Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post - [PGT] Flames lose 3-2, playoff hopes extinguished

Enoch Root · 04-11-2023, 03:02 PM

Glad that the season is over and we can start to put it behind us. The lack of success doesn't bother me - there are good seasons and bad seasons in sports. What does bother me are the attitudes and decisions that undermined the season. IMO, there are 4 people to blame:

4) Gaudreau
3) Tkachuk
2) Kadri
1) Sutter.

The decisions made by Gaudreau and Tkachuk (especially Tkachuk, as he was still under contract for another year), put the franchise in a position where change was forced upon it. Big change. And though they tried to make the best of it, in the end, those changes ultimately sank the season, and will continue to impact the team for a long time.

Kadri has pissed me off more than any player I can remember, for a very long time. For him to completely quit on the team, and the organization, in the first year of a 7 year, $49M deal, and to do so is such a publicly visible and disrespectful way (especially to the fans and his team-mates) is simply unacceptable. If I was GM, he would be gone this summer, regardless of the cost.

But as infuriating as Kadri has been, and the decisions by Gaudreau and Tkachuk were, I place the disaster that has been this season, squarely at the feet of Sutter. It is Sutter's decisions, attitudes, comments, and stubbornness, that have created and defined the season. He set the tone. He created the atmosphere. He defined the style of play. And he brought in the clouds that made the whole season grey, dreary, and unenjoyable.

It started with his dismantling of Huberdeau, as if he felt Huberdeau was a crap player who needed rebuilding in his own image. But trying to completely change Huberdeau's game wasn't bad enough, then he had to start getting on his back, criticizing his play, and then throwing out the silly 'went for a ####' comment. Sutter took a player who was under a huge amount of pressure already (moving to a Canadian market to be 'the guy') and made the atmosphere much, much worse - so much so, that Huberdeau really didn't stand a chance. And then leaving Huberdeau and Kadri together for about 50 games or so (even throwing Lucic on their line for a while), came across, to me anyway, as just spiteful.

It continued with his stubbornness to continue to throw Markstrom out there, regardless of performance. Yes, Markstrom had a bad year, and should be held accountable for that, but players have bead years sometimes. But the way Sutter handled the goaltending did nothing to rectify the situation. And in fact, his stubbornness only threw more shade on the team and the mood in the room. It was just another way that he kept reminding the team that he's in charge, and things will be done his way.

The Power Play. I know that it was under the watchful eye of Muller, but ultimately, Sutter is responsible for his staff as well. And there is nothing positive that can be said about the PP this year - the choice of players, their utilization, the basic strategy, the set plays, the zone entries, the way they continued to do the same things over and over, regardless of how they were being defended, it was an unequivocable failure. Someone made a comment about just sending 5 guys out there randomly, and they probably would have done a better job. Sadly, I think that is actually true - had they just sent the PP group out there and said 'just do whatever you think', it would have likely been better. In a season where finding offense was like hunting for precious metals, a few nuggets from the PP could have made all the difference. But again, change, or adaptability, were never on the menu.

Phillips, Pelletier, Coronato, Duehr (to a lesser extent), Lucic, Ritchie, and the absence of Wolf. This point needs no further comment. His stubbornness with the lineup was beyond frustrating, and entered into the comical. Lucic, Lewis, Ritchie, Ritchie, and Rooney ALL played in the top 9 this year. The team struggled to score all year, yet he continued to favour grinders over the injection of youth and speed.

Not practicing 3 on 3, or being prepared for shoot-outs. Yes, there is no 3 on 3 in the playoffs, but you still have to MAKE the playoffs. And by going 5-12 in OT, along with 5 more SO losses, the Flames will not make the playoffs. That is all Sutter had to do to save the season - just have them in a position to compete in OT, and if they were close to .500 in extra time, they would be in the playoffs this year.

There are plenty more things that could be mentioned, like rolling 4 lines no matter what, having the 4th line out at the end of every PP, etc. but this post is already too long. The bottom line is that this season was defined by Sutter, and he needs to be held accountable.

For me, he has to take the blame for the failed season.

04-11-2023, 03:02 PM	#620
Enoch Root Franchise Player Join Date: May 2012 Exp:	Glad that the season is over and we can start to put it behind us. The lack of success doesn't bother me - there are good seasons and bad seasons in sports. What does bother me are the attitudes and decisions that undermined the season. IMO, there are 4 people to blame: 4) Gaudreau 3) Tkachuk 2) Kadri 1) Sutter. The decisions made by Gaudreau and Tkachuk (especially Tkachuk, as he was still under contract for another year), put the franchise in a position where change was forced upon it. Big change. And though they tried to make the best of it, in the end, those changes ultimately sank the season, and will continue to impact the team for a long time. Kadri has pissed me off more than any player I can remember, for a very long time. For him to completely quit on the team, and the organization, in the first year of a 7 year, $49M deal, and to do so is such a publicly visible and disrespectful way (especially to the fans and his team-mates) is simply unacceptable. If I was GM, he would be gone this summer, regardless of the cost. But as infuriating as Kadri has been, and the decisions by Gaudreau and Tkachuk were, I place the disaster that has been this season, squarely at the feet of Sutter. It is Sutter's decisions, attitudes, comments, and stubbornness, that have created and defined the season. He set the tone. He created the atmosphere. He defined the style of play. And he brought in the clouds that made the whole season grey, dreary, and unenjoyable. It started with his dismantling of Huberdeau, as if he felt Huberdeau was a crap player who needed rebuilding in his own image. But trying to completely change Huberdeau's game wasn't bad enough, then he had to start getting on his back, criticizing his play, and then throwing out the silly 'went for a ####' comment. Sutter took a player who was under a huge amount of pressure already (moving to a Canadian market to be 'the guy') and made the atmosphere much, much worse - so much so, that Huberdeau really didn't stand a chance. And then leaving Huberdeau and Kadri together for about 50 games or so (even throwing Lucic on their line for a while), came across, to me anyway, as just spiteful. It continued with his stubbornness to continue to throw Markstrom out there, regardless of performance. Yes, Markstrom had a bad year, and should be held accountable for that, but players have bead years sometimes. But the way Sutter handled the goaltending did nothing to rectify the situation. And in fact, his stubbornness only threw more shade on the team and the mood in the room. It was just another way that he kept reminding the team that he's in charge, and things will be done his way. The Power Play. I know that it was under the watchful eye of Muller, but ultimately, Sutter is responsible for his staff as well. And there is nothing positive that can be said about the PP this year - the choice of players, their utilization, the basic strategy, the set plays, the zone entries, the way they continued to do the same things over and over, regardless of how they were being defended, it was an unequivocable failure. Someone made a comment about just sending 5 guys out there randomly, and they probably would have done a better job. Sadly, I think that is actually true - had they just sent the PP group out there and said 'just do whatever you think', it would have likely been better. In a season where finding offense was like hunting for precious metals, a few nuggets from the PP could have made all the difference. But again, change, or adaptability, were never on the menu. Phillips, Pelletier, Coronato, Duehr (to a lesser extent), Lucic, Ritchie, and the absence of Wolf. This point needs no further comment. His stubbornness with the lineup was beyond frustrating, and entered into the comical. Lucic, Lewis, Ritchie, Ritchie, and Rooney ALL played in the top 9 this year. The team struggled to score all year, yet he continued to favour grinders over the injection of youth and speed. Not practicing 3 on 3, or being prepared for shoot-outs. Yes, there is no 3 on 3 in the playoffs, but you still have to MAKE the playoffs. And by going 5-12 in OT, along with 5 more SO losses, the Flames will not make the playoffs. That is all Sutter had to do to save the season - just have them in a position to compete in OT, and if they were close to .500 in extra time, they would be in the playoffs this year. There are plenty more things that could be mentioned, like rolling 4 lines no matter what, having the 4th line out at the end of every PP, etc. but this post is already too long. The bottom line is that this season was defined by Sutter, and he needs to be held accountable. For me, he has to take the blame for the failed season.