Quote:
Originally Posted by stemit14
You’re probably right about it being what’s likely best for the organization long term but I look at the team and I see too strong of a roster to finish in the bottom 5 this year. While they don’t have any elite talent, they have depth and have an established system that the whole team bought into last year. They had so many players have down years that a bounce back from even a few of them likely keeps them in the playoff hunt. I think it’s not unreasonable to think any or all of these players could improve upon their production from last year:
Frost
Sharangovich
Farabee
Zary
Coronato
Posposil
Klapka
And I think it’s reasonable for any or all of these players to repeat/have similar production as last year:
Huberdeau
Coleman
Weegar
Andersson
Lomberg
Hunt
Kirkland
Hanley
The following players I think could see a drop off this season but maybe not by much:
Backlund
Kadri
Wolf and whoever his backup is could be the wildcard. Goalies are difficult to predict but I could see Wolf continuing to be a solid, reliable #1 goalie for the flames. Tough to say with the backup position. If the backup goaltending isn’t as solid this year as Vladar was most of last year, it could be a real issue.
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I think Andersson is key.
If he gets moved earlier than l don't think they have the horses to fill the key minutes on the blueline.
And even if they don't ... last year had a lot go right, hot start, rookie goalie phenom, special teams recovery (PK), and unmatched heart and work ethic.
It's tough to play that way for a half a season, let alone two full seasons.
My gut says tough start with the schedule, and then things slide a bit. They don't throw in the towel, but internally they know the climb is too high.