Quote:
Originally Posted by CliffFletcher
Monahan and Hamilton are likely going to be top-6 in ice time for the Flames for the foreseeable future, and they're both butter soft. I think we're agreed Gaudreau isn't going to get physical with anyone. Brodie is meh. So we have Bennet and Gio as core players who will sometimes play with bite. That's it.
Now look at the Hawks. Let's call Toews and Bennet a saw-off in terms of being tough to play against. And let's do the same for Keith and Gio. Who do you think would be tougher to play against physically:
Gaudreau
Monahan
Hamilton
Brodie
Or
Kane
Hossa
Seabrook
Hjalmarson
I give that to the Hawks. And they're the least intimidating of the Stanley Cup contenders by a fair bit.
Fact is, this is an extremely soft team, and will likely remain that way unless someone can find a way to get Monahan, Hamilton, and maybe Brodie to play riled up once in a while.
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I find your comparison interesting, but your conclusion odd. Both sets of core players are actually very comparable and you draw the conclusion that the Hawks are tougher.
The most obvious conclusion in my view based on this comparison is that you can build a repeat Stanley Cup champion without having to be the LA Kings, and that the Flames are on the same core development path as the very successful Hawks team.