2017/2018 Trade Speculation and Rumors

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by shutout

If Bennett is not able to play with two smart and skilled players and contribute than he is too stupid to keep on the team and we need to move him out. Trade him and the second first round pick acquired for O Reilly.

So all a #1 centre has to do is be able to play with smart and skilled players?
That seems counter to the fact that in the NHL #1 centers are considered the most valuable commodity.

What precisely has Sam demonstrated to suggest he can be an effective #1 NHL pivot. Is it the lack of consistent production? Bone handed penalties in the offensive zone? Blown assignments?

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by Oling_Roachinen

If you want to look at the leadership issue, maybe look at the actual leaders of the team? Start at the top at Ken King and Brad Treliving and go down from there.

that ain't the top, bud

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by Mass_nerder

I think it's clear that he's playing injured right now, but I think it's a pretty big jump to suggest that he has some major back injury from off season training several years before.
Where are you getting that info from, or if it's a complete guess, what makes you draw that conclusion?

And even then since Feb 1st:

T-1st in Goals: 8 (Gaudreau - 8)
1st in Primary Assists: 10
2nd in points: 20 (Gaudreau - 24)
T-1st in Takeaways: 18 (Backlund)

So he's still producing even through this injury.

Trading one of our only forwards that can produce, and one whom has great chemistry with our best forward,
would be idiotic.

[yourbestfriend]

Monahan isn't the problem. However, it is a problem when a team has Monahan as their #1C. You can point to his goal scoring stats all you want but the fact is that when you watch him play, he doesn't drive play and make his teammates better, attributes that are desirable with a #1C.
If you don't include this year, on paper he's had similar or better stats than guys like Bergeron, Makinnon and Toews the last few seasons, but when you actually watch them play, they are not the same tier players.
The Flames don't need to blow things up, yes our team played well below expectations this year but trading away any core pieces is the wrong move. I believe we have some of the right pieces in place, but they sure do need a lot of help.

[oldschoolcalgary]

SIAP

but JVR would be a nice add in the offseason; problem is, its a pretty weak UFA year, so he'll get way overpaid...

Calgary simply cannot finish of late and its killed them

definitely feel like they re-emphasize drafting skilled forwards, especially since they are stocked with defensive prospects at the moment...

seeing how good marner has been as a #4 pick overall makes me sad.

[N-E-B]

I can't believe anyone still thinks having a guy that scores 25-30 goals a season as your #1 centre is the problem with this team.

They have no depth. That's the problem. Quit over-thinking things. Trading Monahan to the Leafs for Marner is insane, and suggesting he isn't an adequate #1 centre is equally ridiculous.

[Monahammer]

WTF is happening here? Trade Monahan? Lol that's absolute lunacy.

There are 4 players on the flames who shouldn't be traded: Monahan-Gaudreau-Tkachuk-Hamilton. 2 wingers, 1 centre, 1 D. Ideally, we should add an untouchable goalie to the mix (maybe that's by developing one further, I don't know).

Everyone else should be moveable, but trading a centre like Monahan is a sure recipe for failure.

I also disagree with the notion that Monahan as #1C is a problem. It's Backlund as a #2C that's the problem. We are essentially missing a whole scoring line. I think it's clear at the beginning of the season Tre recognized this already, which is why we forced Bennett to play centre for so long, they were really hoping he would finally take. It's also why there were rumors we were in on Turris (and even Duchene last summer). When it was clear Bennett was a winger at this level, they tried Jankowski, who also couldn't get it done. That's been the big hole in Treliving's plan, and it's not one we currently have a plan to fix. It will certainly require trading one or more of Brodie/Janko/Bennett to fill, so we shouldn't be too surprised/heartbroken if and when that happens.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by N-E-B

I can't believe anyone still thinks having a guy that scores 25-30 goals a season as your #1 centre is the problem with this team.

They have no depth. That's the problem. Quit over-thinking things. Trading Monahan to the Leafs for Marner is insane, and suggesting he isn't an adequate #1 centre is equally ridiculous.

I don't think the Flames should trade Monahan. But the fact their #1 C is a one-dimensional sniper is certainly a weakness of the team. Can you name some Stanley Cup winners or finalists in recent years who had a one-dimensional sniper as their #1 C? They almost all rely on two-way centres who drive play with the puck and can shut down opposing lines without the puck. Crosby, Toews, Kopitar, Bergeron.

[Oling_Roachinen]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

I don't think the Flames should trade Monahan. But the fact their #1 C is a one-dimensional sniper is certainly a weakness of the team. Can you name some Stanley Cup winners or finalists in recent years who had a one-dimensional sniper as their #1 C? They almost all rely on two-way centres who drive play with the puck and can shut down opposing lines without the puck. Crosby, Toews, Kopitar, Bergeron.

https://www.thescore.com/nhl/news/741011

"He's probably in that (Jonathan) Toews group in terms of that all-around guy who can play minutes and play situations and play against top guys," Sutter said.

Let's see how he does with a real coach behind the bench. It wasn't too long ago he was being compared to Toews by NHL coaches, among many pundits.

[Travis Munroe]

Posted in another thread yesterday but nobody should be traded until we see what they do under a different coach and system. Watch a new coach get the best of guys like Bennett, Hamonic, Hathaway, etc. Watch lines get shuffled and we could have 4 solid lines instead of being scared to shuffle the deck because 1 line is working.

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

WTF is happening here? Trade Monahan? Lol that's absolute lunacy.

There are 4 players on the flames who shouldn't be traded: Monahan-Gaudreau-Tkachuk-Hamilton. 2 wingers, 1 centre, 1 D. Ideally, we should add an untouchable goalie to the mix (maybe that's by developing one further, I don't know).

Everyone else should be moveable, but trading a centre like Monahan is a sure recipe for failure.

I also disagree with the notion that Monahan as #1C is a problem. It's Backlund as a #2C that's the problem. We are essentially missing a whole scoring line. I think it's clear at the beginning of the season Tre recognized this already, which is why we forced Bennett to play centre for so long, they were really hoping he would finally take. It's also why there were rumors we were in on Turris (and even Duchene last summer). When it was clear Bennett was a winger at this level, they tried Jankowski, who also couldn't get it done. That's been the big hole in Treliving's plan, and it's not one we currently have a plan to fix. It will certainly require trading one or more of Brodie/Janko/Bennett to fill, so we shouldn't be too surprised/heartbroken if and when that happens.

The coaching staff are bunch of idiots then. Just play Bennett with Frolik and Tckachuk. Backlund can literally play with anybody.

[Monahammer]

Originally Posted by Shazam

The coaching staff are bunch of idiots then. Just play Bennett with Frolik and Tckachuk. Backlund can literally play with anybody.

Absolutely. I think they've proven that time and time again this season.

although I would be interested in seeing the line you mentioned, I am not very confident in Bennett as a centre (at least not under Gulu).

[Love]

Originally Posted by yourbestfriend

Monahan isn't the problem. However, it is a problem when a team has Monahan as their #1C. You can point to his goal scoring stats all you want but the fact is that when you watch him play, he doesn't drive play and make his teammates better, attributes that are desirable with a #1C.
If you don't include this year, on paper he's had similar or better stats than guys like Bergeron, Makinnon and Toews the last few seasons, but when you actually watch them play, they are not the same tier players.
The Flames don't need to blow things up, yes our team played well below expectations this year but trading away any core pieces is the wrong move. I believe we have some of the right pieces in place, but they sure do need a lot of help.

Exactly. With him leading the charge down the middle we’re not going anywhere. How is our number 1 center slow as molasses, horrible defensively, can barely skate the puck into the zone, timid, weak along the boards and not anything special as a passer? Guy is just as vanilla as they come. He puts up numbers on the board, but he isn’t a real game changer. This goes beyond the stats on hockeydb. He just doesn’t have the tools or ability to create or drive the offense at all and for a team with hopefully playoff and then in turn also cup aspirations, that’s not good enough. He’s the Langkow to Johnny’s Iginla.

[Shazam]

Man even with Toews Chicago's been awful this year.

[MikeMc]

Originally Posted by Love

Exactly. With him leading the charge down the middle we’re not going anywhere. How is our number 1 center slow as molasses, horrible defensively, can barely skate the puck into the zone, timid, weak along the boards and not anything special as a passer? Guy is just as vanilla as they come. He puts up numbers on the board, but he isn’t a real game changer. This goes beyond the stats on hockeydb. He just doesn’t have the tools or ability to create or drive the offense at all and for a team with hopefully playoff and then in turn also cup aspirations, that’s not good enough. He’s the Langkow to Johnny’s Iginla.

Play Monahan away from Johnny the last games of the year and see what happens. He's top 10 in the league, maybe even top 5, at one thing - scoring within 8 feet with his shot. I'm not sure he's a number 1 center at anything else.

Did things come too easy for him? Hes been a 20 goal plus scorer from day 1, he's never really had to develop anything else.

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by Shazam

Man even with Toews Chicago's been awful this year.

They were a playoff team until Crawford went down.

Sound familiar?

[Scroopy Noopers]

Originally Posted by Shazam

Man even with Toews Chicago's been awful this year.

Yes, even with the most overrated player in the league.

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by Love

Exactly. With him leading the charge down the middle we’re not going anywhere. How is our number 1 center slow as molasses, horrible defensively, can barely skate the puck into the zone, timid, weak along the boards and not anything special as a passer? Guy is just as vanilla as they come. He puts up numbers on the board, but he isn’t a real game changer. This goes beyond the stats on hockeydb. He just doesn’t have the tools or ability to create or drive the offense at all and for a team with hopefully playoff and then in turn also cup aspirations, that’s not good enough. He’s the Langkow to Johnny’s Iginla.

I definitely do not agree with your take on Monahan. The guy scores clutch goals every year. Leads the team in GWG and OT goals. Averages 27.5 goals per game in his 5 seasons and that’s is if he doesn’t score another goal.

The guy definitely puts up solid production for making less than $6.5M on the cap per year.

I don’t disagree he has stretches where you don’t notice him foand stretches and that would be concerning if he made Draisaitl cash but he doesn’t.

[Lanny_McDonald]

Originally Posted by Shazam

The coaching staff are bunch of idiots then. Just play Bennett with Frolik and Tckachuk. Backlund can literally play with anybody.

The coaching staff should be looking at viable pairs to build their lines around. It doesn't matter who you play with Monahan and Gaudreau, they are going to score. Backlund and Frolik have been shown to be a very effective pair in both ends of the ice, but most importantly on the defensive side of the puck. What you need to do is find a player that can elevate Bennett to be a top notch player and complete another pair. To me, that player is Tkachuk. Both play a very similar game and would drive the opposition up the wall with the physical play and ability to make things happen. IMO this is the lineup I would ice for the rest of the year.

Gaudreau-Monahan-Ferland
Bennett-Jankowski-Tkachuk
Frolik-Backlund-Brouwer
Stajan-Shore-Hathaway

Next fall I hope that we can make a trade and bring in a guy that can finish and improve the third line.

Gaudreau-Monahan-Hoffman
Bennett-Jankowski-Tkachuk
Dube-Backlund-Frolik
Ferland-Shore-Hathaway

I think that is going to be a tough lineup to play against. You have some flexibility with Ferland who can play up and down the lineup, which is beneficial when injuries hit.

[yourbestfriend]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

I definitely do not agree with your take on Monahan. The guy scores clutch goals every year. Leads the team in GWG and OT goals. Averages 27.5 goals per game in his 5 seasons and that’s is if he doesn’t score another goal.

The guy definitely puts up solid production for making less than $6.5M on the cap per year.

I don’t disagree he has stretches where you don’t notice him foand stretches and that would be concerning if he made Draisaitl cash but he doesn’t.

No one is disputing the amount of goals he scores, but that isn't the only metric by which you judge a #1C. They need to impact the game in every single aspect, which is why I keep bringing up the eye test. I do feel like the previous poster was a little harsh in his assessment, but he's not too far off. Monahan doesn't really have a whole lot of impact on the game unless he's scoring.
The team needs help down the middle more than it needs help on the wings.