Maybe I’m off my rocker, but I just don’t know if all these knee jerk reactions are necessary.
It was a bad season without a doubt, but there were same bad lineup decisions as well. The 4 new line combos, I mean I didn’t like them from day 1 and it basically went on until game 40 of the season. Overall though, I think the answer to get the team back into the playoffs is in the room. But the answer to get the Flames from in the playoffs to an elite Pacific team will require a new scoring line. But at the same time though, I don’t think the whole roster needs to be overhauled and flipped around here. I think a few important, but measured moves need to be made and a some major holes need to be filled with the proper players.
Here are the qualms I have with a lot that’s being said though:
1. Putting all your eggs into one basket. Lets say the Flames do trade Tkachuk for Eichel, is anyone else a little bit frightened that another Jack Eichel injury that takes him out for 30% of the year would completely derail the season?
2. Backlund: So granted, I’ve never really understood the Backlund hate. I think he's very solid in his role and he chips in where he can. So with that said, my question to anyone who wants to see him moved is this, without Backlund, who can defend the McDavid’s and Draisaitl’s of the world when they’re on separate lines? Or the Matthews/Tavares, Backstrom/Kuznetsov, Crosby/Malkin’s and etc. The Flames need a player that can defend elite players every night and I don’t think anyone on Flames is better at it than #11.
3. Are we also ok with seeing 4 new lines? That was the scary thing for me going into this past season, was all the new line combinations and all the new names. We didn’t know how any of them would gel together and as it turned out, none of them gelled. The best line ended up being 3 guys who have played together in the past before. I just don’t know if it’s a good idea to try it again and watch 40 games of line switching misery.
4. Last question, for everybody that has envisioned their own lines. Ask yourself is this a good team on paper or a good team on ice? I know everyone loves building new teams on playstation/xbox, but this isn’t a video game. I’m seeing a lot of new names, but a lot of new names means a lot of new risk. Maybe I’m more risk adverse, but I think I prefer the idea of going with a little bit of what we already have and know that works, then to build everything brand new from scratch.
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