Flame111

I also agree the rebuild is over. except for Goaltending, which lets face it, is one of the most important positions. The Flames on paper should be able to compensate for it with the solid and deep D they have. So many people were calling the Flames the Leafs and Avs, a team that defied the stats and is destined for regression this season. I disagree, BT has quite literally gone out and addressed exactly what we need. As you said the Core is solidified and the team very may be a season away from the Contender status. Clearing some of the "dead weight" as you say may be the final work of this season but prospects should be ready or close to ready to filling those holes. We will know a lot by Dec of this season. Is the team there or not? Are our young stars continuing to evolve or not? Does Johnny, Monny and Sam have a higher level? Is that D getting chemistry right down to the bottom pairing? How is the PP looking? Will possession numbers be where they need to be to please the adv stats guys? This team is now an expected playoff team in my book and we will know by Dec if they are evolving to contender status. This is the most exciting upcoming season for the Flames in years and I can't wait for it to start...

I am really glad we are doing the BT review in real time. I personally think the Gio contract will come to haunt the Flames. Certainly decent value in real time but as the years march on the signing of Gio to such a long term will likely come to be seen as a misstep... Just my view, nothing he could do about it today...

I would be for this but the life of these buildings is too short. If it was a commitment for a life time it is workable but these projects have a life of what 30 years. Plus I still like the Saddledome - lots of good memories there. Plus the design of it is cool. I know it is not ideally functional but it still is cool. The minute you finish one of these monster arenas it immediately starts to depreciate in value... The Flames were smart to pick this location though. A lot of us picked it as the spot. The plus is that it is environmental waste land that does need to be cleaned up at one point. So it is kind of a two birds with one stone project but who likes the public tax-payer money going to it... Especially that much. I love the Flames owners, way better than Katz but billionaires taking public money just can not sit well with many...

Signings / Waivers: 2014 Mason Raymond - 3yrs @ 3.15 - F (This is now a problem contract / although perhaps defendable at the time it is now clearly an F contract mainly because of term. Jonas Hiller - 2yrs @ 4.5 - B+ (Addressed emergency G situation and although a little high in costs / UFA market price) Deryk Engelland - 3yrs @ 2.9 - F (Bad contract and signing - ) Devon Setoguchi - 1yr @ 1.75- Kris Russell - 2 years @ 2.6 million - B+ Joe Colburne - 2 yrs 1.275 - B Joni Ortio - 2 yrs @ 600K - A T.J Brodie - 5 yrs @ 4.65 - A+ Potter - 1 yr @ 700k Diaz - 1yr @ 750K David Schlemko (waivers) - A very good pick-up for free ( Coach Hartley to a multi-year deal ) 2015 Mikael Backlund - 3 years @ 3.75 - B+ (Good term, good dollars and a solid player (only concern is injury history) Michael Frolik - 5 years @ 4.3 - B (Little high in price and term but also this is what happens on the UFA market - fills hole on RW) Dougie Hamilton - 6 years @ 5.75 - A+ (Could not be better - cost below all estimates and a top pairing player is locked up for term) Karri Ramo - 1 year @ 3.8 A (Covers the G need for the next season - gets high grade because of 1 year term) Lance Bouma - 3 years @ 2.2 C- (Overpay and too long of term / other options were available) Josh Jooris - 1 year @ 975K - A - good term and cost Paul Byron - 1 year @ 900K - A - good term and cost

With a Cap Crunch coming thought it would be worthwhile to gauge how people felt about BT's contracts. Term and $ matter. So you may not like the cost of a signing but because the term is so short it doesn't really matter or vice-versa... Grade away Signings / Waivers: 2014 Mason Raymond - 3yrs @ 3.15 Jonas Hiller - 2yrs @ 4.5 Deryk Engelland - 3yrs @ 2.9 Devon Setoguchi - 1yr @ 1.75 Kris Russell - 2 years @ 2.6 million Joe Colburne - 2 yrs 1.275 Joni Ortio - 2 yrs @ 600K T.J Brodie - 5 yrs @ 4.65 Potter - 1 yr @ 700K Diaz - 1yr @ 750K David Schlemko (waivers) ( Coach Hartley to a multi-year deal ) 2015 Mikael Backlund - 3 years @ 3.75 Michael Frolik - 5 years @ 4.3 Dougie Hamilton - 6 years @ 5.75 Karri Ramo - 1 year @ 3.8 Lance Bouma - 3 years @ 2.2 Josh Jooris - 1 year @ 975K Paul Byron - 1 year @ 900K

My ranking overall for BT since his GM tenure started at this point in time is a solid " A- " The only reason he doesn't get an A is the Raymond / Engelland contracts because the term is too long and they are going to potentially interfere in future plans He also has one last huge task as well and that is the Gio contract. I get your point but my point is that this thread is being started now because these GM reviews are usually at the end of things when everyone is all hindsight is 20/20. There may have been reasons to sign Engelland (reaching the cap floor etc) but it is a burden now. I never supported the Emgelland signing and I just shrugged at the Raymond one. I also am not burying BT. He has every opportunity to somehow move Raymond and Eng and make things better. I give the guy a solid A- grade and that is good, it just recognizes that the situation isn't perfect at the moment, that is all...

I am not giving BT a pass. Although we might understand why he made the mistake, new to the Flames and did not fully understand what he had yet, still it is a mistake. The short one -year contracts are fine, those mis-steps are much easier to over-look because they solve themselves but the 2-3 year contracts are more troublesome. He has done absolutely great work in this off-season but the Raymond and Engelland contracts / signings were mistakes. They will be seen as that going forward. He needs to correct them. He has time to get rid of them this year but time will tell. It isn't really a money issue for the Flames, since the Owners have given him the option to spend to the Cap, so he can sit them in the box or waive them but they do need to be dealt with.

BT gets top marks for his moves. I am impressed. This board has been echoing the same theme and need over and over all season - top 4 D with right handed shot and a RW positional shortfall. BT systematically blew everyone away and solved what many thought was a unsolvable problem by getting a young top pairing D with a right handed shot. He also got the versatile RW in Frolik. His moves of trading up in the draft to target the players who fell are also top rate moves. He has also gotten proper contracts for Backlund. He knows the Cap issues ahead and it is the one issue that worries me personally but he is showing poise and long term vision. The last big hurdle for him will be the Gio contract and it has to be reasonable but what he has illustrated so far can give us some peace of mind. I fear a long term contract with an aging Gio. Shorter term and higher dollars is fine with me.

I am very curious too but I liked the sound at the press conference. BT knows he is rebuilding, he is projecting forward as he should be. He mentioned they have several cap simulations that are up to five years out which is reassuring to me. My only comment here in general is that I know the Flames have had a great season and it is hard to do this or make comments like this so soon after a good season but tough choices are ahead here. There are only so many slots available. I would like to see Arnold at some point and more young players. I am all for Backlund but only at the right price. That is really the only contract that is worrying me. If there is anything in the realm of an overpay coming I am going to be pissed. I am also fine with the Hudler trade suggestions, although I wait until the trade deadline next year. If the Flames do regress next year as many predict, there is going to be a powerful market for the Hudler / Wideman. Does anyone think Backlund could get a low 1st round pick from someone? If I am BT I keep a low profile. No big trades, no big UFA's. All about stocking the cupboard and building the fast big team he wants. I liked how he mentioned he liked the Jets progressions and if that is his model then I don't think we should be expecting any big trades. Personally I hope when he takes D men with all three 2nd round picks.

SO now BT's season begins- interesting to see what is coming in the off-season...

^ Great piece - thx for sharing

I think this year is really the honeymoon year for BT. It is too early to really make a evaluation on him. These GM reviews usually go up after their decisions have played out and everyone has 20/20 vision in hindsight. That is one of the reasons I want to start this thread now. BT has had a good year for the most part because he has been calm and stayed the rebuild course. Short-term contracts, small impact trades but fairly good ones. His most significant contribution to this season was probably getting Hillier. Beyond that his moves have not been so much on this season but will play into the future. Hillier gave the Flames NHL level goaltending and the Flames had a decent 1a-1b G rotation. Hillier is not elite but definitely a legitimate NHL starter and beyond that the rest of BT's actions are in the bigger picture pretty low impact for this season. The Brodie contract is definitely a win. The other contracts Raymond / Eng are not good but the negative impact is low long term. Getting Sam in the draft was a no-brainer. Anyone could have done that. I think the time to really give a strong debate to his moves is coming in this off-season. His mark will be on the team by the start of next season and we can track his moves right here and discuss in real time. Hindsight is 20/20 and the whole point of this thread is to try and keep BT under the light in real time... For me, I am fine with him so far...

Thanks guys - I'll get Potter and Diaz in there too...

Yes, i'll maintain it. It isn't too bad if you are a day to day follower - these kind of things usually get put up at the end of a GM's tenure but I want to keep tabs on BT - I wish I had done it during D Sutter's watch because there was that one year he seemed to be drunk dialing from the GM chair... I like the Flames current set-up with Burke in the background as a check and balance on BT. The Flames changing their management structure may have been the great lesson from the D Sutter years...

BT gets a passing grade for me so far. He has shown patience and he knows he is rebuilding a club. He has largely been cautious but shown willingness to pick guys off waivers or give them a go. Doing so at little cost to the team. The only mis-step may be Engelland's contract which strikes me as high... But he hit it out of the park with Brodie's contract. The Sven trade is not ideal but I think when a player demands to be traded you cut the GM slack. I am very interested to see how the off-season goes. Will he remain patient and measured knowing he is rebuilding a club or will Burke's famous lack of patience on rebuilds have him looking over his shoulder to accelerate moves? (Thanks Rocketdoc)