As the core stands now, do you believe it has cup potential?

[djsFlames]

Going to be honest, I don't think Monahan is the Centre that will push them over the edge. Hope he continues to improve in consistency but despite some clutch goals I simply don't see him dominate enough out there to be the top line center to lead a team to a cup. The rest of the core is solid but I continue to feel we're missing something from that 1C required to have cup potential.

Things like you see in Crosby, Getzlaf, Toews (at playoff time), and this year McDavid.

[Par]

Originally Posted by Iceman90

Often easier said than done, my friend.

I have faith in Brad Trevling, if he can get a Dougie Hamilton like trade, than we are set.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Some of you have way too rigid definitions of what it takes to be a contender. There is no perfect teams with every slot having the perfect fit. A perfect team is above and beyond what it takes to legitimately contend. When the Kings won in 2014 they had two guys score more then 20 goals in the regular season. Corey Crawford has two cups with the Hawks but has never been an elite tender IMO.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

Some of you have way too rigid definitions of what it takes to be a contender. There is no perfect teams with every slot having the perfect fit. A perfect team is above and beyond what it takes to legitimately contend. When the Kings won in 2014 they had two guys score more then 20 goals in the regular season. Corey Crawford has two cups with the Hawks but has never been an elite tender IMO.

Agree with the sentiment but in the case of the Flames they are missing multiple pieces of a variety of blueprints.

Sure the kings won with low scoring because they had elite defenders and an elite, perhaps the best, goalie in the league.

Corey Crawford may not be elite but the Hawks won with 2 or 3 lines worth of scoring on top of having 3 elite offensive weapons in the lineup.

Right now the Flames don't have either. If they added one or the other they'd probably be a contending team.

I think if you added a 30 goal scoring winger to this roster right now they are serious cup contenders. Likewise if you added a top 3 goalie.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Yeah, don't disagree with any of that Flash. Just a little odd to see arguments that the Flames aren't/won't be contenders until they fill every hole in their roster. No team is built perfectly and some winners are built for defence (LA) or offence (Hawks).

Agree the Flames needs to fill in their roster to still be contenders, but it's not as dire as some think.

[Par]

Originally Posted by djsFlames

Going to be honest, I don't think Monahan is the Centre that will push them over the edge. Hope he continues to improve in consistency but despite some clutch goals I simply don't see him dominate enough out there to be the top line center to lead a team to a cup. The rest of the core is solid but I continue to feel we're missing something from that 1C required to have cup potential.

Things like you see in Crosby, Getzlaf, Toews (at playoff time), and this year McDavid.

Monahan has good numbers so far and the playoffs he has played in he has 6 points in 11 games, which is not bad.

This year we will find out what we have in Monahan.

[Par]

Originally Posted by Flash Walken

Agree with the sentiment but in the case of the Flames they are missing multiple pieces of a variety of blueprints.

Sure the kings won with low scoring because they had elite defenders and an elite, perhaps the best, goalie in the league.

Corey Crawford may not be elite but the Hawks won with 2 or 3 lines worth of scoring on top of having 3 elite offensive weapons in the lineup.

Right now the Flames don't have either. If they added one or the other they'd probably be a contending team.

I think if you added a 30 goal scoring winger to this roster right now they are serious cup contenders. Likewise if you added a top 3 goalie.

It is easier to add a 30 goal scoring winger than a top 3 goalie, if Eilliott plays the way he has in the second half of the season than we have a elite goalie.

[Darkknight]

Just because McDavid puts up points doesn't put him in the same category as the other centers. His defensive game is basically on par with Gaudreau, which is to say non-existent. Aside from using a quick stick lift to steal the puck neither play defense and are constantly jumping the zone looking for a break away. I'd rather have Monahan on the ice for the final minute in a one goal game then McDavid.

[Reggie Dunlop]

Originally Posted by Par

I have faith in Brad Trevling, if he can get a Dougie Hamilton like trade, than we are set.

Impact trades for young talent are few and far between.

Some of the young reclamation projects like Lazar and Shinkaruk need to pan out (or at least be solid depth players).

Player development is the key.

[Rollin22x]

This year the Flames look like a TEAM. They appear to be a closer group with guys sticking up for each other and not just the usual players that are expected to that.
I think that's why anything can happen in the play offs. A few guys will elevate their game and draw the rest of them in.
Cup potential is possible if they play their game and GG makes necessary tweaks to manage the game.

[Savvy27]

While I think some people are baselessly pessimistic about Monahan's upside, it's no disrespect to say that he is not currently an elite level 1C. Everybody seems to be preaching patience with Bennett and Jankowski but Monahan has a lot of room to grow still too.

It's not perfect but I see the Monahan vs Kesler battle as a microcosm of the Flames as a team. Once Monahan takes that step where he is winning the majority of his battles against Kesler, he will transcend being an also-ran as a top center. Same with the Flames as a team. When they can stick to their own game and beat the Ducks and others head to head they will be a contender and I think the Monahan battle will be a major part of the overall picture.

Overall I am very optimistic about this core. If Parsons or Gillies can become elite then I think the pieces are in place. An elite RW would be great but there are very few teams with no holes.

[Ruttiger]

Originally Posted by Zoller

I feel its a repeat of the 80's. Flames will have a good team, maybe a great team. But the Oilers will just be better and overshadow us during the peak years of our core.

Hope I'm wrong but... Sure does look that way

I approve this message.

[Roof-Daddy]

It will be interesting to see what way BT goes this off-season when adding a goalie to the core mix.

We heard rumors that he was after Martin Jones, Matt Murray and Cam Talbot.
We also heard rumors that he was after Ben Bishop, MAF and he eventually landed on Elliot.

Does he go with a seasoned veteran with a lower acquisition cost, or does he try to land a younger guy who might now be flushed out at a cheaper price due to the expansion draft. A younger guy that matches closer to the age of our core and can stick with the team through it's entire contention window.

I find myself hoping for Bishop if he goes the veteran route, as I think this season was more likely just an off year, and for the next several years he's more likely to go back to what he was during his three years as a starter in Tampa, which is an elite 60 game starter with the ability to put the entire team on his back during a playoff run.

If he goes after a younger starter, Grubauer and Pickard both seem like they have the chops to become very good NHL starting goalies for the next decade or so, and might get shaken loose because of expansion.

[Par]

Originally Posted by Reggie Dunlop

Impact trades for young talent are few and far between.

Some of the young reclamation projects like Lazar and Shinkaruk need to pan out (or at least be solid depth players).

Player development is the key.

Very true but I don't think Lazar or Shinkaruk has been given time to play on the big team because he have some ####ty players that need to be played because of contracts.

As for Monahan, he has play more physical, he has the size, by physical, I don't mean drop the gloves, I mean play with more intensity, we will see how he does against the Ducks, a huge test for all the team. These playoffs will give us a good idea of where the team stands and what need to be addressed going forward.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Only Flames fans can be talking about the off season and how to continue to build a contending team on the eve of the playoffs.

Can't we blindly love our team and be massive annoying homers for even one day?

[Itse]

No team without a superstar forward is going to be among the cup favourites, and we don't have that.

We do have several guys who can develop into top 10 forwards in the league, but it's impossible to say if they'll reach that level with any consistency. (Bennett, Monahan, Gaudreau, Tkachuk.)

However, not all cups go to cup favourites. I think you can build a consistent challenger around this core. We're already at a level where winning the goalie battle can win us any series. If Elliott goes hot during the playoffs, we're going to be a really tough team to beat.

[polak]

If they play to their potential, yes.

They have had a lot of trouble this season with consistency though. Especially the stars.

Also Gaudreau has been a 60-70 point player for 2/3 seasons so far. If that's his actual potential then the Flames need another player of at least that level. If Gaudreau can be the 6th in the scoring race, ppg player he was last year on a consistent basis where he would win games single handily than we're good on that front.

[Badgers Nose]

Yes. Need more seasoning.

[Fan in Exile]

Originally Posted by JohnnyB

Agree with this. What's the difference between the Sharks and the Hawks in the West or the Caps and the Pens in the East with regards to being considered cup contenders every year? Arguably, it's the playoff performances of key players. We'll soon find out if the Flames are more Thornton and Ovechkin, or more Toews and Crosby.

I think Elliot has already shown with the Blues that he can be a big playoff performer, so I'm pretty optimistic about our goaltending and hope the Flames keep him for a few more years. The rest? We are yet to see.

I have a good feeling about a number of our key pieces though, especially Ferland, Tkatchuk, Johnny and Gio.

I hope Elliott has a good playoffs this year too but last year's run was the first year he has had a good playoffs. Before that he and the Blues had several disappointing early round exits and he lost the starting job for the playoffs. Even last playoffs, he didn't have Hitchcock's full confidence.

So yes, I guess he's shown he can win in the playoffs - in the same way Niemi and Fleury have - but more disappointing than successful performances historically speaking. At least the positive is most recent. We'll definitely need him at his best to beat Anaheim. If he lets in goals like that shot from the boards by Bieksa when the game is tied, it will be a short series. Hoping for the best.

[Fan in Exile]

It's hard to read the core's potential. Teams like the Oilers, the Leafs, the Jets and the Sabres seem to have more talent. The Flames have more depth but less star-power. I like how they're built. Maybe Tkachuk turns out to be our Claude Lemieux - a solid enough regular season guy who takes it to another level at playoff time. I could definitely see it. I don't mind the analogy between the Flames/Oilers of the 80s. It's a different era and I could see the Flames coming out on top.