Emergence of the young guys

[FBI]

After watching a few games with the young guys I am actually starting to get a bit optomistic (i know, sorry)

I'm wondering if due to our overload of old veterans, we've been holding them back too long?

Horak looks like a true NHLer and shouldn't be going back IMO.
Once Bouwmeester left, Brodie is starting to emerge as a potential star.
Called up Reinhart, he has looked great.
Baertschi is gaining his legs and has made a bunch of great passes in the offensive zone.

These guys are looking fast and excited to play, something we have lacked for awhile.
Maybe these guys should have been called up a long time ago and we shouldn't have held them back so long.. Maybe they aren't as bad as we think they are.

Regardless, there hasn't been a player called up that I have been really disappointed with so far (maybe Street but that was with the old timers)

With Mackinnon possibly playing with the big club this year and maybe with all our other young guys not as bad as we think they are, we may see a big upswing next year.

Won't get my hopes up but starting to feel a twinge of optimism again.

[Cole436]

edit

We're only a few pieces away from having a good young core. We're obviously missing that franchise player, but that could change with our draft pick this year.

Our most pressing concern at this moment is our defense. Outside of Brodie, none of our young D look to be beyond a 3/4 player.

[CaptainCrunch]

Too Soon

[The Swedish Flame]

We've certainly seen some positive signs and I'm happy that they're getting an opportunity to prove themselves at the next level. I'd be cautious about getting your hopes up about the next 1-2 seasons (at a minimum) though.

Give it three years, see how some of them hold up and keep them on the team, add some more experienced pieces through trades, and you might have a decent team in four years or so.

[FlamesAllTheWay]

It's nice to see our younger guys featuring more prominently on the team. This after years of maybe seeing one or two of them come up and play mostly third or fourth line, non-impact roles.

I've alway liked Horak and agree he should probably stick. Baertschi round two (especially last night) seems more engaged and winning more puck battles, which was my knock against him his first go round here. Backlund and especially Brodie have taken the next step as well.

My only concern is seeing this over a longer stretch of time when making the playoffs may still be on the line. It's great we're giving our young guys a chance now in no pressure situations (and they seem to be doing well) but I hope it stays the same going into next season.

[SuperMatt18]

Remember Gagner, Cogliano, Nillson, etc up in Edmonton.

This is too soon and you can't judge a players performance when their is no pressure, and the other teams are overlooking you.

[St. Pats]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Remember Gagner, Cogliano, Nillson, etc up in Edmonton.

This is too soon and you can't judge a players performance when their is no pressure, and the other teams are overlooking you.

Not to mention that they are actually hustling. When you look at years and years of complacent vets who many a game just coasted it stands out. Players that actually give it an effort are fun to watch. But I wouldn't read a whole lot into it.

[Jackpot_Smooth]

I actually would be sort of ok with another high pick next summer too and a shot at sam reinhart.

[Wolven]

I thought Brodie was looking good before Bouwmeester was traded. Now I would say that the main reason Brodie is standing out so much more is because we removed our best D from the team and created a vacuum. I don't really feel that Brodie is playing better than he was a month ago though.

I am really pleased with how Reinhart is looking so far. I hope he becomes a permanent fixture on the team.

[timbit]

Originally Posted by St. Pats

Not to mention that they are actually hustling. When you look at years and years of complacent vets who many a game just coasted it stands out. Players that actually give it an effort are fun to watch. But I wouldn't read a whole lot into it.

That is exactly it. The veteran coasters are being exposed by the energy of the kids.

Now the team has to acquire multiple high end youthful skill pieces with that same attitude and keep some of the few non afflicted veterans as role models.

Will be a long road but at least they are on it.

[Sainters7]

Just wanted to say thanks for saying "young guys" and not "young guns". It's been over a decade and its still too soon. Using that phrase non-ironically, especially in a thread title, should be an insta-sinbinning where you feel shame.

[Ruttiger]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Remember Gagner, Cogliano, Nillson, etc up in Edmonton.

This is too soon and you can't judge a players performance when their is no pressure, and the other teams are overlooking you.

Was just going to say this myself.

The similarities between where the Flames are now and where the Oilers were circa 2009 or so are uncanny, this being yet another example.

[Bend it like Bourgeois]

It's nice to see the young guys and it will be nice to talk about getting better instead of older.

But I don't think anyone was held back. They all had chances to seize a role and only Brodie took it.

[Buff]

I am noticing mistakes from the young kids, but I don't care because they are young, learning and we aren't expecting the Flames to win at all costs. With proper coaching those mistakes will go away, or at least be minimized so they don't hurt the team once they are in the playoff hunt again.

[driveway]

Originally Posted by Sainters7

Just wanted to say thanks for saying "young guys" and not "young guns". It's been over a decade and its still too soon. Using that phrase non-ironically, especially in a thread title, should be an insta-sinbinning where you feel shame.

I agree. I think there should be a blanket CP policy that using the phrase 'young guns' results in an instant week-long sinbinning. A month if you put it in a thread title.

[Sainters7]

I accidentally hit send too soon on that last post... I find in games now, all I'm focusing on is either Backlund, Baertschi, Horak or Reinhart, and I'll just watch them their entire shift, with or without the puck. It's been fun, I love the hop they play with, been awhile since we saw that around here. Backlund's emergence has easily been the biggest positive this year, at least IMO. Actually a solid two-way player now. I just hope he can stay healthy going forward, its a big if at this point.

[_Q_]

For what it's worth, this is how I evaluate the young guys on the team:

Brodie - Incredible vision, extremely steady and mature game for his age. Needs to develop an edge and gain some size. Still, I like that he was one of the only players to stand up for his goalie against Colorado. He is definitely a top 4 Defenceman right now and maybe can be top 2 as early as next season.

Backlund - Has developed quite nicely into a two way centre. Brings it every shift. Doesn't take any shifts off. Seems as though he might be a future leader of this team. Can play well enough on the second line, but needs to work on his shot to be more effective in the offensive zone. Probably will never develop into a star first liner, but that's what I used to say about Iginla as well 15 years ago. So who knows.

Horak - Don't know why, but he's my favorite out of the young guys. Just like Backlund, never takes a shift off. Has good speed, OK hands, but is determined and tenacious as hell. I think 21 year old Horak is a better player than Backlund at 21 and would not be surprised one bit if he developed into a better player than Backlund. That's not taking anything away from Backs, but I think Horak is that good. If Horak can develop his shot a bit, then watch out.

Reinhart - I was always down on Reinhart before this call up. I never thought he had what it takes to become an NHLer. I have enjoyed watching him play the last couple of games, last game especially. I think I need to watch more of him to form a proper opinion, but I do like what I see so far. He had an incredible game last night and I really hope he can build on that.

Baertschi - He's OK. Needs more time in the AHL. I know we all want to rush this guy into the NHL, but I just don't think he's good enough. Not yet anyways. He's weak, but has good vision, always seems to know where he should be and is extremely determined. Still he gets pushed around easily and has a very soft shot. Hopefully he uses the offseason to bulk up a bit.

[bubbsy]

I think we need to be careful here. Yes the young guys have been able to step in and so far have been able to show that they aren't completely out of place, they are not liabilities.

however, they have also not had any major impact on a game either (scoring). Not saying they never will, but everything is a very 'wait and see' type deal. That being said, we are all cheering for their success, and hope they do well. Hopefully the number of young guys pushing hte envelope on the big club only increases starting next year.

[Sainters7]

Originally Posted by _Q_

Baertschi - He's OK. Needs more time in the AHL. I know we all want to rush this guy into the NHL, but I just don't think he's good enough. Not yet anyways. He's weak, but has good vision, always seems to know where he should be and is extremely determined. Still he gets pushed around easily and has a very soft shot. Hopefully he uses the offseason to bulk up a bit.

Agreed, this is his biggest problem right now. I don't think he plays soft, you can tell in the corners and on rushes he understands the need to be gritty and doesn't shy away from it, but its simply a matter of being too small. He'll go in tough on the rush, and then just get absolutely launched off the puck by the defender, it happens constantly.

I'm hopeful because I remember Backlund having the same problem early in his career, which he's managed to get over, but then again, Backs is bigger than Baertschi. Sven's pretty much the exact same size as Patrick Kane, if he could even get some more speed to his game it would really help him out.

[Ozy_Flame]

Very happy with Reinhart lately, I think he's clearly still green at the NHL level, but his level of involvement on the ice was second to none last night. Looks like he could be a good third liner, and the hockey gods know that quality checking lines are just as important as two offensive top lines.

One thing I think we lack for our young guys is size, but at least the talent is there. The Flames coaching staff should be all over bulking these guys up over the summer. Four months of body development can do wonders for performance when you're 21/22/23