Quote:
Originally Posted by mikephoen
What’s the hurry? This franchise has won 4 playoff rounds in the last 27 years. No point in ever raising expectations I guess.
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by bigrangy
^I disagree. I thought going into this season that the window would be most open this year.
Smith and Gio are not getting younger. Smith will need to be replaced and none of the kids are ready yet. Giordano will still be great for a while but in 3 years it could be very risky. There should be a replacement ready to go but there are no guarantees.
Backlund is still cheap and starting to go past his peak, Monahan, Gaudreau, Hamilton are all in their prime.
The only impact players that will (probably) be better in the future are Bennett/Janko/Tkachuk and they're playing at high levels already. Everyone else is in their prime or on the decline. The time to win is now.
|
It isn't like the Flames can win a series after 40 games. That is the thing that I don't get, your expectations can be higher. That is fine, shouldn't the team get a chance to play the season to see if they can live up to those expectation?
After 20 and 30 games some were completely writing them off. It is a looong season and they are right in the thick of things. You can reach out and touch the black snek. You should do it.
I also won't consider Gaudreau and Monahan in their primes. They say NHL players start getting there at 24 and 25. I think they are on the cusp but not quite there.