kehatch
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Everything posted by kehatch
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It is plausible. It is also convenient. It's getting too common we here the injury explanation come out after a season to explain poor play. I have zero doubts it is true in some cases and a contributor in others. But just about everyone is dinged come February and its an easy out. To be clear, I am not saying that Rittich didn't have an injury that explained the down turn. I am also not saying he is destined to falter next February. I just think big questions still remain re his ability to excel down the stretch or his durability to play solid hockey for a full season. The "don't worry about it because he says he was injured" argument doesn't sway me. Not after two seasons of the same routine. He needs to prove he can do it. Until he does I think his durability and ability to play down the stretch are fair questions.
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I don't buy the injury argument. If your hurt as a goalie then you don't play. I am sure he was nicked up, but in a 82+ game season that's going to happen. He got starts and stayed on the roster. The fact is he fell off in February two seasons in a row. We can grasp for reasons, but until he shows me he can perform during the toughest months of the year I remain skeptical.
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Another way to look at it is that is in the 9 games since Feb 9 when he was pulled against San Jose until the Flames basically secured a spot he had 3 strong games. Two of them were against weak teams where the Flames limited the opposition to 23 shots or less. I agree it was down to the wire in who to start in the playoffs. But he wasn't up against Carey Price. It should never have been a question of who was starting in the playoffs. I am not saying Rittich is terrible or guaranteed to be bad. He was very good early and returned to form in mid March. I also agree that he should have a shot at taking on the starter role. But until he can show he can carry the team into the stretch and beyond I remain skeptical, particularly with Cam Talbot as our plan B. If it was just last season I would consider it a blip and move on. But two seasons in a row is a reason to be concerned Imo.
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When you look at the full season stats, Rittich was middle of the road. The issue with Rittich is that he is great in the first half, but falls a part in February. This has happened two seasons in a row. Big Save Dave from October through January. Please make a Save Dave to finish the season. It was bad enough last season that Mike Smith got the playoffs, and he was terrible regular season. Can he figure out how to keep it together for a full season? What if he ends up with a legitimate starter load if Talbot doesn't work out in Calgary? Talbot might do better in Calgary. He has shown he is a very capable goalie in the past. But he is 32 years old and has been on a steep slide for the last two seasons. Is a change of scenery enough to get him to rebound, or are their deeper issues there?
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Neal didn't fit into the top 6, in part, because you can't succeed with two slow players on a top 9 line. Monahan and Tkachuk are slower players and they aren't getting demoted to the third. Lucic will have the same issue. Even if he still had the skill to be top 6 (which I don't think he does) he doesn't slot well. It will be the third or forth lines for him.
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A good start will be important for Lucic. If he starts strong the confidence will build. If he doesn't, it will be "here we go again".
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This move was about saving 12 million in actual dollars and about removing a poor fit from the team. The silver lining is that Lucic might be a better fit in the bottom 6. This wasn't about upgrading the roster, particularly in the top 6.
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Top 5 goalies based on Vezina voting last season: Vasilevskiy: First round draft pick. Back up 3 post draft season, starter 5 season. It was for his drafting team. Great right away. Bishop: Mid-round draft pick. 8-years post draft until he was a starter, lots of up and down before that. It wasn't for his drafting team. Struggle in his first 3 seasons in the NHL. Lehner: Second round draft pick. 7-years post draft until he was a starter. It wasn't for his drafting team. A lot of up and down before starting. Good numbers, but took a lot of back-up time on different teams before getting a chance as a 1A. Fleury: First overall draft pick. Played back-up immediately and starter three seasons post draft. Struggled initially. Did play for his drafting team. Binnington: Mid-round draft pick. Only 1 game played until his 7 post draft season. Only played 32 games in his one and only season, but was exceptional in the playoffs. Plays for his drafting team. We have goalies starting early. Goalies starting later. Ones that were developed by their ultimate team, some that weren't. Some that were strong out of the gates and others that struggled early. Some that came out of nowhere. Some that were thought of as career back-ups. Things don't clear up after the top 5 as well. There is no trend. There is no recipe. There is no common thread or path to follow.
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As far as July 1 signings go, not too bad. Its tough to regret a 1-year deal for under 3-million. Low risk signing.
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Yes. Humans are at the other end of the keyboard. Which means people are going to react. And calling a dramatic post dramatic isn't exactly hurt feelings territory, or at least it shouldn't be. The quotes you made were either not personal, very mild, or taken completely out of context. (The last one was me quoting you telling me I have no idea. Seriously.) You may also want to look at your own tone if you can't handle any sort of reaction. For example: But I tell you what. You ignore me. I will ignore you. Both of us will enjoy the boards more.
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This entire post is dramatic. Talbot / Smith can never win a cup. You have no idea how someone could think Talbot is an upgrade over Smith. Trying to take over both sides of the debate with comments like 'every year you say' and 'even with the limited scope you're operating'. That is just this post. It doesn't even touch on the 'we are still old', 'giving up or only playoff player to the Oilers for nothing', 'at least this speeds us towards a rebuild', etc. This is a 1-year contract for a back-up goalie. This isn't roof on fire sort of stuff. My take: The Flames are hoping Rittich materializes as their starter. He took a big step forward last season and the Flames are hoping he can take another. Talbot is veteran support to help him. As fans we discount this a lot, but most of the great goalies had strong veteran support. Hopefully Talbot will rebound some moving from one of the worst to one of the better defensive cores in the NHL. If Rittich doesn't take a step forward and/or Talbot doesn't rebound then both are on flexible contracts allowing the Flames to address it at the deadline / next off season. Even if they wanted Smith back, they wouldn't have the flexibility at the deadline with Smith signed due to his 35+ status and the bonuses. But in reality they probably didn't want Smith back due to his regular season performance and a desire to invest in Rittich as their starter. Disagree with the take all you want, but maybe with a rational argument.
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Drama much? There is more then one way to address the position. Step back from the ledge.
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It's not a wedding proposal. If you can get a few years out of a player it's a win. Particularly when the acquisition cost is zero.
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That is terrible news. I enjoyed his practical, no nonsense, take on hockey. He carried himself with respect and he has the respect of the board. He will be missed.
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Between Rittich and Talbot the Flames should have competent goal tending for 6-million or less. In a cap world that is a big win. Plus, if Rittich learns how to keep it together down the stretch or Talbot returns to his not to distant form then the Flames can take a step past competent. Sure it isn't the Flames finding their Binnington/Holtby/Murray/Vasilevskiy. But it is better then spending a bunch of assets or cap to also not find our Binnington/Holtby/Murray/Vasilevskiy.
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Smith is looking better. It has been against weak teams and he hasn't looked comfortable at times, but he is making big saves and limiting soft goals. Last night was one of the few games where it felt like they were winning because of Smith instead of in spite of him. I think the wheels are still at risk of falling off, but right now they are winning with both goalies. Hopefully they go back to Rittich next game. He is still giving us better starts. But my guess is they go back to a heavier workload for Smith. But that is just a guess and it won't shock me to see Rittich next game.
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I didn't suggest anything of the sort. Not everything needs to be an argument. Lighten up. I would give him a few games and take it from there. Is he a good starter? A good backup? Is he a decent option to be part of a 1A/B tandem? Well, he is playing well and Smith isn't. So now is a good time to give him a string of games to find out. And no, 1 bad game isn't going to answer the question anymore then one good game will.
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Indeed. And I am on the record saying I question his abilities as a starter. But now is the time to see what you have. The reigns can be taken away anytime it gets to be too much. And you never know, maybe he does have the ability.
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It shouldn't be a question. But Smith is popular in the room and it's easy to justify a start, as they have been doing all season. He played well so we need this to keep going. Or, he played bad so we need to get him going. Or, he has a good record against this team and its a chance to get him going. Or, if he sits too long it is just a bigger blow to his confidence, he needs to play through this. How do you guage that a goalie has his confidence back anyway? The simple answer is one goalie is winning and one isn't. Until that changes Rittich should be getting the starts. If Rittich falters then give Smith a chance, but until then play the guy who is playing well.
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Now comes the coaches test. Who do they start Monday? Better be Rittich.
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I don't mind Bennett on the top line. I think we are weak down the middle right now. Jankowski and Ryan are not effective third line centres. The Flames need to move Lindholm to C to balance that out. From there it's a matter of filling in the blanks. Lots of options. Gaudreau-Monahan-Neal Tkachuk-Lindholm-Czarnik Bennett-Backlund-Frolik Or Gaudreau-Monahan-Bennett Tkachuk-Lindholm-Neal Frolik-Backlund-Czarnik Or even Gaudreau-Lindholm-Neal Tkachuk-Monahan-Czarnik Bennett-Backlund-Frolik Or one of a dozen options. But get your finishers with playmakers (ie Neal), get your young guys in positions to be successful (Bennett, Czarnik) and stop treating your third line like a trash despenser with a mish mash of whomever is left over.
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If I went to my boss with a significant capital request and the best I could do to justify it was some outside investment, contentious financial claims, and a lot of cheerleading I would not only be denied, but I would impact my credibility for future asks. Council failed to provide a credible proposal that told us it was a safe investment and what the benefits of that investment was. It may end up being a missed opportunity. It might also turn out to be a near miss. But the information wasn't there to make an informed decision. Which is why I am already sick of the social media pointing fingers at voters. The voters made the right call with the info available. The lack of information is on city hall. Shame on them.
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Yup. This is starting to go beyond something he needs to work past to something that is just the norm for him. The reality may be that he just isn't an NHL level goalie any longer.
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Coddling Smith isn't working. I hope he plays through whatever it is he is going through. But this started last season when he came back. The upcoming back to back will probably give him one more game to rebound, but after that it is time to give Rittich more starts. I would plan for 2 games to 1 (with Rittich getting 2) but modify based on schedule and play.
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1) Fire Sigalet. 2) Pick up ANY NHL caliber goalie. Whoever you get is going to be better then Smith is. 3) Park Smith in the AHL. 4) If you forgot step 1 then damn well do step 1. Then ground yourself for forgetting step 1. At least a week with no cell phone.