Calgary Flames 20/21 Roster and Lines

[travel_dude]

I would prefer they use Bennett at C, and have Ryan on the wing if they were together.

Lucic-Bennett-Ryan

The only problem is minutes.

 

Just a quick set of lines with that in mind....

Mangiapane-Lindholm-Tkachuk

Gaudreau-Monahan-Simon

Dube-Backlund-Leivo

Lucic-Bennett-Ryan

Ritchie/Nordstrom

 

Assuming you go with Lindy at C, I think you could have a top scoring line.

Every one of them cab score.

The "2nd" line has Simon, who supposedly is good at digging out pucks, could also put in quite a few.

Gaudreau's biggest issue last year was missing about 30 breakaways by using the weakest finish available.

When JH struggles, Monahan does as well.

 

Unfortunately, Bennett would only get 3C at best if he stays at C, and that's only if Lindholm doesn;t play C.

Pretty early to project, but we haven't had depth like this before.

I don't really care about draft position at this point.

If you aren;t the best player on your line, you won't play up in the lines.

[LouCifer]

I agree. Bennett at C. Quite frankly, I’d keep The Lucic-Bennett-Dube line intact. Dube was playing a lot taller out there with those 2 as linemates, and he produced at the toughest time of the year in the playoffs, at an amazing clip. All the talk has been about balancing the scoring, so I have no problem playing those 3 together. The expectation is that we’re going to roll 4 lines for this shortened season anyway, and every line needs to be able to produce. I see no harm for his development at all in letting Dube skate this season with those two - in fact, he’d probably develop more playing against weaker competition and growing his confidence for future top 6 duty. And if we need to plug him into the top 6 every now and then, so be it. He could even alternate with Bennett at the dot to get faceoff reps in. 

[JTech780]

https://twitter.com/Fan960Steinberg/status/1346864391107579910?s=19

 

Looks like they swapped Ryan and Bennett for today's practice. Don't mind the look of those lines. Either way this team is going to be rolling 4 lines deep, that's going to be very important in this compacted season.

[JTech780]

Simon and Leivo swapped today. Interesting to see Zagorodniy getting time on a line with Froese and Nordstrom.

[LouCifer]

9 hours ago, JTech780 said:

https://twitter.com/Fan960Steinberg/status/1346864391107579910?s=19

 

Looks like they swapped Ryan and Bennett for today's practice. Don't mind the look of those lines. Either way this team is going to be rolling 4 lines deep, that's going to be very important in this compacted season.

Beauty. That’s what I’d prefer. Mange and Ryan were linemates in the past and had some pretty good chemistry as well, so maybe that line is improved as well. But Lucic - Benny - Dube are going to give opposing teams fits to contain. The other thing that really improved was Lucic on that line. He said himself playing with the younger guys was exciting and it really showed. I think he was the most effective he was all season once this line was formed, and we will be a better team with an engaged and excited Lucic. 
 

I am excited to see what Simon and Leivo can bring up front. And equally excited to see what Valimaki and Nestorov can bring to the back end. I expect the former Barrie Colts, Andersson and Mangiapane, to take another step forward this season and start to make an impact on the game more consistently. It would be nice to see both get some PP time. 
 

I’m tempering my expectations for Tanev and Nordstrom. I’ve got some question marks there. 
 

I’m excited to see the duo of Markstrom and Rittich and I loved reading Rittich’s quote “what other nhl team has 2 all star goalies” 😂 I love that guy, and I’m sure his personality helps to keep things loose in the dressing room

[robrob74]

43 minutes ago, lou44291 said:

Beauty. That’s what I’d prefer. Mange and Ryan were linemates in the past and had some pretty good chemistry as well, so maybe that line is improved as well. But Lucic - Benny - Dube are going to give opposing teams fits to contain. The other thing that really improved was Lucic on that line. He said himself playing with the younger guys was exciting and it really showed. I think he was the most effective he was all season once this line was formed, and we will be a better team with an engaged and excited Lucic. 
 

I am excited to see what Simon and Leivo can bring up front. And equally excited to see what Valimaki and Nestorov can bring to the back end. I expect the former Barrie Colts, Andersson and Mangiapane, to take another step forward this season and start to make an impact on the game more consistently. It would be nice to see both get some PP time. 
 

I’m tempering my expectations for Tanev and Nordstrom. I’ve got some question marks there. 
 

I’m excited to see the duo of Markstrom and Rittich and I loved reading Rittich’s quote “what other nhl team has 2 all star goalies” 😂 I love that guy, and I’m sure his personality helps to keep things loose in the dressing room

 

It was awesome. The video of him responding to Eric Francis is on the Flames official site. It’s so funny as Francis was trying to stir it up and he just flat out responded asking “why would I be upset that we signed Markstrom?” He then went on to say that about the two all-star goalies. He is saying that they’re going to get their minutes and gotta do their best to get wins for the team. I think Rittich has always been this kind of guy and I think does better on less minutes, yet playing regularly... has shown he’s a good solid team guy as a backup. 
 

although the flames have a bit of a more expensive duo now. 

[Thebrewcrew]

These would be my forward lines

 

Gaudreau-Monahan-Leivo

Tkachuk-Lindholm-Simon

Mangiapane-Backlund-Ryan

Lucic-Bennett-Dube

 

I really like the idea of distributing talent up and down the lineup, I think it makes the Flames very difficult to match-up against. An example of this would be against EDM, the Lindholm and Backlund lines would see a steady diet of Mcdavid and Draisiaitl, leaving the Monahan line to go up against the Turris line. 

 

Statistically, Backlund is the worst in faceoffs among Flames C, having Ryan on that line allows them to rotate draws on their strong side. Having Ryan shift to the wing also gives you a longer look at Bennett back in the middle.

 

Giordano-Tanev

Hanifin-Andersson

Valimaki-Nesterov

 

I have a really hard time slotting Tanev. Andersson can handle top pairing minutes, it's just that I don't really want Hanifin-Tanev to be a pairing. I could be wrong and I'm likely jaded by the Hanifin-Hamonic experience though. 

 

The taxi squad is interesting. I think I have an idea of what the Flames will do with it. Thing is, if you lose 4 or 5 guys to covid, do you really want Petrovic/Rinaldo/Stone/Robinson stepping in for 3 or 4 games, depending on the schedule? I think the taxi squad ends up looking something like this

Domingue

Stone- I do believe he will sign

Petrovic

Robinson

Rinaldo

Froese or Ritchie

 

Personally, I would have Gawdin on the taxi squad. I think he's really close to being ready and in a normal season, he's your first recall. I would also feel better about plugging him into the lineup than a Froese or Ritchie. 

 

[LouCifer]

9 hours ago, Thebrewcrew said:

These would be my forward lines

 

Gaudreau-Monahan-Leivo

Tkachuk-Lindholm-Simon

Mangiapane-Backlund-Ryan

Lucic-Bennett-Dube

 

I really like the idea of distributing talent up and down the lineup, I think it makes the Flames very difficult to match-up against. An example of this would be against EDM, the Lindholm and Backlund lines would see a steady diet of Mcdavid and Draisiaitl, leaving the Monahan line to go up against the Turris line. 

 

Statistically, Backlund is the worst in faceoffs among Flames C, having Ryan on that line allows them to rotate draws on their strong side. Having Ryan shift to the wing also gives you a longer look at Bennett back in the middle.

 

Giordano-Tanev

Hanifin-Andersson

Valimaki-Nesterov

 

I have a really hard time slotting Tanev. Andersson can handle top pairing minutes, it's just that I don't really want Hanifin-Tanev to be a pairing. I could be wrong and I'm likely jaded by the Hanifin-Hamonic experience though. 

 

The taxi squad is interesting. I think I have an idea of what the Flames will do with it. Thing is, if you lose 4 or 5 guys to covid, do you really want Petrovic/Rinaldo/Stone/Robinson stepping in for 3 or 4 games, depending on the schedule? I think the taxi squad ends up looking something like this

Domingue

Stone- I do believe he will sign

Petrovic

Robinson

Rinaldo

Froese or Ritchie

 

Personally, I would have Gawdin on the taxi squad. I think he's really close to being ready and in a normal season, he's your first recall. I would also feel better about plugging him into the lineup than a Froese or Ritchie. 

 

I see it the same way TBC. Same forward lines, same d pairings, for the same reasons. 

[JTech780]

They split the groups into NHL and AHL groups today, the exception is that Kylington has finally passed his quarantine and is with the AHL group today. 

[cross16]

It appears there is no appetite, or even a thought, to split up Gaudreau and Monahan. That’s extremely disappointing. 

[robrob74]

2 hours ago, cross16 said:

It appears there is no appetite, or even a thought, to split up Gaudreau and Monahan. That’s extremely disappointing. 

Since they aren’t going to entertain splitting them up, I think Dube on their line could be the best option, or possibly Mangiapane. 
 

has there been any word on what is ailing Bennett?

[JTech780]

The one thing with Simon playing with Gaudreau and Monahan is that he has played with top players in the past, Crosby, and Crosby praised Simon for his ability to dig pucks out of the corners. That is a skill that Gaudreau and Monahan really need on their line. 

[cross16]

15 minutes ago, JTech780 said:

The one thing with Simon playing with Gaudreau and Monahan is that he has played with top players in the past, Crosby, and Crosby praised Simon for his ability to dig pucks out of the corners. That is a skill that Gaudreau and Monahan really need on their line. 

 I do agree with this and I do think that type of player is exactly what they need. Count me skeptical Simon can do it full time but I get that choice. 
 

but I still think that the pairing is just too flawed and they need to start looking at other options. I just why they are not I just find it really disappointing 

[zima]

Do you guys believe that Ritchie is any better than Gawdin or any of our bubble players? I personally think it is sad that they bring in a A leaguer to take up a spot that our kids should have the chance to take. I know they want competition but it makes it hard for any of our kids to show there stuff on such a short preseason or should I say no preseason 

[JTech780]

3 hours ago, cross16 said:

 I do agree with this and I do think that type of player is exactly what they need. Count me skeptical Simon can do it full time but I get that choice. 
 

but I still think that the pairing is just too flawed and they need to start looking at other options. I just why they are not I just find it really disappointing 

 

The only thing I can think of, is that with such a short training camp and no pre season games is that they are trying to keep some familiarity going into the season. Especially with Lindholm moving to center. 

 

So far through training camp it has looked like they keeping Tkachuk/Lindholm, Gaudreau/Monahan, and Mangiapane/Backlund together as LW/C pairs and trying to find the best RW's for each pair. It is a pretty deep top 9 so far.

[JTech780]

16 minutes ago, zima said:

Do you guys believe that Ritchie is any better than Gawdin or any of our bubble players? I personally think it is sad that they bring in a A leaguer to take up a spot that our kids should have the chance to take. I know they want competition but it makes it hard for any of our kids to show there stuff on such a short preseason or should I say no preseason 

 

I think it comes down to the fact that Gawdin isn't making the team out of camp, there is just too much forward depth. He isn't going to be on the taxi squad, because you want him playing games to get better and develop. I think you want players with NHL experience on your taxi squad as injuries/Covid will happen quickly, and there won't be time to get guys up from Stockton.

 

I think Gawdin is likely to be a tweener anyhow, I am not sure his skating is going to be good enough to be an NHL regular and at best he fits as a 4th line player. I actually think he is going to be passed on the depth chart in short order by Ruzicka.

[LouCifer]

9 hours ago, cross16 said:

It appears there is no appetite, or even a thought, to split up Gaudreau and Monahan. That’s extremely disappointing. 

Au contraire. Maybe a permanent split is in the works. It appears there’s some smoke to what I’ve been suggesting. 
 

i moved the Monahan for Dubois rumour video to the rumours thread. Take a look over there. 

[cross16]

15 hours ago, JTech780 said:

 

The only thing I can think of, is that with such a short training camp and no pre season games is that they are trying to keep some familiarity going into the season. Especially with Lindholm moving to center. 

 

So far through training camp it has looked like they keeping Tkachuk/Lindholm, Gaudreau/Monahan, and Mangiapane/Backlund together as LW/C pairs and trying to find the best RW's for each pair. It is a pretty deep top 9 so far.

i don’t disagree with any of this, even if personally don’t like it.  The only thing for me is my desire to try splitting up Monahan and Gaudreau is not to increase depth. I think the Flames have enough depth I just think those 2 have some flaws that have been exposed and will continue to be exposed. It’s more about maximizing potential and less about depth. I’m pretty convinced that even with trying a new 3rd member, that line will just never be what the flames need them to

be. 

[flames-fan-in-jets-land]

1 hour ago, cross16 said:

i don’t disagree with any of this, even if personally don’t like it.  The only thing for me is my desire to try splitting up Monahan and Gaudreau is not to increase depth. I think the Flames have enough depth I just think those 2 have some flaws that have been exposed and will continue to be exposed. It’s more about maximizing potential and less about depth. I’m pretty convinced that even with trying a new 3rd member, that line will just never be what the flames need them to

be. 

What gets me is the fact that Bennett has proven that he can be a n effective center but the push to move Lindy there seems to be the priority. It's still an unknown if any of the new guys can effectively replace Lindy if he moves to the middle.  I guess not having any pre season games makes evaluations tougher but it seems learning from past results isnt an option yet.  I'm sure the locals get alot more info on camp results, and general feel for the team than I do so maybe there some stuff I'm not seeing.

 

Fun Fact: For some reason the Jets (media anyway) seem to be really high in Forbert.  Ya sure there werent alot of deals done over here and their D lines were a little soft but they seem to have questionably high hopes for him. He's their 2nd pairing with DeMelo.

[JTech780]

New lines today. Might like these lines the best so far.

[robrob74]

3 hours ago, cross16 said:

i don’t disagree with any of this, even if personally don’t like it.  The only thing for me is my desire to try splitting up Monahan and Gaudreau is not to increase depth. I think the Flames have enough depth I just think those 2 have some flaws that have been exposed and will continue to be exposed. It’s more about maximizing potential and less about depth. I’m pretty convinced that even with trying a new 3rd member, that line will just never be what the flames need them to

be. 

 

I agree and I’ve been saying break them up for awhile. I saw this even in the year Johnny got 99 points. They went sour post all star break and it hasn’t looked any better since. Maybe the Flames need to hire Jagr as a motivational consultant/coach as he seemed to light the fire under Johnny... but still they’ve been figured out and they’ve not changed how they play since. They’re talented enough to get points on sheer skill, so to me it’ll look better on paper. People can say, they got 8 points in 13 games, among team leaders in points. But what is their game on the ice actually showing? 
 

a lot of people are dead set against it. 
 

for me, if they keep them together, can they be coached? Can they be shown a new playbook to get them utilizing their skills in different areas on the ice, Having more distribution of the puck? Can Johnny still be a play driver by not having the puck on his stick as long? If I remember correctly, didn’t he use Monahan and Hudler a lot more often in his first year? 

 

They remind me of the Sedins without the size. Monahan has it but not Gaudreau. What I mean is, other teams whack and hack them, hit them when they can, but they don’t or can’t retaliate. I want to say soft, but also think it’s not as soft to play through abuse. Mentally, Monahan is really tough. That kind of play gets Johnny off of his game. Monahan started playing a bit heavier last year. Can he take another step in that direction? I always thought that the way he’d pass up on hits would be a detriment in the long run. Maybe they’re not connected as much as I believe they are, but I feel if other players need to watch out for you, they’re less inclined to play the whack and hack, or hitting game. Other players therefore have to look out for him now if he continues to play that way.

 

for me, I just wouldn’t be able to keep getting that abuse without doing anything about it. 
 

maybe it’s not exactly what is holding them back, not a lot on here think the intimidation game is a thing anymore. But I think it is a part of it.  
 

I do see that it’s also keying in on Johnny and defending him a specific way. It’s why I wonder if the coach can try change it up.

[robrob74]

2 hours ago, flames-fan-in-jets-land said:

What gets me is the fact that Bennett has proven that he can be a n effective center but the push to move Lindy there seems to be the priority. It's still an unknown if any of the new guys can effectively replace Lindy if he moves to the middle.  I guess not having any pre season games makes evaluations tougher but it seems learning from past results isnt an option yet.  I'm sure the locals get alot more info on camp results, and general feel for the team than I do so maybe there some stuff I'm not seeing.

 

Fun Fact: For some reason the Jets (media anyway) seem to be really high in Forbert.  Ya sure there werent alot of deals done over here and their D lines were a little soft but they seem to have questionably high hopes for him. He's their 2nd pairing with DeMelo.

 

I get that Lindholm is our best RW. I just don’t think he is as effective with Monahan and Gaudreau. I think his talent is wasted with those two. Numbers will say they’re great with them, but for me the fact Johnny doesn’t use his line mates effectively enough makes Lindholm’s game quiet. I notice Lindholm’s game more when he’s apart from them. When they had the most success with him on their line, Johnny was using Lindholm a lot more. But that has been silent, I think 5v5. Maybe the PP is a different story. 
 

I just think Lindholm is better used to creat more depth throughout the lineup rather than keep a stale line together rendering him ineffective. With them he becomes their defensive player only. At least with Tkachuk they can both dictate play. 
 

if you keep Lindy as a RW, I still think it needs to be away from Johnny and Monny.

 

Tkachuk, Bennett, Lindholm

?

[travel_dude]

29 minutes ago, robrob74 said:

I agree and I’ve been saying break them up for awhile. I saw this even in the year Johnny got 99 points. They went sour post all star break and it hasn’t looked any better since. Maybe the Flames need to hire Jagr as a motivational consultant/coach as he seemed to light the fire under Johnny... but still they’ve been figured out and they’ve not changed how they play since. They’re talented enough to get points on sheer skill, so to me it’ll look better on paper. People can say, they got 8 points in 13 games, among team leaders in points. But what is their game on the ice actually showing? 

 

Monahan struggled at the end of 2018-19, some of which may have been the injury.

Last season his sniping wasn;t the same.

He wasn't money the way he used to be.

Lindholm scored more, but that's because he shoots from all over the place and has a good shot.

Monahan is in tight and accurate when he is 100%.

It just wasn;t there this past year for a variety of reasons.

Gaudreau depends on one or both linemates flying.

His scoring depends on getting the puck to him in a scoring area or doing something different on breakaway.

 

While I agree it might be best to seperate Johnny and Mony, I think it's more imperative to have a 2nd scoring line than disrupt one known factor.

Gaudreau-Monahan and Tkachuk-Lindholm gives us that.

Two potential top scoring lines.

Which one do Canadian teams send their top D against?

Who does their shutdown lines play against?

 

Let's just say for a minute that the top 6 is as such:

Gaudreau-Monahan-Simon(Dube or Leivo)

Mangiapane-Lindholm-Tkachuk

You can move any winger between those two ines.

Or create the OHL line.

 

My personal opinion is that camp has so many eyes on it that they don't want to break up the top line.  It sends the wrong message.  All summer we heard about trading Gaudreau or Monahan.  No need to have that during a short season.  Gaudreau is talented enough to switch to any line, besides he has played a lot with Lindholm anyway.

No way is he going to be a winger to Bennett at C.  So, they keep the lines and try out thirds on the lines.  See if Mangiapane or Dube fit on RW so they can leave Tkachuk on LW.  Still have Leivo and Simon as fill ins.  But focus on having the best two top lines ready.

[flames-fan-in-jets-land]

35 minutes ago, robrob74 said:

 

I get that Lindholm is our best RW. I just don’t think he is as effective with Monahan and Gaudreau. I think his talent is wasted with those two. Numbers will say they’re great with them, but for me the fact Johnny doesn’t use his line mates effectively enough makes Lindholm’s game quiet. I notice Lindholm’s game more when he’s apart from them. When they had the most success with him on their line, Johnny was using Lindholm a lot more. But that has been silent, I think 5v5. Maybe the PP is a different story. 
 

I just think Lindholm is better used to creat more depth throughout the lineup rather than keep a stale line together rendering him ineffective. With them he becomes their defensive player only. At least with Tkachuk they can both dictate play. 
 

if you keep Lindy as a RW, I still think it needs to be away from Johnny and Monny.

 

Tkachuk, Bennett, Lindholm

?

As other have suggested they should at least try Johnny and Mony apart.

JG - Bennett - Lindy

Chucky - Mony - Dube/Mangi

Leivo - Backes - Simon/Nordstrom

Lucic - Ryan - ?

 

I dont know alot about the new guys except the good things about Simon coming out of Pittsburg.  But seeing seeing what came from Bennett and Dube in the playoffs deserves some recognition.

[JTech780]

Putting Pelletier with two taxi squad guys makes it seem like the Flames see him as being close to being ready. I think he still finishes the season in the Q. 

 

It also looks like Petrovic keeps falling down the depth chart, it was telling when Stone passed him.