Quote:
Originally Posted by calgaryblood
I honestly should have stopped reading after a 6'5 Colborne.
A 6'5 Colborne has never played black and blue hockey and none of the players you listed are impact players.
Hamilton is but he's softer than Colborne.
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It isn't about hitting or necessarily even being 'big bruising wingers'. Flames get hemmed in their own zone because they get out-muscled along the boards. I am also not advocating that they trade away their skilled players for physical players. They need to add big players who are SKILLED to compliment their existing smaller and highly skilled players. Guys who can cycle and also disrupt the cycle of opposing teams. That makes them tougher to play against - not necessarily 'black and blue' in the traditional sense, but definitely a much more difficult squad to play against.
The team is gradually getting bigger - both on the farm, and on the Flames themselves. It would be nice if they were more 'impact players', but many of those listed are strong complimentary players.
Also, it is actually wrong to say that Colborne has never played black and blue hockey - he has laid out some guys and has even fought this past season. I would agree that it isn't his type of game usually, but he definitely has had moments of it. Hamilton has done the same as well. Hamilton may not play that physical, but he has definitely become more physical as the season progressed, wouldn't you say?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bend it like Bourgeois
C'mon. Are you also going to count losing Hanowski and Breen? Would you buy it if someone said the flames were way more black and blue with big jay boumeester patrolling the blue line?
Burke arrived with the black and blue speech. 3 years later he's making the same one and the flames are no closer to being able to trade body blows with the likes of the kings and blues. If that's where he wants to go the team had better shift gears.
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I am not sure what you mean in the first paragraph actually, but I will take a shot...
Most of the Flames larger players on the farm I would call more 'unskilled'. Poirier is skilled. Smith was a fairly skilled 'goon' who his junior team used on the PK and PP, and I look forward to seeing him develop. They acquired Grant who is fairly big and strong, Shore, Van Brabant, Hathaway that really impressed in his call-up. Agostino has some nice size, speed and even a bit of jam too. There are more.
In years past, those larger players were more unskilled than this current crop. I am not saying they will all make it from the farm. Hathaway sure looks like he will. Poirier I bet does as well. The rest we will have to wait and see.
I am just not sure why you disagree with the notion that the Flames have increased in size, however. I haven't made any calculations, but without looking I would bet that the Flames jumped up in the size rankings relative to all the other NHL teams post-trade deadline this year, versus post-trade deadline the year before - and probably have slowly been climbing the rankings.
IIRC, they were the smallest team in the NHL in 2012. Yes, I would say this team is definitely headed in the right direction from that aspect, and yes, Burke has been 'delivering' I guess.