Can we make the Playoffs this year?

[Basti]

Since we imho saw a pretty solid start into this new season, what are your thoughts about making the playoffs this year?

[cccsberg]

Since we imho saw a pretty solid start into this new season, what are your thoughts about making the playoffs this year?

Yes its been a pretty good start, but we haven't been to California, Dallas or Phoenix so I'm not getting too excited yet. Also only played Vancouver, Chicago and St Louis once. Its been good, but the hardest part of the schedule is still to come. As stated at the start of the season, if certain things fall into place then Yes we can, but we still have a long ways to go.

Scoring? check

Goaltending? check

Competitive in Division? TBD

Consistency? still developing...

Solid Vet-Prospect balance? TBD

Western Conference fall-off? No

[TrippinVdUb]

Its possible but every year we see teams storm out of the gate and put themselves in a position that make everyone take notice only to see there play trail off once games up the intensity level and tighten up. I think if we start the new year off in a playoff position then we cam start looking at the playoffs but as of right now its.more about continuing to build on our identity and development. Consistency is the hardest attribute to obtain in this league and if we can keep playing this way for another 70 games then we will be in the mix byt that is a big IF at this point.

[The_People1]

This topic was bound to happen due to the great start the Flames are having.

 

To me, it's going to be close.  I like the way the Flames play but boy are they using up 110% every game.  That's very taxing on the body over the course of an 82-game schedule and I'm afraid the Flames will run out of gas around mid-December, much like last season.  The offense lately has been led by Gaudreau and he's a kid who's never experienced an 82-game schedule so I expect him to tail off.  That said, the rest of the team went through this early success last season so there must have been some lessons learned from that.  I don't feel the Flames will fall off the face of the Earth as much as they did last year.

 

I do hope the Flames get lucky in the draft lottery this year because there are two very good reasons for it but watching the Flames play, you gotta like the momentum they've got and the culture they are creating with the kids.  The only way they draft top 3 is if they stop the culture they have developed which is not going to happen.

 

All in all, it looks like the Flames can finish anywhere from 7th to 12th in the Conference.

[frozenwanderer]

Hartley Believes. He wants the players to believe. I already believe and. I hope that I'm believing in the right thing.

[travel_dude]

This topic was bound to happen due to the great start the Flames are having.

 

To me, it's going to be close.  I like the way the Flames play but boy are they using up 110% every game.  That's very taxing on the body over the course of an 82-game schedule and I'm afraid the Flames will run out of gas around mid-December, much like last season.  The offense lately has been led by Gaudreau and he's a kid who's never experienced an 82-game schedule so I expect him to tail off.  That said, the rest of the team went through this early success last season so there must have been some lessons learned from that.  I don't feel the Flames will fall off the face of the Earth as much as they did last year.

 

I do hope the Flames get lucky in the draft lottery this year because there are two very good reasons for it but watching the Flames play, you gotta like the momentum they've got and the culture they are creating with the kids.  The only way they draft top 3 is if they stop the culture they have developed which is not going to happen.

 

All in all, it looks like the Flames can finish anywhere from 7th to 12th in the Conference.

You are right about it being taxing. The "always earned..." motto means prospects never feel that they are on the team any longer than their current compete level. That's great. But you are seeing the psospects pushing themselves harder than the vets (in some cases). Injuries are bound to happen with that level of sacrifice.

Saying that, I would much rather see guys giving their all than a Semin type that gets sat because he won't do anything even within his job description.

I think that BT (in the back of his mind) is thinking this is unexpected. Injuries have not slowed the momentum yet. Every prospect is playing good. He was likely thinking he could move out a few vets nearer to TDL, but may be starting to doubt that. Getting GlenX re-signed was a hot topic before the season started, but then fell off the radar. That may be due to thinking about possible key pieces at TDL for GlenX. The Possibility of playoffs is aluring.

As much as I love the current level of compete, we are likely due for a bit of a tailspin in February or March. Teams pushing for the playoffs will kick it into high gear. We will likely be out of the playoff hunt, and BT will start moving some pieces.

[Flyerfan52]

It's much too early to predict.

The Flames have played 13 games while other teams have played as few as 10. After about the 1/2 way mark the 3 game difference becomes less significant but now accounts for dang near a 25% difference in games played.

[tmac70]

^ Still to early is correct.

 

Positives:

 

Goal tending is vastly improved.

Scoring is coming from every where 

Defense has been solid, which was thought to be a huge weak point.

Prospects are exceeding expectations at present.

 

Negatives

Puck Possession is going to kill us if it doesn't improve

Injuries are starting to pile up.

The more we play the more teams learn and adjust.

How long before the Defense on the bottom end gets exposed. 

Face offs, are a HUGE issue with all the centers out. 

 

I still will maintain we don't make the playoffs, but will finish higher than anyone ever expected, 18 to 22 is my guess.  

[TrippinVdUb]

I think our bottom end of the dcore is already beimg exposed, it would be interesting to see how many goals against each damn was on the ice for to get a clearer picture.

[CheersMan]

If the Flames make the playoffs this year, Hartley will be a strong candidate for the Jack Adams Award.  Do I think Hartley can win the Jack Adams Award?  Absolutely!  There...........may as well get that out there too.

[cccsberg]

This topic was bound to happen due to the great start the Flames are having.

 

To me, it's going to be close.  I like the way the Flames play but boy are they using up 110% every game.  That's very taxing on the body over the course of an 82-game schedule and I'm afraid the Flames will run out of gas around mid-December, much like last season.  The offense lately has been led by Gaudreau and he's a kid who's never experienced an 82-game schedule so I expect him to tail off.  That said, the rest of the team went through this early success last season so there must have been some lessons learned from that.  I don't feel the Flames will fall off the face of the Earth as much as they did last year.

 

I do hope the Flames get lucky in the draft lottery this year because there are two very good reasons for it but watching the Flames play, you gotta like the momentum they've got and the culture they are creating with the kids.  The only way they draft top 3 is if they stop the culture they have developed which is not going to happen.

 

All in all, it looks like the Flames can finish anywhere from 7th to 12th in the Conference.

If Giordano and TJ Brodie get injured for a significant amount of time things will tailspin. Otherwise I expect 0.500 or just above once we play the tough teams in the West and everything tightens up.

[travel_dude]

 

I think our bottom end of the dcore is already beimg exposed, it would be interesting to see how many goals against each damn was on the ice for to get a clearer picture.

Even if you knew how many goals were scored against a specific D-man, the context is harder to glean. If Bollig and McGratts are out there, and it is a bottom pairing D, they likely will get lit up, especially if they have gooten trapped in the D-zone for longer than their normal shift.

Icing 4 competetive lines with alternating D pairs is crucial to success. On the road, it is even more obvious. Whoever is the weakest will get matched by the strongest opposing line. If you can't win the FO, or can't get the puck in the O-zone, you will spend till the next whistle with whoever started the play.  

[JTech780]

The general sentiment is that if you are in a playoff spot on American Thanksgiving than you are probably going to be a playoff team. Last year I think 14 out of 16 teams that were in playoff spots on American Thanksgiving ended up in the playoffs.

 

That being said I think Calgary has an uphill battle ahead of them, there are so many good teams in the West it is hard to imagine who is not going to be in the playoffs at the end of the season for Calgary to be in.

 

If they keep getting good goaltending, and playing a solid team game they have a chance.

[420since1974]

Possible but not likely.

 

Next year is is my guess.

[Kulstad]

To be quite frank, I don't want the Flames to make the playoffs this year.  In my mind, that would just be giving the fanbase (and the players) false hope, and the deeper they would go, the more false hope this would provide.

 

The 2004 run was a fluke, and look how much false hope that gave us?  2 years of "oh, we can do it again whenever we want" that grew into the country club we became.

 

Given how they players have carried over the work ethic they established last year, I would rather we be a bubble team this season.  Close enough to almost taste it, but far enough out of it that it makes the players that much more hungry.  Being that close would show the team (and the fans) that they are definitely doing the right things, and are clearly on the right path. 

 

To make the playoffs in just the second year of a rebuild would, in my mind, be more damaging to everything the team has accomplished so far.  Next season, absolutely, make the playoffs and go deep....and they should, given how they know how to carry over the work ethic from season to season.  Coupled with what they learn and improve on this year, the familiarity between the new guys and the vets, and a second summer of free agency (which, given the demonstrated success of this season, should entice better players to come join us), absolutely go make some big noise in the playoffs.....

 

 

.....in year 3 of the rebuild, not year 2.

 

just my $0.02

[travel_dude]

Thank's Pyro for editting the spelling of Semin.

As JTech says, the likelyhood of being in a playoff spot is related to how you start off the year. Our biggest problem, after getting a few games over 500, was to maintain that. We would get a few games over 500 then lose 2-3 in a row. If we can stay above 500 in sets of games played (3 out of 5), we probably are in (16 already + 80 points new). 500 hockey for the remaining games doesn't do it.

With 4 point swing games and loser points awarded games, you can, in theory, keep ahead of teams trying to leapfrog you by beating them and those above you.

Saying all that, we don't know what the big bad western teams will do to us. Specifically, ANA, LA and SJ.

If we remain even with the top West teams, and beat up on the East teams and lesser West teams, we have a good chance of making the playoffs. If Brodie and/or Hiller and/or Gio go down for any length of time, all bets are off.

And to add to Kulstad's point, great goaltending masks the deeper problems. If the stars aligned and we made the playoffs, it would likely be a quick exit. We aren't built yet for it. Johnny, Mony, Brodie, etc. aren't ready for it. We need the Bennetts and Poiriers and Wotherspoons and such playing. We need to be that far along that it isn't this year and then ten years from now.

[TrippinVdUb]

To be quite frank, I don't want the Flames to make the playoffs this year. In my mind, that would just be giving the fanbase (and the players) false hope, and the deeper they would go, the more false hope this would provide.

The 2004 run was a fluke, and look how much false hope that gave us? 2 years of "oh, we can do it again whenever we want" that grew into the country club we became.

Given how they players have carried over the work ethic they established last year, I would rather we be a bubble team this season. Close enough to almost taste it, but far enough out of it that it makes the players that much more hungry. Being that close would show the team (and the fans) that they are definitely doing the right things, and are clearly on the right path.

To make the playoffs in just the second year of a rebuild would, in my mind, be more damaging to everything the team has accomplished so far. Next season, absolutely, make the playoffs and go deep....and they should, given how they know how to carry over the work ethic from season to season. Coupled with what they learn and improve on this year, the familiarity between the new guys and the vets, and a second summer of free agency (which, given the demonstrated success of this season, should entice better players to come join us), absolutely go make some big noise in the playoffs.....

.....in year 3 of the rebuild, not year 2.

just my $0.02

Im going to respectfully disagree with you here.

I think when you have a young team make the playoffs it only adds too there hunger to get back and gives them confidence that they belong here.

I also don't believe that any harm was done in the few years we were making the playoffs. Despite the lack of success, getting into the post season is the goal and from there anything can happen. The problem came from trading away our future to try and sustain that run.

IMO winning is never a bad option especially if you can do it early and often, the experience will only give these kids something more to feed off and prepare them for the future when we hope to be a legitimate contender.

[Kulstad]

Im going to respectfully disagree with you here.

I think when you have a young team make the playoffs it only adds too there hunger to get back and gives them confidence that they belong here.

I also don't believe that any harm was done in the few years we were making the playoffs. Despite the lack of success, getting into the post season is the goal and from there anything can happen. The problem came from trading away our future to try and sustain that run.

IMO winning is never a bad option especially if you can do it early and often, the experience will only give these kids something more to feed off and prepare them for the future when we hope to be a legitimate contender.

 

So essentially, you're agreeing with me on the hunger part, just not how that hunger is instilled, correct?  Just wanting to be sure before I fly off the handle unnecessarily

[The_People1]

If Giordano and TJ Brodie get injured for a significant amount of time things will tailspin. Otherwise I expect 0.500 or just above once we play the tough teams in the West and everything tightens up.

 

I disagree.  I believe we can afford to lose Giordano and/or Brodie.  The MVP so far is Jonas Hiller.  If he is lost for the season, then i feel a top 5 draft pick is possible.  With him in net, it's just not possible to be so bad.  He's on fire and is playing remarkably.

[TrippinVdUb]

So essentially, you're agreeing with me on the hunger part, just not how that hunger is instilled, correct? Just wanting to be sure before I fly off the handle unnecessarily

Lol essentially yes, i just dont see how making the playoffs could in anyway being damaging to the rebuild outside of having a 15-30 pick. Im sure the oilers would give Yakapov back for taste of the first round, and how much further along would the oil be if they had made it? I know its impossible to answer that but I cant help believing that the experience would change the whole attitude in there locker room.

You create a winning culture by winning hockey games!

[kehatch]

I disagree.  I believe we can afford to lose Giordano and/or Brodie.  The MVP so far is Jonas Hiller.  If he is lost for the season, then i feel a top 5 draft pick is possible.  With him in net, it's just not possible to be so bad.  He's on fire and is playing remarkably.

 

Hiller doesn't look like he has without those guys.  The Flames have no where near the defensive depth to afford losing those two guys.  We have Ramo to cover Hiller if it was necessary.  

 

But it is moot.  The Flames can't afford to lose any of those guys.  Not and still be competitive. 

[The_People1]

Hiller doesn't look like he has without those guys.  The Flames have no where near the defensive depth to afford losing those two guys.  We have Ramo to cover Hiller if it was necessary.  

 

But it is moot.  The Flames can't afford to lose any of those guys.  Not and still be competitive. 

 

I think if we had Ramo/Ortio instead of Ramo/Hiller, then we'd be 4-points less in the standings instantly.

 

Giordano and Brodie have been good but Hiller makes them look better than they have been.

[tachaudh]

2001-2002. Flames started out 13-2-2 in the first 17 games. Perched on top of the league, the team was clicking and Turek standing on his head, earned a lucrative new contract. We finally turned the corner after being out of the playoffs for 4 years. The young guns had emerged. Playoffs were all but guaranteed. 

 

We only won 19 of the next 65, and finished well outside a playoff spot. 

[kehatch]

I want to believe we can make the playoffs.  

• We thought we lacked goal tending, but we found it.  Hiller is outstanding and Ramo has been very good. 
• We thought we lacked D, but we found it.  Giordano and Brodie are showing they are two of the best D in the game and WIdeman and Russell are proving to be a competent second pairing.  
• We thought we lacked a scoring, but we found it.  The kids are picking up the slack.  
• We thought we lacked a top line, but we found it (sorta).  Monahan has progressed from being an easy minute C to a guy that is playing against the top competition and generally beating them.
• Work ethic and strong leadership has erased the other gaps.   

But unfortunately I don't think we can. The Flames aren't going to get this sustained save percentage all season.  We lack the depth to cover injuries at key spots.  There are better teams currently sitting out of the playoffs that are going to press (i.e. Chicago).  At some point reality will probably set it.  

 

That said, I am enjoying it while it lasts.  If it lasts all season we will have a heck of a show.  

[kehatch]

I think if we had Ramo/Ortio instead of Ramo/Hiller, then we'd be 4-points less in the standings instantly.

 

Giordano and Brodie have been good but Hiller makes them look better than they have been.

 

On top of being one of the best shut down pairings in the NHL they also are one / two for the Flames in scoring.  Plus Giordano is a huge part of the leadership of this team and our work ethic is our number one asset.  

 

I am not suggesting you are overestimating Hiller.  But I think you are underestimating the impact of losing those guys.  We actually say it last season when Giordano was injured.  The end result wasn't pretty.