Sure is lonely here on the Bandwagon. Where is everyone???

[travel_dude]

19 minutes ago, tmac70 said:

This season has been and still is a mess. It is extremely frustrating to watch, In fact I get worked up to the point of there is nothing positive to latch on to. The only frustration I have with Sutter is his stubbornness in playing the 4th line of Lewis, Lucic, and Ritchie. Although they scored the last game are 90-95% non-factors each game. The rest is the players, there is no one exciting to watch. JG and MT were entertaining at least when they had the puck you could sense something may happen, this year its MEH. 

 

We have to be realistic in the facts that really is changing the systems or coach going to make these players more entertaining to watch, I don't think so. They can't take a pass now. Duehr to Lewis last night's great pass in the slot rolls off his stick into the corner, Hubie to guys in the slot nobody is ready. Guys pass to others at the point only to have it bobbled and go the other way, or put the other player in the worst spot possible.  For me, this is like watching a broadway play at a high school, we don't have the right cast to pull it off.  It fair in some instances understandable to blame the coach, however, until you get some form of a star on this team you have nothing to sell. The fact that we are even this close to a playoff spot with how bad the goaltending is the performance on the ice an with no game-breakers, although hard to comprehend is actually better than most of us want to believe. This whole mess is 40% GM, 40% players, 20% coaching, and systems IMHO. If you all want a different coach and system you better start with better players on the ice first and better goaltending. 

 

In the play analogy, we have a director that watched plays from the Shakespear days.

Even if they play the game to a T, they are still not going to do much to excite fans.

We see Huberdeau play 20 minutes for like the 2nd time this season and we win a game.

 

So, what I am saying is that the systems and coach define the play.

If boring is your style, then we have to play it perfect to win.

That's not sustainable, not with average goaltending, and we had below average.

We are playing to the lowest level of skill on the team IMHO.

We seem to be able to score on the rush, but are not likely to use that often.

 

So, I would suggest this is 60% coaching, including lineup decisions, 40% players of which half is goaltending.

The players that fit the coach are mostly the ones that are not going to win games.

Toffoli is one whose skills allow him to play different types of games.

[LouCifer]

They haven’t been entertaining and my viewership has waned. But they’ll always be my favourite team. I’ll be a fan beyond my final breath. These flames might make that come sooner tho with what they do to my heart 😂

 

 

 

[jjgallow]

Wow lol.

 

Everyone just piling it on.   Now what do I do?  lol

 

For me, the issue is, and has been for some time:  Nothing to look forward to.

 

Sacrificing one's future year after year after year, is no different here than in any other situation.  Like maxing out all your credit cards on lotto tickets and then not winning the lotto, is how I have seen the Flames for a long time now.   It's bothered me for quite a while.

 

The good news, is that at some point, we reach the "can't get any worse" phase.    From here on, there is usually something to look forward to and the organization usually "decides" to invest in their future and rebuild, as if that was always their plan.

 

In terms of things to look forward to right now:

These playoffs?    Nope.

Coronato?    meh.  I try.

Wolf?     Yeah a little.  A little here.

The rest of our prospects?  Nope.

Our future picks and prospects, not yet picked?         Imho, the next 3-5 years this will be the most interesting part about the Flames.
                                                                                        Not even I wanted it this way, but I am at least looking forward to potentially a brighter future, soon

[robrob74]

44 minutes ago, jjgallow said:

Wow lol.

 

Everyone just piling it on.   Now what do I do?  lol

 

For me, the issue is, and has been for some time:  Nothing to look forward to.

 

Sacrificing one's future year after year after year, is no different here than in any other situation.  Like maxing out all your credit cards on lotto tickets and then not winning the lotto, is how I have seen the Flames for a long time now.   It's bothered me for quite a while.

 

The good news, is that at some point, we reach the "can't get any worse" phase.    From here on, there is usually something to look forward to and the organization usually "decides" to invest in their future and rebuild, as if that was always their plan.

 

In terms of things to look forward to right now:

These playoffs?    Nope.

Coronato?    meh.  I try.

Wolf?     Yeah a little.  A little here.

The rest of our prospects?  Nope.

Our future picks and prospects, not yet picked?         Imho, the next 3-5 years this will be the most interesting part about the Flames.
                                                                                        Not even I wanted it this way, but I am at least looking forward to potentially a brighter future, soon

 

I don't think it'll happen. The team is going to try again and again for th next 3-4 years, and then it's going to be written on the wall. 
 

personally, I think invest in the youth next year and ride it out to a few high picks. Scout like madmen in every league (NA & Europe). Find the best player. 
 

we then have the tail end of Hubey, Kadri, and Weegar. Andersson will be still really good at 30-31. 
 

Get a first at the TDL for Backs, and others. 
 

might not be a great draft coming up, but that's the issue of being a Flames fan. The writing is on the wall and we play it out when the tea leaves were saying rebuild/retool. 
 

This was the perfect year to trade away at the TDL and get picks for this draft.

[jjgallow]

12 minutes ago, robrob74 said:

 

I don't think it'll happen. The team is going to try again and again for th next 3-4 years, and then it's going to be written on the wall. 
 

personally, I think invest in the youth next year and ride it out to a few high picks. Scout like madmen in every league (NA & Europe). Find the best player. 
 

we then have the tail end of Hubey, Kadri, and Weegar. Andersson will be still really good at 30-31. 
 

Get a first at the TDL for Backs, and others. 
 

might not be a great draft coming up, but that's the issue of being a Flames fan. The writing is on the wall and we play it out when the tea leaves were saying rebuild/retool. 
 

This was the perfect year to trade away at the TDL and get picks for this draft.

 

Here's the thing though:

 

The owners aren't actually in charge.   The fans are in charge, and just don't collectively know it.

 

I've gone on rants on this before "It's the fan's fault"..... for  sure this was my most hated and least popular, but most truthful rant on these boards.

 

Owners keep giving us vanilla cause we keep paying for it.

 

The very moment that stops, things change.  In a hurry.  It happened once in the 90's.   Fans stopped paying for garbage.   Flames owners blinked, went out and got Iginla.

 

Judging from what I read in this thread, for what it's worth, history may just repeat.  And I have zero worries about the Flames "moving".  City's too big, it'll all work out.

[robrob74]

22 minutes ago, jjgallow said:

 

Here's the thing though:

 

The owners aren't actually in charge.   The fans are in charge, and just don't collectively know it.

 

I've gone on rants on this before "It's the fan's fault"..... for  sure this was my most hated and least popular, but most truthful rant on these boards.

 

Owners keep giving us vanilla cause we keep paying for it.

 

The very moment that stops, things change.  In a hurry.  It happened once in the 90's.   Fans stopped paying for garbage.   Flames owners blinked, went out and got Iginla.

 

Judging from what I read in this thread, for what it's worth, history may just repeat.  And I have zero worries about the Flames "moving".  City's too big, it'll all work out.

 

it might take one more year then. How long will fans continue to pay for it? 
 

you do hear that from reporters that they recognize the apathy around the city: I agree with you, but it takes not buying tickets and empty seats to get the hint. 
 

when will fans stop paying? 
 

id have stopped two years before Gaudreau left. Although I think I went to a Flames game in that time. But still... hard to tell. 
 

is it more boos from the fans? 

[jjgallow]

12 minutes ago, robrob74 said:

 

it might take one more year then.

 

yes.   but I would imagine they'll start to get a Little nervous even this offseason, enough to stop them from doing more damage.  We got 1-2 years before they "declare a rebuild"...lol....yes.   And 5-7 years to be a contender again.

[tmac70]

2 hours ago, robrob74 said:

 

it might take one more year then. How long will fans continue to pay for it? 
 

you do hear that from reporters that they recognize the apathy around the city: I agree with you, but it takes not buying tickets and empty seats to get the hint. 
 

when will fans stop paying? 
 

id have stopped two years before Gaudreau left. Although I think I went to a Flames game in that time. But still... hard to tell. 
 

is it more boos from the fans? 

 How many on this board actually pay for season tickets? Actually how many attend games or pay for seats on a regular basis? Corporate sponsors are what purchase the tickets and I presume there is a waiting list to get season tickets for what comes available. I could be wrong but I heard there is a 10-year wait list for season tickets. The public does have some pull but its limited more than you think. We gripe and moan on these boards but who actually has skin in the game. 

 

[tmac70]

6 hours ago, travel_dude said:

 

In the play analogy, we have a director that watched plays from the Shakespear days.

Even if they play the game to a T, they are still not going to do much to excite fans.

We see Huberdeau play 20 minutes for like the 2nd time this season and we win a game.

 

1 So, what I am saying is that the systems and coach define the play.

2 If boring is your style, then we have to play it perfect to win.

3 That's not sustainable, not with average goaltending, and we had below average.

We are playing to the lowest level of skill on the team IMHO.

We seem to be able to score on the rush, but are not likely to use that often.

 

So, I would suggest this is 60% coaching, including lineup decisions, 40% players of which half is goaltending.

The players that fit the coach are mostly the ones that are not going to win games.

Toffoli is one whose skills allow him to play different types of games.

1) So then last year systems and coaching were the keys to success versus this year, not the players.

2) Correct because you don't have the cast members, boring is all we have as we have no stars to ignite the crowd 

3) What is the leading fact of why we are where we are in the standings

4) I can agree with this but have to direct attention to one thing of human nature that has been apparent in all of this. How excited were Lucic's teammates for him when he scored last night or Stone or Weegar's block? How many hugs did Weegar get for the blocked shots by teammates? It's those moments that one can see how your peers view you. I agree Lucic's time is done but his connection to the players seems pretty valuable which is what we don't see behind closed doors, this could be a huge factor behind as to why he is still on the roster.

[robrob74]

1 hour ago, tmac70 said:

 How many on this board actually pay for season tickets? Actually how many attend games or pay for seats on a regular basis? Corporate sponsors are what purchase the tickets and I presume there is a waiting list to get season tickets for what comes available. I could be wrong but I heard there is a 10-year wait list for season tickets. The public does have some pull but its limited more than you think. We gripe and moan on these boards but who actually has skin in the game. 

 

 

as per usual, it is corporate that run the show. 
 

you're right, I usually go to about 3 or 4 Canucks games per year. But I do buy the nhl packages and doubt I will next year. That hurts maybe the Cap going up more than the Flames. 

[jjgallow]

2 hours ago, tmac70 said:

 How many on this board actually pay for season tickets? Actually how many attend games or pay for seats on a regular basis? Corporate sponsors are what purchase the tickets and I presume there is a waiting list to get season tickets for what comes available. I could be wrong but I heard there is a 10-year wait list for season tickets. The public does have some pull but its limited more than you think. We gripe and moan on these boards but who actually has skin in the game. 

 

 

I think  a lot here do, although they won't put their hands up.   Been about 12 years for me.    

 

Individually we have no power.   Collectively, we decide everything.      If fans stop watching, corporations will stop buying.   Our interest decides how the corporations write their taxes off.   Our interest puts the politicians in power that make the decisions on the arena.   If fans were to all go watch Wranglers tomorrow we would see changes pretty quick.

 

IMHO the owners gambled on some big post-season performances to secure public approval for an arena deal.

 

It backfired spectacularly.    Now they will have to get public support the hard, and long way.

[cross16]

16 hours ago, tmac70 said:

 How many on this board actually pay for season tickets? Actually how many attend games or pay for seats on a regular basis? Corporate sponsors are what purchase the tickets and I presume there is a waiting list to get season tickets for what comes available. I could be wrong but I heard there is a 10-year wait list for season tickets. The public does have some pull but its limited more than you think. We gripe and moan on these boards but who actually has skin in the game. 

 

 

I do. Think I'm year 11 or 12... can never remember. 

 

There is no more wait list though. They make it seem like there is but I've heard from multiple people who signed up and got offers immediately. There numbers have slowly dropped year to year and there having to get creative, offering half seasons, to get people to commit. 

 

I believe there is a section or 2 that has a wait list but if you want season tickets you an get them pretty easily. 

[travel_dude]

17 hours ago, tmac70 said:

1) So then last year systems and coaching were the keys to success versus this year, not the players.

2) Correct because you don't have the cast members, boring is all we have as we have no stars to ignite the crowd 

3) What is the leading fact of why we are where we are in the standings

4) I can agree with this but have to direct attention to one thing of human nature that has been apparent in all of this. How excited were Lucic's teammates for him when he scored last night or Stone or Weegar's block? How many hugs did Weegar get for the blocked shots by teammates? It's those moments that one can see how your peers view you. I agree Lucic's time is done but his connection to the players seems pretty valuable which is what we don't see behind closed doors, this could be a huge factor behind as to why he is still on the roster.

 

It's hard to say how much the coaching defined last year's success. Almost 40 goals more against so far this year.  A drop off of one line's overall scoring.  But we did see a change to the way we play this year.  We lost two 40 goal guys and changed to a style that suggests we have no skill at all.  Play in the muck hockey.  Maybe better for playoffs, but not a great idea for regular season.  Really not great if you are down a goal or two early or entering the 3rd period.

 

 

[travel_dude]

21 hours ago, jjgallow said:

The good news, is that at some point, we reach the "can't get any worse" phase.    From here on, there is usually something to look forward to and the organization usually "decides" to invest in their future and rebuild, as if that was always their plan.

 

In terms of things to look forward to right now:

These playoffs?    Nope.

Coronato?    meh.  I try.

Wolf?     Yeah a little.  A little here.

The rest of our prospects?  Nope.

Our future picks and prospects, not yet picked?         Imho, the next 3-5 years this will be the most interesting part about the Flames.
                                                                                        Not even I wanted it this way, but I am at least looking forward to potentially a brighter future, soon

 

You are pretty negative towards players you have not seen play a single NHL game.

With the current coach and play, you probably don't see them do much.

It would be foolish to suggest we were ever in the running for Bedard.

That ship sailed last year.

Close to being a contender doesn't mean you rebuild.

Even with this year's results, we are still farther away from a rebuild than a contender.

[robrob74]

42 minutes ago, travel_dude said:

 

You are pretty negative towards players you have not seen play a single NHL game.

With the current coach and play, you probably don't see them do much.

It would be foolish to suggest we were ever in the running for Bedard.

That ship sailed last year.

Close to being a contender doesn't mean you rebuild.

Even with this year's results, we are still farther away from a rebuild than a contender.

right now, points-wise we are drafting 18th, but right at 16th when it comes to playoff spots and out of the playoffs. That is smack dab in the middle. I don't know if we count this as an outlier season or it's the norm? I say norm but tough to justify considering the new faces means a different team. The rest of the team hasn't done much to detour my thought that we are a one in and one out team. All we did was change Gaudreau and Tkachuk. We got a bit less up front but added Weegar.

 

maybe it is coaching, but i think middling. Maybe that doesn't do anything in regards to the closer to rebuild or contender arguments. I don't think we are closer to either so I think the team elects to stay in the middle and wait until the middle doesn't happen anymore, which will be in 4 years and the team is forced to retool.

[travel_dude]

31 minutes ago, robrob74 said:

right now, points-wise we are drafting 18th, but right at 16th when it comes to playoff spots and out of the playoffs. That is smack dab in the middle. I don't know if we count this as an outlier season or it's the norm? I say norm but tough to justify considering the new faces means a different team. The rest of the team hasn't done much to detour my thought that we are a one in and one out team. All we did was change Gaudreau and Tkachuk. We got a bit less up front but added Weegar.

 

maybe it is coaching, but i think middling. Maybe that doesn't do anything in regards to the closer to rebuild or contender arguments. I don't think we are closer to either so I think the team elects to stay in the middle and wait until the middle doesn't happen anymore, which will be in 4 years and the team is forced to retool.

 

The goals against is an outlier.  We gave up scoring of about 20 goals overall.  We also added a D capable of scoring 10 or so.

We need some changes.  Coaching is not using the players correctly IMHO.  Some are just content to play out the string.

Backlund may not be the problem, but he's not part of the solution.

Tanev is a good soldier, but maybe we are starting to see the results of years of pain.

Hanifin is risk/reward.  If he has value, no reason to think we are that much worse off with a cheaper alternative.

Mangiapane is frustrating, but maybe it's from always just playing with Backlund.

 

[jjgallow]

1 hour ago, travel_dude said:

 

You are pretty negative towards players you have not seen play a single NHL game.

With the current coach and play, you probably don't see them do much.

It would be foolish to suggest we were ever in the running for Bedard.

That ship sailed last year.

Close to being a contender doesn't mean you rebuild.

Even with this year's results, we are still farther away from a rebuild than a contender.

 

Like I said, I am trying to be hopeful for Coronato.

 

You're saying the current coach is blinding me to our true potential.

 

How many times we been through that though?  Seriously.

 

Do you really think the narrative will change after they do another coach firing?   We might get a dead cat bounce for 20 games, sure.

 

Is a new coach gonna make Kadri, Markstrom, Tanev, Backlund, Lucic not in their mid-30's?   What he gonna do about them and their contracts, most of which are absolutely ludicrous boat anchor contracts?

 

You are making statements that might be true if our entire core wasn't rapidly declining with age and locked in death contracts.   Find me a coach that can make all these guys even 2 years younger and I will agree with you.    Otherwise, the decline we saw this year, we're going to see even more of it next year.  Biology tell us this.   Flames are almost 30 years old on average, one of the oldest in the league.     But what that doesn't tell you is how old we are by core players, and by contract.  It's astounding.

 

The "younger" core players are like Huberdeau, who is about to be 30 and has never scored more than 30 goals in a season.  We're boat-anchored to that as well.  Sure, his play Probably won't drop off at 30 years of age but let's just say it's getting a little late to see him out-score his age.   

 

So when I say I am trying to get excited about Coronato, I mean it and I am being positive.   But even the most positive outlook of Coronato combined with the most negative outlook for Sutter cannot fix this.     

 

The closest I can see to us not dive-bombing, is a miracle season by Wolf.    I really like Wolf, but I just don't see it, not Yet.    

 

 

Coles Notes:   We are old.  This season was predictable because we were Already old before this off-season, and BT chose to make us even older with his "miracle trades".

 

          I'm not knocking Coronato, it's just that this is bigger than him.  It has been a Long time since we have truely seen a special prospect.  Last time was Gaudreau.

                       Coronato is welcomed, but it is not fair to him to put him at that calibre.  And even if he was, we'd need 3-4 of him to not crash and burn at this point.

[robrob74]

34 minutes ago, jjgallow said:

Is a new coach gonna make Kadri, Markstrom, Tanev, Backlund, Lucic not in their mid-30's?   What he gonna do about them and their contracts, most of which are absolutely ludicrous boat anchor contracts?

 

The "younger" core players are like Huberdeau, who is about to be 30 and has never scored more than 30 goals in a season.  We're boat-anchored to that as well.  Sure, his play Probably won't drop off at 30 years of age but let's just say it's getting a little late to see him out-score his age.   

 

So when I say I am trying to get excited about Coronato, I mean it and I am being positive.   But even the most positive outlook of Coronato combined with the most negative outlook for Sutter cannot fix this.     

 

The closest I can see to us not dive-bombing, is a miracle season by Wolf.    I really like Wolf, but I just don't see it, not Yet.    

 

 

Coles Notes:   We are old.  This season was predictable because we were Already old before this off-season, and BT chose to make us even older with his "miracle trades".

 

          I'm not knocking Coronato, it's just that this is bigger than him.  It has been a Long time since we have truely seen a special prospect.  Last time was Gaudreau.

                       Coronato is welcomed, but it is not fair to him to put him at that calibre.  And even if he was, we'd need 3-4 of him to not crash and burn at this point.

We have one more year of Hanifin, Lucic is done after this current season. I think Lindholm, Backlund and Tanev has one more year on their contracts. 
 

I think the org needs to look at themselves and ask if they should try get what they can for some of these guys at the deadline. 
 

Lindholm must be a Tkachuk situation. Are you gonna sign or do we trade you in this off-season? If Lindholm wants to leave we could be screwed. And what can we get for him?
 

my view of the problems are a mix of Peoples, Travel, Cross, Tmac, and yours etc... 

 

guys like Lucic, Ritchie, Ritchie, and  Lewis (not as much as the others) are a big part of it.

 

Coach plays Ritchies over Ruzicka yet Ritchie #2 plays the same way, only on when he wants to. Ritchie #1 gets a pass in that regard considering he at least tries every game. 
 

Hanifin is good, but I think part of the problem. He thinks the game too much and doesn't rely on instinct. He's a better player when he just does it naturally. Will he get there?

 

Problem is we don't have guys in those D spots coming up. who knows what is up with Kylington and was that season a 1-off?

 

I also don't like Coleman's contract. I want to see the team drafting the Coleman types on their own. 

[travel_dude]

45 minutes ago, jjgallow said:

You're saying the current coach is blinding me to our true potential.

 

How many times we been through that though?  Seriously.

 

Do you really think the narrative will change after they do another coach firing?   We might get a dead cat bounce for 20 games, sure.

 

Is a new coach gonna make Kadri, Markstrom, Tanev, Backlund, Lucic not in their mid-30's?   What he gonna do about them and their contracts, most of which are absolutely ludicrous boat anchor contracts?

 

You are making statements that might be true if our entire core wasn't rapidly declining with age and locked in death contracts.   Find me a coach that can make all these guys even 2 years younger and I will agree with you.    Otherwise, the decline we saw this year, we're going to see even more of it next year.  Biology tell us this.   Flames are almost 30 years old on average, one of the oldest in the league.     But what that doesn't tell you is how old we are by core players, and by contract.  It's astounding.

 

The "younger" core players are like Huberdeau, who is about to be 30 and has never scored more than 30 goals in a season.  We're boat-anchored to that as well.  Sure, his play Probably won't drop off at 30 years of age but let's just say it's getting a little late to see him out-score his age.   

 

So when I say I am trying to get excited about Coronato, I mean it and I am being positive.   But even the most positive outlook of Coronato combined with the most negative outlook for Sutter cannot fix this.     

 

The closest I can see to us not dive-bombing, is a miracle season by Wolf.    I really like Wolf, but I just don't see it, not Yet.    

 

 

The number of times you change coaching is not material to if they are good or not.

Every coach we have had has shown their worse side after a season of success.

BH, Gully, BP, even Sutter.

 

Boat anchor contracts do not play to their value level ever.

We've seen one year of Kadri and one good year of Markstrom.

Backlund is overpaid for his use here.

Tanev is not really a boat anchor, just hard to justify when you can't afford other players.

Coleman's deal is bad, no doubt.

Jones, Nurse and Pietrangelo are boat anchor contracts, even if they score as much as Ras.

 

We are 12th oldest, including players leaving such as Lucic and Lewis.

Tampa, COL, BOS, Minny and CAR are 3-7th oldest. 

Whatever.

[jjgallow]

25 minutes ago, travel_dude said:

 

The number of times you change coaching is not material to if they are good or not.

Every coach we have had has shown their worse side after a season of success.

BH, Gully, BP, even Sutter.

 

Boat anchor contracts do not play to their value level ever.

We've seen one year of Kadri and one good year of Markstrom.

Backlund is overpaid for his use here.

Tanev is not really a boat anchor, just hard to justify when you can't afford other players.

Coleman's deal is bad, no doubt.

Jones, Nurse and Pietrangelo are boat anchor contracts, even if they score as much as Ras.

 

We are 12th oldest, including players leaving such as Lucic and Lewis.

Tampa, COL, BOS, Minny and CAR are 3-7th oldest. 

Whatever.

 

12th oldest for now, not weighted by contract or core players or minutes played.

 

I have a different view of Sutter than you, imho we would be picking 12th this year, just like our age ranking, if it wasn't for him.   But we agree on this:

 

The number of times you change coaching is not material.

 

Keep Sutter, fire Sutter, it's all the same to me.  I'm not about to get in the way of that train.   Have at er.

 

We are 12th oldest for now, by minutes played or by salary, much worse.

       We have little to nothing to lower this age next year.   You might blame Sutter, I might blame contracts, but the biggest thing is we have no more young Gaudreaus in the system.   Closest we have is Wolf, but that's asking a lot for him to become a starter this early.

 

I don't want to get in the way of the Sutter arguement, it's not hurting anything.   but I don't think it's going to change our reality either.

[tmac70]

12 hours ago, travel_dude said:

 

It's hard to say how much the coaching defined last year's success. Almost 40 goals more against so far this year.  A drop off of one line's overall scoring.  But we did see a change to the way we play this year.  We lost two 40 goal guys and changed to a style that suggests we have no skill at all.  Play in the muck hockey.  Maybe better for playoffs, but not a great idea for regular season.  Really not great if you are down a goal or two early or entering the 3rd period.

 

 

As much as it may appear I am always on the side of Sutter I am not. However, If you're subjectively basing the lack of failure on the system and coaches this year then it should be granted the same weight of measure as the year previous.  The only part that is accurate IMHO is the bolded,  we literally don't have any skill in this club. Name a player on this roster that gets the puck on his stick and it brings you to the edge of your seat and makes you sit up taller in anticipation. You can't we don't have any. 

[tmac70]

13 hours ago, cross16 said:

 

I do. Think I'm year 11 or 12... can never remember. 

 

There is no more wait list though. They make it seem like there is but I've heard from multiple people who signed up and got offers immediately. There numbers have slowly dropped year to year and there having to get creative, offering half seasons, to get people to commit. 

 

I believe there is a section or 2 that has a wait list but if you want season tickets you an get them pretty easily. 

Awesome. I am in another province so it makes no sense. Corporate will only take you so far, and with Oil being killed there hurts. People like winners and will support them. This team is hard to get behind right now, there is nothing to face the franchise with or be extremely excited about for people in the near future. This past summer put this club back 4-5 years and this season has only validated the poor choices and direction from above. 

[The_People1]

18 hours ago, tmac70 said:

Awesome. I am in another province so it makes no sense. Corporate will only take you so far, and with Oil being killed there hurts. People like winners and will support them. This team is hard to get behind right now, there is nothing to face the franchise with or be extremely excited about for people in the near future. This past summer put this club back 4-5 years and this season has only validated the poor choices and direction from above. 

 

I echo your frustration.  Last summer was the perfect time to rebuild.  The fanbase understood due to the circumstances.  Not saying the fan base would be happy but they would've accept a rebuild.  Now we are between a puck and a hard place because management is marketing a "championship level team" and delivering this crap instead.

[tmac70]

15 hours ago, The_People1 said:

 

I echo your frustration.  Last summer was the perfect time to rebuild.  The fanbase understood due to the circumstances.  Not saying the fan base would be happy but they would've accept a rebuild.  Now we are between a puck and a hard place because management is marketing a "championship level team" and delivering this crap instead.

When we got Hubie, Weegar and Kadri I placed my arse firmly on the wagon, they have depth and all that was required was AVERAGE.  I think none of us expected below NHL goaltending and D breakdowns, to this level. Then we have the major adjustment of Hubie, and Weegar to the systems. The media crap with Kadri, Pelts, and Sutter. This club seemed to start down a dark hole and continued to dig in the wrong direction till it imploded. We have very very good complimentary players, we lack that star offensive guy.  

 

Kadri's actions in the CHI game IMHO were inexcusable. They were an absolute embarrassment to the organization, players, and fans. Trevling spent way too much for him. Both he and Sutter praise the man about he brings it every night, never in question, classless. If Kadri wanted to make a statement about how bad it is on the ice was not the way to do it. Kadri did more damage to himself now than Sutter ever could have. Kadri is a very good hockey player I must add but his character now comes into question.

 

This off season is going to be a hot mess, how deep they dig into the trash bag is yet to be determined. 

[jjgallow]

6 minutes ago, tmac70 said:

When we got Hubie, Weegar and Kadri I placed my arse firmly on the wagon, they have depth and all that was required was AVERAGE.  I think none of us expected below NHL goaltending and D breakdowns, to this level. Then we have the major adjustment of Hubie, and Weegar to the systems. The media crap with Kadri, Pelts, and Sutter. This club seemed to start down a dark hole and continued to dig in the wrong direction till it imploded. We have very very good complimentary players, we lack that star offensive guy.  

 

Kadri's actions in the CHI game IMHO were inexcusable. They were an absolute embarrassment to the organization, players, and fans. Trevling spent way too much for him. Both he and Sutter praise the man about he brings it every night, never in question, classless. If Kadri wanted to make a statement about how bad it is on the ice was not the way to do it. Kadri did more damage to himself now than Sutter ever could have. Kadri is a very good hockey player I must add but his character now comes into question.

 

This off season is going to be a hot mess, how deep they dig into the trash bag is yet to be determined. 

 

Not none of us lol.    But I'll leave it at that.

 

I agree with you on this off season.    But.........then again, we soon get to a "can't get worse" point.  

 

What makes me lose my faith is when they trade away first round picks, or sign geriatrics to $50m long term contracts.

 

However, that's not sustainable.   We're getting to a point where the team will be forced to stop doing stupid things.   No cap space left to make aweful cap decisions.

 

Not enough draft picks left to waste them.

 

So I am actually less worried about this off-season than the previous one.  and....maybe even a little hopeful.  that better things are coming (in a forward-looking perspective)