Calgary Flames Expectations

[Going4TheCup]

1 hour ago, 7wit said:

 

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.

I think Lindholm or Neal will be fine on the first line. I agree that this year is a make or break year for Brad Treliving but we will also see what else he does to improve the team this season especially in the goaltending department. I'm not sure if he is going to make a trade for a goalie this season or wait until the offseason next year.

[jjgallow]

15 hours ago, cccsberg said:

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....

 

Nobody will be happier than me if I'm wrong

 

Glad to see the faith.  I can appreciate your comment and I  agree I am not helping, thus have remained scarce.

 

We will win another cup one day and it will be awesome.

 

I'll be here when it happens.

 

(unlike our current gm)

[kehatch]

18 hours ago, cross16 said:

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. 

 

Agreed. The forwards were the biggest issues last season. Mishmash in the bottom 6, a lack of overall scoring, no second option for defensive minutes (just the Backlund line), few options on the right side. This not only impacted scoring and special teams, but it impacted the rest of the team. The Backlund line saw 2 more minutes a night, the D lacked the forwards (they play as a 5 man unit), etc. 

 

I do think a lack of durability in net and a lack of a second option hurt the Flames last season and could be an issue this season. But we will see. 

[Cowtownguy]

7 hours ago, jjgallow said:

 

Nobody will be happier than me if I'm wrong

 

Glad to see the faith.  I can appreciate your comment and I  agree I am not helping, thus have remained scarce.

 

We will win another cup one day and it will be awesome.

 

I'll be here when it happens.

 

(unlike our current gm)

I quite enjoy your acerbic cynicism. It makes me feel like I am not alone. Like last night at 1:00am (today technically), one of my neighbours was banging on the door calling someone to let them in. I had the window open because it was warm and I try not to use the AC too much. Then, at 7:30am this morning, they beat some bongo drums, yelling at the top of their lungs. I am not even exaggerating dude, fricken bongo drums. He doesn't know how to play them either apart from just hitting them. He sings. Well, he thinks of it as singing. There are two families living there, and one of the women talk on the phone outside every morning because it is too fricken loud inside. I understand that different cultures have different notions of loudness, space etc., but give me a break. Lest I digress.

 

I think Treliving made a few solid acquisitions this year. I am just not convinced that the goaltending is sufficient. There will be a desire to play Smith more than less, and that makes it more likely that he will be injured. I am not sure that our backups are ready for the challenge if/when he goes down. Smith is also the type of player who will march in to play even if he is at 65%. Admirable quality, but not effective or intelligent.

[travel_dude]

10 hours ago, 7wit said:

 

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.

 

We had Ferland as the top line RW.  Let that sink in before you worry about Neal or Lindholm being a better option.  Ferland was fine, and I'm not taking anything away from him, but the Flames top line has never had anything more than a 2nd line player on RW.  And yet both JH and Monahan have had excellent seasons during that time.

 

We went from having Frolik, Ferland, Hathaway, Lazar or Brouwer being our top 6 RW options to Neal, Lindholm, Ryan, Frolik, Lazar, Brouwer, Hathaway, Czarnik.  Maybe we don't see JH being in on 40% of the scoring.  That would imply that other lines actually score.  Something we truly lacked.

[travel_dude]

On 7/27/2018 at 9:11 AM, 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.

 

 

 

Not to argue, but goaltending and defense were part of the problem.  Getting forwards to commit to defense was a big concern.  Taking penalties because of bad positioning was as well.  But the Flames were terrible in scoring goals.  We added a goalscorer and a 2-way C/RW that can help in the top 6. 

 

The immediate downgrade in scoring on he blueline is obvious.  Unfortunately for all the good things Hamilton did, he was prone to taking penalties.  The last two seasons 64 minutes each.  The first season 46.  That puts a lot of pressure on the rest of the team.  And he was on for a lot of goals against.  Hanifin is a big question mark as to what he can become short and long term.  

 

This may not have been a rebuild, but you can see the signs of the re-tool.  Brouwer has one year or less left on this team.  Hathaway is moving to a pure depth spot.  Frolik is being freed up to add flexibility elsewhere.  Stone is almost an afterthought on most lineup projections.  We have more than one RHS available to the top 9.

 

Fixing the defense is as much coaching on this team as personnel.  Having a defensive posture will help.  Limiting the shots, especially high-danger area ones should help guys like Smith.  Yes, we don;t have a solution in nets yet, but we haven't lost the two best goalie prospects yet either.  They are farther out than I would like, but we may also be looking elsewhere for a solution.  You keep your eyes on a lot of goalies elsewhere, as does most of the scouts.  We'll probably be surprised when the Flames sign some Euro, maybe some Finn or Swede. Maybe even a Russian.      

[conundrumed]

On 7/27/2018 at 10:29 AM, MAC331 said:

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.

I'm going to need some proof of that.

I just don't see it.

Tell me which top tier coaches brought in players. I don't see it in Washington, Pittsburgh, Philly, Winnipeg, SJ, etc.

Needs, sure I see that discussion, but bringing players from his last team?

With GG it was hope and prayer guys he'd had before. Lost us a Granlund trade and the rest = zero.

The jury's out on this round.

Even MacLellan isn't packing around ex-SJ players.

[conundrumed]

On 7/28/2018 at 0:42 PM, Cowtownguy said:

I quite enjoy your acerbic cynicism. It makes me feel like I am not alone. Like last night at 1:00am (today technically), one of my neighbours was banging on the door calling someone to let them in. I had the window open because it was warm and I try not to use the AC too much. Then, at 7:30am this morning, they beat some bongo drums, yelling at the top of their lungs. I am not even exaggerating dude, fricken bongo drums. He doesn't know how to play them either apart from just hitting them. He sings. Well, he thinks of it as singing. There are two families living there, and one of the women talk on the phone outside every morning because it is too fricken loud inside. I understand that different cultures have different notions of loudness, space etc., but give me a break. Lest I digress.

 

I think Treliving made a few solid acquisitions this year. I am just not convinced that the goaltending is sufficient. There will be a desire to play Smith more than less, and that makes it more likely that he will be injured. I am not sure that our backups are ready for the challenge if/when he goes down. Smith is also the type of player who will march in to play even if he is at 65%. Admirable quality, but not effective or intelligent.

I'm with you. Doesn't bother me at all. None of us are Alfred Einstein, lol.

Cynicism is refreshing.

"Lest I digress" is odd when you're changing the subject young feller.

Go with but, lest td or peeps is your bongo-playing quasi-singer next door, then I get it.

My kids mess me up with bastardized sayings as it is!

[DirtyDeeds]

34 minutes ago, conundrumed said:

I'm going to need some proof of that.

I just don't see it.

Tell me which top tier coaches brought in players. I don't see it in Washington, Pittsburgh, Philly, Winnipeg, SJ, etc.

Needs, sure I see that discussion, but bringing players from his last team?

With GG it was hope and prayer guys he'd had before. Lost us a Granlund trade and the rest = zero.

The jury's out on this round.

Even MacLellan isn't packing around ex-SJ players.

Probably Joel Quennville in Chicago, however he has been there such a long time he has also lost a bunch of players he probably wanted to keep too.

[conundrumed]

On 7/28/2018 at 8:31 AM, kehatch said:

 

Agreed. The forwards were the biggest issues last season. Mishmash in the bottom 6, a lack of overall scoring, no second option for defensive minutes (just the Backlund line), few options on the right side. This not only impacted scoring and special teams, but it impacted the rest of the team. The Backlund line saw 2 more minutes a night, the D lacked the forwards (they play as a 5 man unit), etc. 

 

I do think a lack of durability in net and a lack of a second option hurt the Flames last season and could be an issue this season. But we will see. 

It was beyond that for me. Almost afraid to score for lack of a better description.

My biggest hope is Backlund. He's close to a 25G 40A guy to me.

He controls the play, a lot. Another year's gone by, Captained the Swedes.

He's as seasoned a C vet as anybody.

Berglund's shadow has dissipated

I look forward to an even more controlling Backlund this year playing with a ton of  confidence..

[conundrumed]

5 minutes ago, DirtyDeeds said:

Probably Joel Quennville in Chicago, however he has been there such a long time he has also lost a bunch of players he probably wanted to keep too.

Panarin for Saad is probably a bad example.

Bringing Sharp back.

Maybe Nashville would be a good example.

MAC, give me the litany of players the coach brought in.

 

[DirtyDeeds]

My expectations:

 

I think BT has made some drastic changes. Mostly for the good however he also sent packing some big points and some toughness.

 

Forwards

Forwards are improved and our depth should be much better with 2 player spots filled in top 6 and pushing down some good players. This should also give Bennett some better linemates. Time to walk the walk Mr Bennett.

 

Defence

Defence is a wash this season. While the Flames lost a lot of points when Hamilton was sent packing they picked up some youth and a little better D play. If Hamonic can play better with Hanafin than he did with Brodie then we win the trade andshould be more competitive this season. 

 

Goaltending

BT has changed nothing in the goaltending area(so far) and it looks like he is comfortable to let it ride another season. This is my biggest concern. Prospects have to step up to the plate and produce better this season. And Coaching(goaltending coach are you listening????) You have to manage Smiths and our backups time far better than you did last season. Last season was very sub par goaltending during our playoff push.

 

I think we are marginally better than last season. We should be able to secure a wildcard playoff berth with this bunch and a bit better goaltending to finish the season. If all these pieces fall into expected projected place, in which case we might make some noise in our division.

 

Edit:

Coaching

I can only say "show me" to this coaching bunch. It is very difficult for us fans to judge coaching by anything other than results. Goaltending in particular has fallen short just about every season. How many times do we have to say "we need average goaltending" before the powers above realize we are not getting even that.

[MAC331]

5 hours ago, conundrumed said:

I'm going to need some proof of that.

I just don't see it.

Tell me which top tier coaches brought in players. I don't see it in Washington, Pittsburgh, Philly, Winnipeg, SJ, etc.

Needs, sure I see that discussion, but bringing players from his last team?

With GG it was hope and prayer guys he'd had before. Lost us a Granlund trade and the rest = zero.

The jury's out on this round.

Even MacLellan isn't packing around ex-SJ players.

That is just a hopeless way of looking at any scenario. Some GMs and Coaches are smarter than others in how the cover off their needs. We have needs and like I referred to was CAR being a unique situation with the whole world knowing this new owner wanted changes. I am not going to spend my time digging up examples of where some coaches have asked and brought in players known to them to cover of needs.

Really Granlund ? Who cares he was a marginal player at best. Petty

[MAC331]

4 hours ago, conundrumed said:

Panarin for Saad is probably a bad example.

Bringing Sharp back.

Maybe Nashville would be a good example.

MAC, give me the litany of players the coach brought in.

 

Do your own research since you have said you have followed hockey forever

[Going4TheCup]

Has anybody else watched any of last seasons Carolina Hurricanes games to see Bill Peters's system at work? I have been watched some games on Youtube and it really excites me because I think his system will really benefit the Flames!

[travel_dude]

2 hours ago, Going4TheCup said:

Has anybody else watched any of last seasons Carolina Hurricanes games to see Bill Peters's system at work? I have been watched some games on Youtube and it really excites me because I think his system will really benefit the Flames!

 

Here's a suggestion.

Play some of it slo-mo to see how it would look executed by Brouwer.

 

I appreciate your take on how it could translate to the Flames though.  I shudder to think what a Gully system would look like with the Oilers.  O think they would look as bad as the Flames did under him.  If anything, it makes McDavid rein in his play to match the system.  That's assuming that Gully has any say at all in the structure.

[conundrumed]

23 hours ago, MAC331 said:

Do your own research since you have said you have followed hockey forever

Wow. Get snippy about it...

[Cowtownguy]

14 hours ago, conundrumed said:

Wow. Get snippy about it...

I think that the mods need to seriously consider eliminating this word from the board. I mean, kids could come across this.

[DirtyDeeds]

18 hours ago, travel_dude said:

 

Here's a suggestion.

Play some of it slo-mo to see how it would look executed by Brouwer.

 

I appreciate your take on how it could translate to the Flames though.  I shudder to think what a Gully system would look like with the Oilers.  O think they would look as bad as the Flames did under him.  If anything, it makes McDavid rein in his play to match the system.  That's assuming that Gully has any say at all in the structure.

Funniest quote of the off season. +1

[Going4TheCup]

On 7/31/2018 at 10:21 AM, Cowtownguy said:

I think that the mods need to seriously consider eliminating this word from the board. I mean, kids could come across this.

You're not being serious are you? lol 

[Going4TheCup]

This is a funny question now but has anybody's EXPECTATIONS Changed at all since the Flames are buying out Troy Brouwer?? 

[The_People1]

 

[travel_dude]

On 8/2/2018 at 0:55 PM, Going4TheCup said:

This is a funny question now but has anybody's EXPECTATIONS Changed at all since the Flames are buying out Troy Brouwer?? 

 

Not really.

Then again, I fully expected them to buy out Brouwer.

I don't think I have had Brouwer in the lineup in months.

 

To e fair, if they had kept him, he would have to be playing well enough to keep his spot in the lineup.

So, he either would have or the player replacing him would have.  Not much of a difference.

 

[Going4TheCup]

Ryan Ellis just signed a 8 year contract worth 6.25 million per year, that's a pretty good deal I must say. Maybe that will change what Hanafin's EXPECTED to get but I am worried that Hanafin hasn't signed yet 

[420since1974]

I don't see Ellis as a comparable to Hanifin.

All of Ellis's new 8 year contract is for UFA years.

His 2nd contract was only a 5 X $2.5M deal.

Hanifin is just coming off of his ELC and has no arbitration rights.

A max 8 year contract would buy only 4 UFA seasons.