[manwiches]

A day early!

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/3...diens-coyotes/

Flames notes:

4. Sam Bennett was a healthy scratch last Thursday, and Calgary GM Brad Treliving got his share of texts/calls about it. He told compatriots Bennett isn’t getting traded.

I see the hot and cold of this fanbase, but honestly, he's 20 years old. He deserves some slack, and I believe he will be fine in the long run. He's learning to be a pro.

23. Another player who had a similar response to Kadri's about coaching trust: Mikael Backlund. Calgary teammates say Backlund benefits from generally being left alone by head coach Glen Gulutzan. "It’s all about confidence for him," one Flame said. "Tell him what you need and leave him be."

Backlund’s having a terrific year. How many meetings has he had with his coach? "I think two," Backlund responded. "It was different with (Mike Keenan, Brent Sutter and Bob Hartley). But don’t forget I was younger then. I probably needed it more."

Thought it was interesting both Backlund and Kadri recognized youth as a reason, rather than taking shots at their previous coaches.

Nice insight into arguably our best player this season.

24. Argue all you want about plus-minus and whether it is a legitimate marker of a player’s ability, but there’s no questioning some believe in it. One is Johnny Gaudreau, who has never been a minus player over a full season. (Oldest results I could find dated back to 2010–11 with USHL Dubuque.) He’s at minus-17 this season and it bothers him — a ton. I think the Flames are trying to convince him to say, “Let’s work on it game-by-game, rather than getting overwhelmed by the big picture,” but it’s weighing on him.

Interesting note. I've heard and read lots of the Flames not caring etc. I think that's not a fair assessment of any NHLer. Every player cares, it's just how they show it. They're all snakebitten for the most part right now, and confidence is a huge factor, which in part affects body language. I can guarantee you they are pissed, but need some confidence injected into them.

25. Calgary’s Brad Treliving is the only NHL GM without a contract into next season. He won’t discuss it, and neither will the organization. One exec (from elsewhere) noted that the Flames are comfortable with the way they approach this and don’t consider it to be “ominous.” I suspect it’s because they’ve decided to fire coaches and don’t want too many extra salaries on the books. That’s fine, but in the NHL world, it’s weird. Before the season, Columbus gave two-year extensions to its management team, not wanting them going into this season on the ends of their deals. In Vancouver, it’s led to constant job speculation with Willie Desjardins. In St. Louis, there’s some question how it’s affected the Blues’ struggles because players know Ken Hitchcock is to be replaced by Mike Yeo.

Seems to be discussed ad naseum lately (at least on the Fan). If the Flames are comfortable with it, then that's what it is. My personal opinion is that Treliving should be given another contract here, as this year isn't his fault. Everybody thought they would take steps. The players (Re: Goalies) haven't played to par, which has been trickle down on the team.



League notes:

6. One story about Lehner: Last year, I worked a game of his in Montreal that Buffalo won. He was our interview post-game and he was terrible. This was odd, because anyone who’s ever dealt with him knows he’s normally the exact opposite. Then, another broadcaster came up to me and said, “He’s pissed at you.” That made sense and I knew exactly what it was. I’d talked about his injury issues, the fact his weight gain affected his health and play, which was true, but clumsily written. (Generally, I don’t like writing about conditioning, because my own is so bad.) So, I made a point that the next time I saw him, I’d bring it up. That was in training camp this season and we talked about it. We hammered it out very professionally. It’s not in the heat of the moment like last week was, but Lehner’s got that calmness in him.

I absolutely love Friedman's insights into his interactions and relationships in the business. This is a perfect example of why he is so well respected in the community, and his insights and interviews so thoughtful.

27. One of the more intriguing questions about the NHL’s trip to China? How much the league will help the country develop a successful hockey program and national team. At the 2004 Olympics, one of my coverage responsibilities was tennis. Li Ting and Sun Tiantian became the first Chinese to win a medal in the sport, taking the women’s doubles. It was a huge deal for that country, with one reporter saying not to underestimate how important it was to put on a good performance in every possible sport four years later in Beijing. As we move towards another trip to that country, I’m sure the attitude is no different.

More interesting takes on gaining traction in China. Very good point about putting on a good performance, as Chinese athletes typically don't accept anything less than perfection.