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Calgary4LIfe · 02-27-2018, 11:46 PM

I don't understand why people are still harping on Stewart on the top line. It won't be his last try up there, not as long as Ferland remains out.

The issue is secondary scoring. That's what is absolutely killing this team this year.

So what do you do? Sure, you can load up the first line and hope for the best, but there are games when the other team just manages to completely neutralize that top line, and you make it easier for them to do it when there isn't much of a threat anywhere else in the lineup.

I expect Bennett to get rotated onto that line often, but I also expect him to line up against Jankowski as well.

However, one look at Bennett playing on that top line confirms my belief that he is a game changer and just needs skilled players that play at pace with him. He made a tonne of nice set-ups in tight and quick, and he had that drive where he split the D, got the puck knocked away at the last second, but was still tenacious enough to get the puck himself, make a few more moves, and still get a shot off. That's damn elite-level skill there.

He needs a skilled player that plays with pace to his game. Unfortunately, outside of Gaudreau, there isn't anyone in the organization. Maybe if things go right, Phillips can join that line, though I remain very skeptical of him (and that wouldn't come for a few seasons at least).

Flames need to find someone that can play at that speed and who has a good shot and can make plays in-tight as well. Watch Bennett take-off.

That's why (or partly why) Gulutzan tried out Stewart on the top line. He has been productive in his career when put in a situation to produce, but is also streaky. Of course you try him out and see if he can produce at a decent enough rate to fill that position, and then try Ferland with Bennett and Jankowski in the hopes that another line can solidify.

It didn't work out tonight, but it was also his first game. I am sure he will get a few shifts in a row in upcoming games, and if it doesn't pan out, then he goes down the lineup until something works (and if nothing works, he sits - simple as that). Brouwer kept getting tried on the top line for a while too until it didn't work.

I do expect some major off-season moves. Darryl Sutter was bang-on when he called the Backlund line "the best 3rd line in the league". The problem is that the Flames don't have a second line, and it is because Poirier, Shinkaruk, Klimchuk, etc., have not panned out yet (or never will).

This off-season should see Treliving make a splash - he simply has to move a defencemen or some defensive prospects for a legitimate scoring RW, and then decide what to do with the 4th line. Shore and Lazar may be fine. Brouwer may or may not be back. Will be interesting to see what Treliving does with it.

However, I do agree with some of the posters who have been (overly) critical of Gulutzan, but maybe not exactly with their points. What I agree with is that regardless of how good the advanced metrics from this team rank in the league, this is a results-based business. Great coaches with proven track-records, and who have won Stanley Cups with an organization, are canned for a team under-performing.

This team throughout two seasons has shown a lot of inconsistency and now find themselves in a dogfight to make the playoffs in what is one of the weaker divisions. At the end of the season, if the results are unacceptable, I don't see how Gulutzan survives regardless of how good the underlying metrics show.

Hartley had poor underlying metrics and made it to round 2 of the playoffs and won the Jack Adams - the Flames had no choice but to re-sign him (though it seemed rather grudgingly by Treliving, who had his own ideas of what kind of a coach/team he wanted to implement, which is 100% fair). However, the reverse will also hold true - regardless of the underlying metrics, if a coach can't get a team into the playoffs after said team spends a lot of assets to do so, and doesn't meet the expectations as outlined at the start of the season, then I do expect that coach to be replaced as well. Will be interesting to see how the rest of the season - the toughest grind of it - shapes up.

02-27-2018, 11:46 PM	#178
Calgary4LIfe Franchise Player Join Date: Jun 2010 Exp:	I don't understand why people are still harping on Stewart on the top line. It won't be his last try up there, not as long as Ferland remains out. The issue is secondary scoring. That's what is absolutely killing this team this year. So what do you do? Sure, you can load up the first line and hope for the best, but there are games when the other team just manages to completely neutralize that top line, and you make it easier for them to do it when there isn't much of a threat anywhere else in the lineup. I expect Bennett to get rotated onto that line often, but I also expect him to line up against Jankowski as well. However, one look at Bennett playing on that top line confirms my belief that he is a game changer and just needs skilled players that play at pace with him. He made a tonne of nice set-ups in tight and quick, and he had that drive where he split the D, got the puck knocked away at the last second, but was still tenacious enough to get the puck himself, make a few more moves, and still get a shot off. That's damn elite-level skill there. He needs a skilled player that plays with pace to his game. Unfortunately, outside of Gaudreau, there isn't anyone in the organization. Maybe if things go right, Phillips can join that line, though I remain very skeptical of him (and that wouldn't come for a few seasons at least). Flames need to find someone that can play at that speed and who has a good shot and can make plays in-tight as well. Watch Bennett take-off. That's why (or partly why) Gulutzan tried out Stewart on the top line. He has been productive in his career when put in a situation to produce, but is also streaky. Of course you try him out and see if he can produce at a decent enough rate to fill that position, and then try Ferland with Bennett and Jankowski in the hopes that another line can solidify. It didn't work out tonight, but it was also his first game. I am sure he will get a few shifts in a row in upcoming games, and if it doesn't pan out, then he goes down the lineup until something works (and if nothing works, he sits - simple as that). Brouwer kept getting tried on the top line for a while too until it didn't work. I do expect some major off-season moves. Darryl Sutter was bang-on when he called the Backlund line "the best 3rd line in the league". The problem is that the Flames don't have a second line, and it is because Poirier, Shinkaruk, Klimchuk, etc., have not panned out yet (or never will). This off-season should see Treliving make a splash - he simply has to move a defencemen or some defensive prospects for a legitimate scoring RW, and then decide what to do with the 4th line. Shore and Lazar may be fine. Brouwer may or may not be back. Will be interesting to see what Treliving does with it. However, I do agree with some of the posters who have been (overly) critical of Gulutzan, but maybe not exactly with their points. What I agree with is that regardless of how good the advanced metrics from this team rank in the league, this is a results-based business. Great coaches with proven track-records, and who have won Stanley Cups with an organization, are canned for a team under-performing. This team throughout two seasons has shown a lot of inconsistency and now find themselves in a dogfight to make the playoffs in what is one of the weaker divisions. At the end of the season, if the results are unacceptable, I don't see how Gulutzan survives regardless of how good the underlying metrics show. Hartley had poor underlying metrics and made it to round 2 of the playoffs and won the Jack Adams - the Flames had no choice but to re-sign him (though it seemed rather grudgingly by Treliving, who had his own ideas of what kind of a coach/team he wanted to implement, which is 100% fair). However, the reverse will also hold true - regardless of the underlying metrics, if a coach can't get a team into the playoffs after said team spends a lot of assets to do so, and doesn't meet the expectations as outlined at the start of the season, then I do expect that coach to be replaced as well. Will be interesting to see how the rest of the season - the toughest grind of it - shapes up.