Calgary Flames Expectations

[Going4TheCup]

Now with Kulak's signing the Calgary Flames have $4,688,290 left in Cap space to sign Rittich and Noah Hanafin. I expect the GM Brad Treliving to either make a trade for cap space or do a buyout of player. I believe that Treliving wants to sign Hanafin to a long term deal which I think he should but would a bridge for him be worth it in the long run?

[Going4TheCup]

I'm a little confused because even with the signing of David Rittich Cap Friendly says the Projected Cap Space is  $5,388,390. What did the Flames do to open up some Cap Space?? 

[phoenix66]

34 minutes ago, Going4TheCup said:

I'm a little confused because even with the signing of David Rittich Cap Friendly says the Projected Cap Space is  $5,388,390. What did the Flames do to open up some Cap Space?? 

Cap friendly is initially putting Rittich in stockton and they havent signed Hathaway and Hanifin yet 

[Flyerfan52]

32 minutes ago, Going4TheCup said:

I'm a little confused because even with the signing of David Rittich Cap Friendly says the Projected Cap Space is  $5,388,390. What did the Flames do to open up some Cap Space?? 

They are showing Rittich & his 0.800 in the minors/non-roster players section. The total & projected space only includes roster players,

[cross16]

The difference on CapFriendly from yesterday to today is they've moved Alan Quinne and his 700K from the NHL roster to the AHL one. That's why the available cap space increased and that's why CapFriendly has 2 different "reports".

[travel_dude]

5 minutes ago, Flyerfan52 said:

They are showing Rittich & his 0.800 in the minors/non-roster players section. The total & projected space only includes roster players,

 

I found it odd, since I looked yesterday and it was actually less, before he was signed.

 

2 minutes ago, cross16 said:

The difference on CapFriendly from yesterday to today is they've moved Alan Quinne and his 700K from the NHL roster to the AHL one. That's why the available cap space increased. That's why the available cap space number they are reporting has changed. 

 

Ahh, thanks for that.

So that is a bit better.  It leaves enough for a reasonable salary (even without buyout) to sign Hanifin.  Roughly $4.5m.

I would prefer to deal with the Brouwer or Stone situation this summer and sign Hanifin long term.  That gives us flexibility for the year.  Should know one way or the other by next week (after last scheduled arb date).

[conundrumed]

I have to assume Hanafin's will be a bridge deal.

I'm leery that Canes fans don't seem to be upset about losing any of the players that we acquired.

Because of that, I can't buy in until I actually see what we have here, fit, etc.

I do like that Neal becomes the vet leader up front and Gio leads the backend.

I like the Lindholm deal but also need to see him progressing and fitting the team.

I'm excited to see Hanafin under a different tutelage, but have to see if it impacts him or not.

Ryan is a total wildcard imho. His numbers say he's a middle 6 at worst, coming from a non-playoff team. Just a question of whether the numbers flatter him.

 

I'd like to be excited and rah-rah, but I'll stay low key.

A lot of you typed it last year, "this team is completely frustrating".. All year, "it's not like they are playing bad". Even GG in post games, "we can take a lot of positives away".

Sell, sell, sell.

I'll wait to see the product this year, lots of changes that should be for the better.

But someone has to say it. Coaches with too much say in personnel.

It better work out this time, or BT'll be wearing a noose.

And we'll be talking about the Hartley firing again to GG as a "soft" coach and BP soon tbd.

 

[robrob74]

33 minutes ago, conundrumed said:

I have to assume Hanafin's will be a bridge deal.

I'm leery that Canes fans don't seem to be upset about losing any of the players that we acquired.

Because of that, I can't buy in until I actually see what we have here, fit, etc.

I do like that Neal becomes the vet leader up front and Gio leads the backend.

I like the Lindholm deal but also need to see him progressing and fitting the team.

I'm excited to see Hanafin under a different tutelage, but have to see if it impacts him or not.

Ryan is a total wildcard imho. His numbers say he's a middle 6 at worst, coming from a non-playoff team. Just a question of whether the numbers flatter him.

 

I'd like to be excited and rah-rah, but I'll stay low key.

A lot of you typed it last year, "this team is completely frustrating".. All year, "it's not like they are playing bad". Even GG in post games, "we can take a lot of positives away".

Sell, sell, sell.

I'll wait to see the product this year, lots of changes that should be for the better.

But someone has to say it. Coaches with too much say in personnel.

It better work out this time, or BT'll be wearing a noose.

And we'll be talking about the Hartley firing again to GG as a "soft" coach and BP soon tbd.

 

 

The thing I like about Neal is that if he’s a dick in the room (like Smith is) about losing, he can point to the rings and cup finals and say this is what it takes. Do it or Blockchain off! I want players that refuse to lose. We don’t have a hate to lose. 

[MAC331]

12 hours ago, conundrumed said:

I have to assume Hanafin's will be a bridge deal.

I'm leery that Canes fans don't seem to be upset about losing any of the players that we acquired.

Because of that, I can't buy in until I actually see what we have here, fit, etc.

I do like that Neal becomes the vet leader up front and Gio leads the backend.

I like the Lindholm deal but also need to see him progressing and fitting the team.

I'm excited to see Hanafin under a different tutelage, but have to see if it impacts him or not.

Ryan is a total wildcard imho. His numbers say he's a middle 6 at worst, coming from a non-playoff team. Just a question of whether the numbers flatter him.

 

I'd like to be excited and rah-rah, but I'll stay low key.

A lot of you typed it last year, "this team is completely frustrating".. All year, "it's not like they are playing bad". Even GG in post games, "we can take a lot of positives away".

Sell, sell, sell.

I'll wait to see the product this year, lots of changes that should be for the better.

But someone has to say it. Coaches with too much say in personnel.

It better work out this time, or BT'll be wearing a noose.

And we'll be talking about the Hartley firing again to GG as a "soft" coach and BP soon tbd.

 

You think it is abnormal for a coach to have player personel input ? Where doesn't this happen ? If anything I would have expected BT to use BP's insider information and the volatility of the ownership change in CAR to get the players we did. What is not to like ? Ryan by all accounts is a very reliable C which I think helps us. The smart move in order to protect the future would be to sign Hanifin long term not a bridge.

[MAC331]

22 hours ago, travel_dude said:

 

I found it odd, since I looked yesterday and it was actually less, before he was signed.

 

 

Ahh, thanks for that.

So that is a bit better.  It leaves enough for a reasonable salary (even without buyout) to sign Hanifin.  Roughly $4.5m.

I would prefer to deal with the Brouwer or Stone situation this summer and sign Hanifin long term.  That gives us flexibility for the year.  Should know one way or the other by next week (after last scheduled arb date).

I know most and especially you td won't want to hear this however if there is no willingness to buyout Brouwer until next season maybe we should be trading Frolik now. If the expectation is for Brouwer to have a bounce back season he needs to play at least 3rd line with Bennett and Ryan IMO.

[MAC331]

10 hours ago, robrob74 said:

 

The thing I like about Neal is that if he’s a dick in the room (like Smith is) about losing, he can point to the rings and cup finals and say this is what it takes. Do it or Blockchain off! I want players that refuse to lose. We don’t have a hate to lose. 

I don't think there should be any question that Neal will bring leadership to this team plus a winning attitude. I really don't like the early talk about Neal and Tkachuk on the same line for a few reasons. Firstly, I would prefer BP to spread the attitudes of Neal and Tkachuk around playing on different lines. Secondly, if BP wants a fast skating team he will need to spread this around to make up for Tkachuk and Neal being average skaters. This is why I hope for this look vs what is being tossed around currently.

Gaudreau, Monahan, Neal

Tkachuk, Backlund, Lindholm

Bennett, Ryan, Frolik

Klimchuk, Jankowski, Czarnik

[travel_dude]

10 hours ago, conundrumed said:

I have to assume Hanafin's will be a bridge deal.

I'm leery that Canes fans don't seem to be upset about losing any of the players that we acquired.

Because of that, I can't buy in until I actually see what we have here, fit, etc.

 

They are probably excited they have Hamilton.  

Considering what Hanifin has done this early in a defensive career, there's not much not to like.

We probably haven't seen the best of Dougie yet, but we definitely haven't seen the best of Hanifin. 

[jjgallow]

the Flames followed up a dissapointing season where clearly defence and goaltending were the biggest issues,

 

by doing nothing, or actually downgrading in these areas, and overpaying in areas that were less of a concern.  I don't mean in terms of positions, but in terms of defence.   The Flames actually made a lot of progress getting Hamilton to finally play a complete game.  Sent him off heading into his prime, and acquired a far more challenging project than Hamilton ever was.

 

Hanifan is a big name that appeals to people who likes big names.   He is young, he is talented, he is a massive defensive liability and many years ahead of him before that changes.

 

If the intention was to rebuild, I could accept this trade as a very high risk move but potentially accomplishing objectives.

 

If the intention was to be more competitive this year, then, once again, our management is incompetent and needs to go.   These are not hockey decisions. This is getting really, really bad.  And don't get me started on goaltending.

 

 

[CheersMan]

59 minutes ago, jjgallow said:

the Flames followed up a dissapointing season where clearly defence and goaltending were the biggest issues,

 

by doing nothing, or actually downgrading in these areas, and overpaying in areas that were less of a concern.  I don't mean in terms of positions, but in terms of defence.   The Flames actually made a lot of progress getting Hamilton to finally play a complete game.  Sent him off heading into his prime, and acquired a far more challenging project than Hamilton ever was.

 

Hanifan is a big name that appeals to people who likes big names.   He is young, he is talented, he is a massive defensive liability and many years ahead of him before that changes.

 

If the intention was to rebuild, I could accept this trade as a very high risk move but potentially accomplishing objectives.

 

If the intention was to be more competitive this year, then, once again, our management is incompetent and needs to go.   These are not hockey decisions. This is getting really, really bad.  And don't get me started on goaltending.

 

 

I'll second that.

[cccsberg]

2 hours ago, jjgallow said:

the Flames followed up a dissapointing season where clearly defence and goaltending were the biggest issues,

 

by doing nothing, or actually downgrading in these areas, and overpaying in areas that were less of a concern.  I don't mean in terms of positions, but in terms of defence.   The Flames actually made a lot of progress getting Hamilton to finally play a complete game.  Sent him off heading into his prime, and acquired a far more challenging project than Hamilton ever was.

 

Hanifan is a big name that appeals to people who likes big names.   He is young, he is talented, he is a massive defensive liability and many years ahead of him before that changes.

 

If the intention was to rebuild, I could accept this trade as a very high risk move but potentially accomplishing objectives.

 

If the intention was to be more competitive this year, then, once again, our management is incompetent and needs to go.   These are not hockey decisions. This is getting really, really bad.  And don't get me started on goaltending.

 

 

jj, haven't seen you around for a while.  Can't say your attitude and assessments have been missed, but its always good to have different views.  Now, that first line....

[The_People1]

1 hour ago, jjgallow said:

the Flames followed up a dissapointing season where clearly defence and goaltending were the biggest issues,

 

by doing nothing, or actually downgrading in these areas, and overpaying in areas that were less of a concern.  I don't mean in terms of positions, but in terms of defence.   The Flames actually made a lot of progress getting Hamilton to finally play a complete game.  Sent him off heading into his prime, and acquired a far more challenging project than Hamilton ever was.

 

Hanifan is a big name that appeals to people who likes big names.   He is young, he is talented, he is a massive defensive liability and many years ahead of him before that changes.

 

If the intention was to rebuild, I could accept this trade as a very high risk move but potentially accomplishing objectives.

 

If the intention was to be more competitive this year, then, once again, our management is incompetent and needs to go.   These are not hockey decisions. This is getting really, really bad.  And don't get me started on goaltending.

 

Can't disagree much here.  Only thing I would add is that a lack of RW was also a contributing factor to our poor season.

 

Thus, the Dougie trade kind of makes sense from the perspective of getting a top 6 RW while not downgrading D too much.  BT went halfway.

[cross16]

4th worst goals/game in the league, #1 in missed shots by a long shot, and one of the league's worst PP.

 

I'l respectfully completely disagree with the conclusions that goaltending/D are the primary factors that led to a poor season. The Flames could not score to save their lives. 

[Flyerfan52]

12 hours ago, robrob74 said:

 

The thing I like about Neal is that if he’s a dick in the room (like Smith is) about losing, he can point to the rings and cup finals and say this is what it takes. Do it or Blockchain off! I want players that refuse to lose. We don’t have a hate to lose. 

What rings? He wasn't on the Pens when they won the SC & his other 3 teams never won any Cups. He has experienced the finals a few times though.

He does have a Gold from the 2007 WJC & Silver from the 2009 IIHF WC.

 

I totally agree about having players that hate to lose.

[jjgallow]

33 minutes ago, The_People1 said:

 

Can't disagree much here.  Only thing I would add is that a lack of RW was also a contributing factor to our poor season.

 

Thus, the Dougie trade kind of makes sense from the perspective of getting a top 6 RW while not downgrading D too much.  BT went halfway.

 

We did need a RW, that is true

[The_People1]

4 hours ago, Flyerfan52 said:

What rings? He wasn't on the Pens when they won the SC & his other 3 teams never won any Cups. He has experienced the finals a few times though.

He does have a Gold from the 2007 WJC & Silver from the 2009 IIHF WC.

 

I totally agree about having players that hate to lose.

 

I could've swore he won once with the Pens... But I just checked and you are right.  He has never won a Cup.  Not "rings" but actually two Cup Final appearances and that's all he has.

[Davis1891]

9 hours ago, jjgallow said:

the Flames followed up a dissapointing season where clearly defence and goaltending were the biggest issues,

 

by doing nothing, or actually downgrading in these areas, and overpaying in areas that were less of a concern.  I don't mean in terms of positions, but in terms of defence.   The Flames actually made a lot of progress getting Hamilton to finally play a complete game.  Sent him off heading into his prime, and acquired a far more challenging project than Hamilton ever was.

 

Hanifan is a big name that appeals to people who likes big names.   He is young, he is talented, he is a massive defensive liability and many years ahead of him before that changes.

 

If the intention was to rebuild, I could accept this trade as a very high risk move but potentially accomplishing objectives.

 

If the intention was to be more competitive this year, then, once again, our management is incompetent and needs to go.   These are not hockey decisions. This is getting really, really bad.  And don't get me started on goaltending.

 

 

I have to disagree with most of this.

We needed a top line RW, we signed Neal and traded for Lindholm.

Lindholm has the potential to fill top RW position as well, perhaps right away, but likely in a couple years as Neal isn't getting any younger. But we now have two options at that position, and I'm sure that Lindholm will be taking up the mantle that's been missing since Iggy was traded.

Ryan, I don't know much about him other than he's got a decent faceoff %. (59, 55, 56% respectfully)

Monahans highest year was at 51%, Backlund at 48%.

Ryan has now become our f/o guy, and those numbers are pretty decent. We can never have too many guys who know how to win draws. It's crucial in todays game, ,especially on the PK. I'd say we addressed those three needs quite well.

I'm not sure how Hanafin will work out, but (of course there's no proof) Hamilton was reportedly a distraction in the locker room. (Boston as well) If those reports are accurate, then he had to go. It's a team effort.

Put it this way, he's a top 4 RHS D considered a superstar by many, and he's now on his third team and he's only 25 years old. That speaks volumes to me, and only confirms the rumors of his locker room shenanigans. They also needed to shake up the locker room, players need to be held accountable.

I'm hoping that Hanafin, whose numbers aren't that far off from Hamiltons (and younger at that), will only progress from here on out. There's no reason why he won't. Better culture, better team mates, and a moral boost by having a coach that wanted to bring him along for the ride. As of right now, I only give Hamilton a slight edge in being the better player. However, he was playing with Gio. (Remember how bad he was before he teamed up with him, his first year here?) Gio makes his partners better, and I think that were going to see that with his play in Carolina. I'd almost put money on his numbers regressing.

I do agree with you on Goaltending. That's going to be our broken kneecap this season. Maybe there's just nothing available at this time, that wouldn't require a massive overpayment to land a better quality goalie, I don't know. But Smith's contract is up after this season (5 mil in cap space?), and there's always TDL to pick up a quality tender.

So....

Upgrade on RW, times two.

Upgrade on face off

Upgrade on possession

Upgrade on PK

Upgrade on potential goal scoring

Only slight downgrade on defense, but likely evens out or improves.

Unknown PP

Unknown goaltending

Unknown coaching

[ABC923]

Was our defense that bad last year?  I know it was below what we had hoped, but the flames were a top ten league in shots against and were similarly stingy in giving up high danger scoring chances.  We had the 11th worst save percentage though, and the third worst shooting percentage.  

 

I would say say our top concerns going into the off-season were:

1. Adding offence.  We added Neil, Lindholm, Ryan, and Czarnik up front while losing Ferland, Versteeg, Stajan, and soon one of Lazar/Hathaway/Brouwer.  We changed coaches and PP coaches.  If we get even league average shooting percentage, we’ll net around 40(!) more goals.

2. Goaltending.  Hopefully Smith stays healthy and Rittich/Gilles takes a step forward.  We need to improve here, but we made no changes to this position, so we’re stuck just kind of hoping.

3.  Defense.  While our counting numbers were good here, you can’t argue we had untimely break downs far too often.  Fortunately there are plenty of opportunities for improvement.  Brodie could bounce back, Hamonic could bounce back, Hanifin could take the next step forward, and Anderson and Valimaki should push to make the roster.

[kehatch]

Problem 1: Flames D had a lot of great pieces, but they didn't fit together well. The Flames shook up the core by moving out Hamilton and added coaches that are known for their D (Peters, Huska). We will see if it works. The big questions are if Giordano-Brodie returns to form and if Hanafin can handle the additional responsibilities. Problem may have been solved. 

 

Problem 2: The Flames bottom 6 was terrible. They added Neal, Lindholm, Ryan, Czarnik, and also have some kids coming along. These guys will either fill the bottom 9 or move players like Frolik down the depth chart. Problem almost certainly solved. 

 

Problem 3: Outside of a small group, the Flames lacked consistent goal scorers. Neil, Lindholm, and the other adds should fix that. Problem probably solved. 

 

Problem 4: The Flames lacked a solid option in net when Smith got hurt. So far, this problem has not been solved. 

 

Problem 5: The Flames were poorly constructed lacking pieces that fit together to build a consistent identity and a solid team. This included special teams players, face offs, defensive players, etc. They seem to be built as a speed team but without a lot of speed. They added some good pieces that should fill in a lot of gaps, and improved coaching could help. But whether they develop an effective identity is tbd. Problem could be solved. 

[robrob74]

9 hours ago, Flyerfan52 said:

What rings? He wasn't on the Pens when they won the SC & his other 3 teams never won any Cups. He has experienced the finals a few times though.

He does have a Gold from the 2007 WJC & Silver from the 2009 IIHF WC.

 

I totally agree about having players that hate to lose.

 

Good catch! I am an idiot! But knowing he  had to play the Pens he’s motivated to get the cup.

 

https://triblive.com/sports/penguins/12353837-74/james-neal-penguins-winning-stanley-cup-has-motivated-him-to-do-same

 

i don’t know if this works.

 

he wouldn’t sign in Calgary if there wasn’t a chance.

[7wit]

7 hours ago, Davis1891 said:

I have to disagree with most of this.

We needed a top line RW, we signed Neal and traded for Lindholm.

Lindholm has the potential to fill top RW position as well, perhaps right away, but likely in a couple years as Neal isn't getting any younger. But we now have two options at that position, and I'm sure that Lindholm will be taking up the mantle that's been missing since Iggy was traded.

Ryan, I don't know much about him other than he's got a decent faceoff %. (59, 55, 56% respectfully)

Monahans highest year was at 51%, Backlund at 48%.

Ryan has now become our f/o guy, and those numbers are pretty decent. We can never have too many guys who know how to win draws. It's crucial in todays game, ,especially on the PK. I'd say we addressed those three needs quite well.

I'm not sure how Hanafin will work out, but (of course there's no proof) Hamilton was reportedly a distraction in the locker room. (Boston as well) If those reports are accurate, then he had to go. It's a team effort.

Put it this way, he's a top 4 RHS D considered a superstar by many, and he's now on his third team and he's only 25 years old. That speaks volumes to me, and only confirms the rumors of his locker room shenanigans. They also needed to shake up the locker room, players need to be held accountable.

I'm hoping that Hanafin, whose numbers aren't that far off from Hamiltons (and younger at that), will only progress from here on out. There's no reason why he won't. Better culture, better team mates, and a moral boost by having a coach that wanted to bring him along for the ride. As of right now, I only give Hamilton a slight edge in being the better player. However, he was playing with Gio. (Remember how bad he was before he teamed up with him, his first year here?) Gio makes his partners better, and I think that were going to see that with his play in Carolina. I'd almost put money on his numbers regressing.

I do agree with you on Goaltending. That's going to be our broken kneecap this season. Maybe there's just nothing available at this time, that wouldn't require a massive overpayment to land a better quality goalie, I don't know. But Smith's contract is up after this season (5 mil in cap space?), and there's always TDL to pick up a quality tender.

So....

Upgrade on RW, times two.

Upgrade on face off

Upgrade on possession

Upgrade on PK

Upgrade on potential goal scoring

Only slight downgrade on defense, but likely evens out or improves.

Unknown PP

Unknown goaltending

Unknown coaching

 

We still don’t have a top line RW. Neal and Lindholm are second liners. We have to HOPE Gaudreau makes them better. I agree with the list of unknowns. Not quite at the non-confidence vote for management but this is a make it or break it year for BT.