Quote:
Originally Posted by the2bears
Semantics then, as additional needs are mentioned. But is anyone saying their "confident that they will score enough goals for Calgary to be a contender"?
That seemed to be the beef you mentioned, but I don't think anyone actually said it.
Has Treliving improved the team? I think so. Is he done? Not sure. Do we still need more scoring? Definitely.
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That's the problem in a nutshell! You have to believe that this was the big trade this offseason (Peters has said that they see Gio playing with Brodie and Hanifin with Hamonic, so there's no more valuable defensemen to ship out) yet it's debatable whether the team is any better* and, by your own admission, it definitely still hasn't addressed the scoring issue!
*If both Lindholm and Ferland were to play full seasons with Gaudreau and Monahan, I believe Ferland scores more goals based on their respective scouting reports and recent performance. Lindholm certainly brings more playmaking, but without also adding guys who can put the puck in the net, adding additional playmaking isn't particularly valuable. And while Lindholm has a better 200 ft. game, you can't discount the physical presence Ferland brings that Lindholm doesn't, including (importantly) the ability to drop the gloves with anyone that takes liberties with Gaudreau.
In terms of Hanifin, he certainly hasn't reached his peak, but nothing I've read convinces me that he's significantly better than Dougie defensively (I don't buy the argument that Dougie was "terrible in his own end", as many have claimed. He and Gio were the most dominant possession pair in the league last year (IIRC), and as good as Gio is, he can't cover up for a partner so much that they can put up those stats if one of them is terrible). And to whatever degree Hanifin is better defensively, it's likely offset by Dougie's superior offense.
Yes, the Flames have gained some longer term asset certainty (with Ferland soon to be a UFA), and maybe relieved themselves of some off-ice incompatibility in Dougie, so you can add points in the Flames favour from an organizational perspective. But no one has claimed that those issues were affecting the on-ice performance, so addressing them won't necessarily make the on-ice product better.