still only 21 years old. I think he fits this organization, and could develop at a pace he needs.
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Let me put it a different way. - You have a car that is getting older, but seldom breaks down leaving you stranded. - It gets OK MPG and is very fast. - It's a 4x4 and there's lost of snow on the ground. - Nobody is selling 4x4's. - You can get a new car for the value you get on a trade-in. - New car has a good warranty, better MPG and will last for 8-10 years. Bad analogy I know, but the point is you sometimes make a deal while the market is there. You don't wait to TDL when everyone may have already solved their depth issues, or the market is flowded with tanker teams getting rid of everything possible. Cammi should have been shopped well before the TDL, but his injury eliminated that. You claim it isn't broke. Look at the stats for the 3rd pairing, whether it's Diaz or Engelland. We can do a lot better than that. Smid is having another bad start to another bad year; I really though he could become a good shut-down D. Too much time being ruined by the Oilers. And we are one injury on D away from the basement. We can't replace Brodie or Gio with Wideman or Russell. We can't replace Russell or Wideman with Smit, Engelland or Diaz.
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If you place any importance on "fancy stats", refer to the following number for this year so far (I'm excluding forwards to make it easier to see how the top pair fares): CORSI LEADERS Defenders: •Mark Giordano - 50.22% •T.J. Brodie - 46.88% CORSI LACKERS Defenders: •Ladislav Smid - 36.45% •Deryk Engelland - 37.50% TOUGHEST MINUTES (CF%) Defenders: •T.J. Brodie - 55.48% •Mark Giordano - 55.35% ZONE HIGH GROUND (OZ Start%) Defenders: •Deryk Engelland - 54.35% •Kris Russell - 48.42% ZONE LOW GROUND (OZ Start%) Defenders: •Ladislav Smid - 34.33% •T.J. Brodie - 34.82% SCORING CHANCE LEADERS Defenders: •Mark Giordano - 51.85 SC% •T.J. Brodie - 45.05 SC% SCORING CHANCE LACKERS Defenders: •Deryk Engelland - 28.00 SC% •Kris Russell - 33.33 SC% PUCK DUMPERS Defenders: •Ladislav Smid - 0 carry% •Deryk Engelland - 12.5 carry% PUCK CARRIERS Defenders: •T.J. Brodie - 44.4 carry% •Kris Russell - 35.0 carry%
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Some of us (maybe just me) suggest trading a guy like Wideman while there is high demand for D. His value is sky high for a team needing offense and PP presence. And I would trade him for a high-potential prospect D, not a 5/6 D prospect with 3/4 upside. Not that we get that return, just that is what I target. A team ripe with prospect D, but short on NHL ready D might pony up. So, tell me how you would proceed? We have 2 pairings that are performing. The third pairing is scary bad. They may improve, or not. Do you pull the trigger if the return is great and sets you up for the future on D? Do you trade Smid for a prospect/pick and hope for another Brodie in the next draft? Or do you stay the course and believe that Smid will be able to improve Engelland's horrible numbers.
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Reading Hartley's comments today sounds like they are going to run with "you win, you get the next start" for 3-4 games stints. That keeps the current incumbent from feeling like they are the true #1 guy. His last 4 games have been great. I still expect Hartley will rotate to Ramo, unlike last season when Berra or McDonald played after losses. It's all good. Whether #1 and backup or 1a/1b or 1a/1a.
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Starting Hiller may be because he won the last game (limited shots, but some real good ones) or because Hartley wants to start Ramo against Montreal on Sunday and Hiller against Washington. Then you will probably see Ramo B2B against Tampa and Florida. Just a guess, but I think some decisions are based on the style of goalies we have.
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In a rebuild, you make moves to help you out long-term. You sell when value is high. Saying that, the Flames will likely avoid any major trade while riding a .500 pace. Unless it is a total overpayment from the other team.
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It's too early to declare either goalie as the bonafide #1. Both have had their good games and bad games. Just because Hiller has better numbers doesn't suggest he is inferior. After about 20 games, you should see more of a trend developing. It's a good problem to have. We haven't been in this situation before. VAN had a year where their 1a/1b tending resulted in a NHL award. Even if we play a goalie for max 2 games at a time, it shouldn't hurt the team. Either goalie gives us a chance to win. The D, or lack of scoring, may prove to be the bigger issue.
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Considering the current "value" of defense on the trade market, Wideman would (should) be able to command a decent return. Sure he is providing offense right now, and hasn't been as bad on defense so far. We need defense prospects. Our top 4 only has 2 guys under 30. By the time we are contenders, our top 4 will only have 2 guys in their "prime", with Gio starting a slow decline. Dallas, Boston, Anaheim, San Jose and Philly all need defense right now. New Jersey has soured on Larsson. BT has an opportunity to win a trade by offloading Wideman for prospects and a pick, and/or offer up something from the farm for Larsson. The Wideman trade might require retaining some cash, if only to stay above the cap floor. This is the year to pull the trigger on a Wideman trade, in my opinion. We may not be as good without him, but over the next 3 years, will he be provide enough leadership, winning attitude, and offense/defense to make keeping him the right move? Hate to say this, but trade Sven for Larsson. Trade Wideman to: Dallas for Jamie O. and a pick (optional) Boston for Joe Morrow and a pick Philly for Schenn's Ducks for Emersen Etem ++ Just some suggestions.
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The Flames are a few keys injuries away from bottom 5. Especially on D. Yes, we have options. Wotherspoon and Kulak are two guys that could step into the lineup. That would mean limiting their minutes, though. That would mean overplaying Smid, Engelland, Diaz or Potter (assuming he ever plays an NHL game). If we are in the bottom 3 come March, I think trading Wideman for the highest bid is essential. It's a signal that we aren't as close to rebounding as we had hoped, so having Wideman on the team has solved nothing.
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One thing I have noticed that has changed this year is the reduction of the dump and chase. There is more of the D carrying it into the O-zone. They also use the trailing forward to break the trap. It is so much better than the old Butter methods. I have been critical of Wideman in the past, but he is living up to his reputation as a offensive D-man. What I still agree with is selling while his value is high.
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He was interviewed about his mask this afternoon. He said he had a special paint job planned but was testing out a new mask design, so he didn't want to use it on the prototype. He expects to finish testing it by early November. He will unveil it then.
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The only concern I have with stellar goaltending is that it hides the real problems of the team. Kipper did that in his glory years. When he had an off year, the Flames tumbled. We need to get back to shots less than 30. We need to score goals; 5on5 and PP. We need to be good on the PK. The wins may not pile up much more, but at least we know that we are getting somewhere with the other issues.
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Hiller - 0.934 SV% 2.62 GAA Ramo - 0.934 SV% 1.92 GAA Not too Chablis
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A note for JJ; Taylor released from the Jets. He is leaning towards signing in the KHL.
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They didn't sign Roy, so they need someone to backup Ortio.
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Um-um, good. Hiller can probably improve on the putrid goaltending we had with Berra and JoeyMac. Ramo can probably put up similar win #'s this season. I don't want to burst your Mc-bubble, but we may not be in the running this next draft.
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Actually, we have two starters now. BT is upping the game, trying to get both as bona fide #1's. I was preferring more of a backup, but the good ones all got signed pretty quickly. As I said elsewhere, if Hiller can go into Anaheim and win, then this is all worth it.
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Gotta call you out there.... You are willing to give those two goalies a pass so far, but at the same time feel that Ramo is not starter material. Both Ortio and Ramo have one current year in the NHL. Ramo is young by NHL standards, but he doesn't have any future as the Flames #1? What happens if he has a Vezina-ish season in 2014/15? Is that so far fetched? Why is it more likely that Ortio takes over in 2015/16 than Ramo being re-signed as the #1? Don't get me wrong, we have some interesting prospects, but so far that is all they are. No point rushing them in if we have other options, or they aren't quite ready.
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Except that we need a capable backup until our current crop of goalies ripen. Ortio could be a 1a/1b goalie in 2015/16. Ramo could have a breakout year in 2014/15. Gillies could find his game again and be ready for Addy in 2015/16 or chose to play another year in the NCAA. So, we need a backup that can be 100% serviceable as a backup playing 20-30 games. Has to be a guy that is used to that kind of schedule. In case of injury to Ramo, he has to be capable of being a 1a/1b guy druing that time. In some ways, Hiller fits the bill, but being a backup on a bottom-tier team is a big drop from ANAHEIM.
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Well, what I was getting at was there are probably better choices for a backup out there; Greiss, Montoya, etc. Guys that could work themselves up from a backup to a #1b to a #1, or just be a 20-30 game backup with quality GAA sa SA%. Guys that you could or would sign to a multi-year deal. Limiting yourself to a Jiggy 1-year deal means you could end up next year with no Ramo, possibly no Ortio, and Gillies just starting his pro career in the AHL. I agree that you don't bring Ortio up to sit on the bench for 70 games. If he is ready to play in the NHL, he battles it out with the incumbent goalie (Ramo or 2014/15 backup) for #1 or 1a/1b. Expecting Ortio to come in as a #1 goalie or bust is dangerous.
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Signing Jiggy to anything more than a 1 year contract would signal that Ramo basically only has one year left as a Flame. To be fair, I think Ramo could be the Flames starter from now until he is replaced by a #1 goalie. If he works out this year, and Ortio is ready for 2015/16, then Ramo is extended and is the #1a goalie for the foreseeable future. As far as Jiggy, I have fears of signing a 37 year old as a backup; he is more likely to be injured than a younger backup. As well, shouldn't we always be looking to sign the best talent available and see if they can become a future #1? Do you really want to bank on Ortio and then Gillies as the only shot for the Flames down the read?
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He left in March for personal reasons, so it may be a mutual decision. See link to Sun (last line in story): http://www.calgarysun.com/2014/03/30/flames-snapshots-calgary-club-gives-new-guy-time-to-adjust
