Is The GM Going to Address the Center Situation?

[calgARI]

Have been discussing this in post game threads the last couple of weeks but wanted to get a separate discussion going on it.

The team continues to have one NHL center playing in games. The team continues to be the worst faceoff team in the league and honestly one of the worst I have ever seen in the NHL. FOUR wingers have played out of position for extended periods of time this year. They showed that graphic on sportsnet tonight that Iginla has played with six different centers 18 games into the season. The team has struggled mightily in its own end I think in large part because of their poor center support low.

Nothing you can do about losing Backlund to injury. And even if you assume something bad happened to lead Jones being sent down, they had three NHL centers on the team, two of whom were very inexperienced. Then you can throw a fourth in there with Cervenka who is playing his first NHL season and has only played a handful of shifts at center.

You can't just turn wingers into centers overnight when they haven't played the position in a decade. Does Feaster understand this? Maybe he is trying to address this enormously deficient area but the season is 48 games long and best case scenario is they get Backlund back and are up to TWO NHL centers. What the hell is this management team doing? The second they decided to let Jokinen go, addressing the depth down the middle should have become a top priority. It didn't and it is costing this team and is going to continue to be an issue because again, you can't just turn wingers into centers. It's a very different position.

The team has done well to this point given that their two best players have contributed close to nothing. But if they want to be a competitive team, the people running this organization have to address this situation which in my mind is not at all sustainable. Tanguay, Cammalleri, Comeau, Hudler...they are wingers. Horak and Street are good players who have some upside but they are not the solution right now. Go out and address the situation already because it's clear as day.

[kyuss275]

Do you want him to trade Sven or 1st's? Thats what its going to take.

[krispykream]

i agree they should have done something about this long time ago , without true centers it is very hard for wingers to understand the positioning and defensive responsibilities

[Jbo]

So which centers do you recommend? ROR? Jokinen? Richards? Bringing in any center is going to cost more then our team can afford. How are we supposed to get them?

[calgARI]

I am not suggesting he bring in a top flight center. I am suggesting he goes out and gets a couple of guys who actually know the position and have played it during their career. You're telling me that 4th line centers will cost Baertschi or a 1st round pick? That isn't what Jones cost last year and there are plenty of guys like that floating around the league that can be had for fringe prospects and low draft picks.

[ignite09]

Yeah seriously. I know at least five guys who own NHL 13, and every one of them has solved our center ice problem. Wake up Feaster!

[calgARI]

Originally Posted by J-bo09

So which centers do you recommend? ROR? Jokinen? Richards? Bringing in any center is going to cost more then our team can afford. How are we supposed to get them?

Where did I say anything about bringing in top two line centers? They need players who actually know the position, guys who can take some draws and know their way around the D zone.

[kyuss275]

Originally Posted by calgARI

I am not suggesting he bring in a top flight center. I am suggesting he goes out and gets a couple of guys who actually know the position and have played it during their career. You're telling me that 4th line centers will cost Baertschi or a 1st round pick? That isn't what Jones cost last year and there are plenty of guys like that floating around the league that can be had for fringe prospects and low draft picks.

What is a 4th line center playing 6 minutes going to do for the resst of the team?

[calgARI]

Originally Posted by kyuss275

What is a 4th line center playing 6 minutes going to do for the resst of the team?

Um, win some faceoffs and know his way around the defensive zone in terms of responsibility?

[moon]

Originally Posted by J-bo09

So which centers do you recommend? ROR? Jokinen? Richards? Bringing in any center is going to cost more then our team can afford. How are we supposed to get them?

Is there another team in the NHL that has as bad a center situation as we did to start the year or do now?

And if not why can every or most team get 4-6 competent centers and the Flames can't?

It isn't like this center issue popped up mid-season it was a major issue raised going into the season.

[Psytic]

Jarome Iginla and our first for Ryan Kesler and Vancouvers first

Everyones head explodes

[JiriHrdina]

Should this organization be giving up any assets, even picks, to address the needs of the current team? Isn't that exactly what people DON'T want them to do?

[ComixZone]

It's pitiful.

This is a poorly built team. Center is the most important position - it's the position good, successful teams build their rosters around. The Flames though? Oh, they don't need centers. They're above centers...but hey, the answers are in the dressing room.

Intellectual honesty my ass.

The excuse of "well, there aren't any available" is true, but it's a rubbish excuse. If this team wants to fight for 12th place in the West, then they'll continue on with horrible centers. #1 centers don't come up via free agenc or via trade very often (heck, Richards and Thornton are the only two in the last decade or so).

[krispykream]

lol if only that happened, i would hate Vancouver even more if they got iginla

[moon]

Originally Posted by kyuss275

What is a 4th line center playing 6 minutes going to do for the resst of the team?

Take important draws so the team has a chance to get the puck.

I guess it is awesome to have 3 better players on the ice who are wingers but as we saw in the Kings game it makes no difference if those guys don't have the puck because the team is losing 75% of the FO's.

[TurnedTheCorner]

My guess is no. No, he will not. It's puzzling.

[browna]

IMO, I just don't think he's got the league wide contacts (or trust by) to pull off those trades that Sutter could and/or, he doesn't work in the same cloak of silence that Sutter did and was effective with in getting things done. And, its different since his Tampa days, with the salary cap to fall within.

But it is odd, that the centre position has been a priority since they knew that they didn't want to keep Jokinen around a year ago, that he hasn't found something, anything since...via waivers, trade or UFA.

It's as if "Brad Richards or bust", and since then, everything else is not good enough. Similar to his interest in Prust this year...the only option he came up after that was lost, was pulling a guy who took last year off.

[moon]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

Should this organization be giving up any assets, even picks, to address the needs of the current team? Isn't that exactly what people DON'T want them to do?

FA's in the offseason wasn't an option? Trade of like for like where we get a center back wasn't an option?

Again this isn't some new problem where they need to make a panic move the problem has been known about for some time now prior to the season starting.

[Five-hole]

Sven for ROR?

[JiriHrdina]

Originally Posted by moon

FA's in the offseason wasn't an option? Trade of like for like where we get a center back wasn't an option?

Again this isn't some new problem where they need to make a panic move the problem has been known about for some time now prior to the season starting.

Not disagreeing that it should have been addressed before now - I'm just questioning any move that involves giving up any future piece to address a current need.