Quote:
Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe
Peters should tweak the player usage, but I also think that if the Flames play a more uptempo system, with the Defence activating more, then then goals will come.
Ward alone should be an upgrade over Cameron, so again, goals will come.
I think the greatest strength on this team is their defensive corps, and IMO they were horribly misused under Gulutzan. Flames have racehorses that should have been racing all season, but Gulutzan instead put then all on the yoke and had them plowing the fields.
I still have some concerns when it comes to Peters and how Carolina's weaknesses mirrored Calgary's in some ways, but if you believe Peters and the rest of the staff they hired, then 2018-19 Calgary Flames will be playing much faster with a much quicker transition, the D will be green-lighted to jump in and support the offence, and they will do a better job of attacking the net.
That is why I am not concerned at all if the Flames make zero lineup moves from now until the season starts. Of course I would rather they acquire another top 6 forward, but I don't think it is as much of a necessity as it seemed last season.
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Your post is how I feel too. I think the need for a top 6 winger is something that would be nice to have, but IMO it's a of a 'want' then a 'need'. The Flames have something on the backend that very few teams have. That is 3 D who can potentially put up 40+ points. Most teams are lucky to have 1. Flames have 3 who can legit put up that many points if utilised correctly. Unfortunately, Gulutzan's systems didn't utilise them as efficiently as he could have.
Get the D playing up to their potential, and suddenly it masks a lot of the issues the team has up front. Last season Hamilton was the only D who broke 40 pts. IMO that was completely unacceptable when you have players like the Flames have offensively on the back end, and was a big reason the depth as a whole suffered. Even though Hamilton still broke 40 pts, I still found his season to be disappointing offensively. Sure he lead the D in goal scoring league wide. But that was a misleading stat, as overall it was a down year for D goal scoring overall and he had 50+ the season before. Hamilton was still way off the leader's pace of 68 points. 21st overall. Nothing to brag about.
To me that's the biggest need for the Flames next season; to get the D playing up to their potential and to utilise them as a weapon that very few other teams have. It's also why I'm reluctant to trade Brodie before seeing how he does under Peters' system. 3 seasons ago he was on the Olympic team's radar and a top 20 D. Then GG comes along, and for 2 seasons he's suddenly in a big decline. Get Brodie back to form, and it changes the entire dynamic of the team.