So yeah.. We need to make a change, what should it be?

[BurningSteel]

Originally Posted by transplant99

They will not fire Hartley at this point as it serves ZERO purpose

I would argue that firing Feaster served the same purpose of nothing. The flames were never shut out till that occurred.

You can fault goaltending all you want but if you cant score.

Moral is in the tank. You can wait too long.

Do something now.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Gord Wappel

Curious why the list of tradable assets does not include Hudler.

He seems to be consistent and solid and in prime - a valuable asset - one of few that could entice a higher draft pick.
Do people think that he will still be here when Flames are competitive ?
Or is it respect for the honeymoon period of recently recruited free agent ?

I suppose that no player except for Monahan, and maybe Brodie, Baertschi, and Giordano should appear under the rubric "Untouchables", and that includes Hudler.

Having said that, the Flames can't—and should not—trade every player who is not in the long-term plans. Hudler, I suspect, retains a valuable place on the team outside of his on-ice skills. He seems like a really good community guy, and also as someone who is being depended upon heavily to assist in the development of the rookies. If he nets a great return, I would have no problem with moving him, but I can also see and support the the Flames's rationale for keeping him in Calgary.

[FlameZilla]

Originally Posted by Gord Wappel

Curious why the list of tradable assets does not include Hudler.

He seems to be consistent and solid and in prime - a valuable asset - one of few that could entice a higher draft pick.
Do people think that he will still be here when Flames are competitive ?
Or is it respect for the honeymoon period of recently recruited free agent ?

I'm sure he's available for the right price. Problem is that his contract runs for quite awhile, so he's not just a rental like the UFAs. There's probably a fairly limited market for him (just in terms of teams who could afford to add him longterm).

[FBI]

Well I applaud everybody for their patience in the do nothing and wait it out camp.. Me personally, I am expecting losses in bunches but I would appreciate some entertainment value. There was a lot of entertainment prior to Christmas and especially when Monahan and Baertschi were together.

To me the entertainment comes from the enthusiasm and youth of which we have hardly any in our "rebuild".. I've bought into the rebuild, now show me some youth and excitement.

[Burke Salad]

Brian Burke has stated in the past that he likes to build his teams from the back end out. Maybe concentrate on a younger goalie first, try and stabilize this position first. Teams who potentially can move a younger goalie Toronto,Buffalo, Anaheim. Got to start somewhere.

[lifetimefan]

The problem with a rebuild isn't just hitting rock bottom, it's hitting so hard face first that you bounce a half dozen times.

I'd expect Burke to get a proven #1 NHL goaltender as a priority.
What scares me is that he likely won't wait the usual 4-7 year draft/develop cycle and try to shortcut by trading away top 10 first rounders.

[flamesfan55]

Originally Posted by Poe969

This biggest change needed by the team, management and fans is attitude. They need confidence and the fans need less of it. Think of the flames as a junior team compared to the rest of the league, they're going to suck but in time they'll get better we just have to wait. Expecting too much at this point is only going to get everyone upset, just give it time and try to find some positives.

While I get what you are saying there is no reason for not scoring. No one minds that they are losing every game. But score a damn goal.

[saillias]

Just some minor tweaks. Bench some poor players and call up our AHLers.

[Dauminator]

The rough part of this is that they were touting the salary cap as being a "rebuild fast-track" and landing players that other teams couldn't afford.

Now with the Cap going up and teams getting a hefty boost, yikes, this is going to be painful. 3+ years atleast.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Bend it like Bourgeois

The patience card is overplayed.

If people can disconnect or rationalize things thats great, I am not knocking it, but no one is obliged to.

Why the team is crap is not the fans problem. Maybe it's because they waited too long to change the team. Maybe it's because they are too lazy and greedy to take the hard road over the easy one. Heck maybe it's because the guy they fired just plain fataed the whole thing up. So what. The product is still crap.

If the flames think dissatisfaction is a fan problem to solve not an organizational one then they are flirting with disaster.

And if they manage the team based on how fans feel week to week, they'll almost certainly never build a contender.

[Cheese]

Leave it as is...trade the players only if the return is right and go full tank. Let Buffalo pass us and have the choice of players to take first overall.
Mix and repeat next year.

[Skaloper]

They just need to start benching players who are not competing even if they are vets.
The play by Cammy the past 2 weeks has been beyond horrible and the only point he has gotten in the past 7 games was that game winning goal.

[Burke Salad]

The answer to whom would be the replacement for Hartley may be Burkie's old chum Ron Wilson.

[FlamesAddiction]

The only change that needs to be made is in the fan base. Throw instant gratification out the window and accept patience. A proper rebuild usually takes several seasons and involves hitting rock bottom before things improve.

[SuperMatt18]

Be patient. That is what the Flames need to do.

At most call up some deserving young guys to instil some life into the team, but don't go making stupid trades because of a re-build slump.

[CaramonLS]

I would agree something needs to change - Hartley needs to stop throwing out our assets in tough situations.

For example, Stempniak is actually a pretty nice player in a very specific role, but he gets absolutely exposed when he has to play tough minutes against the other teams 1st line. Shelter him, let him pad his stats back to some form of respectability and increase his value at the deadline.

Our 3 big pieces - Stajan, Cammallari and Stempniak - Hartley has done a good job driving their value right into the toilet. I know GMs evalute on past accomplishments as well, but for a lot of pending UFAs - "what have you done for me lately" comes into play.

[strombad]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Be patient. That is what the Flames need to do.

At most call up some deserving young guys to instil some life into the team, but don't go making stupid trades because of a re-build slump.

The problem is: I don't think anyone is asking for stupid trades. Changes are coming, including a coaching change, a new GM, and the loss of 3 or 4 guys to the trade market.

"Be patient" is about as exhausting as a response as possible. Mostly everyone is BEING patient, but when your team gets shutout 6 times in a month, perhaps it's time to make a move. Whether it be a trade, someone getting called up for their shot, SOMETHING, it's still time to start doing it.

Be patient, of course. But don't sit around and be ok with your team tanking, putting in a half assed effort, and getting shutout 6 times.

Even the shutouts wouldn't be THAT bad if they were exciting games, but god, have you seen games this boring since Hartley took over? The rebuild is time to be patient as your team is going to be outgunned by almost every team out there, but a rebuild is not an excuse to be lackadaisical about the game of hockey.

[Lanny_McDonald]

All I want is some entertaining hockey. I don't care if they lose. I expect them to lose at this point. What I don't appreciate is the eurotrash coaching garbage and the complete lack of NHL quality systems. This crap, and it is total ####ing crap, of the stretch pass to no one moving is horrible hockey. The never ending stream of drop passes that are supposed to act as misdirection and allow for easy entry into the zone is horrible hockey. The opposition teams have used their professional scouting and had Hartley's master plan figured out after 20 games. It's time to adjust. Hartley has proven incapable of coming up with anything fresh or willing to implement systems that might really work in the NHL. Time for him to go. Ftorek can mind the shop until the end of the season.

Burke needs to get his head out of his ass and realize this is 2014, not 2004. His truculence garbage is over done. I was happy when he dumped a useless Jackman on an unsuspecting Anaheim for a 4th round pick. I was pissed when he turned that 4th round pick into an even more useless Westgarth. I mean, WTF? I've seen some useless hockey players in a Calgary Flames uniform, some of which have been embarrassing, but Westgarth is the bottom of the barrel. No, he's the slime living on the bottom of the barrel. He is an embarrassment to the Flaming C and should never have been traded for. I don't mind the losses, but lose with players that have potential to get better. Westgarth is a rodeo clown.

I've been a fan of this team since 1980 and was looking forward to an honest rebuild. That meant bringing in young players and giving them their chance to play and bring that youthful enthusiasm to the games. So far we have seen very little of that. It's the same tired crap of watching the same tired has-beens or never-will-bes. I can't handle another game of Stajan, Cammalleri, Jones, Galiardi, Butler, and Westgarth. Give me some freakin' youth and promise to watch. The loses I can handle, but the bad play from the same bad players has become too much to handle. It's embarrassing and a lot worse than anything the Oiler fans have ever had to go through.

[JobHopper]

Originally Posted by strombad

The problem is: I don't think anyone is asking for stupid trades. Changes are coming, including a coaching change, a new GM, and the loss of 3 or 4 guys to the trade market.

"Be patient" is about as exhausting as a response as possible. Mostly everyone is BEING patient, but when your team gets shutout 6 times in a month, perhaps it's time to make a move. Whether it be a trade, someone getting called up for their shot, SOMETHING, it's still time to start doing it.

Be patient, of course. But don't sit around and be ok with your team tanking, putting in a half assed effort, and getting shutout 6 times.

Even the shutouts wouldn't be THAT bad if they were exciting games, but god, have you seen games this boring since Hartley took over? The rebuild is time to be patient as your team is going to be outgunned by almost every team out there, but a rebuild is not an excuse to be lackadaisical about the game of hockey.

So why did you call me a troll then yesterday when I suggested that the Flames use some of their stockpiled picks and prospects to bring in a current top 6 player?

People here think it's stupid to trade your prospects, but what about Tim Erixon, he didn't turn out so great now did he?

[UKflames]

Originally Posted by New Era

All I want is some entertaining hockey. I don't care if they lose. I expect them to lose at this point. What I don't appreciate is the eurotrash coaching garbage and the complete lack of NHL quality systems. This crap, and it is total ####ing crap, of the stretch pass to no one moving is horrible hockey. The never ending stream of drop passes that are supposed to act as misdirection and allow for easy entry into the zone is horrible hockey. The opposition teams have used their professional scouting and had Hartley's master plan figured out after 20 games. It's time to adjust. Hartley has proven incapable of coming up with anything fresh or willing to implement systems that might really work in the NHL. Time for him to go. Ftorek can mind the shop until the end of the season.

Burke needs to get his head out of his ass and realize this is 2014, not 2004. His truculence garbage is over done. I was happy when he dumped a useless Jackman on an unsuspecting Anaheim for a 4th round pick. I was pissed when he turned that 4th round pick into an even more useless Westgarth. I mean, WTF? I've seen some useless hockey players in a Calgary Flames uniform, some of which have been embarrassing, but Westgarth is the bottom of the barrel. No, he's the slime living on the bottom of the barrel. He is an embarrassment to the Flaming C and should never have been traded for. I don't mind the losses, but lose with players that have potential to get better. Westgarth is a rodeo clown.

I've been a fan of this team since 1980 and was looking forward to an honest rebuild. That meant bringing in young players and giving them their chance to play and bring that youthful enthusiasm to the games. So far we have seen very little of that. It's the same tired crap of watching the same tired has-beens or never-will-bes. I can't handle another game of Stajan, Cammalleri, Jones, Galiardi, Butler, and Westgarth. Give me some freakin' youth and promise to watch. The loses I can handle, but the bad play from the same bad players has become too much to handle. It's embarrassing and a lot worse than anything the Oiler fans have ever had to go through.

He's not from Europe so please don't blame us for his coaching

Apart from that I agree with everything you said.