LouCifer

agreed. short term memory remembers he’s let in 3 goals in the first period 3 out of his last 4 starts long term memory reminds us we wouldn’t have been remotely close to first place in the division if Rittich didn’t bail out the team in games we had no business winning.

I like the look and sound of that line, and, I’d love to see mange get a shot on line 1, however the stumbling block for me is who plays C with Gaudreau and Mange on line 1? Lindholm? Backlund? Not to mention, that line 1 would be so tiny...

Perhaps I’m wearing my flames coloured glasses, but I feel like Bennett has been tagged for quite a few marginal calls... sure, some have been blatant, and some could have been avoided by his stick placement, however, time and time again I see more obvious calls get to slide while Bennett seems to be a target for the zebras.

I think all those contracts expire after the new tv deal comes in, so perhaps cap space will be the lesser issue, and the player wanting to stay the greater

Happy with the news. Sometimes the grass looks greener elsewhere, in this case, not so much for me. Tre has done a great job at the helm, and I’d say he’s won more deals than he’s lost. All this considering this is his first go at being the actual GM of an NHL team. Upwards and onwards!

I’m thinking Rittich starts our season and Talbot starts the first away game (haven’t looked at schedule). Peters is going to “warm up” the fan base to Talbot before he plays him at home methinks.

It’s preseason. However, I don’t like how Talbot is playing as advertised. “First shot or two = goal”.

Luuuuuch. Let me say welcome to the flames. Ain’t going to lie - didn’t love the trade. Nothing personal, it’s your cap hit. In fact, I was a big fan of your game and intensity in Boston. I could see your drive to win. Didn’t see the same from you in Edmonton. Something was different there. I hope you find the flames a better fit for you. I hope you see an opportunity to win here. I hope you can do something special. I’m already routing for you.

The goalie swap will be interesting.

I like the post. Agree on Jarry. I’m also wondering if we should be looking to pickup Zach Fucale (G). Age 24. Hasn’t had great numbers recently. Was a highly touted prospect. UFA currently because VGK didn’t qualify him... thinking he’s somebody who already has the skills and will refocus his career and bounce back after not getting a QO.

I agree 100% TD. This was my attempt to guess what BP would do, not I. It’s Rittich or bust for me.

If we remain 1st in the west to start the playoffs, Smith will start. If not, Rittich will start. As tbc mentioned above, Smith seems to get the softer matchups, so that may be the blueprint to start the playoffs as well.

Hahaha ya, well I’m north of Toronto in Newmarket and you know how it’s Leafs TV 24/7 here. My own father didn’t know the flames were second overall this year when he was trying to rub it in my face that the Leafs were sixth i have had some family and friends send me some kudos for the flames this year which is nice for a change. Even got some of them on the bandwagon! Im going to have a few drinks in Larry’s honour tonight.

That worked for me as well Conundrumed! Thanks again for your help buddy. FF52 is definitely missed.

It worked! And I will heed your warnings Thank you very much Conundrumed, and again to Carty as well for creating it!

Hey Conundrumed, I too would like to show my respect for FF52 in my signature. How do I go about adding your graphic to my signature on these forums? I don’t see where I can add a signature to my posts. Thank you in advance!

Wow. Such sad news. With his noticeable absence, I was hoping maybe it was something someone said or posted that turned him away from the board for a bit... hoping it wasn’t something worse. I didn’t know him as well as some of you on this board, but I always read, respected, and appreciated his posts and insights. I do thank you for this thread Carty, I got to learn a little more about FF52 that I never would’ve known otherwise, and it also validated the impression he made on me about the kind of person he was. He was one of the good ones for sure. I’ll definitely have a few drinks in his name. Much respect Larry, you will be missed but never forgotten.

Amen.

I fixed the above for when Smith is in net. Agreed.

At the end of the day, Rittich has made saves he has no business saving and that’s banked some cred with me. That’s why he gets a longer leash on a soft goal for me. Additionally, I don’t know if y’all are seeing what I’m seeing, but Smitty looks like he’s not seeing the puck until it hits him or whizzes by him, too often for me to feel comfortable.

I defended him early, but can’t anymore. I hate tensing up whenever there’s a shot on net. I thought he’d be better in a contract year. I thought wrong. The only thing he “saves” is our D-men from getting railroaded on a dump in.

Possible. Here’s My 2 cents Lazar had the pedigree of being a former first round pick, and the tagline of being miscast in Ottawa. He was sold for a 2nd round pick on his potential to meet the expectations for him - with only a change of scenery and philosophy. I’m not a betting man but I think it’s logical to assume there would be interest by more teams than only us in a player that young with the draft pedigree, team canada captain history, and Ottawa storyline - not to mention the good soldier (character) he is. But we’ll never know for sure. BT took a swing at a player that could fit the youth movement here. He missed. No GM has a perfect record, but I think ours wins more than he loses and I like that he’s not one to sit on his hands when we don’t see positive results.

I like that BP isn’t afraid to play science experiment with the lines. Maybe he’ll discover some “chemistry”

I believe each player has a specific skill set, and it’s up to the coach and player to exploit that skill set. Having Bennett try to be this all round player in order to move up the lineup may be a target that doesn’t fit his wheel house. What are his skills? Is he a decent finisher? Does he have the vision to make passes that generate offensive opportunities? Is he a mucker and grinder who can win battles along the boards and gain possession for the team? To me, it seems like he’s always trying so hard to do things solo. Perhaps the message he’s received from management is that he has to drive his line to get other opportunities. I think about players like Phil Kessel. Could he drive a line with Janko and Frolik? Don’t think so, but he’s got a valuable skill that benefits his team because of how they use him. I’m thinking maybe Sam Bennett needs an opportunity in a different role. As some have suggested, I’d like to see Bennett get a twirl with Neal and Ryan - but I expect the coach to let him know what his role on the line is - and not that he’s driving it. I’d like to see him on the power play in front of the net, deflecting and banging in some “garbage goals”. I see Sam Bennett as a player with snarl. Someone with an edge. We brought in some added forward depth this year, so why is Bennett playing with the same players as last year? Give him a shot with someone new, in a different role. You can’t expect different results when the parameters haven’t changed from the year before. To me, I see Bennett’s potential as a Gary Roberts / Corey Perry type. We gotta let the dog loose.