[blender]

Originally Posted by sa226

I think the series was decided somewhere between Games 2 and 3.

Game one was weird. Low intensity, both teams kind of in a feel it out sort of mode. Felt like a January game.

Game 2, the Avs largely outplayed the Flames but came down to overtime. Avs got the split and all of a sudden we have a series.

At that point the gears should have shifted. More intensity, more battle, more everything. The Avs did it. But the Flames stayed in first gear and got stuck there.

The Avs were off to the races and the Flames had no answer whatsoever. It was kind of shocking.

Was it mental? Are these guys that fragile?

I honestly don't think Gaudreau is the problem. But he did arrive too late.

Monahan to me is an enigma. 2 years ago he was very good against a more physical Anaheim team. He has limitations in his foot speed, but his battle level is not what it should be for a guy his size.

Aside from maybe Gaudreau, the Flames don't have any truly elite forwards. That transcend their physical limitations. So the structure and depth have to win out. Backlund is an elite 3rd line centre but average to below average 2nd line centre. He was outmatched with the McKinnon assignment. Tkachuk is potentially elite below the hashmarks but his foot speed gives him limitations.

Maybe they look at big changes. Maybe Monahan quietly gets shopped. I don't know. Or perhaps with a management and coaching staff that should be relatively safe they look at ways to get the most out of the roster they have. There are some excellent pieces here.

Maybe a surplus defenseman is shopped for a top flight winger. Maybe the new first line centre is Lindholm, which can slot Monahan to #2 and Backlund to number 3.

Gaudreau -Lindholm-Tkachuk
Bennett-Monahan-????

I think Neal gets a do-over. You're not moving that contract. Take the whole summer, reflect and decide how you can adapt your game and commitment. If he's awful again, deal with it next summer. Again, you're not moving that contract.

Its been said here, but it was touched on in a Hockey News article as well. For Monahan, Gaudreau has been a blessing and a curse. When he came into the league, he was billed as a bit of a different player than what we are seeing. He has become in many ways, one dimensional. I think his game can be rebuilt on the fly. Get him away from Gaudreau and develop his 2way game and his playmaking.

The playoffs are where it counts but you can't dismiss a 107 point season. You don't do a mini rebuild after a 107 point season. Aside from some tweaks and making room for young players, this core and roster will likely remain intact.

I will be disappointing if things are largely the same by October. Same lines, same everything. This is a shocking upset. Not because they lost, but because of how they lost.

I hope the front office and coaching staff dig deep to find out just what went wrong and what the fix is.

Great post. Thanks.