[News] Darren Dreger: "I’m confused by the direction of the Calgary Flames."

[FlameZilla]

Transcribed by Nichols on Hockey

Darren Dreger was on TSN 1050 Friday morning.

On if it’s possible the Calgary Flames could do some damage this year:

“Well, if they do, I think it’s a mistake. This is a team that should be in the Connor McDavid sweepstakes – or Jack Eichel. Pick your poison there. It is a very good draft. High skilled players available near the top of the draft at the top of the draft. Why wouldn’t you want to get in that if you’re embracing full on renovation, rebuild, call it whatever you will.

“They have drafted well. Sam Bennett is going to be a very good NHL player. The jury is still out on Johnny Gaudreau. Man, he makes sensational, creative plays right now, but is he ready to jump? At some point the expectation is he’ll be ready to be a good NHL player. You’ve got Sean Monahan, who is readying for his second season.

“Like, stay in that theme. I don’t know. I’m confused by the direction of the Calgary Flames. They keep talking about adding a defenceman to improve their blueline. I don’t know if that’s just a sales pitch to keep the market hungry or not, but – to your point Mike – I think they might surprise some teams who take them lightly this year, but they shouldn’t if they want to stay on the path of adding players through the draft and getting better long term.”

But it’s a tough line, isn’t it?

“Yeah, real tough.”

On it being a difficult and fine line to walk, with tanking being unacceptable to some people and this also being the same franchise that didn’t have a lot of draft picks when they stuck with their core group of veteran players:

“Really difficult, but for me there’s a difference between getting better and staying competitive. The Calgary Flames need to stay competitive. You do that by making sure you’ve got the right players on that team. They’re going to score by committee. Scoring is going to be an issue for the Calgary Flames. When Cammalleri was in the lineup last year, they still had trouble scoring.

“So hey, if Sean Monahan takes off, if Mason Raymond is a good fit, if Setoguchi all of the sudden puts the puck in the net like he didn’t in Winnipeg, or Minnesota, San Jose, go down the list – those are the things you don’t control and you celebrate them because that’s good for the fan base. But don’t go out and make trades and do things that are going to help you immediately. If there’s a trade that makes you better in the long run, that’s a different approach and there would be nothing wrong with that. But this team should struggle to get better.”

Apparently Treliving is looking to improve his team. FOR SHAME! Why would you do that?!?

This attitude really makes me angry. We aren't Edmonton & we don't Tank. Look how much good it's done them up North, instilling a doormat culture and more-or-less spoiling top prospects.

I see no harm in adding a good young defenceman that is part of the youth movement here.

Dreger grinds my gears when he talks about the Flames. I don't give a about getting McDavid now. I hope we play good, exciting hockey and show the league how quickly this rebuild is coming along.

[cam_wmh]

Dreger is a complete moron.

[Headshot]

Darren Dreger is no good.

[getbak]

Too much time spent chugging the blue Kool-Aid. No good Oiler fan.

[Headshot]

Dregger knows what he is saying guys, come on.

It's just simple math.

[sa226]

The Pittsburg Penguins have Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. They have one less cup than Chicago and LA.

It takes more than just drafting generational talents to be a year in year out contender. Nobody is mistaking the flames for a top 10 team. In a deep draft year the difference between missing out on the top 2 guys but still drafting top 10 is tough to identify in the long run.

Dreger is no good.

[PugnaciousIntern]

A little bit of truth deep under a load of cr*p.

[Street Pharmacist]

What is confusing? Treliving signed Engelland for crying out loud. Would a contending team do that????

[Hugh Jahrmes]

No he's right guys, this no-quit attitude and never give up mentality is probs gonna screw us out of a few draft slots. So we should just leave the guys on the active roster to fend for themselves, and tell the media we think they can't win and that we won't try to improve to win. Let's be serious, it's just one year, I doubt that loser attitude would even rub off on the young guys or set in permanently on the team like that dark cloud just north of the Nisku area.

[Dagger]

Originally Posted by sa226

The Pittsburg Penguins have Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. They have one less cup than Chicago and LA.

It takes more than just drafting generational talents to be a year in year out contender. Nobody is mistaking the flames for a top 10 team. In a deep draft year the difference between missing out on the top 2 guys but still drafting top 10 is tough to identify in the long run.

Dreger is no good.

Care to back that up with some evidence?

[dash_pinched]

I think this upcoming Flames season will look a lot like last year's season. They'll be in the majority of games they play and I expect a pretty good effort on most nights. I don't expect the Flames to be in the playoff hunt, but it should be entertaining and interesting to watch the young guys develop. It shouldn't be confusing, but I'm not surprised that Dreger is having difficulty,

[MisterJoji]

Dreger is an over-rated blowhard. The only "insider" I can remotely respect is Bob McKenzie. Yeah, what an idiot Treliving is trying to improve his club. Tanking has a 100% success rate, just look at that special team up north. Even the last generational player drafted only has one cup, 8 years later. You know who has more cups, non-generational players such as Toews, Kane, and Kopitar. I'm so sick of this total bull---- about how to properly build a dynasty. I'd rather cheer for a team that tries to improve every year and drafts/develops whomever is available at whatever draft spot they might be. Obvious tanking is so disrespectful to your fans and just plain idiotic as the worst team in the league only has a 25% chance of getting first overall. Couldn't be happier with our management team and the direction they're taking.

[Madman]

[News] Darren Dreger: "I’m confused

Yep.

[Dagger]

I think all Dreger is saying is that trading for pieces that help now, presumably with futre draft picks or prospects is maybe not what the team needs at this point. Before people jump on me, I know everyone hates these "tanking" models, and I'm not for it either. Simply, I don't see the benefit of accelerating the fine groundwork laid being laid out in favour of a maybe winning a few extra games this season by acquiring a Boychuk or someone of that ilk - assuming that's what Dreger is implying.

Does a Nick Leddy or some other young, talented and maybe stagnating defensemen(or forward for that matter) make sense if you can get him for fair/good value? Yes, it fits with us moving forward and can be apart of the movement for (hopefully) a long time. That's all I'm reading into what Dreger is getting at.

[Mango]

The jury is still out on Johnny Gaudreau.

He's played one regular season NHL game. What jury is he talking about and who is on this jury? A comment like that comes across as sour grapes by Mr. Dreger.

[FlameZilla]

If he still thinks Edmonton is 'the Blueprint' for a rebuilding team he needs to get a grip.

I think back to the Senators in the mid-90s, or the Thrashers in the early-00s, or the Islanders of the last 30-or-so years, or the current ####-storm the Oilers are in and I'm reminded that it takes a lot more than a few years of tanking to build a contender. You can't base your whole teams' ethos around sucking so bad that you get the best 18-year-old available. You have to actually build a structured, deep organisation of talent in all areas and instil a healthy culture to make sure they develop properly.

I feel like the current Flames have set-up a similar blueprint to the successful powerhouse team of the mid-to-late 80s. There were no 1st overall picks on those teams.

[Crumpy-Gunt]

I used to want us to lose to pick up a top pick. Specifically MacKinnon. I was on the whole no winnin' for MacKinnon bandwagon. But I dont think its good, especially now that we have players with the big club who will play a significant role in the future of the team. Brodie, Backlund, Baertschi, Gaudreau, Granlund, Ferland, will all be playing on the Flames at some point in the season and if we are being owned 4-0 every night its A) not a good way to learn IMO. B) Kills confidence (important with youngsters) C) It will ruin our teams reputation and ability to land big FA's when we need to down the road. D) Its very oiler-like and if you ask me its part of the reason Hall, Eberle, Yakupov, RNH and a few others havent been as good as they should have been in the NHL thus far.

I would LOVE McDavid, or Eichel. But Hanfin, or Kylington will be just fine if the choice is building a losing environment and basically the equivalent cheating imo - trying intentonally to do worse than you can, to be rewarded after the season with a higher rated young player.

In short - players like Ekblad, Mackinnon, McDavid - they dont come around often and they do make me drool just imagining them on our team...but its NOT WORTH IT. Especially since a lot of times in a deep draft; guys like Monahan, Bennett and Drouin, etc and others who go just after the top 2-3 picks turn out to be the best players in the draft. Who knows what will happen. Lets not lose on purpose though. Thats no good.

[sa226]

Originally Posted by Dagger

Care to back that up with some evidence?

Back what up? My opinion?

If all it takes to win the cup is to draft Mcdavid or Eichel, then lets just hand it out at the draft. In order to have success drafting high and developing is absolutely critical.

I would say developing a culture of hard work and that losing is not ok, as well as protecting the young players is worth more than drafting 3rd-10th vs top 2.

Over the long term, with what this franchise is trying to accomplish, missing out on the top 2 is not going to be the difference in returning to contention.

Look at the Oilers.

[dissentowner]

I want to know how in the hell Dreger became a hockey analyst? I have never heard such a complete an utter idiot when it comes to pro hockey talk.

[Coach]

What a bunch of drivel. I knew I would have to take Dreger with a grain of salt, but calling it a mistake to seek improvement is just stupid.

No wonder he's confused. He's having just as hard a time determining the difference between winning and losing as the Oilers.