[News] Flames and Oilers heading in opposite directions

[dying4acup]

Hmmm... Wonder if the oil will trade nurse for Baertschi?

[codynw]

Thread title could have been "[News] Water Is Wet" and it would have been more shocking.

[Northendzone]

Originally Posted by IgiTang

Since when was this topic "news"?

the next article wil be on how water is wet and day three will focus on clouds looking like fluffy pillows.....

[T-Dog]

Ha ha. Stupid Oilers.

[FlamesAddiction]

Pretty good description of where both teams are at. This part kind of irritated me though:

Calgary has a new general manager in Year 1 of a rebuild, and a head coach that his own team were so unsure of, they’ve let him coach out the final year of his contract. The Flames goalie was run out of Anaheim, and at times already this season, they’ve played without three of their top-four centres from Opening Night due to injury.

I don't think there is any reason to think that the team was unsure of Hartley. Treliving was just doing his due diligence as being the new boss. Brian Burke said himself before he hired a new GM that the he was going to encourage the new GM to consider keeping and re-signing Hartley. That was a pretty big endorsement from the team I think.

[Torture]

Came in to make "this is not news" joke. Beaten to the punch multiple times. Guess it was too easy.

[Dion]

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by Lil Pedro

Wow, Spector wrote something positive about the Flames for once in his life

It's honestly Spector's "shot across the bow" piece. Correct me if I'm wrong here, but isn't this the first credible "Oilers" journalist to slam the oilers hard?

Mckinnon asked Lowe if he thought it was a bit crazy to hire the same people who failed before at the MacT press conference and was shut down. Maybe this is the beginning of the media actually holding them accountable?

Forget about on ice performance, that's enough alone to get multiple gms fired. Here's the list of things off the top of my head that member(s) of the current group oversaw:

-publicly demanding money back from Comrie. Brutal
-Letting the heart and soul of the team go over $100,000 to prove a point
-Crying about Heatley exercising his right to not waive to go to Edmonton
-Publicly embarrassing Nylander when he changed his mind about signing there
-Throwing around offer sheets for players who weren't worth it, then have up good draft picks for Penner
-Publicly shaming another local boy Sheldon Sorry for not playing while injured
-Disgracing Pat Quinn
-Firing Renney because he wouldn't play an injured player. Also because he didn't feel throwing rookies to the wolves (was told he had to play the rookies more)
-Firing Kruger over Skype
-Publicly telling some fans they're less important, then stressing it
-Berating the media at a conference for questioning the obvious
-Playing Nuge lots of ice when coming back quite early from injury/surgery
-Hire MacT (an inexperienced GM) without entertaining anyone else, to hire Eakins (an inexperienced coach) to coach an inexperienced team
-Hired a PR firm to pretend to be online posters in order to steer conversation to be more positive. Then inexplicably these things disappear
-phone local radio hosts and ask them to stop being negative
-kicking fans out of the arena for having signs that are negative


I'm sure I'm missing some. How can anyone hold their job after this?

Maybe Lowe was good as a coach?

1 season, made the playoffs with 88 freaking points and lost in 5 games in the first round.

Ok, maybe as a GM?

Made the playoffs 3/7 years and made it past the first round once (to the finals). By the time he was "promoted" the cupboards were incredibly bare.

As the President?

The worst 6+ seasons in nhl history. A .484 points %. That's a 70 point pace. To put that in perspective, only onec have the flames EVER had that low of points (65 points) in 97/98 and that was before the introduction of the loser point. They had 15 ties that year. Even if they win 6 in OT/SO if it existed they would've been ahead of the 70 points the Oilers have averaged under Lowe's incredibly inept leadership

[MissTeeks]

[landshark]

I was just thinking this morning about how well this rebuild is going. Once the rebuild was declared to be real by the mngt, things have gone so well. Even if the team is playing over it head right now, the upside of the many players is extreme.

I really hope you guys make the playoffs, but NOT at the expense of my sharks I hope :-)

It'll be good times. Seems to me that there is no turning back - the amount of raw talent ALREADY on this team is exceptional. I don't know who is in the pipeline, but I really expect CGY to be very dangerous next year (as if this year isn't dangerous enough) and many years beyond.

[Robbob]

Messier said it best at the home opener last year. The rebuild is over and this is the by product of it. We are essentially seeing the end of the pre-pre-build as the goal posts will be moved again as the rebuild will start with the player they draft in Florida in June.

[Locke]

Calgary has a new general manager in Year 1 of a rebuild, and a head coach that his own team were so unsure of, they’ve let him coach out the final year of his contract. The Flames goalie was run out of Anaheim, and at times already this season, they’ve played without three of their top-four centres from Opening Night due to injury.

This is annoying me. We dont have to be the Oilers and lie, this is the second year of the rebuild.

Originally Posted by Robbob

Messier said it best at the home opener last year. The rebuild is over and this is the by product of it. We are essentially seeing the end of the pre-pre-build as the goal posts will be moved again as the rebuild will start with the player they draft in Florida in June.

Yup. This Oilers team is the final product and it is grim.

[Fozzie_DeBear]

Originally Posted by Gaudfather

Josh Cooper from Puck Daddy also posted a Flames story today.

Calgary Flames fire towards success in spite of questions

The Flames have gone beyond “a hot start” this season, and Calgary Herald columnist George Johnson is calling out the doubters:
“Outside the city limits, they continue to be regarded as some form of hallucination. A trick of the light, perhaps. A mirage, more likely. Rub your eyes hard enough, long enough, and the verdant oasis will be exposed as barren wasteland.
Oh, don’t worry George, we’re taking notice, hence this story on why Calgary’s success isn’t something to take lightly. Especially Tuesday night’s 4-3 shootout win over Anaheim, which moved them to 12-6-2, and surely added a few more believers.
We have a few reasons why we see it as so – that Calgary is a contender this year.

Three thoughts:
1. The guy in goal
2. The guy on the blueline
3. The kids are all right

https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nh...210258449.html

The guy behind the bench

[landshark]

Originally Posted by Fozzie_DeBear

The guy behind the bench

Yeah, imagine if they went the EDM route and changed coaches every few months - you'd still be swimming in the cellar.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by landshark

I was just thinking this morning about how well this rebuild is going. Once the rebuild was declared to be real by the mngt, things have gone so well. Even if the team is playing over it head right now, the upside of the many players is extreme.

I really hope you guys make the playoffs, but NOT at the expense of my sharks I hope :-)

It'll be good times. Seems to me that there is no turning back - the amount of raw talent ALREADY on this team is exceptional. I don't know who is in the pipeline, but I really expect CGY to be very dangerous next year (as if this year isn't dangerous enough) and many years beyond.

You never know until they actually get there, but IMO, Bennett and Poirier are probably as good (or close to it) as Monahan and Gaudreau.

In a year or two, those 4 (and Brodie) are going to be pretty good (I am hoping!)

The other thing is the number of depth/role-guys that they have. Bouma and Jooris are solid and there are several more in the A - hopefully one or two of them can make the jump as well.

Don't want to speak too soon or count my chickens too early, but there is a lot to be excited and optimistic about.

[Azure]

Spector has been really good lately.

[browna]

I think the Oiler scribes are also upset and thus maybe more willing to write these articles this year because of the lack of credibility they gave a basement dwelling blogger/spinner of obscure stats to a full time gig.

[Jakester]

The big difference that stands out between the two teams is depth up the middle. The Flames have it and the Oilers don't.

Consider the two teams' depth charts at centre:

Oilers:
Nugent-Hopkins
Arcobello
Gordon
Draisaitl

Flames:
Monahan
Backlund
Stajan
Byron
Colbourne
Bouma
Granlund
Jooris

I count Byron, Colbourne, Bouma, and Jooris in the centre depth because while they spent a significant amount of time playing wing, they proved themselves more than capable of filling in a centre when called upon. None of these guys are elite (though Monahan has the potential to be) but they're all solid. In addition, the Flames have Bennett and Arnold who look to challenge for a roster spot next year.

By contrast, the Oilers' depth at centre craters after Nugent-Hopkins. Draisaitl has potential, but he's not there yet and would probably benefit from one more year (at least) in junior. Points wise, Nugent-Hopkins is comparable to Monahan, but Monahan is almost 2 years younger, has been in the league 2 seasons fewer, and is already a more well rounded player (exhibit A: Monahan is +4 on the season, Nugent-Hopkins is -3). They also don't have any good centres ready to make the jump to the NHL any time soon.

[Enoch Root]

Bennett, Arnold and Knight could all crack the Oilers lineup