Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperMatt18
The point is nobody would have in their right mind predicted that 14-15 Flames team could make the playoffs either.
It's easy to talk in absolutes but in reality isn't the case.
This team should be in line for a top 5 pick, I hope like hell that the pick 1st overall, but that's what we all would have said in 14-15 too.
It could be a top 5 pick, it could be a top 10 pick, they could sneak into the 8th wild card spot. Honestly think all those things are on the table with this roster. The top 5 pick is hopefully the most likely outcome, but it's also not a guarantee at all.
I honestly think this back end compares really closely to the 14-15 one:
Weegar = Giordano: 30 year old late bloomer coming off a great season where they solidifed themselves as a legitimate top pairing d-man
Andersson = Wideman: Offensive focused player that was coming off a down season but had high offensive potential and the fan base wanted to trade
Brodie = Bahl: 24 year old dman coming off their first 82 game season as NHLer that showed a lot of promise.
Bean = Russell: Former 26/27 year old highly touted Columbus Blue Jacket prospect that had shown some potential but struggled with staying healthy at the NHL level
Pachal = Engelland: Penciled in as the physical 6th dman that can also play on the PK.
The only real difference is Smid vs Miromanov...but Smid was gone after only 28 games that year.
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Couple good posts, SuperMatt. This team looks fairly weak on paper, but it doesn't look as bad as San Jose or Chicago have been the last couple of years where you could have confidently guaranteed a bottom five finish.
It's a little less than the Seattle/Utah/Buffalo (my add) teams, which all could surprise and finish close to a playoff spot but could also end up bottom five.
It's really doubtful, particularly with the state of the team and potential fragility of some of the older guys who may want out if this team sucks from day one, but if they come out of the gate hot and they motivate each other like in 14-15, it's not completely out of the realm of possibility they push for the playoffs.
Again, I doubt it'll happen, and I figure they'll finish close to the bottom five, and certainly in the bottom five if they start out poorly and are forced to trade a guy like Andersson. This is generally my preference, as I'd like to see them with a couple top 3-5 picks in the next two years to set them up to be competitive for the next decade.