[GDT] Flames @ Blue Jackets, 5 pm, SNW & SNF

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by polak

WOW.

So instead of trying Gaudreau with any other linemates even if it's for just a few shifts, we bench him? That is ridiculous. He hasn't even been playing poorly. Everytime he gets the puck he makes smart plays, the only reason his stat line looks average (not bad, just average) is that his linemates don't suit his game at all. They're not feeding him the puck, they're dumping and chasing.

I cannot believe that we'd bench him before trying any different combination of line mates. ABSOLUTELY FLOORED.

I don't know. I'm not liking Hartley forcing players to play a game they're not suited to play.

Wow.

Or....


He's sitting because this is the most hockey he's ever played to this point. He's played what, 14 games in a calendar month so far. He's never done that in his life I'd bet. This is also the 3rd game in 4 nights. What college player hasn't hit a wall half way through the season?

He's gonna get down and frustrated not scoring either way, so maybe Hartley just actually wants him to have a night off to watch and relax?

If he was a veteran, yes that would be very disheartening. For a college player who's played 4 nhl games to date? No

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by polak

And that's all they have tried!!!

You try utilizing him one way and you give up??? Maybe Gaudreau just doesn't click with Colborne? Maybe he needs to play "river hockey" like you'd see against playing against other teams top line players.

I can't believe that the first thing they try to do differently is bench him.

The team has given up on him? You make it sound like he has played his last game in Calgary.

[Table 5]

Originally Posted by Rerun

Or am I just being too cynical?

I don't think its unreasonable to think a coach (or anyone whos faced with uncertainty about their job) will prioritize decisions that increase the chance of him keeping that job, even though it may not always be in the best long-term interest of a club.

At the very least, I hope Treliving has communicated to him the parameters he will be judged by for him to continue his job next season and on. Hopefully the parameters put a heavy priority on developing young players for the future and maintaining a hard working attitude. If nothing like that has been communicated, then I'm not surprised that he's giving veterans priority just to get as many points on the board as possible.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by BChockeyJunkie

Well unlike other on this site, I try not to post on things that im not educated nor passionate about. I don't post to just see myself post, I'm still learning the dynamic of CP and of the team.

You can become a google expert on any subject and you'll fit right in! Post your position on a subject, google to find supporting evidence whether right or wrong and blammo, you'll fit right in

[MissTeeks]

Hey look, an Eric Francis article everyone can get mad at:

http://www.calgarysun.com/2014/10/16...rved-in-minors

Johnny Hockey is skating on thin ice.
And the only thing to prevent him from falling through the cracks is to send him down to the American Hockey League, where he can gain some footing.
It’s just not working with the big club just yet.
Oh, it will eventually.
Johnny Gaudreau is not just NHL material — he’s a future star.
We saw glimpses of his brilliance in the pre-season when he was amongst league-leaders in shots on goal, finding ways to spring his 160-lb. frame out of nowhere to create scoring opportunities with a shot or clever dish.
But that hasn’t happened since the regular season started and the intensity hit a new level — a level Gaudreau’s three years at Boston College hasn’t quite prepared him for.

The coach clearly doesn’t have the confidence needed to play Gaudreau in such crucial moments, which is counter to the Flames insistence all along Gaudreau would only stay if he was playing a meaningful role and was progressing.
He and the organization are better served with him down on the farm where he will be afforded first-line minutes against full-grown men — something he clearly needs to get used to. Blessed with gifted mitts designed to set up and score goals, there’s no room on the roster for a man his size to play third- or fourth-line minutes.
Make no mistake, sending Gaudreau down is not a punishment of any sort nor should it be considered a setback. The Flames and Johnny G are in for the long haul, and what’s best for him is ice-time and a chance to take yet another step in a career that has seen him excel at every level, until now.

Let him regain his confidence and scoring touch in the minors before bringing him back up.
Don’t let him become the next Sven Baertschi.
The Flames are working hard at “managing expectations,” and, by any measure, Gaudreau isn’t living up to them yet, no matter how low a bar they’ve set internally.
The biggest surprise of training camp, Josh Jooris, was rewarded with a callup to the Flames on Thursday thanks to injuries to Lance Bouma and David Jones.
When one of them comes back, it’s Gaudreau, not Jooris, who should be Adirondack-bound for a stint most in the front office knew might be necessary.
Let his play in the AHL decide how long he stays there.
Long term, it’s for the best.

[Dentoman]

Originally Posted by BChockeyJunkie

The connection is with the Flames, Yes i follow JG but I am a fan of the flames. I don't pay for NHL package, watch games til midnight and log into this site everyday to just care about JG. I care about the flames and the direction they go in with every player/prospect every game..... Just cause my post usually center around Gaudreau doesnt make me any different than 40% of the ppl on here.

My sincere apologies .... I thought you had a personal connection. Post on!!

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by Ashasx

Gaudreau is 21, Baertschi 22. Gaudreau spent 3 years in a 0.41 NHLE league (the AHL is 0.44), Baertschi has now spent parts of 3 seasons in the AHL.

We can put that argument to rest, I think. We aren't rushing them.

It isn't an argument about rushing them. It is an argument about properly developing them and bringing them up when they are ready.

Tyler Johnson was 23 in his first NHL season- 4 full WHL seasons and 2 full AHL seasons.

Tatar was 23 in his first full NHL season- spent 4 full seasons in the AHL

Nyquist was 24 in his first full NHL seasson- spent 3 seasons in the NCAA (just like Gaudreau) and two seasons in the AHL

Palat was 22 last year - Spent 2 full seasons in the Q (post draft) and 2 full seasons in the AHL

Toffoli 22 in his first NHL season- 4 full seasons in the OHL, majority of two seasons in the AHL.

Tarasenko- Was only 21 years old for his NHL debut but had played 5 1/2 seasons in the KHL already.

Schwartz- Spend two years in the NCAA, but still spent 33 games in the AHL before coming up to the NHL in his first season.

It looks like the Flames are developing their players like Tampa, Detroit, LA. etc. The fan base just isn't patient enough to wait for it.

Sure It looked better for those teams since they had good NHL players holding back their young guys, but if that is the best for the young players long term who cares. This is why the team is trying to have lots of established NHLers (even if they aren't top end NHLers) it allows us to be patient with our young players.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by MissTeeks

Hey look, an Eric Francis article everyone can get mad at:

http://www.calgarysun.com/2014/10/16...rved-in-minors

Not sure there is anything to get mad at there.

[Flames Fan, Ph.D.]

Originally Posted by polak

And that's all they have tried!!!

You try utilizing him one way and you give up??? Maybe Gaudreau just doesn't click with Colborne? Maybe he needs to play "river hockey" like you'd see against playing against other teams top line players.

I can't believe that the first thing they try to do differently is bench him.

There is always a reaction to your action. If you want to put lines in the blender to help Johnny play better, how many effective lines are you willing to mess up for this task?

He's been fine, and a game to exhale and watch from above is not a reason to panic.

[stone hands]

I have no problem with JG playing in A this year, to be completely honest. He has hella skill but Hartley isn't utilizing him correctly, partly because he hasn't shown he's ready for an 82 game schedule against NHL caliber players.

Give him some time to get used to playing more than 2 games a week and he'll be completely fine

[Kickazzflames]

So Francis..

What exactly is wrong with Sven?

He has worked on his 200ft game, he just needs to find consistency now.. We have veterans who we know can play in the NHL and play consistently. Once we know Baertschi can replace them is the moment he is in the NHL. But people don't make decisions based on 5 games.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by Kickazzflames

So Francis..

What exactly is wrong with Sven?

He has worked on his 200ft game, he just needs to find consistency now.. We have veterans who we know can play in the NHL and play consistently. Once we know Baertschi can replace them is the moment he is in the NHL. But people don't make decisions based on 5 games.

Nothing is "wrong", but the way he was handled early clearly was even buy Sven's own admission. I think you're reading more into it than what was intended

[Fan in Exile]

Man, so now Johnny Gaudreau is in danger of becoming "the next Sven Baertschi" read a horrific flaming disaster??

It may well be for the best to send Gaudreau down for a bit. I doubt it but maybe. But the article is terrible. And why has everyone soured so much on Sven?? Didn't make sense last season and makes even less sense now.

People talk about how successful teams treat their prospects...I'm pretty sure panicking and labeling them busts when they're actually playing quite well is not how they do it.

Why shouldn't Gaudreau get as much slack as Colbourne did last year? Pretty sure he'll outproduce him in points by the end of the season if he gets a chance.

[Badgers Nose]

JH was huffing and puffing more than line mates last game. I though he was hurt.

[Yamer]

I think some people need to grasp the concept that being sat doesn't necessarily equate to punishment.

I certainly have no experience or expertise on how to develop a prospect, but some of the methods in here just seem overwhelmingly instinctively wrong.

[Badgers Nose]

Coaches like Hartley are the ones players like Backlund, Baertschi and Gaudreau thank later in their careers when they have perspective.

All this ruining players talk is nonsense from impatient Edmonton transplants.

[Yrebmi]

I agree with Table5 that the Oil comparisons are becoming cliche and wearisome. The Calgary Flames are a far better organization and the constant comparisons are demeaning.

That said, here's another. Many of us as Flames fans have noted that the Oilers need to re-program their top wingers. They can put up points but are one dimensional. Sven a couple seasons ago could have fit in with that group. Now he will be better.

[mile]

"skating on thin ice"

"next Sven Baertschi"

Yeah, nothing to see in that article. Can't ignore the fact that Hartley has already said they would be patient with Johnny and he would be given a long leach.

Pretty sure Johnny and the coaching staff are not panicking nearly as much as some people here are.

[Barnet Flame]

Looking forward to this. I've watched all our games this season, but this will be the first one I can watch live*.

Go Flames Go!

*GCL - so I'll be a couple of minutes behind game time.

[djsFlames]

Starting to get really annoyed with Hartley for sitting Gaudreau tonight. The BJs would've been a really good chance to get the monkey off his back. And now Jooris in his first game slides in to play on the second line? What?... I mean good for him, but I was convincing myself that the sheltered minutes was part of "easing" rookies into the lineup now. Then this?

Not a happy fan.