Quote:
Originally Posted by LiquidX
Byron 5'9 - LW/C - 28 points - walked
-- neither one of these guys would be playing above gaudreau or tkachuk. Johnny is having a terrible season - it's not secret - but 100% of the time I would want him on the ice over either of these guys. Doubly so for tkachuk.
It could be argued that maybe we could shuffle someone to RW but at best they're both still undersized and we'd get rolled by any team with heavy board play, and would still be slotted behind frolik, brouwer, and versteeg.
|
Just looking at stats, it doesn't seem like a big loss, but Byron brought character and fire to the team. So did Hartley. Even Russel with the constant shot blocking. I'm not saying they all needed to stay, but losing some people from a group does more than affect stats.
Personally, I kind of like it when the Flames actually play with fire. As a fan, I want to cheer for the team regardless of whether or not they win the cup. Two years back I didn't expect any success but they we're super fun to watch. Now, they play a better possession game, but they aren't nearly as fun for me as a fan.
Treliving has made good rational moves with the team, but the team doesn't have the same character as it did a couple of years ago. Rational is fine as a manager, but passion is a more critical minimum to me as a fan.