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Old 05-26-2017, 06:25 PM   #41
GranteedEV
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My hope for the off-season is as follows:

Expansion

Las Vegas relieves us of the Troy Brouwer blunder This one's a no-brainer. Getting 4.5 million dollars of dead salary over three years off the books is almost vital if we want to be a competing team during the prime of guys like Gio, Backlund and Brodie.

RFAs to qualify:
Sam Bennett - No-brainer. This kid is gonna be real good.
Micheal Ferland - Another no brainer.
Kulak - He has earned another contract. He is an NHLer.
Wotherspoon - I am skeptical of him however I am willing to give him a final chance with a better partner. If he doesn't swim next year as the #7 then Bartkowski can sit in the press box and we can cut bait on spoon.
Linden Vey - With him signing in the KHL you pretty much guarantee a monopoly over his NA rights by qualifying him without actually having to sign him.

RFAs to let go:
Alex Chiasson - It's just a dollars thing. He was fine at under a million but he's earned himself a raise that squeezes him out especially if we want to get better across the lineup.
Ryan Culkin - I hate to say it but he is done as a Flame

UFAs to let go
Stone - I actually liked him. I would take him back at 3.5 million or less but I am predicting he gets payed upwards of 4.75 million as he checks a lot of boxes and his play beside Brodie propped up his value. We can't afford a fourth defenseman making those kind of dollars.
Wideman - He wasn't as bad as the fanbase said he was, but I think it's best for both parties to part ways at this point. The only partner I see as suitable for him is Brandon Hickey on the third pair which ain't happening for a plethora of reasons.
Engelland - He almost looked competent on the penalty kill, but we need a 5v5 bottom pair that can ween Kulak, Andersson or Wotherspoon into the NHL and that's not happening with Engelland as the last three years have shown he is a drag on all his partners. The FLames need to play fast and that starts with a clean first pass
Bollig - If he wants a PTO or two-way deal, he can have it as he showed he's a pretty servicable and high-character AHLer. Otherwise buh-bye.
Versteeg - I liked him even more than I liked Stone. He made our PP tick. He created chances at even strength. He showed up in the playoffs. My only qualm was he's not much of a net front deflection presence which made that line a bit too perimeter oriented and made Bennett easy to tie up at the net. I want to figure out an alternative.

New RW
Justin Williams - He can still play and he plays a heavy style which would work well with Bennett at ES.

PP Specialist / 4th line RW
Jarome Iginla at a minimum contract. He can't play top 9 anymore but he would probably still be our best player on the PP. Not a long term solution but cheaper than Versteeg.

4th D
Assuming Stone prices himself out, my choice would be Michael Del Zotto. THese days he's actually more of a defensive defenseman than an offensive guy but he can still produce from the backend. He shoots left so Brodie would have to return to the right side, which is my preference anyways.

5th D
Cody Franson. Can replace some of the lost point-shot offense of Stone, and a strong puck mover who'd be perfect in sheltered minutes with either Kulak or Wotherspoon. Can step up into top 4 duties where necessary.

Starting Goalie

Trade Lance Bouma to the Islanders for Jaroslav Halak. He can handle a 55-60 game workload yet his contract is short enough that we can ween in a guy like Rittich.

Backup Goalie

The Flames offer a PTO to Joni Ortio and let him, Gillies, and Rittich all duke it out for the backup goaltending spot. If no one looks ready in camp, sign a guy like Enroth. As nice as it is to have a veteran like Chad Johnson, veteran tandems simply don't work. We need a clear backup (with starter potential) and a clear starter.

The lineup would look something like:

F
Gaudreau / Monahan / Williams
Stajan / Backlund / Ferland
Tkachuk / Bennett / Frolik
Lazar / Jankowski / Iginla
Hamilton
Hathaway

D
Giordano / Hamilton
Del Zotto / Brodie
Kulak / Franson or Wotherspoon / Franson

G
Halak / Rittich
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Last edited by GranteedEV; 05-26-2017 at 06:55 PM.
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Old 05-28-2017, 07:31 PM   #42
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^^^ very comprehensive
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Old 05-28-2017, 07:34 PM   #43
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I just don't see how that team is any better then last year team?

Goalies are more unproven/just as.

We add to very old forwards, and change Stone for Del Zotto?
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Old 05-28-2017, 07:56 PM   #44
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Boy, I'd love to swing a trade for Schneider. What assets do we have that the devils would want? Do they also like Bennett?
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Old 05-28-2017, 08:05 PM   #45
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Quote:
Originally Posted by GranteedEV View Post
My hope for the off-season is as follows:

Expansion

Las Vegas relieves us of the Troy Brouwer blunder This one's a no-brainer. Getting 4.5 million dollars of dead salary over three years off the books is almost vital if we want to be a competing team during the prime of guys like Gio, Backlund and Brodie.

RFAs to qualify:
Sam Bennett - No-brainer. This kid is gonna be real good.
Micheal Ferland - Another no brainer.
Kulak - He has earned another contract. He is an NHLer.
Wotherspoon - I am skeptical of him however I am willing to give him a final chance with a better partner. If he doesn't swim next year as the #7 then Bartkowski can sit in the press box and we can cut bait on spoon.
Linden Vey - With him signing in the KHL you pretty much guarantee a monopoly over his NA rights by qualifying him without actually having to sign him.

RFAs to let go:
Alex Chiasson - It's just a dollars thing. He was fine at under a million but he's earned himself a raise that squeezes him out especially if we want to get better across the lineup.
Ryan Culkin - I hate to say it but he is done as a Flame

UFAs to let go
Stone - I actually liked him. I would take him back at 3.5 million or less but I am predicting he gets payed upwards of 4.75 million as he checks a lot of boxes and his play beside Brodie propped up his value. We can't afford a fourth defenseman making those kind of dollars.
Wideman - He wasn't as bad as the fanbase said he was, but I think it's best for both parties to part ways at this point. The only partner I see as suitable for him is Brandon Hickey on the third pair which ain't happening for a plethora of reasons.
Engelland - He almost looked competent on the penalty kill, but we need a 5v5 bottom pair that can ween Kulak, Andersson or Wotherspoon into the NHL and that's not happening with Engelland as the last three years have shown he is a drag on all his partners. The FLames need to play fast and that starts with a clean first pass
Bollig - If he wants a PTO or two-way deal, he can have it as he showed he's a pretty servicable and high-character AHLer. Otherwise buh-bye.
Versteeg - I liked him even more than I liked Stone. He made our PP tick. He created chances at even strength. He showed up in the playoffs. My only qualm was he's not much of a net front deflection presence which made that line a bit too perimeter oriented and made Bennett easy to tie up at the net. I want to figure out an alternative.

New RW
Justin Williams - He can still play and he plays a heavy style which would work well with Bennett at ES.

PP Specialist / 4th line RW
Jarome Iginla at a minimum contract. He can't play top 9 anymore but he would probably still be our best player on the PP. Not a long term solution but cheaper than Versteeg.

4th D
Assuming Stone prices himself out, my choice would be Michael Del Zotto. THese days he's actually more of a defensive defenseman than an offensive guy but he can still produce from the backend. He shoots left so Brodie would have to return to the right side, which is my preference anyways.

5th D
Cody Franson. Can replace some of the lost point-shot offense of Stone, and a strong puck mover who'd be perfect in sheltered minutes with either Kulak or Wotherspoon. Can step up into top 4 duties where necessary.

Starting Goalie

Trade Lance Bouma to the Islanders for Jaroslav Halak. He can handle a 55-60 game workload yet his contract is short enough that we can ween in a guy like Rittich.

Backup Goalie

The Flames offer a PTO to Joni Ortio and let him, Gillies, and Rittich all duke it out for the backup goaltending spot. If no one looks ready in camp, sign a guy like Enroth. As nice as it is to have a veteran like Chad Johnson, veteran tandems simply don't work. We need a clear backup (with starter potential) and a clear starter.

The lineup would look something like:

F
Gaudreau / Monahan / Williams
Stajan / Backlund / Ferland
Tkachuk / Bennett / Frolik
Lazar / Jankowski / Iginla
Hamilton
Hathaway

D
Giordano / Hamilton
Del Zotto / Brodie
Kulak / Franson or Wotherspoon / Franson

G
Halak / Rittich


That second line looks horrific. Why break up the 3M? that and the Gio-Hamilton pairing were easily the strongest aspects of our team.


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Old 05-28-2017, 08:08 PM   #46
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Schnieder would be a good edition but not at the cost of Bennett. 1st rounder + prospect is about all id be happy with giving up.

There has been very little talk around Mike Smith, he might be a decent stop gap until Parsons is ready? Thoughts?
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Old 05-28-2017, 08:17 PM   #47
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I've warmed up to the idea of Smith as long as we wouldn't have to give much up to get him, and really we shouldn't.

His 5v5 sv% is actually pretty decent over the last 6 years and a goalie that can handle the puck is always a plus for breaking up dump ins and getting the puck out of your zone quicker.
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Old 05-28-2017, 08:21 PM   #48
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Smith is also a battler. I've always liked his compete level.
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Old 05-28-2017, 08:23 PM   #49
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RE GranteedEV's proposals up above:

I'd rather just bring back Versteeg than Iginla. The guy seems to love it here, he said playing for the Flames "rejuvenated his love for the game". He was dynamite on the PP last year, why break what works?
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Old 05-28-2017, 08:36 PM   #50
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Fro the sounds of it Schnieder is not being moved unless there is a huge overpay so it would take one of the Flames former top 10 pick forwards, Gaudreau, Hamilton, or Brodie. Simply not worth it considering Schnieder is 31 and giving up one of our young players is too big of a loss.


If the Flames decide to keep Stone as the number 4 they best bring in a solid number 5 that can push him. Fransen could be a good fit? I don't mind Del Zotto either. I have read that Alzner is a bad fit due to his underlying numbers. I also think there should be a spot on the roster for one young guy to compete with Bartkowski for the 6 spot. Kulak, Wotherspoon, Andersen, or Kylington.

Goaltending has been talked to death. I have a feeling the Flames get Mrazek and then re-sign Johnson. I could also see them acquiring a young goalie from Vegas or a team pre expansion ( Grubauer, Pickard, or Rannta) and pairing him with a UFA like Mason

Up front I really hope Vegas takes Brouwer off our hands. Other players I hope to move on from are Chiasson and Bouma. Ideally the Flames find a new top line RW, while the 3M line and Ferland-Bennett-Lazar make up the third line (perhaps Tkachuk and Ferland switch places) Stajan can shift to the wing in the 4th line to mentor Jankowski with Hathaway or someone else fills that RW spot. The result is the Flames move on from Versteeg because there is no room.


The way I see it the biggest holes in the lineup are #1 goalie, #4D, and #1RW in that order.
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Old 05-28-2017, 08:42 PM   #51
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My goalie choices:

Pie in the sky: Carey Price

Free to acquire UFA signing: Steve Mason

Pay up for a young goalie: Philipp Grubauer

Pay cheap for a vet goalie: Mike Smith
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Old 05-28-2017, 09:36 PM   #52
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This projected roster is mostly accurate, just sub in Klimchuk & Kulak for Vey & Morrison.
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Old 05-28-2017, 09:59 PM   #53
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For the sake of sakes, here's my projected roster:

Johnny Gaudreau - Sean Monahan - Micheal Ferland
Kris Versteeg - Sam Bennett - Radim Vrbata
Matthew Tkachuk - Mikael Backlund - Michael Frolik
Curtis Lazar - Mark Jankowski - Alex Chiasson
Matt Stajan

Mark Giordano - Dougie Hamilton
T.J. Brodie - Michael Stone
Paul Postma - Rasmus Andersson
Matt Bartkowski

Antti Raanta
Anders Nilsson
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Old 05-28-2017, 10:28 PM   #54
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With the lineups I have seen in this thread, you don't make the playoffs.
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Old 05-28-2017, 10:43 PM   #55
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Par View Post
With the lineups I have seen in this thread, you don't make the playoffs.
...why not?
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Old 05-28-2017, 11:40 PM   #56
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Quote:
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With the lineups I have seen in this thread, you don't make the playoffs.
Propose your lineup then
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Old 05-29-2017, 06:55 AM   #57
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Such an overly simplistic way of viewing things. PIT doesn't have a 1st line RW on their 1st line and they are in the Stanley Cup finals so I guess your statement has been proven absolutely false?

1. Teams often spread their depth out these days. They don't play their top 3 offensive threats all on the same line usually. So highlighting a complimentary player who plays 1st line and saying X team sucks because Y player is on the 1st line is a very weak argument. PIT could easily be in the SC Finals with Ferland playing 1st line RW.

2. Flames within 2 years may have three 1st line LWs if we move Bennett to the wing. Does it really matter how good your RWers look if you've got three 1st line LWs? I mean it does, you want some solid complimentary guys and powerforwards but if your lineup contains multiple 1st line LWs and multiple top two line centres then I think that's about all you can ask for in today's NHL.

3. Related to #1 but some fans don't seem to realize that playing a bunch of guys who want the puck on their stick together can make for a mediocre line. Sometimes the player that best fits a line isn't the most skilled player left on the team but instead the player who compliments the weaknesses of the other two. Monahan and Gaudreau are both skilled, non-physical players who do not excel in physical board battles or physical net front battles. The best compliment for them may not be a Mike Cammalleri or Jiri Hudler who also cannot win physical battles. Sure that type of line will find some success in the regular season but usually wilts and no-shows the more physical playoffs. A better compliment for Monahan and Gaudreau would probably be a Lucic, Holmstrom, Simmonds, etc type player who can do the things they can't. A type of player who can make space for them, win board battles, drive the net to get deflections/screens/rebounds, etc.

In the end looking whoever is playing RW on the so called first line is not a good way to evaluate the depth of the team. Trying to predict our playoff chances based on evaluating that one position is even more foolhardy. I wish our fanbase would stop focusing on that one position and try to look at the overall depth as a whole. I wish our fanbase would stop focusing on trying to create the most skilled line possible and instead focus of trying to get 3 scoring lines where the play styles of the players compliment each other nicely.
I'd suggest concise
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Old 05-29-2017, 06:57 AM   #58
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Quote:
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...why not?
I think the lineup you posted is a weaker team than last year. The blueline is not improved at all in fact there is a good chance that 3rd pair is even worst than Bart-Engellend was this past year.

Your goaltending is a much bigger question mark than last season with 2 backups getting the ball. Elliott was at least a 1b goalie where Rannta and Nilsson are both clear number 2's

Swapping Brouwer for Vrbata likely does nothing to move the forward group in the right direction. Likely the team improved up front by our players maturing but I think there is a great chance Brbata is a complete bum next year and has an even worse season than Brouwer just had.

The lineup you posted could be realistic. If that is the direction the Flames Go thisnsummer it would be a huge risk. 2 backups, a 37 year old winger, and a career 6/7 Dman are the only offseason adds? I would think that team is on the bubble next year
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Old 05-29-2017, 07:30 AM   #59
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Quote:
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I think the lineup you posted is a weaker team than last year. The blueline is not improved at all in fact there is a good chance that 3rd pair is even worst than Bart-Engellend was this past year.

Your goaltending is a much bigger question mark than last season with 2 backups getting the ball. Elliott was at least a 1b goalie where Rannta and Nilsson are both clear number 2's

Swapping Brouwer for Vrbata likely does nothing to move the forward group in the right direction. Likely the team improved up front by our players maturing but I think there is a great chance Brbata is a complete bum next year and has an even worse season than Brouwer just had.

The lineup you posted could be realistic. If that is the direction the Flames Go thisnsummer it would be a huge risk. 2 backups, a 37 year old winger, and a career 6/7 Dman are the only offseason adds? I would think that team is on the bubble next year
I mean, Vrbata is coming off of a 55-point season on one of the worst teams in the NHL, and is 35, not 37. I'd rather add him than a 39-year-old Iginla.

Nilsson was the best backup in the NHL last year. I'd be willing to give both he and Raanta a shot at the number-one job.
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Old 05-29-2017, 07:48 AM   #60
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Vrbata will be 36 in a couple of weeks. Still, I'd take him over Iginla right now. Although, I'd prefer neither on the Flames.
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