Quote:
Originally Posted by Erick Estrada
Anyone that's watched this team play this season would know that this team isn't winning anything now nor were they even close last season. Would a rental at the deadline last season make the defense group not look terrible against the Avs? If that forward acquired at the deadline matched or bested Bennett as Flames best forward would that been enough to move the needle? I don't think so as if you ranked the best Flames rosters of all time you would get probably 4 or 5 from the 80's, a couple from the early 90's, one or two from the Darryl years and this and last season's roster. I have been around for all those teams and this is by far the worst team of those in regards for effort level and willingness to win. It's like they have lost the will to go out and battle or something as they have had all these meek efforts where they get shut out and have stretches where they seem perfectly fine with coasting for 60 minutes. I have never seen a Flames team where the give a crap meter is so low. It's embarrassing quite frankly and the reason the players were probably tiring of Peters is that he recognized this and was doing a lot of prodding to get them out of it to no avail. They are a talented roster of players that aren't focused on doing what it takes to win a cup. Not the first team to be like this or the last but they are what they are.
I get that we are in an era where nobody has patience and hockey fans especially pine for trades but it's highly unlikely a middling forward like Toffoli is going to cure the ails of this team. This teams issues are terminal at the core unfortunately.
|
https://www.hockey-reference.com/box...&month=1&day=2
Would be Stanley Cup Champions dead last in the NHL even below the lowly Senators last year on Jan 2. This was a team that people were talking of blowing up just a few months prior to winning the cup.
The Flames are currently in a playoff spot, and barring a collapse should make it. They are 3 points away from 2nd in the conference.
Tampa Bay Lightning were also swept in 4, should they be rebuilding?
I don't get it. The team certainly is not perfect and has some motivational issues, but every team has its issues. Parity in the NHL means the difference between a non-playoff team and a Stanley Cup champion can be small at times, but this team is certainly not in the aging veterans / need to rebuild crowd. I do think that trading Gaudreau may be needed as the team does need an attitude shift and it does not seem like he wants to be here, but this is not a team that needs a rebuild. This is what a newly competitive team looks like, and it has its highs and lows (see Canucks 2007-11). It's frustrating, until eventually (and hopefully) they pull it off.
Let's not forget, last year the Flames were an OT goal away from being 2-0 in the series with a dominating game 1 and a tightly played game 2. Everyone looked past the Avalanche at the time.
Avalanche got the momentum and took over. That's what parity does.