[News] Practice Notes Sept 30. 11 players cut. Bishop, Hunt, Morton, Kuznetsov on waivers

[the-rasta-masta]

Originally Posted by Goriders

If everyone gets through waivers the Wranglers should have a really solid group of defenders this year

Kuznetsov
Solovyov (Assuming)
Poirier
Grushnikov
Miromanov (Assuming)
Brzustewicz

So many OVs!

[gvitaly]

Originally Posted by Hot_Flatus

Disagree. Sharangovich will be back to his old self this season and could be quite a duo with Kadri. He finished the year strong and really struggled with the ankle injury early on. No reason to expect Farabee to be as bad as he was either.

I'd probably like to see Zary as a playmaker on that line instead of Farabee. When(if?) Gridin gets sent down then Farabee can switch to the Backlund line.

[Flamesfan05]

Kirkland, Klapka, Miro can all go if someone steps up

[GFG#1]

Originally Posted by Knut

Funny how Kirkland has gone from a favorite to a hated Flame for some reason.

Maybe, just maybe he brings something the others do not.

Honestly, we need Kirkland for the shootout until someone else steps up that can be counted on regularly to score in it. Even last night Kirkland beat the goalie but he hit the post.

We missed the playoffs last year due to not being able to win a shootout, if Kirkland stays healthy last year, I am pretty confident we would have won at least one of the shootouts and had the extra point. He was the only one you could count on with regularity to score.

[Ba'alzamon]

Originally Posted by GFG#1

Honestly, we need Kirkland for the shootout until someone else steps up that can be counted on regularly to score in it. Even last night Kirkland beat the goalie but he hit the post.

We missed the playoffs last year due to not being able to win a shootout, if Kirkland stays healthy last year, I am pretty confident we would have won at least one of the shootouts and had the extra point. He was the only one you could count on with regularity to score.

The Flames were 5 and 2 in the shootout last year. The problem was they kept losing in 3on3.

[Funkhouser]

Keeping players like Bean, Kirkland, Miromanov, etc makes no sense as the team should be using those slots to develop players to be ready when the team is in a position to compete.

Prioritizing present > future is not the mindset I want to see from Conroy.

[Steve's Stick]

I understand it from a tactical position: demote Kuz/Morton now while other teams are still juggling their own situations and then the players are waiver exempt and available later (at least I hope that's the plan)

But it is a gut-punch to risk losing Kuz for Bean, Morton for Kirkland.

I assume you make this move if you're sure Kuz/Morton needing demotion and fear there's a far greater chance they get claimed later if they don't pan-out.

Huska seems to have a bit of Sutter about him in these kind of choices (exhibit 1: Kevin Rooney) - but I'll give him the benefit of the doubt: if we start seeing Kirkland/Bean playing regular games over better, younger options, then I'll be concerned about when, if ever, we are actually going to give our younger players a chance.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Flamesfan05

Kirkland, Klapka, Miro can all go if someone steps up

Klapka! that would be dumb...always with the hot take

[cannon7]

A lot of CPers were pumping the tires on Kuznetsov. While I like the player, he is realistically a depth defenceman at the NHL level. And Solo does the same things and is meaner.

Keeping Miromanov is baffling, though.

[boogerz]

Huberdeau-Frost-Coronato sounds great on paper with all three guys offering complementary skills

[Badgers Nose]

Originally Posted by boogerz

Huberdeau-Frost-Coronato sounds great on paper with all three guys offering complementary skills

Frost will never have a better opportunity to cement himself a #1C future than he does here right now.

It would be amazing for both parties.

Does he have Lindholm level performance in him? So far, no. But he is young and has a great opportunity.

[D as in David]

Originally Posted by the-rasta-masta

So many OVs!

A lot of "sons of" as both ov and wicz mean "son of".

Poirier was born under a rock, apparently.

[Buff]

Originally Posted by Redrum

So no changes aside from Parekh then. Getting the not-very-good-gang back together again. Sounds fun.

This team overachieved last year... and still missed the playoffs. Albeit narrowly.


How many teams do you see overachieve year after year? I don't know the answer but I feel certain that the list is extremely small.

[Macindoc]

I'd like them to swap Zary with Farabee on those lines.

[Reggie Dunlop]

King waiting in the wings if Morton is claimed. Similar type player.

[Badgers Nose]

Originally Posted by Buff

This team overachieved last year... and still missed the playoffs. Albeit narrowly.

How many teams do you see overachieve year after year? I don't know the answer but I feel certain that the list is extremely small.

Maybe we didn't though.

Maybe that's what you can expect when a team buys in to a system and everyone commits to sound defense.

It's only the 'experts' that say it was an over achieve season. How many guys had career years? Most core people had lousy years statistically.

Sound D from all skaters and Wolf = 97 points.

Now can they do that and score some more goals (PP, SO)? Probably.

[saillias]

Originally Posted by Knut

Funny how Kirkland has gone from a favorite to a hated Flame for some reason.

Maybe, just maybe he brings something the others do not.

No one hates him, I would prefer they be way less sentimental though.

[Badgers Nose]

Signing guys = securing assets

Doesn't mean they won't be traded, waived, demoted

I am hoping CC sees it the same way. These guys still have to play, regardless of their shiny contracts. The loyalty came with the contract, now all bets are off. Earn your spot.

[FleeceGang]

Originally Posted by Funkhouser

Keeping players like Bean, Kirkland, Miromanov, etc makes no sense as the team should be using those slots to develop players to be ready when the team is in a position to compete.

Prioritizing present > future is not the mindset I want to see from Conroy.

Is not having a strong farm team where these future players are playing top minutes, carry more responsibility, and build chemistry with each other better than having an old farm team with young guys filling in the fourth line and third pairing? And how is Conroy keeping miro/kirk/bean prioritizing the present? If the consensus is that these three are replacement level and that there are better younger options to fill these roles prioritizing the future as the current team is worse given the current roster?

Not a comment on you/your post but I find it funny how so many posters want the team to tank or be bottom 10, but also play all the "stud" young'uns. If the goal is to be bad, then make the Wranglers really good to breed a winning culture and give the kids, as mentioned above, more opportunity and responsibility. Let the big team be meh for a few years to further stock the cupboard and give the up and comers time to develop in the pro game. The idea that names like Gridin, kerins, and bruz will walk on and be great is a little short sighted as they have, what, three pro seasons between the three of them.

Not saying young players can't make the jump and be effective on the big team but what's the rush?

[flamesgod]

To start, I’d keep 14 forwards up, and 7 D. Gridin and Kerins both deserve an extended look. Kirkland is a decent insurance policy. If they both/either of them don’t look like they’re ready, send them down. Waive Bean and Miro.