Biggest needs going into the season?

[Hoop27]

Could Sam Bennett be considered a possible scoring threat option to play with Mony and JG, assuming Janko is ready for a 3rd line center role?

As for most important position to fill is #1 Goalie no question.

[Roof-Daddy]

Originally Posted by Hoop27

Could Sam Bennett be considered a possible scoring threat option to play with Mony and JG, assuming Janko is ready for a 3rd line center role?

I'd hate to see him move from center now. He spent all year learning how play good defence at the NHL level, my hope is he becomes a Backlund/Monahan hybrid.

As good as Backlund defensively, with Monahan's offensive touch. A 30 goal, 60 point stud defensive center is what Bergeron is and I'd hate to lose that potential just to stick him on the wing.

[Par]

Originally Posted by David Struch

So,

Gaudreau – Monahan – _____
Tkachuk – Backlund – Frolik
_____ – Bennett – _____
Ferland – Lazar – _____
_____ –_____


Giordano – Hamilton
Brodie – _____
_____ – _____
_____

_____
_____

Yes pretty much, there are going to be lots of desperate teams(Canadiens, Caps(if they don't win anything), the Wild and with expansion draft lots of action, so lots of opportunities to fill those holes. The best thing would be if Brouwer is taken by Vegas.

[EldrickOnIce]

If expansion draft allows Treliving a do-over on Brouwer, I hope he either banks it or pays up for someone who actually contribute. Skill costs.
Cannot waste 4.5 on that type of player and be able to pay skill. Cannot.

Do not want 'physical' D. Need guys who can move the puck and push the play. Please do not squander valuable resources on old school type defensemen. Teams emoloying these dinosaurs are dropping like flies from the playoffs again.

I don't know who exactly, but need to find that go to starting goalie. Can't do otherwise again.

So yeah, same as last year - but should be opportunity for a guy as thorough and tenacious as Treliving to find something out there.

Also need to give opportunity for farm to step up. The window is now opening, and Flames will need a few guys outperforming their contracts to make this all work.

[Always Earned Never Given]

Easy. Time machine to return back to the mid 2000's and bring back those versions of #12, #28 and #34.

We'd then be stacked.

[Par]

When ever I read NHL or hockey related stuff(not just Calgary Flames), they always say that "you cannot win the cup with out a elite #1 center"(visited so many sites, not Flames related as well), how true is this? #### everyone else but do we have that elite center?

This is from the Montreal Canadiens board on HFboards(and it is not HFboards, even site that are Montreal Canadiens related(like CP is to the Flames) say the same thing.

"Plekanec/Galchenyuk are not the same calibre as what Stanley Cup winning #1 centres are. Since the first lockout, Crosby (X2 Cups), Toews (X3 Cups), Kopitar (X2 Cups), Bergeron, Datsyuk, MacDonald, and Staal. Even MacDonald, the weakest name on this list, was a PPG centre at the time, on an Anaheim team that had both Pronger and Niedermayer."

[Rick M.]

[QUOTE=Hoop27;6237479]Could Sam Bennett be considered a possible scoring threat option to play with Mony and JG, assuming Janko is ready for a 3rd line center role.

Can Johnny play the right side? If Bennett struggles at centre next season, it might be an option.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Par

When ever I read NHL or hockey related stuff(not just Calgary Flames), they always say that "you cannot win the cup with out a elite #1 center"(visited so many sites, not Flames related as well), how true is this? #### everyone else but do we have that elite center?

Yes. Of the several places where the Flames need to improve, the centre-ice position is not one of them.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Par

Don't you think Sean Monahan is that? if he is not, would you package in a trade for one?

Originally Posted by Textcritic

Sean Monahan is 21-years-old, the highest scoring member of his draft class, and was a top-ten scoring centre in the WC despite having what many consider to be an "off" year. I would suggest that your expectations are probably completely unrealistic.

It's not a knock on Monahan. I didn't mean to imply he had an off year or wasn't progressing.

Elite teams tend to have an embarrassment of riches for top line center options.

[Roof-Daddy]

The team that's won the most Cups in recently has an elite two way center for sure, but even then Toews doesn't put up anything close to "elite" offensive numbers and the center depth behind him has never been anything to write home about.

Madden?
Shaw?
Kruger?
Bolland?

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

It's not a knock on Monahan. I didn't mean to imply he had an off year or wasn't progressing.

Elite teams tend to have an embarrassment of riches for top line center options.

I wouldn't say that's necessarily true. Or maybe it is, but you don't appear to need to be elite to win the cup or go far in the playoffs then.

It's helpful but not a requirement. I can think of only 2-3 teams with an embarrassment of riches for top line center options. And by "embarrassment of riches" I mean two different players who could probably be the number one center.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by Hoop27

Could Sam Bennett be considered a possible scoring threat option to play with Mony and JG, assuming Janko is ready for a 3rd line center role?

As for most important position to fill is #1 Goalie no question.

Rather move Tkachuk to RW. He'd be a great fit stylistically with little Johnny and Mony

[DomeFoam]

Needs:

1. Elite goaltender
2. Careful and meticulous attention to detail when designing new jersey, including a series of tests (what they look like on the ice through a tv screen, do they have vertical piping thrown in somewhere? Is there a flag on them?)
3. Top line winger
4. Show new jersey concept at STH meeting - do the fans like them? Does Ken King like them?
5. If fans like them, skip to 7. If Ken King likes them, continue to 6.
6. Throw out concept and undergo creation of new designs.
7. Congratulations, you have listened to the people that keep your business afloat.
8. Send Brouwer to the sun.

[Love]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

Rather move Tkachuk to RW. He'd be a great fit stylistically with little Johnny and Mony

Rather move Sean with Matthew and Johnny with Sam. I think Sean plays more assertive when Johnny isn't on his line (looked great with Brouwer and Versteeg) and Matthew is an elite passer and along the boards, give them Frolik for speed and puck retrievals. Johnny and Sam are both rush players that love to stickhandle and make flashy plays. Sam is faster than Sean and is better in his own zone, so that balances out that line. Give them Ferland for physicality and another behind the net presence that can open up time and space for Johnny and Sam to make plays, he can also act as the sniper of that line as well. Put Johnny and Sean together for the PP1 because they are lethal together on the powerplay and Sean's one timer / hands around the net are elite.

Let Backlund mentor Jankowski on the third line.

Tkachuk-Monahan-Frolik
Gaudreau-Bennett-Ferland
Jankowski-Backlund-(Versteeg*)

I think that really improves our lines, gives us a more balanced attack both offensively and defensively. 3 lines that can put the puck in the net while none being a liability in their own zones.

[Trolleydodger]

My monitor must be broken, those jersey selections didn't show up in green.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

I don't mind the idea of Tkachuk with Monahsn and Johnny with Bennett. But I don't think Jankowski as a winger makes any sense. Stylistically he's a pure playmaking centre.

[VilleN]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

or wah wah wah?

I definitely read all of his posts with that sound in the background... actually makes it quite funny... like a Debbie Downer type of character.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[GullFoss]

1) #1 goalie
2) Re-sign stone
3) Big season from Bennett and emergence of Kylington / Andersson
4) Iggy and Versteeg

Johnny-Monahan-Ferland
Frolik-Backlund-Versteeg
Tkachuk-Bennett-Lazar
Hamilton-Jankowski-Iggy
Hathaway

Hamilton-Giordano
Stone-Brodie
Kylington-Andersson
Bartowski

#1 goalie
Johnson

[bigrangy]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

I don't mind the idea of Tkachuk with Monahsn and Johnny with Bennett. But I don't think Jankowski as a winger makes any sense. Stylistically he's a pure playmaking centre.

I've watched a bunch of Stockton games and I think he could actually end up being a great power RW. He's definitely most dangerous on the rush and he loves to cut in from the right side to let go a wrister in the slot (see his goal today for an example). There probably won't be a future for him at center on this team but with his puck protection and passing ability I think a Gaudreau-Monahan/Bennett-Janowski line would end up working pretty well.