This era started off with so much promise. 2 years after Iginla was traded the team was in the second round being lead by Gaudreau and Monahan. I was guilty of thinking we had a Kane-Toews 2.0 on our hands. When Sam Bennett burst onto the scene in that playoff and looked really good I couldn’t help but think this team was on the fast track to contention which was boosted even more with the additions of Hamilton and Tkachuk over the next 2 summers. When Johnny dominated at the World Cup playing with MacKinnon I started to think we had a generational talent on our hands
The Gulutzan years gave me pause however and I soured on Hamilton and started to think this core needed a change. Treliving made a blockbuster deal that reshaped the core by bringing in 2 more players drafted in the top 5. I didn’t like the Bill Peters hiring at the time but was very very happy to see Gulutzan relieved of his duties.
The team then took off and looked like a contender in year 1. Gaudreau-Monahan-Lindholm formed one of the best lines in the league and Johnny was 25, Monahan/Lindholm 23/24 and Tkachuk was 20/21 and along with Gio all 5 scored between 74-99pts. It was unfortunate Sam Bennett was not moving forward and seemed stuck in a bottom 6 role showing only small flashes but mostly disappointment. A quick playoff exit had some wondering if that was a fluke season.
Over the next couple of years that were interrupted due to Covid saw big regressions across the board with the exception of Lindholm who really looked like a steal and was still significantly better than he had shown in Carolina. It got to the point many wanted change and to move Gaudreau and Monahan but Tree never pulled the trigger even though it sounded like he got close to doing so with Monahan.
Gaudreau-Lindholm-Tkachuk became the best line in hockey while the core players around changed quite a bit. Gio, Brodie, Bennett, all were gone while new guys stepped up. 2022 the team was even more successful than 2019 and while they got a win in the first round they suffered a devastating loss to their bitter rivals in round 2. Gaudreau had shown me enough that I wanted the team to pay him whatever it took but he decided to leave. Tkachuk does the same thing and Monahan is so broken his contract becomes a huge burden. He didn’t even play in the playoffs last year and was a non factor for the last 2 seasons.
Monahan and Gaudreau were the faces of the post Iginla years. We got 2 runs past the first round in Gaudreau’s rookie year and his last year. Since that 2019 run that saw the team win the division for the first time since 2006 the team has been completely blown up and retooled. I am quite happy with what has been done on paper and look forward to watching this new era to see what can be done
Gaudreau-Monahan-Lindholm
Tkachuk-Backlund-Frolik
Bennett-Jankowski-Neal
Mangiapane-Ryan-Hathaway
Giordano-Brodie
Hanifin-Hamonic
Valimaki-Andersson
Smith
Rittich
To
Huberdeau-Lindholm-Toffoli
Mangiapane-Kadri-Dube
Pelletier-Backlund-Coleman
Lucic-Rooney-Lewis
Hanifin-Andersson
Zadorov-Weegar
Kylington-Tanev
Markstrom
Vladar
3 forwards and 3 Dmen return (Kylington played 38 games that year and Vali is still with the team).
|