[PGT] Nsh 4 Flames 1

[Naitix]

I just can't believe that Phillips still has not been given an opportunity to play in the top 9. He had a fantastic camp and a great start to the season with 9 points in 7 games while the team is struggling to get going. He offers great zone entries and speed and creates offence out of nothing, sounds like exactly what Flames are lacking right now. I just do not see any detriment in trying him in a top 9 role over Lucic, such treatment of prospects is terrible, you do not give any opportunity to learn and play. I feel like once they do get re-called, if they make a single give away, they will be benched the next game, unlike Lucic who can give the puck away 10 times per game and still dress in the top 9 role. This is not how you develop prospects.

Sure, Pelletier has not had a great start to the year, but the Flames players have not either. Pelletier showed last year that he deserves a shot on the team.

Just like how Scorp has mentioned, we have not had a single player since 2018 draft play for us yet, and it is not for the lack of good players.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Starting to feel like Sutter the GM when he refused to graduate any young players got called out many times and had Warren Peters make the team and sent him down a few games in.

Darryl falls in love with garbage vets and overplays them that is one of his biggest flaws as a coach. Trevor Lewis, Milan Lucic, and Brett Ritchie should be limited to 5-6 minutes a game. This was not a last night thing; this has been a trend all season with those bums being gifted ice time over skill players who need it to get going.

It's ironic that he complains about young players and entitlement and not earning spots or ice time, yet he gifts ice time to his favorites.

[Bonded]

I'd much rather try Philips, Pelletier, or Zary on the second line than Lucic

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by Naitix

I just can't believe that Phillips still has not been given an opportunity to play in the top 9. He had a fantastic camp and a great start to the season with 9 points in 7 games while the team is struggling to get going. He offers great zone entries and speed and creates offence out of nothing, sounds like exactly what Flames are lacking right now. I just do not see any detriment in trying him in a top 9 role over Lucic, such treatment of prospects is terrible, you do not give any opportunity to learn and play. I feel like once they do get re-called, if they make a single give away, they will be benched the next game, unlike Lucic who can give the puck away 10 times per game and still dress in the top 9 role. This is not how you develop prospects.

Sure, Pelletier has not had a great start to the year, but the Flames players have not either. Pelletier showed last year that he deserves a shot on the team.

Just like how Scorp has mentioned, we have not had a single player since 2018 draft play for us yet, and it is not for the lack of good players.

It's pretty obvious that the Flames do not think Phillips has much, if any, NHL potential. And other teams could have grabbed him on waivers, so it's not like other teams think he is that great either.

[jaydub74]

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

Darryl falls in love with garbage vets and overplays them that is one of his biggest flaws as a coach. Trevor Lewis, Milan Lucic, and Brett Ritchie should be limited to 5-6 minutes a game. This was not a last night thing; this has been a trend all season with those bums being gifted ice time over skill players who need it to get going..

I don't think Darryl wants to play the garbage vets, he suggested post-game that they were the only players, playing the system properly. He stated that he's more concerned with them playing right than wins and losses at this point.

[OILFAN #81]

Didn't want to start a new thread on this and not attacking or being deceitful in any way. I think Calgary's strength is their defensive play. Would Flame fans be open to trading Hanifin and if so what would an expected return look like? Or is he one of the last guys Flames fans would be looking to move? I just assumed Andersson and Weegar would be the 2 dmen that Flames fans would want to keep first.

[Flamesfan05]

I would trade Hanifin for a legit top line forward without thinking twice

[Bonded]

It depends on what is going on with Kylington. If he is out for the season then I wouldn’t trade Hanifin

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by The Cobra

It's pretty obvious that the Flames do not think Phillips has much, if any, NHL potential. And other teams could have grabbed him on waivers, so it's not like other teams think he is that great either.

The Flames spent nearly an entire season scratching Kylington and nobody claimed him off waivers, either. Sometimes it's just worth it to try.

[Bonded]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

The Flames spent nearly an entire season scratching Kylington and nobody claimed him off waivers, either. Sometimes it's just worth it to try.

It literally cannot be worse than Lucic. Lindholm and Huberdeau aren't small guys, so if he will work on a top 6 line it will be that one

[SuperMatt18]

I'd be fine with either of the following

Huberdeau-Lindholm-Mangiapane
Dube - Kadri - Phillips
Coleman - Backlund - Toffoli

or

Huberdeau - Lindholm - Mangiapane
Dube - Kadri - Toffoli
Pelletier - Backlund - Coleman

Time to give one of those two kids a top 9 look.

[Naitix]

The way the team is playing could it be much worse if they gave Phillips 3 games playing with Huberdeau or on the second line

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by KootenayFlamesFan

Dube-Kadri-Magiapane line was excellent to start this season.

It's just weird they were broken up. Lucic is playing in the top 6. The 4th line was taking offensive zone faceoffs after icings. Sutter is a good coach, but this week has been a head-scratcher........to put it mildly.

More than once. Yes, it is baffling and frustrating.

I agree with Sutter (presumably), that Ritchie and Lucic are doing their jobs better than anyone else is. However, their jobs are 4th line energy guys. If you give them top 6 minutes, and play them with top 6 players and offensive situations, you are going to get what we are currently getting: a plodding, bumbling attack with zero creativity.

As for the offensive players that haven't produced, cutting their minutes, and playing them with less creative players is not the recipe to get them going offensively, IMO. I don't see a lack of effort, I see a lack of creativity and confidence - this team can't make, or accept a pass right now.

Have the Flames scored a single goal this year with a cross-crease, royal line pass? Even one?

Last night, in the 3rd period, down 2 goals, they dumped it in on the PP 5 consecutive times. Each time, NAS easily retrieved it and dumped it back down the ice. It was incredibly frustrating to watch.

I agree that they desperately need to go on the road. But they also need to redeploy ice time in a manner that will at least allow the POSSIBILITY of generating offense.

[Mr.Coffee]

Originally Posted by The Cobra

It's pretty obvious that the Flames do not think Phillips has much, if any, NHL potential. And other teams could have grabbed him on waivers, so it's not like other teams think he is that great either.

And it's possible the Flames are and have been wrong about him and the other youngsters too. After last night's #### show, if you are not prepared to put the lines back to the way they were I see no reason, whatsoever, you would not try and call up some youthful exuberance.

How about Sutter does what he did when he first got here, which is give people ice time that want to play. If you're going to go float around and sulk or whatever, sit down. We got plenty of people that are willing to play. I'd rather watch losing but trying and excited play than slow, boring, don't give a #### play but I'm here for my paycheque and I'm a "vet".

I'll tell you what, the "vets" sure haven't looked like "vets" for about 10 days now so time to pull some heads out of asses or get new blood. And ya, there's no need to "panic" but there's also no need to just give entitled vets icetime that don't earn it, either. These are professionals, not children.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by genetic_phreek

With Tanev out, I didn't think Mackey looked great either. I actually thought that kid Solovyov outplayed Mackey in the preseason.

In regards to Phillips, he wasn't bad in preseason, he never got a true opportunity to play with NHL players. It's crazy that we've been missing a RW for so many years and no matter what we don't try Phillips on there for a couple games.

Come next year when we need to do cap gymnastics maybe some young guys get an opportunity.

Haven't been impressed by Mackey at all. Would like to give Meloche a try. Or something. Mackey isn't an NHLer.

[Toonage]

^ If Tanev is going to be hurt for a few games, with the trip coming I would fully expect to see Meloche called up

Plus he's probably done watching all that game tape of Gudbranson he was apparently told to get through

[Enoch Root]

With respect to the road trip argument, I think it comes down to this: the team looks like a team that has been practicing defensive play for a month, and is entirely focused on defensive play. They are thinking too much, reacting too slowly, and playing too conservatively.

Ironically, when you are too focused on defensive play, you tend to spend too much time in your own end. And when you are standing still, you turn over the puck too much.

They need to stretch out the ice again, and focus on moving the puck forward. A raod trip might be just what they need.

[Teroy]

Huberdeau & Weegar are not living up to their salaries or billing. Go back to the original lines but swap Lindholm and Backlund.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Haven't been impressed by Mackey at all. Would like to give Meloche a try. Or something. Mackey isn't an NHLer.

It's tough because 2 games is tough to jump in and adapt to NHL speed...but yeah he doesn't look like he processes the game at an NHL level.

At this point it looks like we put the wrong LH dman on waivers (although Valimaki was probably done here and wouldn't look as good as he has in Arizona here)

Originally Posted by Teroy

Huberdeau & Weegar are not living up to their salaries or billing. Go back to the original lines but swap Lindholm and Backlund.

Weegar has been much better than any of Andersson, Hanifin, or Tanev IMO.

Leads the team in xGF% among dmen at 59.5%. He's been adjusting to the team for sure, but has still been able to perform pretty well despite that.

Andersson-Hanifin is the pairing that has struggled - 47.2% xGF is poor even when you consider they've done more of the heavy lifting against other teams top lines.

[zukes]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Haven't been impressed by Mackey at all. Would like to give Meloche a try. Or something. Mackey isn't an NHLer.

I'm still baffled over going with Mackey over Valimaki. I've never seen anything from Mackey that made me think NHL'er. Valimaki at least was good before the injuries and was an NHL level talent. His draft pedigree is higher and he's younger.