The 2025 Offseason thread.

[Monahammer]

Originally Posted by D as in David

Monohammer's shower thought = interested in

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUNSO6D292c

I don't know why I have to google for you silly fellas, that was literally the top google response. Looks like there's a THN one in there too. Plus, it was on here that someone was talking about it that was most interesting.

[Macho0978]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

My hesitation is the consistent impact him and Backlund have on their line-mates including young players.

I would rather move Pospisil as I think other teams over-value guys like him. Take advantage of that.

I think Pospisil will be a valuable guy in the playoffs. He was clocked over 24km this season and his skating stats are very impressive. He hits, he gets under your skin and has the ability to be a 40-point guys and maybe 20 goals some years. He can play up the lineup but still plays well in a 4th line role. IMO he's very valuable and won't command Coleman money anytime soon.

Backlund has boosted players numbers his whole career. At some point he won't but same goes for Coleman. Coleman's playoff track record and his ability to kill penalties would have top teams lining up for him. Tampa overpays for these guys every year for a reason.

If Conroy doesn't want to tank and keep this going. He needs to manage his cap, find ways to always be up picks and have a deep prospect pool and move out vets as prospects prove to be ready and leave himself cap space every year waiting for the big trade for that missing piece.

Flames have way too many top 9 wingers right now. Coleman is the only 1 that is 30, he is 33.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

No, they didn't. The flames were saved by a 10-4 streak of their own. Again, pick and choose whatever segment of stats you want. In the season, they didn't play to a 96 point pace. Just go look at the snake thread man, it's all right there. You can even see it in colors so that your brain can work it out easier.

They have 94 points with one game remaining...like are you even serious?

I said they were a 90+ point team in October and was basically mocked of the forum. We can compare "reciepts" if you like.

[VilleN]

What the hell is everyone fighting about? On paper, we are not a playoff team - yet here we are with enough points in almost any other season to make the playoffs. Credit to the players and coaches for outperforming literally everyone's expectations.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Originally Posted by browntrout

My take,

The style that this team had to play this year, is going to take a toll on them next year, they don't have the top line talent to compete, and that is only going to be addressed through the draft.

The vets are getting older, and they don't have established young impactful forwards that can replace them.

As happy as I am with wolf performance, not sure he will duplicate this season, next year.

Worried about teams that finished worst in the standing, see them leap frigging Calgary in a year or two, Anaheim, San Jose, maybe Chicago if they can get Bedard going and sign key free agents.

Team just seems to be dying a slow death to the bottom of the standing.

Trade Andersson, Coleman, team has enough vets.

Conroy has to get creative in trading up in the draft for a centre, even if he projects as a 2nd line center, this team desperately needs better centre depth, it's a huge void

The team is getting too many mushy middle forwards, on 5 -6 million dollar deals, time to thin out via trade and promote youngsters from the farm.

Zary and coronato should be bridged dealed, let the kids prove it more, the team has lots of cap space, no need to commit that much to team that can't make the playoffs, or is trending do own IMO

This team is not even close to a finished product, keep on drafting and as high as possible

Stay very far away from free agency, a 4-5 million dollar defenceman on a 3-4 year deal to replace Andersson, but that should be it

I would sign wolf to a 8 year deal, not sure what that number looks like 8 to 10 million?

This being overlooked, and I don't see a system change in how we play. It is going to be very interesting to see how they respond to Huska.

The style he preached, and we played had the team playing on fumes, not different from other coaches like Sutter and Torts, but the difference is he didn't create a toxic environment and mentally drain his team.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Conroy can't spend anymore picks, because he is not stockpiling picks. We have 7 picks this year when we had 8. We have 2 extra picks in 26, and he needs to increase 27 as well. And yes, he did deviate from his plan. He talked all summer about those 18–23-year-olds and brought in 25- and 26-year-old middle 6 players.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by VilleN

What the hell is everyone fighting about? On paper, we are not a playoff team - yet here we are with enough points in almost any other season to make the playoffs. Credit to the players and coaches for outperforming literally everyone's expectations.

You answered your own question...people are pushing back against the usual suspects and their I told you so's

even though the team beat their expectations by five miles. Also, read the room...its less than 24 hours since a missed empty net and a goal with 20 seconds left ended their season.

[MrButtons]

Given what I'm reading in this thread, it's gonna be a longgggggggggggg offseason

[Monahammer]

Originally Posted by dino7c

You answered your own question...people are pushing back against the usual suspects and their I told you so's

even though the team beat their expectations by five miles. Also, read the room...its less than 24 hours since a missed empty net and a goal with 20 seconds left ended their season.

You. You are the most usual suspect.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

Conroy can't spend anymore picks, because he is not stockpiling picks. We have 7 picks this year when we had 8. We have 2 extra picks in 26, and he needs to increase 27 as well. And yes, he did deviate from his plan. He talked all summer about those 18–23-year-olds and brought in 25- and 26-year-old middle 6 players.

Not all picks are created equal you are spinning here a bit

having 4 FIRSTS the next two drafts is pretty substantial. By your logic trade them for 8 FIFTHS and have more picks.

How many teams have 4 firsts the next two years? a couple maybe...some don't have any.

[Monahammer]

If you're working on a project for a deadline, and you last minute spill coffee or something all over it, do you stop and blame the coffee? Or do you chastise yourself for leaving it to the last minute and not having things well in hand to deal with last minute hiccups or spills?

Dino, what you're doing is leaving all the blame on the spill. No! The team either wasn't good enough or didnt put the effort in early enough. If they were a 100 point team who wasn't making the playoffs because of a cinderella run it would have merit, but they are not that. They're a team who currently has a record that is unlikely to make the playoffs in the majority of NHL seasons on record.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

You. You are the most usual suspect.

You came here and said you didn't watch much since Christmas because you knew it was over...I mean what did you expect the response to be.

"Wow, amazing! you are so smrt"

Again, YOU missed out on some awesome hockey, your loss

[Paulie Walnuts]

Originally Posted by dino7c

Not all picks are created equal you are spinning here a bit

having 4 FIRSTS the next two drafts is pretty substantial. By your logic trade them for 8 FIFTHS and have more picks.

How many teams have 4 firsts the next two years? a couple maybe...some don't have any.

As long as we use them and not trade them for 26 year old middle 6 players.

Like it was said this was not the intended team that is going to compete, take the unexpected season and stay true to getting younger and trading guys out for more picks and prospects.

Don't react to a unexpected season that was good or bad, this isn't a team you should be adding to.

[Knut]

Put all veterans on the block (other than Backlund and Weegar for leadership consistency) to try and recoup as many picks/prospects as you can. This includes Farabee.

Sign Vladar. Works well with Wolf and he really seemed to turn it on in the second half.

Sign some veteran depth to 1 year contracts in the offseason (flexibility). Perhaps a Defensive LHD on a longer term deal.

Focus on drafting high-skill Centers (with other warts in their games) with all the picks. Hope to hit on one (eg. Point)..

[Monahammer]

No, I came on to say it's dumb that we're cursing a last minute goal by another team in a game we had no players in when we had already let our own chance to define our future slip through our fingers.
We can debate all we want about exactly when that slipped through our fingers, but IMO it's dumb as mud to complain about the circumstances of another game we weren't a part of impeding our playoff chance. We did this to ourselves.

[yourbestfriend]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

I mean, chirp all you want but the receipts are there. I said (to you, even) before christmas that they were trending not to make the playoffs, and that there was no way they could sustain a level of play that would get them there from christmas to end of season.

Ultimately, I was correct. They were incapable of doing that.

Bad beat? Maybe they should have come together as a team and tried harder at the beginning of the season. Then it wouldn't have mattered what other teams were streaking or not. Look at the Oilers (yuck) they have absolutely sucked for a month now but they had their playoff ticket secured early. We absolutely failed to do this, and it's no one's fault but the players.

Well, maybe management too but that's another conversation.

Not making the playoffs and being eliminated on game 81 by way of a tie break are not the same thing. Context is important.

San Jose and Calgary both missed the playoffs - fact. I would "ultimately be correct" if I said that, but so what?
That misses the point entirely. San Jose was out in December and Calgary was eliminated the second last game of the season. The amount of mental gymnastics that you have to play so you can say that you were "ultimately correct" is hilarious.

From Christmas till yesterday.
Vegas: 26 - 14 - 7 -> 59pts
Blues: 28 - 15 - 3 -> 59pts
Flames: 24 - 16 - 7 -> 55pts (57 if we beat LA)
Oilers: 26 - 18 - 3 -> 55pts
Wild: 24 - 20 - 3 -> 51pts

I don't know what you mean when you say, "trending to not make the playoffs". The Flames completely turned it around since Christmas and did sustain a playoff pace until the end of the year. We paced two playoff bound teams and if we end up with 96pts, it will be the most points scored without reaching the playoffs in NHL history.

So yes, we didn't make the playoffs, that sucks. The team, players and coaches have to take that responsibility, not the out of town scoreboard. However, to completely ignore how well we were playing the last 50games of the season and not acknowledge just how damn close we were to making the playoff's, is being ridiculously disingenuous.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

If you're working on a project for a deadline, and you last minute spill coffee or something all over it, do you stop and blame the coffee? Or do you chastise yourself for leaving it to the last minute and not having things well in hand to deal with last minute hiccups or spills?

Dino, what you're doing is leaving all the blame on the spill. No! The team either wasn't good enough or didnt put the effort in early enough. If they were a 100 point team who wasn't making the playoffs because of a cinderella run it would have merit, but they are not that. They're a team who currently has a record that is unlikely to make the playoffs in the majority of NHL seasons on record.

Well first of all this isn't true...second its not like the Flames were cup or bust or even playoffs or bust this season. They are very early in the build stage this was an awesome season.

Seriously Notrdomus lets see your preseaon predictions lol

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

As long as we use them and not trade them for 26 year old middle 6 players.

Like it was said this was not the intended team that is going to compete, take the unexpected season and stay true to getting younger and trading guys out for more picks and prospects.

Don't react to a unexpected season that was good or bad, this isn't a team you should be adding to.

fair, you were a bit misleading saying they have less picks though, first rounders obvioiusly hold way more value. The Devils and Panthers picks looked to be better than expected as well. Here is hoping for that Vegas pick.

[madmike]

I really just want them to integrate more young guys. Kuznetsov and Kerins both deserve a shot in my opinion. Maybe Solovyov too.

I don’t know what to do about Andersson. He was so bad this year. Maybe he was injured. But I wouldn’t want to sign him long term unless they know something we don’t. I also don’t think they’d get good value for him in a deal right now. Tough call.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUNSO6D292c

I don't know why I have to google for you silly fellas, that was literally the top google response. Looks like there's a THN one in there too. Plus, it was on here that someone was talking about it that was most interesting.

Well first who the heck is that guy?
And no where, at least in the first few minutes (I'm not going to suffer through the entire video) does he actually say the Flames ARE interested in him. It is a purely hypothetical scenario (he even says that).

The only THN example I can find was from 2015. If you have a different one would like to see it.

If that's it, it's a pretty big leap to say the Flames had actual interest.