Jump to content
The Official Site of the Calgary Flames


Popular Content

Showing content with the highest reputation since 06/04/2020 in all areas

  1. 6 points
    Sorry I'm never around, I wasn't originally going to do one this year for a multitude of reasons: 1. Been busy with my job(s) 2. My grasp of the draft eligibles these last few years has been less than it used to be due to the 17-18 age group in particular being outside of my focused areas Now that the draft has technically been pushed back I can absolutely try and put something together, if y'all had any interest! I do think this year will be a very volatile draft in terms of hits and misses, and next year even more so.
  2. 3 points
    Just to add. The switch from Hartley to Gulutzan also saw Bennett's total PP TOI decrease by 50 minutes. Despite that decrease he still scored more PP goals than Tkachuk, as many as Gaudreau, and one less than the PP specialist Brouwer. Hard to grow when the coach has little faith in your ability to grow.
  3. 3 points
    Hockey trades are always tough. I agree if are putting those 2 players on the block your not likely going to get immediate return and certainly not immediate return that you will lose in either player. Your best bet is you target a player you think is on the verge of breaking out or miss cast in someone else's organization. Possibility exist for a change of scenery style trade too, I agree about Reinhart in Buffalo, but you also don't tend to win those. There is a wildcard in all of this though and that's Taylor Hall. There could be a possibility to shake up the team and get some immediate return by dealing Gaudreau and signing Hall and it opens up the possibility of dealing Gaudreau for futures. Monahan is a very different story though unless the organization thinks Lindholm can take over. But there are possibilities.
  4. 2 points
    We lose to WPG and win the lotto, that is my prediction. I am not on board with those who figure the best idea is to trade #1 for other parts. When we win, you keep that pick and take Lafreniere, this is the break this club deserves.
  5. 2 points
    I wouldn't really classify Pelletier as the stereotypical "safe" pick. That would be a Suzuki or Foote type player. Pelletier is more of a boom-bust guy a la Lavoie, Suzuki or Kaliyev. The difference is he has more work ethic than those 3 which makes him "safer" if such a thing exists. I would say that if he pans out you're looking at a Gallagher or Anthony Beauvillier type 2nd line player, maybe a DeBrincat level complementary 1st liner if you're incredibly lucky, so he's an interesting mix of upside versus safety, because I think a lot of guys would say Lavoie is "safer" due to his NHL size and the fact he could conceivably turn into a 4th line depth guy. The thing I like about the recent Flames drafting is they're swinging for the fences while still looking for players that fit their goals character-wise. There's by definition only one or two Gaudreaus every draft. If it were that easy to select a guy like that he'd be long gone before the pick, the reality is most guys like that bust just as well and if they were such sure things they're likely drafted in the top 5. Pelletier might just be another, smaller Bennett (which honestly is what he'd be looking at if his offense doesn't translate), but for where he stacks against his contemporaries one year later there's at best maybe one or two guys from the 28-45 range I would say had anywhere near as complete a season as Pelletier, which is a good sign. I'd very much say they went all or nothing because everything about the pick at the time screamed BPA rather than fit. If it wasn't about skill and character and potential, then why not just go with a big, skilled right-shot RW? From my standpoint, there's literally no worries about Pelletier as of yet. Every milestone he's needed to hit, he's hit. Matched up against his peers, he stands out as a guy who has maintained his status post draft unlike other picks in his range. Attitude-wise, he brings way more to the table than almost anyone else around his draft spot. I would have been really mad with Lavoie, or Foote, or Kaliyev, for various different reasons, but Pelletier (who while not my favorite choice at the time) is a good pick. Being bigger or having one elite skill means absolutely nothing in the long run, it doesn't even make you more NHL ready. Just look at the development curve for Nolan's older brother with Tampa Bay, he's not going to be close to a lineup spot until possibly 2021-22. Either way, where the Flames have really lost guys is at the NHL level, so we'll get a real litmus test for Pelletier in a year and a half. At that time I'm just hopeful they work to develop him instead of looking at him as "this is what he is, good enough for me" which they've been prone to do in the past.
  6. 2 points
    I think there's a few reasons The Bill Belichick philosophy, it's better to get rid of players a year early rather than a year late. This offseason you can sell 160 games of Gaudreau, by next TDL you are selling 100, the return will be less. His value may be down after a "down" season by his standards, but it will become even less the closer he gets to UFA. Another reason, this core has remained untouched for 5 seasons and this is a core that has failed to meet expectations. The Flames have won 2 of their last 14 playoff games. I'm not blaming Gaudreau by any means, but when the team struggles that much in the playoffs, changes are bound to happen. The final reason, I don't think Gaudreau is the guy to build around. Tkachuk is the guy for me. Take nothing away from Gaudreau, he's an elite NHL player, I just think he's a lot like Phil Kessel. A very good player, but not someone I'm building a winner around.
  7. 2 points
    I am pretty huge on defence, I think it's the most important position and role in the game. That said, I do believe it is the defence which is teachable. Yes, you can teach anyone to skate. No, you can't teach anyone to be a world class skater. We....Should...be getting a world class skater in the first round (or a goalie lol). In his entire hockey existence he has never scored more than 10 goals in a season. I think he's the ultimate Safe pick. Extremely likely to make the NHL. But the things he lacks, can't be taught. IMHO you're going for world class skills in the first round. You want someone with first line potential at worst, superstar potential at best. I'd rather fail the odd year and get that, then take safe picks
  8. 2 points
  9. 2 points
    I just thought I'd start this as a positive to come out of the organization, which hasn't had too many positives in the last few years. With June being ALS awareness month, something I was not aware of previously but good to know, a new campaign in support of ALS for Chris Snow has been taking place. It is similar to the Ice Bucket Challenge from 2014, for reflection on the severity of the disease, Pete Frates who was the inspiration for the Ice Bucket Challenge passed in December at 34. Great to see the organization step up in support. Here are some of the trick shots so far. This has even spread throughout the sports world with former Colts punter Pat McAfee having his own Great to see, hope to see it continue. https://snowystrong.ca/ is where you can donate if interested.
  10. 2 points
    I really like Mangiapane, I don't think the Flames have enough players like him. He is a hound on the puck, and he brings it every night. I think going forward, his floor is 20-20=40. If I was BT I'd try to get him on a longer term deal, these are the kind of players you win with. 3.5-4 on a 5 or 6 year deal. It will look like a steal in a few seasons
  11. 2 points
    Hes got a sweet set of hands in tight and I think that may be where the Schwartz comparisons come from. He may not be quite as agitating as Gallagher but he is very effective in the dirty areas just like him and how creative and successful he is with puck deflections reminds me of Gallagher quite a bit. Just an all-around sparkplug.
  12. 2 points
    Markstrom and Lehner are the only two out there I would consider on the right deal. I don't really agree with giving goalies more than 4 year terms so if they want more I would be out. The rest of the options to me are not starters, not worth the money they will get, or I would just prefer to stick with Ritttich. I'm pretty lukewarm on Murray given his injury problems. Might be tough for him to recover but I do like the skill set. Unless it's a young goalie that you can add now and for the future I'm not as much a believer in the Flames needing a solution in net. While I understand the reservation around Rittich, IMO I think you would have the same reservations around many of the available "upgrades". i just don't think there are that many very good or great goalies in the league so spending time, assets or cap space for a marginal upgrade doesn't really interest me. I see the Flames going with Rittich and another 1B next year and there are a few options there I don't mind.
  13. 2 points
    On the 16th anniversary I can only say 1 thing: It was IN. https://mobile.twitter.com/iconicec/status/1268946209793642501/photo/1
  14. 2 points
    The one thing is, Atkinson is a good player but not a superstar like Gaudreau. But yes, if the day comes that a trade happens lots of us will be unhappy. However, I have more confidence in BT being the man pulling the trigger than Feaster and past GM’s
  15. 2 points
    Yup this. For me it makes perfect sense to discuss a Gaudreau trade for a number of reasons and the biggest has nothing to do with the playoffs. This is the summer to decide if Gaudreau is going to be a career Flame or not because if he is not your going to lose your window to maximize the return. Playoff performance should not be the biggest questions it should be: 1. Do we want to keep building the team around Gaudreau and can we win with him as our franchise player? 2. Are we comfortable giving him full market value when his deal is up? 3. Does he want to be here? You need to answer those 3 questions in that order IMO and then make the decision.
  16. 2 points
    My honest opinion on this was I actually don’t think it was in and even if it was in there was no way it was going to be ruled a goal after review. There’s just no way to tell conclusively. I’m more upset about the non call on the trip on Simon in 2OT that allowed St Louis to get the winner.
  17. 2 points
    I thought that I would post that article after I came across it while I was having a coffee this morning... It seems like it is pretty rare to come across anything positive while looking through the news theses days, as the whole world seems to be going to Satoshi... and as stupid as it is that they will finally get back to hockey in the middle of the summer, I will be watching and cheering our team on... and I also think that they can eliminate the Jets in this best-of-five series...
  18. 1 point
    Really glad to have you back! I wish I had known sooner all I had to do was bash our first round picks to get you back in the fold, here I was wasting time in the goalie thread. I do absolutely agree with the last part of this..... as soon as the player looks strong enough for a 4th line role they get the player to change all their habits and develop them as a 4th line player. Gaudreau turned out so well in part because US college kept him out of our development system, or I swear he'd be a checker right now. Thanks very much for the feedback. You're more optimistic than me but sometimes that's not a bad thing lol
  19. 1 point
    Out of all Bettman conspiracy theories that one doesn't even make sense. Detroit has built and opened a new arena without a first overall pick despite being in the lottery, and second the Islanders were approved and have started before us, so no it isn't a thing.
  20. 1 point
    If there is one thing my life as a flames fan has taught me it’s that (outside of 1 year) you don’t get nice things. ill check my optimism no matter what happens 😉
  21. 1 point
    I just recently finished watching a bunch of video on Connor Zary, 6 full games. By now I feel that I have a pretty good read on the player. To start off, it's worth noting that Zary is one of the older players in the 2020 draft. Not going to punish him for that, just important to note. He's being drafted after playing 3 WHL seasons, where-as Ridly Greig and Seth Jarvis have only played 2. As a result, Zary only needs to play 1 more season of junior before turning pro. We are seeing this with Pelletier, he was younger and required 2 seasons of junior. I like to compare Zary to Jarvis and Greig, as they are the top 3 forwards out of the WHL. The most fair comparison is to take Zary's 18/19 season and compare it to Greig and Jarvis' 19/20 campaign. Zary 18/19- 63gp 24-43=67pts 1.06pts/g Greig 19/20- 56gp 26-34=60pts 1.07pts/g Jarvis 19/20- 58gp 42-56=98pts 1.68pts/g Now lets talk about this season. Zary was one of the best offensive players in the WHL, finishing 5th in league scoring. Zary 19/20 57gp 38-48=86 1.50pts/g There's no question that Zary is an elite WHL player, but it's worth taking a look at his linemates. His LW Centazzo posted 81pts in 63 games and the RW Franklin 91pts in 63 games. The Kamloops Blazers were also the highest scoring team in the WHL. For comparison, Seth Jarvis finished 2nd in league scoring and led the Winterhawks in points by 28 points. Now I want to talk about Zary's game. He's a solid, well-rounded player. He plays a ton of minutes for the Blazers, 1st unit PP and PK. His play away from the puck is very good, he's in the right spots and shows high hockey IQ. These traits show to me that he is a true center. Lots of junior players only play C because they are the best player, that's not the case here. The issue with Zary is that he does everything else average-above average, he lacks that standout trait you want in a 1st rounder. Aside from his IQ, Zary's best trait is his hands. He has quick hands and can deke out a defender with ease. However, because of his hands, he is guilty of trying to deke through all 5 opponents, just because he was able to deke through one. This is a common problem with skilled juniors (Sam Bennett..). I don't see Zary's goal production translating to the pro game. In watching him, he scores from bad angles frequently, those goals don't go in on pro goalies. Otherwise, his shot isn't a strength. Final thoughts on Zary, his skating is known to be an issue, he's not very dynamic.The last 2 games I watched he went head to head with Greig and Robins and is nowhere near as dynamic as them. He often has the pitchfork going when he skates, which will need to be corrected. Everything, I have read about Zary says he's really competitive, admittedly, hard to see on the internet screen, but I never once saw him will the Blazers to victory, albeit small sample size. One last comparison to Greig, I would say Zary has a Monahan-like demeanour on the ice and Greig is very much like Tkachuk. All in all, Zary is a safe prospect I think he's an NHLer. My comparison for Zary is Nick Bonino, probably a good 3rd line C on a contender, 2nd line upside. 35-50pts.
  22. 1 point
    For the record I pretty adamantly hated that trade from the get go lol. but that's what I do 😉 The reality is that any team who wants Gaudreau cares about the now and is putting a premium on the now. You want to win the trade? You pretty much either have to trade for straight picks and wait. And maybe not even 2020 picks, if you Really want return for value you might be looking at 2021 picks. Trading for picks is the smart move. It's the only move where you have good odds of winning the trade.
  23. 1 point
  24. 1 point
    I really like Rossi. He's short, but stout. His build is more Marchand than Gaudreau. He's listed at 6lbs heavier than Marchand and 22 heavier than Gaudreau. The only question is can he be a C at his size, in junior he's a career 57%b in the circle though. He would be the steal of the draft. I would rank him 5th, ahead of the Swedish wingers and Perfetti.
  25. 1 point
    You might be right, there's an exception to every rule and there's lots defensive players who are more than worth a first round pick. Holtz might drop except he's a right-hand shot and too many teams are looking for those imho. I wonder if a Marco Rossi drops. He's well.... got better numbers than Lafrenier. Straight up. But he's a left-hand shot and he's 5'9. I'd snap him up in 3 seconds flat. If he turned out to be a superstar I'd trade him in 3 seconds flat too. Smallish left shots won't get us where we need to go. From a value perspective though, he's probably the most talented player in the draft.
  26. 1 point
    Thing is Reinhart isn't a 65 point player away from Eichel, even then he has only done that once with Eichel. IMO he is a 40-50 point player in Calgary. The days of Reinhart playing center are past IMO, he is purely a RW at this point. I am not sure Gaudreau gets you the 7th overall pick let alone adding in Reinhart. Necas has much higher upside and can still be developed as a center which holds way more value for Calgary going forward.
  27. 1 point
    If it was me I would go with these lines based on the trade I mentioned above: Mangiapane-Monahan-Lindholm Tkachuk-Necas-Niederreiter Dube-Backlund-? Lucic-Ryan-Gawdin That center depth looks so much better going forward.
  28. 1 point
    You nailed why i'm not really a fan of the Gaudreau to jersey rumors or suggestions. It's just an ugly team to trade with unless you can get Hughes, Heischer or Severson and I don't see what they would move them. That or they give up 2 of their top 10 picks then I would listen but if you are after players or prospects, it's ugly. While I understand the argument of well they can pick Byfield ot Stutzle and then trade Heischer I would not agree with it nor do I think that is smart. I'd keep them all because worst case, Byfield/Stutzle don't pan out or best case they do and you'd still have the option of moving Hughes or Heischer to wing. That's the better strategy IMO and giving up on that strategy to get 2 year of affordable Gaudreau and then needed a big extension (or again worst case he doesn't like it there and walks) makes little sense to me.
  29. 1 point
    what I was referring to was after Hall was traded to Arizona and reports came out the flames were in on the negotiations and upset as they felt they made the better offer. That would not be tampering.
  30. 1 point
    Most will disagree with me but I would trade JH to NJ for Palmerri and what ever the best pieces we can get added to get a top line RWer. We then sign Hall to replace Johnny and play Lindholm with Chucky.and Baclund. I think this would give us the best looking top 6 we could hope for. Resign Hamonic and Gustufson to play on the third, with Valamiki back next year the roster is looking fairly good. Just my thoughts.
  31. 1 point
    have they had it consistently? Where did the goalie come from before that? Are we blaming Sigalet for the 9 or 10 other goalie coaches that came before him who have also not developed someone in house? Lightning have Vasilevsky but had nothing before that so do you give that goalie coach credit? I'm not even defending Sigalet I just find the process of trying to identify the problem interesting, as well why people think if Sigalet goes the problem would be solved.
  32. 1 point
    I get that they killed it on the PP and voters can’t penalize them for that. Panarin needs more love from the voters Led the league in even strength points, 71/95 points at even strength and was a +36. His quality of line mates was way behind EDM and COL. Panarin made Strome look like a legit top 6C
  33. 1 point
    That’s what I was saying. This doesn’t pass the smell test for me. It actually gives me the sense that anything and everything is on the table if it pushes the right button for these owners. (And by button I mean playoffs and bringing in $)
  34. 1 point
    The Pegula’s own the Bills too right? Everything I’ve read and heard about them is that they march to the beat of their own drum. I doubt a 23 year old has much influence in their business decisions. And I’ve said all along that this is a team that has become so desperate for success, that I believe they’re more willing than ever to trade the future for right now.
  35. 1 point
    Depends on the relationships between the clubs. Sometimes they have a lot of say, sometimes it's very little. I've said this before but until Bennett got stuck with the likes of Gulutzan and Troy Brouwer I think things were going well and were on the right track but they got off the rails after that and for a multitude of reasons have never really recovered. Easy to forget now but Bennett was one of the best Flames in the playoffs against Vancouver and one of their best players in training camp the following season. he was passing every test and was treated as such. this wasn't a Baertschi situation where the prospect was kept at the NHL level despite his play, it was earned. I'm of the opinion that another year of junior would have not change where he is today because it was at the NHL level where the Flames fell short. I don't see what another year of junior would have changed in terms of how the Flames worked him into the NHL. Time in the AHL would have been ideal but unfortunately it was not available. why i'm in favor of the NHL looking into a special status rule where maybe each club can have 1 player they assign to the AHL that doesn't fit with the age rules.
  36. 1 point
    Eichel is 5 years into Buffalo with ZERO playoffs. Then they can the GM, and hire a former player who’s never been a GM. If I’m Eichel, “starting from scratch - again” is not what I want to do. Especially with inexperience at the helm. I read the Pegula’s cut a lot of staff and scouts and such as well. Not sure how confident that makes Eichel about the direction of the team. I personally believe Eichel is going to ask for a trade in due time. He’s too competitive to stay on this ride. BT, get Kevyn on the phone already!
  37. 1 point
    I came away watching this 11 min video thinking "who were the defense in front of him?" If the flames defense cleared the crease, tied up forwards, limited quality scoring chances like the russians did against Canada our goalie numbers would be in the top 5 in the league. So maybe instead of expecting a goalie to make us cup compliant we should be looking at the Russian coach running the D and bring him on as an assistant.
  38. 1 point
    No surprise but Wolf is invited to the summer camp for World Juniors. On another positive note, so is last year's 5th rounder Josh Nodler.
  39. 1 point
    No surprise but Pelletier is invited to Team Canada's summer camp for the 2021 World Juniors. Camp will be held virtually. Given the makeup of the roster (less than 50% are drafted) I would suspect Pelleiter to have a large role and maybe even wear a letter. It's as light on experience a roster as I've ever seen from Team Canada.
  40. 1 point
    The signing makes even more sense now.
  41. 1 point
    I hope you're right, boy that would be a fantastic outcome. The whining from Oiler country about how the format was rigged against them would be great entertainment. To be honest, I wouldn't necessarily bet against the Hawks. I look at the Keith, Toews and Kane's and I see a group that sees a gift of an opportunity to push for a 4th cup and become the true modern dynasty. It's not likely, but never underestimate the heart of a champion. Also, CHI plays EDM very well, they took the season series 2-1, and I might like their forward depth better. I will await until the lotto results are out, before full-on rooting for CHI, because we all know EDM has a way with the lotto balls.
  42. 1 point
    Flames and Winnipeg are two teams with completely different motivation to win,, Winnipeg a team of up and coming youth.. Cocky and anxious to show they belong at the top of the league... Flames a team of trepidation and nerves under threat of being torn apart if they fail once again.. fear or confidence,, Which will win out>>> Well I;m in Calgary so I'm Taking the home town team with fingers crossed.. Consensus is,, Winnepeg has faster . more talented forwards and the better goalie and we have the defence.. Ther are a number of top players on Calgary that I would love to see gone and I;m no fan of ther way this team has bwwn constructed or the style it plays.. but.. it's playoff time... We have no choice but to run with the team we havwe today.. Go Flames Go.. I will add though... I can run faster scared than you can mad
  43. 1 point
    i agree with the idea of a player for player swap for Lias instead of picks. I’m not sure Kylington is a fit as the rangers are deep on the left side and Kylington looks like he’s required waivers next year. I would think they would want to try and get more. I think to maximize Kylingtons value you need to target teams like Ottawa, SJ or LA who are not deep on D and can play him. I think his value will depreciate on deeper teams due to his waiver status. I still like Kyljngton personally and would like to keep him but agree that he doesn’t appear to be a long term fit so try and get some value before it’s zero.
  44. 1 point
    A few notes from today's session: Construction company has now been selected, will reveal after informing the City who they've chosen. Construction and architecture firms are well known Capacity will be 18-18.5K with a larger lower bowl. Looked into the inverted bowl concept, but don't want to go full inverted as nobody else has done it. May go with a hybrid with both slope and inverted. Also the first look at the design for the BMO Centre expansion was revealed today. I would almost expect something similar in design or closer to the original design from the proposals.
  45. 1 point
    Every Flyer fan I know basically believes Hart is as untouchable as a player could get. Makes sense since Phillys recent goaltending history is no better than Calgarys.
  46. 1 point
    I only think they will want to due to the leaving idea. I just don't think they can let him go to Free Agency and not get anything for him. If he is worth more with 2 years on his deal over a 1 year, it would be wiser to trade him this year. I guess a deadline deal in his final year could net the Flames a decent return. But if they're a contender then, you would have to keep him.
  47. 1 point
    God, I beat dead horses again! I am still so irked at getting NOTHING for Fox. I don't see a huge problem of moving guys to the other side. So Gaudreau playing RW instead doesn't seem a big deal to me. I feel like the only place where it really makes a difference is in the D-zone. Sometimes I liked playing my off-wing leaving the zone. Offence has the possibility of being fluid so guys end up in the zone... Maybe Andersson and DeAngelo and a pick for Gaudreau? I actually think that the Flames should start setting up their offence behind the net instead of the hashmarks. Gaudreau could use the net as a pick and run the offence from there. he'd have some options there. I guess he has a deadly pass from the hashmarks to through the crease and to the points, so that might not make as much sense...
  48. 1 point
    NJ doesn’t even have an official GM, so I doubt there’s any legs to NJ- Gaudreau. That team also has so many holes that it’s not worth trading a top 10 pick for 2 years of Gaudreau. Any young players they have that are interesting they can’t afford to trade. What I would be looking for in a deal that’s not a hockey trade is, young players that can step in and make an immediate impact, while also being exempt from expansion. Bemstrom from CBJ and Farabee from PHI fit that bill. High upside players, on an ELC that you can build around as well as a 1st, and maybe another piece. You might get more from Philly than anywhere else, because they know they can sign him and they are in a window to win, they have their goalie, an aging Giroux. The time is now.
  49. 1 point
    That's the issue. I shouldn't classify as a local audience but yet even with access to 5+ SN channels I still need to go see uncle Reddit to watch my games. Cable/satellite tv has been around for over 25 years, reliable streaming for the last 5, either the league or the tv rights holder is being greedy and they refuse to keep up with the times. once again sorry for the off topic rant.
  50. 1 point
    I don't see the Flames making a futures based deal. If anything, I think it would be a hockey trade. Nashville will probably look to shake things up too, that's a core that has failed to meet expectations in recent years, there's a fit. Filip Forsberg is very good. Offensively he isn't Gaudreau, but he does everything else as good or better, he's someone you can trust in any situation. Sam Reinhart is an option too, maybe there's a deal for Reinhart and one of their RHD to be made. Sam would love to be here, he would sign long term. There are more guys who will be available, we as fans just don't know who. I'm ok with trading Gaudreau if you get a 1st in the 10-15 range, but for a mid to late.. meh. It also doesn't send the best message to your players, worth keeping in mind Tkachuk is 3 years from UFA as he can take a QO after his deal is up, the Flames will want to remain competitive.
  • Create New...