Quote:
Originally Posted by Fire of the Phoenix
The way this team is built bugs the hell out of me. There is no 1C and you can't win without one. Our three best forwards are wingers. 1C's are impossible to acquire unless you are a lottery team. What does BT do? I've posted a lot on this topic but the answer might be right in front of us or maybe I'm thinking too far out of the box, I don't know. My idea hinges on signing Hall or getting a fast north/south LW with skill, but why not try Tkachuk at 1C? I know these things rarely work out (think Tanguay and Cammalleri as 1C) but I think he has most of the tools. Probably not faceoffs but his eye-hand is elite so you never know. You could put Lindholm as his RW and have him take strongside faceoffs and help shoulder the load, defensively and offensively. Cammalleri and Tanguay were doomed because Cammi was too small and a sniper and Tanguay was uncomfortable at the position but probably too soft and defensively weak too. If Tkacuk is interested I think he has most of the tool required.
Matty pros
Elite playmaker
Down low force/strong
Big enough
Skill in spades
Vision/cerebral combined with a power game
Elite hockey IQ
Eye-hand for tip ins and garbage plays
Matty cons
Slow
Faceoffs probably
He would be better than Monahan because his hockey IQ and playmaking are better. Monahan is the perfect 2C.
Just thinking out loud. Tell me why this wouldn't work. I think Tkachuk and Lindholm could thrive in this setup. Plus we all know 1C and #19 go together like peanut butter and jam
Hall Tkachuk Lindholm
Mangiapane Monahan Dube
Lucic Backlund Ryan
Bennett Jankowski Phillips
Not really crushing the cap numbers but wondering if something like that could work. I think Monahan would do very well against lesser competition and I really believe in Dube and Mangiapane as top 6 options. Puts Backlund and Ryan together to create a true shutdown line. Bennett and Jankowski might have to be punted for cap reasons. In that case sub in two 700k vets.
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I too am equally annoyed at not having that elite center, but Tkachuk at center seems like a project that this team doesn’t really have time for right now. I don’t think this team will ever have that true #1 center until we completely bottom out.
But I will say that Lindholm has some qualities I like as a #1 pivot minus the fact that he’s not 6’4, 220. But he, Backlund and Ryan are a solid trio up the middle and this team could make due with that for now.
What the Flames really need is another power forward type player who has a right shot who can dominate play down low, cycle the puck and who can also drive play. That would be more realistic than hoping and praying for an elite centerman to fall into our laps.