[GranteedEV]

To me, the Flames lack a single identity from top to bottom. When you mix the players up (naturally happens during a game) they struggle.

Half of them want to win playing an up-tempo game, threading the needle and creating havok. Our two best players like Gaudreau and Brodie thrive in skating the opponent out of the rink. Monahan, Giordano and Wideman also thrive in the added space of stretching the ice out due to their skill, hockey sense and their teammates covering for their for flaws. Even Bouma fit an up-tempo game better as he loves to counterpunch.

Meanwhile half of our players want to slow things down and play a less cerebral cycle game. Guys like Chiasson, Brouwer, Stajan, Hamilton, Jokipakka, Engelland. See a theme? These are mostly Burkeliving acquisitions.

On paper that is what Burkeliving consider a "balanced" roster that can play against anyone.

What I see though, is a team that cannot play a consistent style wiith each other.

A few of them (Backlund, Ferland, Kulak, Frolik, Bennett, Tkachuk, Giordano) are versatile enough to fit either style. But most of them want one style, or the other. Would Gaudreau work on the L.A. Kings or Anaheim Ducks? No, in fact I can't even imagine that because of how those teams want to play.

In 2014-15, when the Flames made the playoffs, albeit somewhat fluke-ily, the Flames had players who thrived in Hartley's style. Byron. Schlemko. Diaz. Russell. Jooris. Granlund. Glencross. Even Colborne despite common perception was much better st making decisions on the rush than he was playing against a set defense out of the cycle. Hudler was also versatile enough to fit that team's need. That team could not cycle, but they could play a game that didn't necessarily need a cycle against all but the best opponents, who did have our number.

Were Burkeliving wrong to want to get that team playing a cycle game? No, they were not. But they went about it wrong. They decided that adding raw size, and not anticipation, high-end skill, and compete level, were the key to becoming a team that could cycle. They removed pieces that worked well even in terms of the analytics that obviously still had to improve and replaced them over time with pieces that fit their aesthetic for a good team.

The problem? You can't fit a square peg in a round hole. Last year the raRangersngers, a speedy team, traded their speediest two-way forward away to the ducks, a heavy team. The result? The Rangers got worse and Carl Hagelin had the worst season of his career..... until he was traded again within a calendar year, for another guy having the worst season of his career David Perron. Suddenly Hagelin and Perron were having some of the best partial seasons of their career.

This was a no-brainer trade for both sides because these were never their teams' best players. Perry, Getzlaf, Crosby, Malkin, Kessel were.

What we see right now is not Gulutzan's fault entirely. Gaudreau, Brodie and company's struggles are a function of trying to play a style that suits whomever they are on the ice with. Which has been guys like Chiasson, Hamilton. Jokipakka, for Gaudreau, and Engelland, Stajan, Chiasson for Brodie. There is a lack of chemistry in the individual play styles and abilities. Brodie and Gaudreau are our two best players by talent, and! he team should be built to enhance their strengths. The Blackhawks are built around Keith, Toews, and Kane, three players who play a fast paced game. Their blue lines with Hjalmarsson, Campbell, Leddy, Oduya, Seabrook, even Rundblad over the years have always adhered to the need to have brisk first passes in stride because they know that Kane for example is not going to win a battle along the walls on a rim-out. The Kings, originally were built around their captain Dustin Brown, where their breakout would involve a rim-out to the big heavy winger, who would deflect the puck towards a centre or defenseman (Kopitar, Carter, Doughty) etreaking through the middle. They have evolved a bit since then but at their core they still play the same style.

Which style suits Brodie and Gaudreau? You can easily visualize Brodie saucing a 100 foot saucer to Johnny in stride with Monahan trailing the play. A style that doesn't necessarily work when it's Engelland and Bollig instead.

Gulutzan's style from what i can tell, attempts to play a middle ground with a guy for instance like Chiasson supposed to play that aformentioned Dustin Brown role with Gaudreau/Brodie playing the Kopitar/Doughty role. There's merit to it and with more time there will be some results. The Gaudreau-Bennett-Brouwer line showed some good signs the other day despite the score. Tkachuk-Backlund-Frolik are versatile enough to play any style.

What we need though, is to commit to five man units that work with each other. And I think we need some trades for that, or to try some of the farm hands in important roles. It's not always about experience, but ability. Last year's Penguins had multiple rookies in the lineup - Sheary, Kuhnhackl, Rust, Dumoulin. They made trades for guys who guys who fit their best players better than they fit elsewhere (Hagelin, Daley, Schultz).

We have a rookie who is playing exceptionally for us in Brett Kulak. We need more of that, and less contrived "Alex Chiasson/Nicklas Grossmann" type nonsense. That is not on Gulutzan alone. Partially, yes, and partially it needs to be on Treliving to abandon the size obsession. Gaudreau will start playing his game when he starts playing with linemates who want to play his style of game within Gulutzan's system. The Johnny/Monny chemistry won't work the exact same way without Hartley's systems, but what is to say Johnny/Sammy/Poirier won't work? We as fans need to be patient still and let things pan out. However Treliving as GM should not be patient. It is clear certain players do not fit the roles they had envisioned on this team. Cut bait sooner than later.

TL;DR - Gulutzan's systems alone aren't a style of play. Players have to play with players who play a homogeneous style that fits the systems. The holistic approach needs work and that's still a work-in-progress as I see it. I am not saying I am happy with him but he is not the one who signed Grossmann to a one-way or brought in Chiasson to play with the first line.