EDIT:WHOOPS Fan 960 Speculates Flames and Mason Raymond Have Agreed to a Deal

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

Walker and Boomer are again doing their utmost to deflect any suggestion that they reported Raymond signing with the Flames. Their position now is that SOME OTHER MEDIA OUTLETS WERE REPORTING THIS, BUT THAT THEY AT THE FAN 960 WERE NOT AMONG THEM.

It seems to me that these two doth protest too much.

Yeah they are mocking fans this morning. Walker especially needs to grow up as a longtime listener of this station going back to the original days of the ex-TSN guys and these guys are really starting to annoy with their childish acts but what do you expect from guys that say on air that they hope the Riders die in a plane crash?

[Poe969]

I don't care about the radio guys... I just don't want any x-Canucks on the team....

[bucksmasher]

Originally Posted by CSharp

Seems like Feaster is building 3rd, 4th, and 5th (if there is one) lines. Where's the #1 center they're supposed to get. You can't be serious about anyone playing the first line with what the Flames have right now. This is like fully loading a boat on one side and expecting the boat to not tip over. If the Flames were loading up on centers, that would actually make huge sense.

its a rebuild....1st line isn't here yet

[JiriHrdina]

Originally Posted by CSharp

Seems like Feaster is building 3rd, 4th, and 5th (if there is one) lines. Where's the #1 center they're supposed to get. You can't be serious about anyone playing the first line with what the Flames have right now. This is like fully loading a boat on one side and expecting the boat to not tip over. If the Flames were loading up on centers, that would actually make huge sense.

This seems to come up - and I find the argument strange. Basically until the Flames get a #1 centre (and how the devil are they going to do that in the short-term) you don't want them to make any other moves to improve the team?

[killer_carlson]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

This seems to come up - and I find the argument strange. Basically until the Flames get a #1 centre (and how the devil are they going to do that in the short-term) you don't want them to make any other moves to improve the team?

I see your point and generally agree with it.

However i have no problem with fans laying pressure on the team about a first line option. In the past 20 years there have been many instances of stajan, shantz, Wilm, etc as first line solutions. Fans are anxious and i dont blame them.

[Husky]

I remember when he first hit the NHL, Demitra said his style/skating reminded him of Gaborik.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by killer_carlson

I see your point and generally agree with it.

However i have no problem with fans laying pressure on the team about a first line option. In the past 20 years there have been many instances of stajan, shantz, Wilm, etc as first line solutions. Fans are anxious and i dont blame them.

But this anxiety strikes as irrational. The Flames have acknowledged publicly that obtaining a top-line centre is exceptionally difficult outside of the draft. In the course of the last two drafts, the Flames have attempted to fill the position with boom/bust pick Jankowski, and the very highly rated Monahan, but both of these players will not be NHL ready for a couple of years. This suggests that the team is more interested in filling this position effectively in the long term, with less interest in the short term.

The problem for a rebuilding team is that it is almost impossible to do both: For the Flames, the pricetag for acquiring a top line centre to play now is almost certainly at the expense of picks and prospects that would potentially fill this position in the future (as evidenced by rumours regarding the return for Seguin). Fans are notorious for wanting to have their cake and to eat it too, but in the real world the Flames are faced with expending their efforts in one direction or the other. In other words, fans should be tempering their expectations and anxiety and they ought to recognise that the short term for this rebuilding team will likely not feature the new core, which they hope to acquire through the draft.

[killer_carlson]

I guess the point is that the flames have acknowledge publically sinse the 1990s that getting a top line center is a priority and have not delivered, or what was delivered swung and missed.

The organization has little credibility in claiming they are trying to deliver a top line center.

(that doesnt mean that you ignore the other holes in the roster though)

[handgroen]

the morning guys on the fan just said that as of now they haven't heard that there was any contact at all between the flames and mason raymond, bu ttake it with a grain of salt because they're just media guys.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by killer_carlson

I guess the point is that the flames have acknowledge publically sinse the 1990s that getting a top line center is a priority and have not delivered, or what was delivered swung and missed.

The organization has little credibility in claiming they are trying to deliver a top line center.

Sure but Jay Feaster, John Weisbrod and Craig Conroy have little to do with what happened between 1990 up until about 2011.

[sureLoss]

Andrew Walker ‏@fan960walker 14s Not to say it couldn't happen today - but as of hour 46 in 48 hr "courtship period" - #Flames have had NO talks with UFA Mason Raymond

[iggy4life]

walker is terrible, boomer was good with kerr in the afternoon. walker to the weekend would be great

[KootenayFlamesFan]

I'm not even listening to these guys and they're annoying me. Just own up to what you said and get on with your life. All the deflecting is silly and irritating.

[BBQorMILDEW]

Originally Posted by handgroen

the morning guys on the fan just said that as of now they haven't heard that there was any contact at all between the flames and mason raymond, bu ttake it with a grain of salt because they're just a bunch of hacks.

Fyp

[dammage79]

Another thing I've been thinking is that the Flames will in fact overpay a center and get a couple other guys so they can move Cammy and say Stajan and stay above the floor. People may not like the contract as it is but I hope they claim Grabovski off waivers.

[Badgers Nose]

I will be happy either way - would not hurt to have him cheap, would not hurt not to have him.

I hope this is not a 'big' signing.

[kyuss275]

Originally Posted by dammage79

Another thing I've been thinking is that the Flames will in fact overpay a center and get a couple other guys so they can move Cammy and say Stajan and stay above the floor. People may not like the contract as it is but I hope they claim Grabovski off waivers.

They might try and overpay for Bozak, Weiss, Garbo ect. but my gut tells me that those players agents will just use the flames bid to increase the price for another club. I will be shocked if the flames sign anybody today.

The Raymond deal did not make sense. Can't see them picking him up now only to be forced later to trade a Cammi or Stempniak on the cheap. Not saying it wont happen, but if it did, i am sure the flames will have already traded one of the 2 players before signing Raymond.

[Plett25]

Originally Posted by kyuss275

They might try and overpay for Bozak, Weiss, Garbo ect. but my gut tells me that those players agents will just use the flames bid to increase the price for another club.

I am 110% supportive of the Flames driving up UFA salaries... the sooner other teams get in cap trouble, the better.

[SportsJunky]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

but what do you expect from guys that say on air that they hope the Riders die in a plane crash?

I applaud their clear thinking on that one.

Also, you take issue with Francis, Boomer, Walker etc...who would you like to see in their place? Serious question.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by SportsJunky

I applaud their clear thinking on that one.

Also, you take issue with Francis, Boomer, Walker etc...who would you like to see in their place? Serious question.

That's kind of a weird question. Maybe anyone else who is more professional and less sensitive to well deserved criticism? I would imagine that profile would fit a high number of qualified people, and the fact that I don't know any of them specifically by name does not in any way diminish the fact that Walker's and Boomer's antics in several instances have been juvenile.