Season Predictions thread

[Britflamesfan]

This team without a no1 center (even a poor one) is going to really struggle, its all going to be down to Kipper yet again!

[Erick Estrada]

Made the mistake of sniffing around HF. Oilers board has a thread regarding the Oilers or Flames finishing higher. I don't have an issue with the homer poll but they actually have a playoff or bust mentality in that they fully expect to make the playoffs and if they don't they expect a house cleaning. Not only that they call out CP numerous times despite the fact that most of us are prettly level headed about the Flames chances and to make things worse are delusional to the point I was actually giggling reading their insight. I almost feel sorry for them. Almost. Hockey is back indeed.

[CrumpyGunt]

I think we will trade kipper, bouw, and iginla for 1 1st and 1 2nd round pick in this years draft - and a few elite young prospects.

We will be drafting 2nd, and 8th in the draft come the off season.

We will take Seth Jones and Jonathan Drouin

Imagine...

Jones
Sieloff
Drouin
Baer
Wotherspoon
Gaudreau

I prefer that to edmontons group of kids any day..

COME ON FEASTER..

Whats better? Dont blow it up..and best case scenario we make the playoffs and go out first round...

Or we blow it up before camp - CLEAR the team salary down - have a go at a BIG name upcoming UFA/RFA ala Getzlaf - and give all the kids (Horak/Brodie/Baer/Backlund/Bouma/etc) a chance in the NHL - get a #### record finish last - and boast the best group of prospects in the NHL.. FOR ONLY 1 YEAR...

Then we rebound 1 year from now - with such an amazing group of kids - edmonton will be jealous.

I dont know how you guys could pray we go to the playoffs each year - when you know - we WONT win the cup .. especially with Bouw, Stajan, no legit 1C and no reliable backup for kipper.

I'd much prefer to get a few more gaudreaus and baertschis..than watch an old, slow team with no proven 1st or 2nd line CENTERS, soft, overpaid Dmen, and an exhausted (amazing) over-worked goalie try to win a cup every year..

Thats just me..
But so long as we are happy praying for a 1st round playoff exit, and fill the dome during back2back losing seasons..nothing will change.

I got rid of my season ticket, and wont have one back until the players actually excite me, not just the idea of cheering for my beloved hockey club..
Too many of us dont give a #### if we pay bouw 7m for 2 more seasons, or have stajan in our team for another 5 years, no backup or future replacement for kipper.

Why not show the owners you are fed up with mediocrity?
Dont show up at the games until we have players and a team who are worth cheering for as much as much as the hockey club.

I'm sick of paying tons of money to go down and watch players like Staios, Stajan, Bouw, Sarich, Karlsson, etc - who can just sit there - play utter #### - and expect to return next season and make more money playing uninspired hockey for a losing team.

Worse yet are the idiots who think its somehow patriotic or in some way showing your nature as a TRUE FAN - if you continue to show support for the way the club has been run.
And only bandwagon fans sell their season tickets, or refuse to go to a game untill #### is straightened out..

If you were real fans you would be critically concerned with what we put on the ice - not just drinking a few dome beers and watching us get beat by teams like the Blue Jackets..

Boycotting the Flames doesnt make you a bad/fake fan...it makes you a concerned one.

The problem is the fans who are clutching to their iginla and kiprusoff jerseys as if these players are come kind of cult gods.
Guess what idiots? Its either rebuild or get left behind by edmonton, the islanders, avalanche, and a bunch of other teams who will pass us by in 5 years by the time iggy retires..

What will it be ? Rebuild now by choice, or rebuild in 5 years without a choice...
Think about it...do you want edmonton to be better than us for any period of time..

Only Toronto is a more exploited hockey market.
They know they will fill the seats so they dont give a #### how drab they are.

The only things I am excited about this season - are Hartley and Baertschi - nuff said.

Other than that I am more excited about how Jankowski and Gaudreau will do in college this year - than wondering where in the NW div we will finish with this #### group of players.

If ANY franchise ever needed to be blown up - its this one.

[Mean Mr. Mustard]

You won't get a top 10 pick for that package, not because they aren't worth it but rather because a couple UFAs aren't worth it for a team that isn't going to make the playoffs.

[Alberta_Beef]

My Prediction is the Flames are in the thick of the playoff race as a good offensive team and finish anywhere from 6th to 10th depending on how a more offensive system affects Kipper's play.

[polak]

I wouldn't mind blowing it up during a shortened season. I mean, if there is any season to write off completely, this seems like the perfect one.

We don't have a real shot at the cup, only 48 games, a lot of people are disinterested anyways and upcoming draft is deep.

[CrumpyGunt]

Originally Posted by polak

I wouldn't mind blowing it up during a shortened season. I mean, if there is any season to write off completely, this seems like the perfect one.

We don't have a real shot at the cup, only 48 games, a lot of people are disinterested anyways and upcoming draft is deep.

Really?

Did someone pay you to type this?

I thought most fans on here would rather eat the oilers #### for a decade than see kipper or iginla in different colors.

Haha im JK..but you are right..

This would be the perfect season to blow it up...
No chance we win the cup vs rangers/kings/flyers/bruins/penguins/capitals/canucks/sharks/wild etc..

and that draft is mighty deep! I'd give away anyone on our roster and a 2nd pick to give us another 1st pick in this draft (especially to a team who will finish with a bad record)

Imagine if we could draft 2 players in the first round of this years draft...one in the top 5 and on in the top half of the draft.. we would be set

The 2 players I am set on are Drouin and Seth Jones..
Both looked AMAZING at WJC - and Drouin has been lighting it up in Halifax on Mckinons team..
Mark my words - Drouin will be as good if not better than Mckinnon.. Kid can play..
Imagine..having another Gaudreau-like player to cheer for on Canada next WJC...

Also - we should look at giving whatever we can to land Teuvo Teravainen..
He and Sven could develop something special here..

[CrumpyGunt]

Originally Posted by Mean Mr. Mustard

You won't get a top 10 pick for that package, not because they aren't worth it but rather because a couple UFAs aren't worth it for a team that isn't going to make the playoffs.

I never said thats a package.
I said we should get rid of these 3 employees with the hopes of acquiring this type of return..

As far as I am concerned we can sell/trade everything but the kitchen sink

backlund/horak/ramo/baer/sieloff/granlund/gaudreau/reinhart/brodie/giordano/wotherspoon. these are the ones personally i wouldnt get rid of.

Everyone/anyone else can flick off if it means we get 2 picks in this years 1st round, and/or we can snipe some top end young talent like Teuvo.

I also wouldnt mind getting rid of any picks like 2nd, 3rd this year and next year.

IF you dont watch Jr.Hockey - college hockey, WHL/OHL etc -
Trust me this is a DEEEP draft..as deep as we have seen for a while.

Especially the 1st round - it would be handy having 2 picks in the 1st even if it means giving up any player (asides from those mentiond) and our 2nd and 3rd picks in 13/14.

I am jealous of Columbus..they have 2 1st rnd picks in the 2013 draft...lucky #######s.. i have a feeling they wont be rebuilding long if they can get any luck with their 2 picks and where they end up in lottery.

Who needs 2nd/3d picks when you can take 2 players in a deep deep 1st round?

How about

Iggy
Kipper
2nd 2013
2nd 2014
3rd 2013
3rd 2014
Bouw

Any combination of these

And anyone else not mentioned in bold above - for TOP prospects or a 1st pick OR maybee see if we can trade for legitimate 1st line C.

Maybe now you cant point and say "THAT WONT WORK" and you can realize I mean anything/anyone/everyone traded not just kipper/iggy/bouw...but picks and basically anyone i didnt mention.

[Fire]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

his first year in Colorado his record was 44-28-10 and he took the team to the conference finals

His first year in Atlanta as an interm 19-14-6

His first year in Herhey he was 43-22-10 won a championship

His first year in Cornwall 38-33-9 went to the third round

First year in Laval 38-27-5 won a championship

I don't think your theory holds water, especially when he was hired specifically because his system is suppossed to be easy to pick up.

How much time did he get to implement his system in all those cases? I suspect more than a week.

[troutman]

Incredible that the odds-makers think EDM, TOR and MTL aren't the worst Canadian teams.

[Walter Reed]

I think as long as the Flames have Miikka Kiprusoff between the pipes they have a chance to make the playoffs. They still have the same issues as last season, that being being weak down the middle. The Oilers should be improved over last year if for no other reason than the addition of Justin Schultz and the youngsters have one more year of experience. Questions remain in goal and a lack of skilled size among their forward group.

[$ven27]

Originally Posted by troutman

Incredible that the odds-makers think EDM, TOR and MTL aren't the worst Canadian teams.

I don't really see why so many people are writing off MTL, they had a lot of injuries last season. When you have Price in net along with Subban and Pacioretty you should make the playoffs.

[Roof-Daddy]

Originally Posted by $ven27

I don't really see why so many people are writing off MTL, they had a lot of injuries last season. When you have Price in net along with Subban and Pacioretty you should make the playoffs.

Eh?

Three players don't get you into the playoffs.....especially those three players.

Don't get me wrong, they are all very talented, but they're not Lundqvist, Chara and Crosby.

[$ven27]

Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy

Eh?

Three players don't get you into the playoffs.....especially those three players.

Don't get me wrong, they are all very talented, but they're not Lundqvist, Chara and Crosby.

Just looked up Montreal's roster, never realized how bleak it is.

[AR_Six]

Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy

Don't get me wrong, they are all very talented, but they're not Lundqvist, Chara and Crosby.

Even if Montreal traded Subban, Price and Pacioretti for Lundqvist, Chara and Crosby I would not expect them to make the playoffs.

[Loyal and True]

AV will be fired by the Canucks in the midst of an underachieving season.

NW division will be much more interesting this year. I think it will be like last year's Pacific division. The top 4 teams in the NW might be separated by 5 or 6 points, and the division winner might be 10 points behind the #1 seed.


I think Canucks will fall back towards the pack in the NW because there will be fewer divisional gimme's with Edmonton, Minny, Colorado all improving from the last couple of horrendous seasons, while the Canucks are not getting any better.


Vancouver is due to have an underachieving season. They should get the 3rd seed, but almost any of the five NW teams could steal the division from them.

[Mitch]

Unless the flames trade Kiprusoff, there is no way they finish bottom 2 in the conference. Teams with elite goalies just don't finish that low. Especially when there is a decent supporting cast in front of that goalie.

[AR_Six]

Originally Posted by Loyal and True

Vancouver is due to have an underachieving season. They should get the 3rd seed, but almost any of the five NW teams could steal the division from them.

If someone offered you a bet, where on even money, the other guy took Van to win the NW and if any of the 4 other teams ended up winning it you'd win the bet, would you take it? I sure as hell wouldn't. My view is that Vancouver is still a very good team while all of the other teams in the division are, at best, bubble teams. Injuries can affect this, though, particularly the big hole at 2C. I just think they'll be able to overcome that and continue winning to a point where they should be in a race for the #1 spot with LA, STL and CHI.

I would also say that the hype Minnesota has gotten from the Suter and Parise signings is overblown, and that even with those two players they aren't a particularly good team. They may make the playoffs, but I doubt they're winning the division.

[Tinordi]

I would take that bet based on the odds.

[getbak]

Is there a list anywhere of the players for each team who have been playing some level of professional hockey since October?