Quote:
Originally Posted by Bingo
The Athletic article isn't unfair at all, and it pretty much meets what I said a few days ago.
The Flames had Wolf and work ethic propel them last year, and they'll need a similar boatload of help this year to do the same.
The numbers in the article suggest veteran skill erosion moving the Flames from 2.20 goals per game to 2.08.
And that a -13 hockey team with a goalie at +25 is really a -38 team which is 27th overall in projections.
It's a very fair assessment unless you are the hands to ears "I know you are but what am I" type.
But can they defy the odds again?
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I'm seeing (on NHL.com) the Flames at 2.68 goals per game (220 GF). Which, with 236 GA, still supports the point you're making. My feeling is veteran erosion will be outpaced by growth within the younger ranks this year. I would wager an improvement in both GF and GA. Not an assessment of analytics, just a prediction. And I don't buy the perception of a low end roster. Sure, the Flames don't have the big gun, but I look at their roster and see one much more balanced than most teams. And they know it. That's why they buy into the need to win as a team.