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Originally Posted by really?
IMO it's hard to question the drive and commitment of guys like Gaudreau, Giordano, Tcakhuk, Hamonic, Backlund and the often maligned Sam Bennett, but a number of the other vets are just a bit too tepid to make waves in today's high paced game. the Flames still have a number of guys who prefer to play the game at a lesser pace.
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I distinctly remember Gulutzan bitching about some of the veteran guys during his stick throw incident, so you might be on to something there.
I have no problem with the compete level of guys like Johnny, Gio, Tkachuk, Backs, Bennett, and even Lazar and Janko. Those guys seem to bring it every night for the most part. I think the main problem for them is that they're stuck playing a rigid system that doesn't play to their strengths a lot of the time, and it seems to limit their skill and creativity. For example, the PP clearly hasn't gotten results this year and is arguably the worst in the league. And yet it took the coaching staff 3/4 of the season before they finally changed it up (slightly) with the addition of Hamilton on the 1st unit. Sure, it only worked for a few games because their overall system still sucks. But the fact that it took them that long to adjust or try something new is beyond baffling.
Also, look at how much Bennett's play improved when he was finally freed from his 3rd line shackles and moved up to the top line for that brief moment. It must have been an amazing experience for him to finally play with skilled linemates for a change. And that line looked pretty damn good for those couple of games they were together. Again, it took the coaching staff 3/4 of a season to figure that out. So damn frustrating.