Pick your Booms and Busts for 2016/2017 Season

[FBI]

OK I'm all caught up on CP threads so time to start a new one

Pick your booms and busts for the 2016/2017 season:

Bust:
I will say Pribyl, I'm tired of getting my hopes up for the overseas guys.

Boom:
Taking a bit of a risk on this one but I'll say Ferland starts to figure it out and scores 15 and is more of a wrecking ball.

[JiriHrdina]

The only way Pribyl is a bust is if people's expectations are too high. Given his experience, age and the fact he is coming off an injury, he will need time in the AHL for sure.

Boom:
Bennett (easy pick I guess)
Jankowski

Bust:
Ferland

[jg13]

Boom: Tkachuk
Bust: Chaisson

[bigrangy]

Boom: Ferland, I think he finds a permanent place beside Backlund and will better use his offensive skills this season. (hopefully his next contract isn't too fat with the Backlund bump, the flames already lost Colborne because of that)

Bust: Brouwer. We'll all be praying that Vegas takes him in the expansion draft. what a ridiculously risky signing. I hope he can provide some beef in the top 6 though, but I just don't see it happening.

[Finger Cookin]

Boom: Elliott provides reliable, NHL calibre goaltending. The team flourishes, easily qualifying for the playoffs.

Bust: Gaudreau flirts with 50 in 50, before cooling off after December to only finish with 40+ goals and 100+ points.

[trublmaker]

Originally Posted by bigrangy

Boom: Ferland, I think he finds a permanent place beside Backlund and will better use his offensive skills this season. (hopefully his next contract isn't too fat with the Backlund bump, the flames already lost Colborne because of that)

Bust: Brouwer. We'll all be praying that Vegas takes him in the expansion draft. what a ridiculously risky signing. I hope he can provide some beef in the top 6 though, but I just don't see it happening.

no we wont he's a flame now I hope he does awesome

[btimbit]

Boom: Brouwer. A good portion of this site were upset or surprised at that contract and I think once he gets some more viewings people will see what he brings to the table.

Bust: Shinkaruk. I saw a lot of good things from him but I just don't know if he'll be able to make it as a full time NHLer. Can't put my finger on it exactly. Would love to be proven wrong though

[Street Pharmacist]

Boom: Johnny gets 90 points and finishes top 3. Bennett gets 25+25

Bust: Not really a bust per se, but Monahan stats extremely slow under the weight of a $6.5M contract. Gets it together by the end of the season but finishes with 45pts. Also Brouwer is hurt for 40 games and does little the other 42

[GranteedEV]

Boom:
Elliott
Jankowski
Bennett
Monahan
D. Hamilton
Kulak
Jokipakka
F. Hamilton
Johnson
Giordano
Brodie
Gaudreau
Ferland
Bouma
Backlund
Tkachuk
Hathaway
Stajan
Shinkaruk
Chiasson
Frolik
Wideman
Brouwer
Gulutzan
Poirier

Bust:
Vey
Smid, I guess.

Originally Posted by btimbit

Boom: Brouwer. A good portion of this site were upset or surprised at that contract and I think once he gets some more viewings people will see what he brings to the table.

Even if Brouwer is an okay signing for this year and next, there are still two years after in which he'll be, respectfully, 33 and 34. Without elite skill, it's an almost guaranteed anchor/buyout at that age.

[TheScorpion]

Boom: Bennett.
Bust: Brouwer. Think he'll really flame out (no pun intended).

[JiriHrdina]

What do people consider a bust for Brouwer?
He strikes me as an odd guy to predict to bust given how consistent he has been.
You are looking at a guy who hits 35-40 points pretty much each year.

[hockey.modern]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

What do people consider a bust for Brouwer?
He strikes me as an odd guy to predict to bust given how consistent he has been.
You are looking at a guy who hits 35-40 points pretty much each year.

Plus with him potentially playing with Gaudreau & Monahan, he shouldn't have trouble finding points. Even if he goes on a line with Bennett, I don't expect regression. He's going to continue his 35-40 points playing with these guys on 5-5 & PP time.

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by jg13

Boom: Tkachuk
Bust: Chaisson

Yeah, I think Tkacuk will make the team and he needs to score at a good level to do that. He'd look fine with Bennett and provide a pairing for years to come.

I just don't see the love for Chaisson. He had one (adrenaline fuelled) call-up 7 game stretch where he scored 6 goals and little since. He's a big RW so he's got that but he looks like a 12th, 13th or 14th forward to me.

[dakeyras]

Since the OP didn't specifically state the Booms/Busts were for the Flames.....

Boom: Fans who like to mock the Oilers
Bust: Oilers

[TheScorpion]

Hrdina, I see Brouwer as a bust because I don't think he'll live up to his contract. For $4.5 million a season, you've gotta give more than 35-40 points a season. Brouwer's a good second-liner, but he'll be a bust for those who expect him to put up big on the first line.

[JiriHrdina]

That's not a bust then - again that's just having unrealistic expectations.
You always overpay for UFAs. That's just reality.
Anyone expecting him to see a big increase in a production at this stage in his career is setting themselves to be underwhelmed.

[united]

Booms:
Ferland - was snake bitten last season but was getting to the right places which is encouraging. Could be more of a physical presence but expectations there were way too high after his demolition of the Canucks. Being a new father adds another level of maturity to his turnaround story.

Russell - having risked his NHL future by verbally agreeing to a contract with the Flames on July 1st, conditional on the Flames trading Wideman, only to end up waiting until mid-August for the trade to happen, Russell comes in with something to prove. New coaching staff convinces him to stop defending like a lawn ornament flamingo and leaving gaps that would make the London Tube proud and he has a surprisingly strong season.

Bollig - by not seeing the ice once the entire season, and as a result taking zero selfish penalties, Bollig has by far his most successful season as a member of the Flames.


Busts:
Brouwer - doesn't have a bad season by any means, contributing 40 or so points, but finishes 30-40 points behind the two offensive wizards he is gifted icetime with on the first line.

Engelland - puts in an admirable effort every night, and provides excellent leadership and mentoring, but Father Time further catches up to the already slow defender with a poor first pass. Slow and can't move the puck is death in today's NHL.

Stajan - almost the same as Engelland but just a few years younger. Small and slow is the worst combination regardless of his tremendous character.

[hockey.modern]

Here's an odd one for the boom:

Wideman - Needs to prove he is still capable of producing in the NHL with his contract coming up at the end of the season. Plus the Henderson incident won't help his case finding a new team. I expect him to work extremely hard to show what he's got left.

[Conroy4Mayor]

Boom: Jokipakka. Moves up the depth chart above Wideman and Engelland. After the season, we all wonder how we can protect all our great defencemen.

Bust: Tkachuk. Plays OK for the first nine games. Flames regret keeping him around the rest of the season.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

That's not a bust then - again that's just having unrealistic expectations.
You always overpay for UFAs. That's just reality.
Anyone expecting him to see a big increase in a production at this stage in his career is setting themselves to be underwhelmed.

I agree with Scorpion. If Brouwer can't live up to his contract that qualifies as a bust. Flames didn't have a gun to their head when they signed him so I disagree with the premise that you "always" overpay for UFA's. At his salary, he needs to have an impact on winning games. Scoring production will be a part of that. But I don't think Brouwer will "bust" next year. I worry about the last year of two his deal as he could lose his wheels.

My votes for Boom: Poirier having a bounceback training camp and pushing for a spot. Also see Wideman rebounding to a semblance of respectability. Elliott will also be a "boom".

Busts: Stajan and Engelland seeing a lot of press box time.

The barometers for the Flames will be Bennett and Hamilton. If we are calling them Booms at the end of the year, it will have been a success. If we are calling them busts....uh oh. Elliott in that category too I guess.