This needs to be stickied. Epic rant. Rhett sounds drunk, but maybe it's because he's so angry he can't sit still. You can actually tell he backs away from the mic when he yells so as not to destroy the listeners ear drums.
I can feel the force of all of CP behind his every word. Thanks for posting
Acquiring Elliott and Brouwer were the off season moves that were supposed to elevate us into contender status. They looked great on paper. Thank god Elliott is a free agent, but man were stuck with Brouwer and he hasn't shown us much. We need to reset again this summer.
Wideman, Johnson and Elliott are all UFA as is Versteeg. Combined salaries exceed $13.3. That should allow for some room to sign UFA's or make acquisitions for a 1G and a 1RW. If Versteeg salary demands are reasonable do it, same for Johnson. Naturally Wideman and Elliott can take a walk.
I would resign Engelland, ideally for 1 or 2 years at similar salary to what he is currently making, hence not included in above discussion.
RFA's include; Bennett, Ferland, Hathaway, Chiasson and Kevin. Bennett is a natural for a bridge, hopefully on the cheap. Hathaway should be easy to keep and I think Ferland is worth another shot within reason. Kevin and Chiasson can disappear.
All told we should end up with another top forward and goaltender acquisition. Other expiring contracts should make room for Gillies/Rittich, one or two of Kylington, Andersson, Kulak and one or two of Jankowski, Klimchuk, Shinkaruk, Poirier, Pribyl or Mangiapane.
Just focus on one high end forward and goalie, then let the youngsters round out the roster.
Brouwer thought the Flames would be a really good team when they signed him last summer.
Quote:
But coming from a guy that has played for three top notch organizations — the Chicago Blackhawks, the Washington Capitals, and the St. Louis Blues — it’s tough not to believe him when he talks about the on-paper version of the Calgary Flames.
“It reminds me of the really early years in Chicago,” the newcomer was saying prior to hitting the links of Country Hills Golf Club. “When I got to Washington, they were a little further along. The young bodies on this team, the young kids, the way they play the game … with (Brian) Elliott in net, I feel we have an unbelievable goalie, with him and Johnson. Our D-corps are absolutely phenomenal, we just have to make sure they have confidence to move the puck. The previous coaches have kind of hindered them a little bit.
“Then, our forward group. Young. Lots of energy. Lots of speed. Lots of skill. It’s going to be a fun group to play with.”
Unprompted, Brouwer offers his analysis.
Because that potential — much like the Blackhawks once upon a time — is one of the biggest reasons why he came to Calgary and signed a long-term deal with the Flames.
I just ventured over to HF to see some "Flames fan" try and spew that we need a complete top down rebuild and only Tkachuk is safe. The over reaction is insane.
The Flames are struggling for a couple of reasons but the biggest reason is the star players sucking. Monahan's hot streak has him on track for 50pts but that is down from his past 2 seasons. Gaudreau looks very average out there. The sneaky passes he used to make getnpicked off, the hits he used to dodge are connecting, and he looks frustrated. Bennett has taken a step back and having a sophomore slump. Gio and Brodie are both struggling and will not come close to the stats (scoresheet or advanced) that they are used to.
The new free agent acquisitions have also failed to make a difference. Brouwer sucks most of the time and doesn't appear to be a good leader or play a heavy game. Elliott has been a distfrom day 1 and has not solved the goaltending problem. Chaisson for some reason is being shoved down our throats as a top 6 when he is a 4th liner. Johnson who is a reason we are in the race has been a great signing at the dollars but is cooling off. Still a great backup 1B however.
The reason this team is still in a playoff spot/in the mix is due to the 3M line being consistent throughout the year. These 3 have been simply fantastic and if we received the expected level of play from the rest of the forwards perhaps the Flames are comfortable in a division spot? Dougie Hamilton has also been very solid at both ends of the ice since
His slow start. He generates chances and makes some sound defensive plays. Role players like Stajan, and Engellend have provided good value in their roles albeit overpaid.
A very hot run by Johnson, coupled with league best special teams put the Flames in a spot to compete. The underlying issues with the team have not subsided. The star players have not been up to standard or consistent, the goaltending is inconsistent, and the coach/captain does not have this team ready to play.
They have a few options
1- Feaster style aka minimal deadline moves and hope they can go on a big streak to get in (Flames 11-12 seasons)
2- Sell their UFAs at the deadline for picks (Wideman, Engellend, Versteeg, Chaisson)
3- slight roster tinkering (make a move for a 4/5 D, add an inexpensive scoring forward)
4- make a blockbuster trade involving picks, prospects, core players
5- buy rentals at the deadline and hope it pushes them over the top (highly unlikely and very dumb)
So he signed with the team because he expects the team to become a contender. Was comparing them to the early Hawks team he played on that won the Stanley cup.
It's amazing you need people to spell these things out for you.
So he signed with the team because he expects the team to become a contender. Was comparing them to the early Hawks team he played on that won the Stanley cup.
It's amazing you need people to spell these things out for you.
He's too busy trying to practice his one-liners to pay attention to what you're saying, but don't worry - it's a wasted effort because he's being outdone by a videogame character with pretty bad voice acting.
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So he signed with the team because he expects the team to become a contender. Was comparing them to the early Hawks team he played on that won the Stanley cup.
It's amazing you need people to spell these things out for you.
So you think last year's team that finished bottom 5 in the league was a 20 goal scorer and 1B goalie away from being a contender?
So you think last year's team that finished bottom 5 in the league was a 20 goal scorer and 1B goalie away from being a contender?
Well, Troy Brouwer did. Sorry if it doesn't fit with your hilarious boiler plate analysis of "everyone on the team sucks!" "nobody has any talent!" "trade everbody!"
So he signed with the team because he expects the team to become a contender. Was comparing them to the early Hawks team he played on that won the Stanley cup.
It's amazing you need people to spell these things out for you.
No, he signed with the team because he expects to retire to Calgary and it's close to family. He said as much
