Originally Posted by mcjmcj
Last night's game was brutal to watch and exposed the Flames for what they are, a below average hockey team. If you loom at the Flames roster, I would argue that their record is better than can be expected for a team lacking true speed of skill. Outside of the following players, what players have any trade value.
Monahan(mediocre play this year at best)
Gaudreau(slumping, but skiled)
Backlund(overall solid, but not spectacular)
Tkachuk(pest with second line skill)
Bennett(too early to give up on him, but not progressing as hoped)
Frolik(solid)
Brower(playoff performer but looks slow)
Hamilton(best d of late)
Gio(poor year to date, worried that his best years are behind him)
Brodie(top 4 d, but bad year)
The rest of the team are basically clones of each other- grinders, no finish, no speed(Ferland, Bouma, Chiasson, Hathaway, F. Hamilton, Versteeg, and Stajan). We can argue that Stajan have played better than expected, but there are two many untalented forwards on this team. Paul Byron may not have been a great forward, but at least he brought a different element to the team- speed. The league is now about skill and speed, and frankly, this team lacks those elements.
I can't complain about the Flames' record, but this team is terrible to watch from a fan's standpoint. That being said, it could be worse- the Winnipeg Jets are significantly more skilled and have significantly more depth than the Flames but didn't understand that goaltending is the #1 position for a NHL team, and at the very least, the Flames goaltending has been better this year.
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