[gvitaly]

Half way through the season, already some of the excitement from the summer faded away. Some expectations have been reduced and others expanded. The Flames' aspirations of winning the Stanley Cup constitute the ultimate success; meanwhile the show up north constitutes the ultimate failure, but where lays the line between success and failure?

On the one hand, Bob Hartley loves to point out that this is a marathon and not a sprint, but will simply crossing the finish line and making the playoffs be enough? especially once we consider the relative weakness of the Pacific division. At the same time, will the Flames need to win more than one round in order to show improvement and make this season a success?

On the other hand, this is a rebuilding team as we all love to point out. A big part of what constitutes success should be attributed to player development and the development of this team's culture. Will making the playoffs on the back of Gaudreau and Brodie be enough or do we need players like Monahan and Hamilton play like more consistent difference makers? At the same time do we see enough improvement in team attributes such as discipline, special teams, 3rd period comebacks and so on? or should we just concentrate on individual success?

Finally, it all comes down to what do you value most, and I would love to hear your opinions.