Quote:
Originally Posted by Psytic
He should of traded for a goal scorer instead of Hamonic. We were fine with what we had. I really question Treliving's ability if he thought that was the best use of our picks to put us over the edge. It really blew up in his face.
We have stockpiles of good young D prospects and basically ONE good forward prospect. What the heck was he even thinking. Give a spot to Andersson and spend the picks on a RW Sniper with a heavy one timer so we can have a decent PP threat. We didn't need another D man. We needed to push Backlund and/or Frolik down to the third line. They are tasked with two jobs and it shows in our lack of scoring depth, they are a 3rd line shut down group and a second line scoring group.
Its easy to see what needs fixed. Pretty much all of Treliving's trades outside of Hamilton I haven't been impressed with.
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The problem with the Flames has been the same for years, regardless of management staff. I'm not sure if it is because of the value ownership places on things during the interview process for senior management, or just the conservative nature of the city rubbing off on the team, but the same attitudes and behaviors have existed since Al Coates was GM and the Young Guns days were a massive failure. Since then, the team has preferred to rely on veterans over youth, and grit over skill. This was of course amplified when Sutter was brought in, and entrenched when Burke was hired. This continues to hurt the team.
I think we can all agree that when you bring a kid up from the AHL there is an adjustment period. The vast majority of players need time and experience to find their way in the NHL. They need time to come in and learn. The Flames are terrible at managing their young players and instead believe in this "over-cooking" bull####. A player who has over-cooked still has to come up and go through that adjustment period. All you're doing is hoping the adjustment period is shorter, which is rarely is. It still takes a player a good year of play to figure things out. The continual approach of leaving players in the minors to bake is just really kicking the adjustment can down the road. This is why I have always held the belief that the team leave two-three positions open on the roster for young players, so they can go through the adjustment period on the lower lines and then move up in the lineup, and contribute as expected, the following year. Very seldom do players just jump right in and perform at high levels because they need that period to adjust. But the Flames don't allow for this. It is systemic and I believe it is a philosophical thing, and a condition of employment.
Having got that off my chest, I agree with what you are saying. Management has bungled the whole roster. Treliving had a vision and he chased it down. He used the old adage that defense wins you championships. He believed in systems that relied on structure and puck possession. Unfortunately he wasn't a progressive thinker and saw the direction the league was going. He didn't see the reliance on speed coming in like it did.
I'm still not 100% sold that the makeup of the roster is that bad. Yes, there are some glaring problems. Stajan and Brouwer are wasted slots in the lineup. They are problems that need to be addressed. But I truly believe that the core problem is the garbage system that Gulutzan has them trying to play is a greater problem than the sum of this team's parts. In a league where speed and transition make the difference in generating offense, and creating the mayhem when systems fails, the Gulutzan system works counter to establishing that chaos for the opposition. The ordered five man approach is old school and a loser proposition. It does not use the talent on the roster and plays right into the hands of the opposition. I just find it impossible to believe that this team could not run teams out of the barn if they allowed the defense to activate and join the rush like they did under Hartley. It is ironic that they sacked Hartley when the core of his system is likely more aligned with the current NHL than the garbage Gulutzan is making the team try and play.
Personally I would I'm torn on what to do. I would like to see a new competent proven coaching staff brought in and see what they can do. I would like to see Treliving stop signing retreads, rely on the youth in the system, and start addressing the most pressing needs. I would like to see the talent on the team being used where the players are in positions to succeed and feed off each other rather than languish in an system destined for failure. I think they can do this and be successful. If they can't, then its time to scorch earth this mother####er and burn it to the ground. Everyone from Ken King on down gets shown the door and a new era of Calgary Flames hockey is born, focusing on the philosophy of speed, youth, and skill trumps everything else. I'm more of the former right now, but that latter is still pretty appealing. If we are going to have to watch a loser, I'd rather watch an entertaining loser. The paint drying garbage of the Gulutzan era is sucking the life out of the fans, and all enjoyment of the game of hockey.