Quote:
Originally Posted by Bingo
I think Wolf is worth a few spots in the standings for sure.
But a team with middling metrics five on five (15th to 20th) may not have been bad enough to be bottom ten with the level of coaching and work ethic this team has put on the ice.
I'd say 20th place team becomes 16th best team with better than expected goaltending.
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This sounds about right. Wolf has been outstanding, but not to the tune of a bottom five team to a playoff team. For all their shortcomings the team plays a disciplined game that keeps them in most games, so a lot of cudos go out to the group as a whole and Huska/the coaches.
That being said there is a shelf life on relying on discipline and effort to overcome individual skill sets that alter a game. Clearly, an actual rebuild is off the table, but if the Flames don’t get a high end center or two over the next two drafts they’re in danger of being a donut squad for the next decade. We’ve been watching that for sometime, hopefully management has as well and continues to highly value, if not prioritize the health of this roster 3-4 years from now over this year and next.