Flames goaltending is killing our chances at McDavid/Eichel/Hanifin: Discuss

[djsFlames]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Some bad teams just stay bad.

Buffalo's been out of the playoffs 5 of the last 7 years (and lost in round one the other two).

Carolina's been out 7 of the last 8.

Atlanta/Winnipeg has only been in once out of 14 years.

Under Bob Hartley.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Ummm the Pens aren't having problems competing because Crosby and Malkin's contracts are hampering them but because Fleury and Letang's contacts aren't delivering. You can have a contending team with Malkin and Crosby are making what they are making. But you can't have a contending team spending that money PLUS 5 million on a flaky goalie and a bunch of money on a one-way defenceman.

[gunnner]

Bring back Joey Mac!!!!

[Goriders]

Originally Posted by Hackey

This whole idea is a load of BS. Almost all the elite teams in the league right now were terrible before they got good. You take two of the worst organizations in the league and try to use that as proof? People loved to use the Islanders as an example as well but I guess this doesn't fit as good anymore.

Other than Tavares the Islanders improved through free agency. Anyone can do that and you don't have to finish last to do it.

I hope we never follow the path thier management group has taken.

[polak]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Some bad teams just stay bad.

Buffalo's been out of the playoffs 5 of the last 7 years (and lost in round one the other two).

Carolina's been out 7 of the last 8.

Atlanta/Winnipeg has only been in once out of 14 years.

Are we really in a position to judge with our one good year in like... 20?

Even if you consider making the playoffs a success we're still far from "consistently decent".

At least this rebuild is shaping up to be good though so no complaints.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by Goriders

Other than Tavares the Islanders improved through free agency. Anyone can do that and you don't have to finish last to do it.

I hope we never follow the path thier management group has taken.

Not really though. They added UFAs to add depth and get over the hump this year, but the core of that team is drafted.

Islanders have actually drafted decently with their non-first rounders. It is their first rounders outside of Tavares that have under-achieved.

Tavares
Nelson
Bailey
Okposo
Nielson
Cizikas
Strome
Martin
Hamonic
de Haan
Donovan

Those are all players already on the roster drafted by the Islanders.

They added decent young guys like Hickey, Conacher, and Grabner, as good waiver pickups. And the depth on the roster is what allowed them to move future picks for established players in Leddy and Boychuk.

Plus they still have some guys in the pipeline that could make an impact.

Lee
Reinhart
Pulock
Mayfield
Collberg
Ho-Sang
Dal Colle

They have been the laughing stock for a while but IMO this is a team with a decent future.

[cannon7]

Hiller definitely cannot keep this pace up. He's been unreal. Ramo has been more what I expect from a goalie behind this team. Unless the Flames' can turn those shot counts around, they'll inevitably start losing more games than they win. They had no business winning that game in Chicago.

[djsFlames]

Originally Posted by cannon7

Hiller definitely cannot keep this pace up. He's been unreal. Ramo has been more what I expect from a goalie behind this team. Unless the Flames' can turn those shot counts around, they'll inevitably start losing more games than they win. They had no business winning that game in Chicago.

####. You never know.

Look at what Craig Anderson did for the Avs back in '09 or '10..can't remember. Inflated their point total enough to make the playoffs and carried them to game 7 against the Sharks while being thoroughly outplayed and outshot in every game. I think one game was like 50 or 60-15 in shots, and the Avs ended up winning cause a San Jose player deflected the puck off his own guy into their net in OT.

You'd be surprised what a goaltender that's feeling good can do for a team.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe

...It is one thing to fail and rebuild - top management will avoid a total rebuild, great management will rebuild well - but it is another thing to embrace the losing culture and start focusing on the losses as the means to become great again. Terrible management embraces losing.

Craig Mactavish in an interview on 6 January, 2014, with 37 games remaining on the Oilers schedule:

Originally Posted by Craig MacTavish

"(Aaron) Ekblad is the right-handed defenceman that seems like a book-end for Nurse. …There’s some good players. The type of player we need is a guy like Curtis Lazar, like that type of driver. He and Nurse are kindred spirits, they’re just good leaders and good foot soldiers, that’s the type of guy that we could use. We get Ekblad, that’s another big piece."

[Gaudfather]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

Craig Mactavish in an interview on 6 January, 2014, with 37 games remaining on the Oilers schedule:

The fish rots from the head down.

[The Fonz]

Here's the breakdown, since the Vancouver incident in January of last season:

41GP - 23W - 17L - 1OTL - 47PTS

Pro-rates over a full season to:

82GP - 46W - 34L - 2OTL - 94PTS



Despite their appearance on paper, this might just be a playoff team.

[heep223]

Originally Posted by The Fonz

Here's the breakdown, since the Vancouver incident in January of last season:

41GP - 23W - 17L - 1OTL - 47PTS

Pro-rates over a full season to:

82GP - 46W - 34L - 2OTL - 94PTS



Despite their appearance on paper, this might just be a playoff team.

Plus we made a huge improvement at the most important position on the team.

[mile]

We all know where McDavid is going to end up, whether anyone likes it or not...

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by polak

Are we really in a position to judge with our one good year in like... 20?

Even if you consider making the playoffs a success we're still far from "consistently decent".

At least this rebuild is shaping up to be good though so no complaints.

I think I said Calgary was also pretty bad over the last few years. Though to be fair, there were a few really good regular seasons in there as well, with bad or unlucky PO performances.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by djsFlames

Under Bob Hartley.

Tru dat. Though they had some crappy seasons under him as well.

I think their supporting cast after Kovi was never good enough.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by polak

Are we really in a position to judge with our one good year in like... 20?

Yes. Fans of terrible teams are no different than fans of great teams. Of course they can judge for themselves what constitutes success. Where is the impropriety in pointing out the obvious problems that infect bad hockey teams?

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

Ummm the Pens aren't having problems competing because Crosby and Malkin's contracts are hampering them but because Fleury and Letang's contacts aren't delivering. You can have a contending team with Malkin and Crosby are making what they are making. But you can't have a contending team spending that money PLUS 5 million on a flaky goalie and a bunch of money on a one-way defenceman.

But that is precisely the challenge when you have to super-elites eating up a giant portion of your cap. There is no wiggle room for a bad contract.

And pretty much evry team has a bad contract or two.

I think we will see the same thing in Chicago in a couple years or so. With the big raises for Kane and Toews, the Hawks mgmt will have to be really successful in finding good players for cheap on a go forward basis.

It can be done, of course. Absolutely it can.

But the margin for error is a lot skinnier.

[Hackey]

Originally Posted by ForeverFlameFan

(Forgive my post, my thoughts are all over the place).

I look at teams like Chicago and LA, teams who have won multiple cups in this new century. They both did it by quality drafting.

I truly think Sam Bennett is underrated and should have went 1st OA. But, that could just be me with my homer glasses on (and quite frankly, I don't care). Give it a few more years, and I think he becomes an even better center than what we thought he'd do. The reason why I talk about Sam is because he is our only top 5 pick in franchise history, and I don't see us getting another this year.

I want our team built by depth, the ability to roll out 4 lines. I think we are just one RW and one top end defensive prospect away from becoming a great team for years to come. Could honestly care less if we don't get McDavid.

Two players away from being the next Chicago or LA? Lol. If you say so.

[nik-]

Originally Posted by mile

We all know where McDavid is going to end up, whether anyone likes it or not...

But the Sabres are indignant at the thoughts they're tanking. Indignant!

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Hackey

This whole idea is a load of BS. Almost all the elite teams in the league right now were terrible before they got good. You take two of the worst organizations in the league and try to use that as proof? People loved to use the Islanders as an example as well but I guess this doesn't fit as good anymore.

why? Islanders are contenders now?