TSN's Off Season Game Plan for the Flames

[ricardodw]

Originally Posted by Oil Stain

I wouldn't worry about it. They tried that last year and finished 6th overall.

Now there are more holes to fill and they will have a tougher time drawing UFAs.

Provide any example of where a UFA signed for significantly less than going rate to get a winning team situation....

Players might sign with playoff teams... because playoff teams spend to the cap max and are the ones offering them the most $. OIf they don't offer the $ the UFA's have absolutely no problem in going to teams that pay the $.

Parise, Suter, Semin Wideman Hudler, Shultlz, Carle, Partenteau, Whitney, Prust, Jokinen, Kuba Basically ALL the top UFA's in 2012 signed with teams that did not make the playoffs in 2011-12

[moon]

Originally Posted by ricardodw

They have significant RFA's Brodie and Backlund to sign the rest for a goalie (berra and/or Rammo) and UFA's --- Horton Clarkson, Bickell and Regehr would change the feel and direction of the team.

I agree here. Sign those guys and the direction goes from a possible promising rebuild to a horrible feeling of deja vu and 10th place finishes.

It is hard to emphasis how big of a move it was getting out from under Bouwmeester's contract and Iginla's.

I would say it is hard to overrate how having cap space with an awful team and awful UFA's available is but you seem to be doing a heck of a job of it.

You can have all the space in the world but if all you are getting back is averge 2nd and 3rd liners when your team is devoid of top level talent then it doesn't mean jack squat.

The Wild had a better team and signed two guys light years better than anything available this off-season and they got a whopping 8th spot and 5 play-off games. I think in the past you are cool with that being the goal/accomplishment but building a team through mediocre-bad UFA's is the absolutely worst thing this team could do.

[Mister Yamoto]

This years UFA group is terrible. And like every July 1st (July 5th this year) most of them will get dollars, term and NTC that are not at all justified by their abilities. I think most of you will be shocked by what these guys end up getting.

Where the Flames are right now they shouldn't be looking at any free agents until August 1st. Some players will fall through the cracks and end up having to sign for good value. Kind of like when Feaster got Hannan as a free agent in August of 2011.

[Poe969]

This team needs to look at the next few years as step stones and build from them, not expect a lot. Don't sign any UFA's unless it's for a one year deal and you can trade them at the deadline.

[iamca]

Cullen really didn't provide any insight and I was disappointed with the article. Not accurate and the free agent suggestions are out there in left field. Hopefully Feaster is not getting any ideas from Cullen.

[CliffFletcher]

I thought it was a good article. He takes Flames management at face value when they say the goal is to make the playoffs, and the free agent suggestions are perfectly reasonable, given the Flames management preference to pre-apex players (under 30), and for size. Bozak and Lovejoy make sense. If you think there are any under-30 UFAs over 6 ft who are a better fit, let's hear them.

And I believe the Flames will take a serious run at Smith. If the mandate really is to make the playoffs, I just can't see them handing over the reins to Ramo/Berra.

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by moon

The Wild had a better team and signed two guys light years better than anything available this off-season and they got a whopping 8th spot and 5 play-off games. I think in the past you are cool with that being the goal/accomplishment but building a team through mediocre-bad UFA's is the absolutely worst thing this team could do.

Yep, I'd argue in the Wild's case though, the UFA signings were a good move by them. They have a very deep prospect pool, but lack guys who will be instant-impact 1st line D-men and forwards, so in signing Parise and Suter they effectively locked themselves into being competitive for a long, long time.

...but that is NOT where the Flames are. We have (based on debatable rankings), somewhere around the 20th best prospect pool in the league - AND, there are no Parise or Suter calibre players available this summer. Even if there were, they wouldn't sign in Calgary because we have absolutely no one in our prospect pool that screams "cup contender" anywhere in the next 3 years.

The best thing for the Flames to be right now is patient. Use every pick we have and maybe even acquire more in the first 3 rounds. Unfortunately for the fans like us, there is absolutely no shred of evidence that this organization has ANY managerial patience whatsoever. We saw it time and time again with Darryl Sutter's regime, and in the short time he's had the reigns, Feaster has shown - at every chance he's had - that he is not a patient manager either. Whether you look at the O'Reilly debacle, or the near-miss Richardsocalypse. Every chance Feaster gets to be bold and go after the "win-now" movement that appears to come down from the owners, he takes it - no matter how ill-guided and poorly planned it may be.

*edit, although it certainly would seem like the management team is saying the right things after reading what was said at the fan forum last night. I'll be going to the one tonight to see if anything else gets discussed.

[The Yen Man]

I'm not against signing UFAs, just not to anything longterm. I want players that can be flipped to a contender during trade deadline for picks and prospects.

[eggsinflames]

Originally Posted by Hockey_Ninja

You know you are at the bottom of the barrel when the Edmonton Oilers have better center depth than your team does...

Mods, Please, Please, PLEASE ban this guy.. If true or not, you SIR, do not ever say dumb things like that. Edmonton does not and will never ever have better anything than us....... even if its true...... I refuse to believe such garbage talk.......

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by ricardodw

They have significant RFA's Brodie and Backlund to sign the rest for a goalie (berra and/or Rammo) and UFA's --- Horton Clarkson, Bickell and Regehr would change the feel and direction of the team.

No! The last thing we need is the grumpy pylon back here. Thinking about him back here makes me want to puke. I hope he signs with Edmonton. I would say Vancouver but he would probably throw a hip learning to dive. I really despise Regehr.

[Hockey_Ninja]

Originally Posted by eggsinflames

Mods, Please, Please, PLEASE ban this guy.. If true or not, you SIR, do not ever say dumb things like that. Edmonton does not and will never ever have better anything than us....... even if its true...... I refuse to believe such garbage talk.......

It's ture. Gagner would be our first line center. We are that weak down the middle.

[jeffman]

I'd be okay with signing Horton to a 5 year deal , our prospects are lacking size and were thin on young talented right wingers