Quote:
Originally Posted by Joborule
I disagree. Honestly if Monahan wasn't such a dud/injured (again) this season, the Flames would've made the playoffs, and based on Habs now in the finals, could've gone all the way themselves.
Lindholm is great value for what he brings as a centre, and fill in on the top 6 nicely. What's lacking is another centre who contributes as a good level top 6 centre also since the team lacks a high end one. If Monahan, or if another centre is brought in that can contribute close to as well as Lindholm did, and Tkachuk + Gaudreau (and Eat Bread) continue to perform as they did in the late part of the season, the team up front would have a lot better results, and be in good shape to compete.
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I want to grab this and stop this narrative in its tracks. The idea that the Flames as built are somehow anything like a competitive playoff performer is nonsense. The fact that they won the season series against a then-struggling Montreal squad is utterly irrelevant. By your logic, all the Canadian teams are super strong, and we see that proved wrong every year at crunch time.
Montreal is playing great, and it's been driven by a committed, dynamic performance by a whole bunch of guys, not just a top line and a couple hot defensemen. That winning o/t goal to get them through came off Danault's stick, he's just been a workhorse, super responsible, and put in the net by Lehkonen, who is a 2nd/3rd liner in theory. Got the clutch goal. They may well be playing above their ability, putting up unsustainable performances. Good for them!
The Flames on the other hand, in key moments, miss the net, fail to shoot, try a tic-tac-toe that winds up going the other way.... there is no proven clutch performer amongst the skaters.
So I reject the notion that the Flames "coulda shoulda" and that they are somehow in the same category as a Vegas or the Islanders... they absolutely aren't, and going into yet another season thinking that the Flames are "just a piece or two away" as Darryl Sutter used to say 20 years ago..... well that's exactly why the team is where it is. Overestimate the local talent, stand pat, lose again.
Tkachuk can be a tenacious, difficult guy to play against. He can get some dirty goals, and the occassional snazzy one. But he's not going to outskate anyone, and apparently he is able to disappear for a whole season at a time. If he's replaced by someone faster and more talented, I wouldn't blink at losing him. But I doubt that will happen, because fast guys who can score are not traded for grindy truculent forwards too often.
He's a useful piece, but I'm not convinced he's a keystone moving forward in this league.