Quote:
Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina
This is the major point. I think folks have confused some of the arguments being made. Someone the other day asked why I think the Flames should keep GG. That's not my position. My position is that just changing the coach isn't enough and that there are more serious issues with the roster beyond the HC.
So the amount of discussion about the coach, and absence of blame being placed on the team, and their best players, is what I disagree with
Take a look at the stats of the teams' best players during these more critical games. They are awful.
|
I think the coach has to go and the GM should be on thin ice. It is unfathomable to me that a team that has a pretty thin system (6 players that reasonably may make the NHL at some point, with 4 of them being dmen) would go and trade 8 picks for 3 dmen over a 3 year period. The Hamilton trade made sense, even the Stone trade did, the Hamonic trade never did.
The Flames knew or ought to have known that they would have a reasonable chance of re-signing Stone, and they knew or ought to have known that they had no non-NHL ready forwards outside of Jankowski. They should have also realized that they do not have many that are likely to make the NHL outside of Dube.
In that environment, the GM trades over a 12 month period a 2nd and what will now be a 3rd for a goalie (along with a former 3rd). That is more than the Oilers gave up for Talbot. It is more than the Sharks gave up for Martin Jones. The goalie acquisition process was a complete fail (even if Elliott worked out, it is arguable that that package was more than the Jones package).
After we get past his goalie debacle, you look at his acquisition of at least one more dman than he really needed vis-a-vis the forward needs. He went into a season with old, poor 3rd and 4th liners with almost no young help in the system. He could have used those 3 picks to possibly bolster the forward ranks, but rather overloaded on defence. Now he could trade a dman or two for some immediate help, which puts the 2021 Flames in a bad position or he could trade for draft picks to help out the system or he could try to make a couple UFA signings and trade some dmen for picks.
My problem is I have almost no faith in his ability to make the right move. I would completely clean house and start over from a coaching and management perspective.