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Duffalufagus · 01-18-2018, 09:54 PM

Cherished fellow Flames fans:

As we turn over into the second half of the season I am, for the first time in at least 14 years, incredibly optimistic about our chances to make some serious noise in the playoffs this year (knock on wood, obviously).

This is the best team, top to bottom, that we have seen here since arguably the late 80’s. Going into the season we were looking at a team that was projected to have one of the top bluelines in the league this year. The goaltending was somewhat of a question mark as we didn’t really know what Smith was going to be. All we knew is that a push was hopefully the worst case scenario. Anything better was, at best, a question mark going into the season.

The real concern going into the season was offence. As Tre noted, what kept him up at night was where the goals would come from. We had a top line that underperformed for the most part last year and a second line that arguably over performed offensively. Scoring beyond the top 6 continued to be a massive problem.

The first half of the season gave reason for serious pause. The only real positive was that any question regarding the goaltending was quickly put to bed; Smith was absolutely lights out in the first quarter of the season and, frankly, was the only reason we managed to stay afloat.

The D was a disaster. Gio was solid, but Hamilton was sleepwalking up to and through November, Brody was a disaster in our own end and Hamonic was looking like he was going to pay Chiarelli like returns. In short, our paper tiger defence was making the haters on HF look like Nostradamus. Smith was the only thing keeping the D unit together.

The predictions about scoring issues were also manifesting. The top line was cooking until December, but that was basically it. 3rd and 4th line scoring was historically bad, and the lineup was littered with journeyman vets who just weren’t getting it done. Bennett was Helen Keller walking down the Deerfoot during rush hour. It was a mess.

Queue 2018: Goaltending remains A+, the defence looks like a top 3 unit in the league. Hamonic, who looked like a bust for what we gave up in the offseason, has settled in and Brody has shored up his game. Hamilton is full beast mode. And, most importantly as it relates to genuine playoff aspirations, this core is solid in its own end and contributing big time offensively. The unit is humming.

However, for me, the biggest reason for optimism about our realistic chances in the dance is the solidification of the forward unit. Many great posters here were crying out for an injection of youth and speed into the forward lineup. We had no scoring depth, Bennett was useless as a centre, Brouwer was competing for the most overpaid player in the league, and Jankowski didn’t make the team notwithstanding his amazing camp.

But, Tre and Gully channeled the collectibe wisdom here and made big changes which are now paying off in spades. For the first time in, well, ever we now have 3 strong centres. We have youthful role players that are contributing big time. Ferland is a revelation. Johnny and Mony are on pace for career years.

Lineup wise, this is a deep team. From the net out. I don’t remember the last time I thought that about our team. Our advanced stats are so good that Cullen is actually giving this team props. This is a real contender we have here boys and girls.

Now, the west is so deep and competitive that the playoffs are obviously not at all guaranteed. Far from it. But, for the first time in a generation, if we get in I think we can beat anybody in a 7 game series. Legitimately. And this is the first time I’ve felt like this since CD’s replaced cassette tapes. The ‘04 run was amazing, and we won the cup in game 6, but Cinderella was driving that bus.

It is great to be a Flames fan right now. I am, for the first time, realistically optimistic that we are a contender.

Go Flames Go.

01-18-2018, 09:54 PM	#1
Duffalufagus Powerplay Quarterback Join Date: Mar 2017 Location: Parkdale Exp:	Realistic Optimism Cherished fellow Flames fans: As we turn over into the second half of the season I am, for the first time in at least 14 years, incredibly optimistic about our chances to make some serious noise in the playoffs this year (knock on wood, obviously). This is the best team, top to bottom, that we have seen here since arguably the late 80’s. Going into the season we were looking at a team that was projected to have one of the top bluelines in the league this year. The goaltending was somewhat of a question mark as we didn’t really know what Smith was going to be. All we knew is that a push was hopefully the worst case scenario. Anything better was, at best, a question mark going into the season. The real concern going into the season was offence. As Tre noted, what kept him up at night was where the goals would come from. We had a top line that underperformed for the most part last year and a second line that arguably over performed offensively. Scoring beyond the top 6 continued to be a massive problem. The first half of the season gave reason for serious pause. The only real positive was that any question regarding the goaltending was quickly put to bed; Smith was absolutely lights out in the first quarter of the season and, frankly, was the only reason we managed to stay afloat. The D was a disaster. Gio was solid, but Hamilton was sleepwalking up to and through November, Brody was a disaster in our own end and Hamonic was looking like he was going to pay Chiarelli like returns. In short, our paper tiger defence was making the haters on HF look like Nostradamus. Smith was the only thing keeping the D unit together. The predictions about scoring issues were also manifesting. The top line was cooking until December, but that was basically it. 3rd and 4th line scoring was historically bad, and the lineup was littered with journeyman vets who just weren’t getting it done. Bennett was Helen Keller walking down the Deerfoot during rush hour. It was a mess. Queue 2018: Goaltending remains A+, the defence looks like a top 3 unit in the league. Hamonic, who looked like a bust for what we gave up in the offseason, has settled in and Brody has shored up his game. Hamilton is full beast mode. And, most importantly as it relates to genuine playoff aspirations, this core is solid in its own end and contributing big time offensively. The unit is humming. However, for me, the biggest reason for optimism about our realistic chances in the dance is the solidification of the forward unit. Many great posters here were crying out for an injection of youth and speed into the forward lineup. We had no scoring depth, Bennett was useless as a centre, Brouwer was competing for the most overpaid player in the league, and Jankowski didn’t make the team notwithstanding his amazing camp. But, Tre and Gully channeled the collectibe wisdom here and made big changes which are now paying off in spades. For the first time in, well, ever we now have 3 strong centres. We have youthful role players that are contributing big time. Ferland is a revelation. Johnny and Mony are on pace for career years. Lineup wise, this is a deep team. From the net out. I don’t remember the last time I thought that about our team. Our advanced stats are so good that Cullen is actually giving this team props. This is a real contender we have here boys and girls. Now, the west is so deep and competitive that the playoffs are obviously not at all guaranteed. Far from it. But, for the first time in a generation, if we get in I think we can beat anybody in a 7 game series. Legitimately. And this is the first time I’ve felt like this since CD’s replaced cassette tapes. The ‘04 run was amazing, and we won the cup in game 6, but Cinderella was driving that bus. It is great to be a Flames fan right now. I am, for the first time, realistically optimistic that we are a contender. Go Flames Go.