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blankall · 10-19-2020, 09:52 AM

We get a solid B+.

I actually think the signings were better than people think, as they set the Flames up nicely to actually make a drive at next year's playoffs. This year, the Flames didn't do as badly as it seemed in the playoffs. They lost Tkachuk, who was one of their most effective forwards, for most of the Dallas series. They lost a bunch of close games to Dallas, who ended up being a force in the playoffs. Dallas had one of the best shut down games the NHL has seen in a while, and Tkachuk was the player most likely to throw Dallas off of their system.

Addressing the goalie and defensive issues was big. Talbot/Rittich was okay, but that tandem would let in big goals at awful times. You could tell it made the team in front of them scared, and the team was force to compensate by collapsing too much. Tanev is a much better all around defenseman than either of Hamonic or Brodie.

The Flames obvious other need is additional scoring. They need a legit scoring threat that can contribute when the rest of the team is being shut down. However, with the flat cap, there simply wasn't room for this.

My hope is that Valimaki and Andersson continue to progress and become legit top 4 d-men. This will allow the Flames to trade a piece like Hanifin for a legit top 6 RW near the deadline, making the Flames a legit contender. If Valimaki and Andersson do reach their potential, the top 4 looks pretty incredible IMO:

Giordano - Tanev
Valimaki - Andersson

If we add another RW and Mangiapane and Dube continue to progress forward, the top 9 forwards look pretty great too.

Obviously, there are a lot of what ifs here, but for the first time in a while, I see a legit plan from this franchise. The team's off-season wasn't perfect, but it looks very focused. As opposed to the usual, throw money at a vet UFA and hope for the best.

10-19-2020, 09:52 AM	#65
blankall Ate 100 Treadmills Join Date: Mar 2006 Exp:	We get a solid B+. I actually think the signings were better than people think, as they set the Flames up nicely to actually make a drive at next year's playoffs. This year, the Flames didn't do as badly as it seemed in the playoffs. They lost Tkachuk, who was one of their most effective forwards, for most of the Dallas series. They lost a bunch of close games to Dallas, who ended up being a force in the playoffs. Dallas had one of the best shut down games the NHL has seen in a while, and Tkachuk was the player most likely to throw Dallas off of their system. Addressing the goalie and defensive issues was big. Talbot/Rittich was okay, but that tandem would let in big goals at awful times. You could tell it made the team in front of them scared, and the team was force to compensate by collapsing too much. Tanev is a much better all around defenseman than either of Hamonic or Brodie. The Flames obvious other need is additional scoring. They need a legit scoring threat that can contribute when the rest of the team is being shut down. However, with the flat cap, there simply wasn't room for this. My hope is that Valimaki and Andersson continue to progress and become legit top 4 d-men. This will allow the Flames to trade a piece like Hanifin for a legit top 6 RW near the deadline, making the Flames a legit contender. If Valimaki and Andersson do reach their potential, the top 4 looks pretty incredible IMO: Giordano - Tanev Valimaki - Andersson If we add another RW and Mangiapane and Dube continue to progress forward, the top 9 forwards look pretty great too. Obviously, there are a lot of what ifs here, but for the first time in a while, I see a legit plan from this franchise. The team's off-season wasn't perfect, but it looks very focused. As opposed to the usual, throw money at a vet UFA and hope for the best.