hmm i thought baertschi was playing pretty well. good to see he's saying all the right things and is willing to learn what it is that hartley is requesting of him. though i'm not sure if sven will ever be a gallagher type player..
hopefully sven doesn't mistake brendan gallagher for frank gallagher
Don't really have a huge problem with scratching Sven for a game or two, but it can't be something they do constantly this season. Flames management needs to tread very carefully with someone like Baertschi, as scratching too often could cause a shot to his confidence. They really need to think about moving out a player or two ASAP with injured players coming back in order to ensure the young guys are playing key minutes every game.
Derek Smith suited up for every pregame warm up while he was up this season, but never played a game. Smarter to dress everyone in case anything last minute happens.
I have no problem with guys sitting and even though Sven hasn't been great the last couple games I think he's been fine. Tough to know what goes on behind the scenes though. Not the end of the world.
You have obviously never sat in a press box. That popcorn is week old if you are lucky. At least in the Saddledome it is. Only newbies are dumb enough to dig into that stuff. The pop machine up there is even worse.
There's no pop machine in the Flames' press box, it's a fridge with cans of soda. How bad could that possibly be?
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Mom and Dad love you, Rowan - February 15, 2024
I'm a bit annoyed about Baertschi being scratched, but only because I really enjoy watching him play. He's been noticeably more aggressive on the forecheck & has created plenty of chances for his linemates.
Objectively I could tell that once Jones & Stajan returned from injury someone was going to have to be sat from the top 9 forwards. It's hard to honestly say that Sven is a stronger/better NHL player than the guys ahead of him on the depth chart... yet. Sure he's better than the 4th line, but it might be more useful to have him watch the game from the stands than from the bench, so to speak.
