Francis with Kerr: Who is going?

[djsFlames]

Pretty sure Johnny really wants to win. But like others pointed out, he's limited at imposing that will to win with his size.

If you trade him at any point, you'd better be talking about a top 3 pick and dynamic prospect coming back. No A player for a pile of C players type of thing.

I question the drive of some of the players when it comes to those 'must win' stretches for sure. The tough part of evaluating is not knowing who was playing hurt, the extent of it, and how much that played into things as well.

I think injecting Shore, Andersson and Foo alone will provide them with more inspired play. Stajan walks, maybe one or two other players with question marks around their will to win.

Dealing from defence to add scoring is the obvious offseason move to make.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Took a long break but here are my thoughts on the Flames, what went wrong, how close we are to contending and how to get there.

What Went Wrong?

The league is now a 3 line league. I think in order for the Flames to be contenders we need to have 2 scoring lines and an elite checking line. I think part of the problem this year was that GG over utilized Backlund/Frolik as offensive players when I think their strength lies in being elite checking line players. In order to develop two scoring lines I think one of Bennett or Jankowski needed to be developed into a 2nd line scoring centre. IMO GG did not put these players in position to succeed at this because we did not play any of our top offensive wingers with those players. IMO it was a mistake to keep Tkachuk on our checking line where some of his offence was wasted by being played with Backlund/Frolik. Tkachuk or Gaudreau was needed to play wing with Bennett/Jankowski in order to give those kids confidence and create a secondary threat line that could be used offensively. This would've freed up Backlund/Frolik to be used as an elite shutdown line. IMO one of GG's biggest failings is not realizing appropriate roles for players like Tkachuk, Backlund and Frolik and how to build up Bennett/Jankowski into top two line players. This alone is cause for his firing IMO before you even get into the issue of him not being a good emotional leader and motivator for the club. Obviously not having Giordano and Hamilton on the first powerplay unit for the half the year is indefensible and once again points to this coaching staff not recognizing the talent on this team and how to utilize it. GG may be good at coaching his system but he fails completely at building depth on a team and utilizing the players at hand.

How Close are we to having a Contending Roster?

The Flames are not a rebuilding team. It is bizarre to me that some fans think we are still in the rebuild. IMO the Flames have most of the components needed to be a contending team. Obviously we're short a scoring winger and this remains the only large and noticeable hole. The rest I think falls into place if players are slotted better. Some have argued in this thread that we don't have contending depth at centre with Monahan/Backlund as our top two centres. I agree with that in a sense. To me the Flames are contenders once Bennett or Jankowski pushes Backlund down to be an elite 3rd line checking centre. Inexplicably we haven't really seen Bennett or Jankowski centering top two line wingers so we don't know if they can handle that but in theory I think both have the capabilities to do so. Bennett does look better on the wing to me but I think can be developed into a top two line player still. Some people don't have the patience required to develop young players and want them dealt before they are fully developed. I think we should probably sit on Bennett unless someone overpays.

So what do the Flames need to do to become a contender? The big step for me is to hire a competent coaching staff that put players in the right slots. The second step is to trade for or sign another scoring winger.

How Do We Get There?

Do we need more heart? More guys who hate to lose? Perhaps. Out of all the names I've seen mentioned in this thread as fitting Francis's description the one that sticks out most to me is Hamilton.

Hamilton has the skill and physical tools to be a Pronger like defenseman. What he lacks is the drive to play physical, to make the opposition pay a big price to come into our defensive zone. He also doesn't seem to be as engaged defensively as he does offensively. Does this mean he lacks heart or doesn't hate losing enough? In a way I think it does. Is it a problem? By itself no. But perhaps there are too many players like this on the Flames. Gaudreau can't be physical due to his size constraints. But both Monahan and Hamilton lack a physical engagement despite having good size and strength. Both seem to lack a passion and urgency at times. Does this mean we have to trade one or both? I don't think it does. That said I think both Monahan and Hamilton would fetch an absolute ransom in terms of trades. To use the examples being heavily used in this thread I think both Monahan and Hamilton hold more value than Richards/Carter did and I think you could get an absolute haul back from certain GMs for either guy. Out of the two I'd rather keep Monahan as I think his drawbacks are less important than Dougie's. Also we don't have a replacement for Monahan if we were to deal him whereas our strength in prospects lies on the defense.

Brodie. Brodie has not looked great since he was switched to LD. Some people have argued this has tanked his value. But GMs don't usually just base valuations solely on the last season or 2 played. Their idea of a player and valuation of a player is based on their entire career. Some GMs will think they might be able to get more out of Brodie in a different situation. IMO Brodie is worth a 1st+ or a scoring winger. Would I rather trade Brodie or Dougie? I would definitely rather trade Brodie.

Gaudreau. I think you can win with him. I think if our whole roster is built around him as our main weapon we would struggle. But I don't think that will be the case when we're contending. He will be one of many weapons. The % of goals he's in on is an indictment of our secondary scoring more than anything. Gaudreau is not the problem. I'd be inclined to keep him unless you get a crazy offer on him.

So how do we get another scoring winger? I think you have to deal one of Brodie or Hamilton. Our biggest depth in terms of prospects is defensemen. I think Valimaki will be a top 3 defenseman and that he's not very far off. Andersson has some speed issues but other than that has looked very good. Kylington and Fox are both high upside prospects. The obvious way to increase our depth in scoring is to deal a top 3 dman for a scoring winger. And this won't hurt that much considering how many high end young defensemen we have in the system. I would prefer to deal Brodie but I recognize that Hamilton will get you way, way more and the offers for Hamilton may just be too amazing to turn down. I think Hamilton could be dealt for a scoring winger + 1st rounder or top prospect. But if you can find a Brodie for a scoring winger type deal I think that would be the best way to go.

IMO our depth looks pretty good if a new coach can develop Bennett and/or Jankowski into top two line players and we acquire a scoring winger via trade.

Gaudreau-Monahan-New Guy
Tkachuk-Jankowski-Ferland
Bennett-Backlund-Frolik
Brouwer-Lazar-Foo
Shore-Hathaway

I really think coaching let us down this year in many ways. GG did not utilize our players to their best potential and failed to lead, inspire and motivate his team. I think our roster is actually a lot closer to contending than some here believe. I think the team is still asset rich despite trading away the picks for Hamonic and I don't think that was as bad a trade as some believe it was.

Plenty of reasons for optimism should we get a new coaching staff in place. And Treliving still has a lot of assets to work with for when he decides to make moves to balance the roster out. If the Flames do decide to trade a young core player I think Treliving can get a lot back for some of them.

[Reggie Dunlop]

Nice to see you back FDW.

[ricardodw]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

Took a long break but here are my thoughts on the Flames, what went wrong, how close we are to contending and how to get there.

What Went Wrong?

The league is now a 3 line league. I think in order for the Flames to be contenders we need to have 2 scoring lines and an elite checking line. I think part of the problem this year was that GG over utilized Backlund/Frolik as offensive players when I think their strength lies in being elite checking line players. In order to develop two scoring lines I think one of Bennett or Jankowski needed to be developed into a 2nd line scoring centre. IMO GG did not put these players in position to succeed at this because we did not play any of our top offensive wingers with those players. IMO it was a mistake to keep Tkachuk on our checking line where some of his offence was wasted by being played with Backlund/Frolik. Tkachuk or Gaudreau was needed to play wing with Bennett/Jankowski in order to give those kids confidence and create a secondary threat line that could be used offensively. This would've freed up Backlund/Frolik to be used as an elite shutdown line. IMO one of GG's biggest failings is not realizing appropriate roles for players like Tkachuk, Backlund and Frolik and how to build up Bennett/Jankowski into top two line players. This alone is cause for his firing IMO before you even get into the issue of him not being a good emotional leader and motivator for the club. Obviously not having Giordano and Hamilton on the first powerplay unit for the half the year is indefensible and once again points to this coaching staff not recognizing the talent on this team and how to utilize it. GG may be good at coaching his system but he fails completely at building depth on a team and utilizing the players at hand.

How Close are we to having a Contending Roster?

The Flames are not a rebuilding team. It is bizarre to me that some fans think we are still in the rebuild. IMO the Flames have most of the components needed to be a contending team. Obviously we're short a scoring winger and this remains the only large and noticeable hole. The rest I think falls into place if players are slotted better. Some have argued in this thread that we don't have contending depth at centre with Monahan/Backlund as our top two centres. I agree with that in a sense. To me the Flames are contenders once Bennett or Jankowski pushes Backlund down to be an elite 3rd line checking centre. Inexplicably we haven't really seen Bennett or Jankowski centering top two line wingers so we don't know if they can handle that but in theory I think both have the capabilities to do so. Bennett does look better on the wing to me but I think can be developed into a top two line player still. Some people don't have the patience required to develop young players and want them dealt before they are fully developed. I think we should probably sit on Bennett unless someone overpays.

So what do the Flames need to do to become a contender? The big step for me is to hire a competent coaching staff that put players in the right slots. The second step is to trade for or sign another scoring winger.

How Do We Get There?

Do we need more heart? More guys who hate to lose? Perhaps. Out of all the names I've seen mentioned in this thread as fitting Francis's description the one that sticks out most to me is Hamilton.

Hamilton has the skill and physical tools to be a Pronger like defenseman. What he lacks is the drive to play physical, to make the opposition pay a big price to come into our defensive zone. He also doesn't seem to be as engaged defensively as he does offensively. Does this mean he lacks heart or doesn't hate losing enough? In a way I think it does. Is it a problem? By itself no. But perhaps there are too many players like this on the Flames. Gaudreau can't be physical due to his size constraints. But both Monahan and Hamilton lack a physical engagement despite having good size and strength. Both seem to lack a passion and urgency at times. Does this mean we have to trade one or both? I don't think it does. That said I think both Monahan and Hamilton would fetch an absolute ransom in terms of trades. To use the examples being heavily used in this thread I think both Monahan and Hamilton hold more value than Richards/Carter did and I think you could get an absolute haul back from certain GMs for either guy. Out of the two I'd rather keep Monahan as I think his drawbacks are less important than Dougie's. Also we don't have a replacement for Monahan if we were to deal him whereas our strength in prospects lies on the defense.

Brodie. Brodie has not looked great since he was switched to LD. Some people have argued this has tanked his value. But GMs don't usually just base valuations solely on the last season or 2 played. Their idea of a player and valuation of a player is based on their entire career. Some GMs will think they might be able to get more out of Brodie in a different situation. IMO Brodie is worth a 1st+ or a scoring winger. Would I rather trade Brodie or Dougie? I would definitely rather trade Brodie.

Gaudreau. I think you can win with him. I think if our whole roster is built around him as our main weapon we would struggle. But I don't think that will be the case when we're contending. He will be one of many weapons. The % of goals he's in on is an indictment of our secondary scoring more than anything. Gaudreau is not the problem. I'd be inclined to keep him unless you get a crazy offer on him.

So how do we get another scoring winger? I think you have to deal one of Brodie or Hamilton. Our biggest depth in terms of prospects is defensemen. I think Valimaki will be a top 3 defenseman and that he's not very far off. Andersson has some speed issues but other than that has looked very good. Kylington and Fox are both high upside prospects. The obvious way to increase our depth in scoring is to deal a top 3 dman for a scoring winger. And this won't hurt that much considering how many high end young defensemen we have in the system. I would prefer to deal Brodie but I recognize that Hamilton will get you way, way more and the offers for Hamilton may just be too amazing to turn down. I think Hamilton could be dealt for a scoring winger + 1st rounder or top prospect. But if you can find a Brodie for a scoring winger type deal I think that would be the best way to go.

IMO our depth looks pretty good if a new coach can develop Bennett and/or Jankowski into top two line players and we acquire a scoring winger via trade.

Gaudreau-Monahan-New Guy
Tkachuk-Jankowski-Ferland
Bennett-Backlund-Frolik
Brouwer-Lazar-Foo
Shore-Hathaway

I really think coaching let us down this year in many ways. GG did not utilize our players to their best potential and failed to lead, inspire and motivate his team. I think our roster is actually a lot closer to contending than some here believe. I think the team is still asset rich despite trading away the picks for Hamonic and I don't think that was as bad a trade as some believe it was.

Plenty of reasons for optimism should we get a new coaching staff in place. And Treliving still has a lot of assets to work with for when he decides to make moves to balance the roster out. If the Flames do decide to trade a young core player I think Treliving can get a lot back for some of them.

you came close to the edge and you walked back from it. Try finding any successful team with 2 lady Byng guys as their top 2 forwards AND a passive Non-aggressive guy as their big d_man. Toss in Brodie as their best puck mover, skater who avoids physical contact and is a target in important games and you have a team that can't win.

Try to find an elite checking line that has less physicality than Backlund and Frolik... The lines that the checking line has to neutralize pretty much all have a #1 C that is pretty physically imposing and there usually is a power forward on one of the wings. There are no teams in the playoffs with the Sedins as their top line ...not since the Flames beat them in the playoffs


Lowry- Copp - Tanev / Armia / Hendricks for instance is the Jets elite checking line.

The good team runs 3 scoring lines, There is no 4th line (in the Flames tradition) on really good teams.

[browna]

Good post Fdw, I agree with most of not all points.

2nd line is a problem. Whether it's the coach or not, Backlund and Frolik have 8 goals between them over the last 30+ games each. Just horrendous for a team that needs to pot goals past the top 2 forwards.


Ferland with 2 goals in that time period. And moving him down the lineup off the first line, he doesn't really stand out lower in the lineup either. So that's a dilemma. Streaky over the past two seasons is an understatment,and our top scoring line can't wait for his next hot streak.

My Brodie and Hamilton take is that if you moved Brodie back with Gio and had Hamilton with Hamonic, how would Hamilton do? The same as Brodie is doing now?

Brodie is yes older, not the same size, but him and Gio were a top pairing in the league beore Hamilton came on board.
I don't see Hamilton getting meaner and using the size to any sort of physical defensive advantage. More Bouwmeester then when Sutter turned Regher into a beast when Darryl arrived.
And thats fine for Hamilton, he doesn't have to use that size in that way, but it is part of the appeal and potential you see in a player.

Also, nagging character issues have always been an issue that has dogged him. Hopefully cutting the cord with his brother, which seemed to do the trick, can put those to rest.

But he is an attractive trade peice if your comparing him to Brodie.

GG has been discussed ad nauseum. Smart guy, prepared, but maybe too much smarts and not enough feel and adaptibility and pushing the right buttons on players for the NHL. Solid assistant,solid AHL and ECHL coach, but like others, those best laid messages don't resonate the same to the NHL players.

[Strange Brew]

Great post FDW. Glad you’re back.

Do you think Ferland is a legit too 2 line player or was his production this year a blip? I’m not convinced on him personally.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

Great post FDW. Glad you’re back.

Do you think Ferland is a legit too 2 line player or was his production this year a blip? I’m not convinced on him personally.

I think he's a good complimentary power forward. He's never going to drive offence for a line but he can score, can pass, can hit, can grind. I think you can play him anywhere on the top three lines depending on how you wanna spread things out. Is he inconsistent? Yep, like almost all players. The truly consistent guys are tops at their position and obviously he's not a true 1st line player. I'd call him a good 2nd line power forward.

He's a good fit on the Gaudreau-Monahan line because they need a power forward because of Gaudreau's size and Monahan's lack of physicality along the boards. Personally I think Tkachuk would be an even better fit on the Gaudreau-Monahan line but maybe that is putting all your eggs in one basket. I do think Gaudreau-Monahan-Tkachuk could be one of the best lines in the league. I guess it depends if the Flames get another guy that can drive a line. If they do then you could try it.

Gaudreau-Monahan-Tkachuk
Ferland/Bennett-Jankowski-New Guy
whoever-Backlund-Frolik

I know some feel like we should trade Ferland. But IMO he's a good piece for the price we're paying. Tkachuk and Ferland along with the disappointing Bennett are the only physical players in our top 9 so we can't really afford to trade any of them. I like having a power forward on each of our top two lines in terms of line make-up. So Ferland and Tkachuk fit those roles. Is his inconsistency annoying? Yeah, but its unrealistic to expect amazing consistency out of non-star players. Most scorers are somewhat streaky. He's still a valuable piece for what he is and the price we're paying.

Long term I think still think Gaudreau-Monahan-Tkachuk makes the best line. But I understand why you might want to spread your top two offensive wingers (Tkachuk /Gaudreau) out over your top two lines. Still shocked that they've never actually tried Gaudreau-Monahan-Tkachuk though, its definitely a line worth trying. But there were many lines worth trying that GG never tried...

[Flamenspiel]

GG needs to go first to indicate that this organization has credibility. After that you move on from Brouwer and Stajan. You then add a forward and subtract a defenseman or two from the top 6. That is what I expect to see.

Trading a top forward makes no sense, it's an organizational weakness.

[St. Pats]

Originally Posted by browna

Good post Fdw, I agree with most of not all points.

2nd line is a problem. Whether it's the coach or not, Backlund and Frolik have 8 goals between them over the last 30+ games each. Just horrendous for a team that needs to pot goals past the top 2 forwards.


Ferland with 2 goals in that time period. And moving him down the lineup off the first line, he doesn't really stand out lower in the lineup either. So that's a dilemma. Streaky over the past two seasons is an understatment,and our top scoring line can't wait for his next hot streak.

My Brodie and Hamilton take is that if you moved Brodie back with Gio and had Hamilton with Hamonic, how would Hamilton do? The same as Brodie is doing now?

Brodie is yes older, not the same size, but him and Gio were a top pairing in the league beore Hamilton came on board.
I don't see Hamilton getting meaner and using the size to any sort of physical defensive advantage. More Bouwmeester then when Sutter turned Regher into a beast when Darryl arrived.
And thats fine for Hamilton, he doesn't have to use that size in that way, but it is part of the appeal and potential you see in a player.

Also, nagging character issues have always been an issue that has dogged him. Hopefully cutting the cord with his brother, which seemed to do the trick, can put those to rest.

But he is an attractive trade peice if your comparing him to Brodie.

GG has been discussed ad nauseum. Smart guy, prepared, but maybe too much smarts and not enough feel and adaptibility and pushing the right buttons on players for the NHL. Solid assistant,solid AHL and ECHL coach, but like others, those best laid messages don't resonate the same to the NHL players.

Thing about Ferland as a power forward is he does not create chances like a normal power forward. Actually on most of his goals he looked like a Monahan type sharp shooter. Right place at the right time and good shot. Sure didn't bust off the half wall for goals or bust dmen off the puck very often. Look unengaged most of the time like a primadona 1st line winger without the career stats for such an attitude. That could be an unfair assessment of his mental state but the results are the same. He isn't a power forward thought he has the physical tools.

I think if part of the trades is to send a message about intensity Ferland would be near the top of the list for a move. Brodie is another one who could be moved as well. Really unimpressed with his play and attitude. His give a crap meter used to be a whole lot higher and that all changed just because he got moved to his natural side?

Those two are where I would start unless by some gift of the hockey gods they could sign Tavares. Cause if they got him I'd move Monahan for the right winger to complete the first line.

[Armchair Flames Fan]

I still don't know why Johnny isn't put on the right side and put Bennett on the left. It's interesting that every other coach used Johnny on the right side.

Bennett-Monahan-Gaudreau
Ferland-Jankowski-Tkachuk
Foo-Backlund-Frolik
Lazar-Shore-Hathaway

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Armchair Flames Fan

I still don't know why Johnny isn't put on the right side and put Bennett on the left. It's interesting that every other coach used Johnny on the right side.

Bennett-Monahan-Gaudreau
Ferland-Jankowski-Tkachuk
Foo-Backlund-Frolik
Lazar-Shore-Hathaway

The issue is that Johnny needs to protect the puck as the guy who carries it most. Because of his size he needs every advantage, and playing left side gives him that - the puck is to the board side, away from defenders. If he carries up the right side, he's going to lose the puck a lot to guys with reach.

[tkflames]

I have a feeling Brad understands that we are more than a player away and attacks this on multiple fronts. This would be my expectation:

RW acquisition via free agency: Kane, Neal etc.
Top 6 fwd acquisition by shipping out a core player. If the ideas here are true: Hamilton for a package like ROR+ top 4 D + 2nd.
I don't know that this makes the team better, I just see Marc Savard history repeating itself...


Gaudreau-Monahan-Kane/Neal
Bennett-ROR-Ferland
Tkachuk-Backlund-Frolik
Lazar-Jankowski-Foo
Hathaway, Shore

Gio/Hamonic
New D/ Kulak or Andersson
Brodie/Stone
Andersson

None of this matters if they don't change the coaches.

[mikephoen]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

The issue is that Johnny needs to protect the puck as the guy who carries it most. Because of his size he needs every advantage, and playing left side gives him that - the puck is to the board side, away from defenders. If he carries up the right side, he's going to lose the puck a lot to guys with reach.

This sounds like the argument that his size would be a problem when he got to the NHL, and he wouldn't be able to do the things he did in college against NHL defensemen. He had no problem playing the right side in the World Cup against teams far better than NHL ones, so I see no reason he can't do it for the Flames. He rarely carries the puck up along the boards from the left side either. When he's at his best, he's cutting it into the middle more often than not and going straight at defensemen and making them make mistakes.

[the2bears]

Originally Posted by St. Pats

Thing about Ferland as a power forward is he does not create chances like a normal power forward. Actually on most of his goals he looked like a Monahan type sharp shooter. Right place at the right time and good shot. Sure didn't bust off the half wall for goals or bust dmen off the puck very often. Look unengaged most of the time like a primadona 1st line winger without the career stats for such an attitude. That could be an unfair assessment of his mental state but the results are the same. He isn't a power forward thought he has the physical tools...

"Could be"? Seems like a lot to know about someone from watching them on TV. Yes, he's very inconsistent - as are most players. But this description seems like unnecessary editorializing.

[Armchair Flames Fan]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

The issue is that Johnny needs to protect the puck as the guy who carries it most. Because of his size he needs every advantage, and playing left side gives him that - the puck is to the board side, away from defenders. If he carries up the right side, he's going to lose the puck a lot to guys with reach.

If that's the case than why did they put him on the right side for team NA, team USA and he flourished?

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by mikephoen

This sounds like the argument that his size would be a problem when he got to the NHL, and he wouldn't be able to do the things he did in college against NHL defensemen. He had no problem playing the right side in the World Cup against teams far better than NHL ones, so I see no reason he can't do it for the Flames. He rarely carries the puck up along the boards from the left side either. When he's at his best, he's cutting it into the middle more often than not and going straight at defensemen and making them make mistakes.

Disagree. For a few reasons. First, at WC, he was playing with fast linemates like Mackinnon, who he could dish to quickly, and he was playing against less structured defences. With the speed and lack of physicality in that series the defence were not going to play him as tightly. Second, he carries up the left a lot, and when he makes a cut to the middle at the blue line, he often loses the puck to quality defenders, with really bad results. Third, not a single player on Team NA was a natural RW. The only RH shots were playing at C.

It's not a "he won't make it because of size" argument. It's a "how is his game best served" argument.

[DeluxeMoustache]

Originally Posted by the2bears

"Could be"? Seems like a lot to know about someone from watching them on TV. Yes, he's very inconsistent - as are most players. But this description seems like unnecessary editorializing.

Wouldn’t be my choice of words but the sentiment isn’t that implausible, I don’t see the big deal.

When is Ferland a noticeable player? When he is physical or when he scores. He was streaky - 2 runs where he had 8 pts in 4 and 8 pts in 6. Otherwise, meh. He had 2 G 11 A in his last 35 GP. 3 minors and one fight. That’s not what gets him noticed.

Why is it wrong for this guy to suggest he was disengaged? He was drastically underperforming. Sense of entitlement? Maybe editorializing, but the accountability doesn’t seem to be there. The coach lets him play there, and he doesn’t do the things that he should to keep him there.

I don’t think he is a top line player, rather a product of his linemates. Linemates matter. Bernie Nicholls scored 70 with Gretzky. When LA traded him he said they were stupid. Then he never hit 30 in a full season post Gretz.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Armchair Flames Fan

If that's the case than why did they put him on the right side for team NA, team USA and he flourished?

Team NA had no RWs at all, and that tournament was completely different style-wise. The WJC is slack defence and most of those guys will never make the NHL.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by DeluxeMoustache

Wouldn’t be my choice of words but the sentiment isn’t that implausible, I don’t see the big deal.

When is Ferland a noticeable player? When he is physical or when he scores. He was streaky - 2 runs where he had 8 pts in 4 and 8 pts in 6. Otherwise, meh. He had 2 G 11 A in his last 35 GP. 3 minors and one fight. That’s not what gets him noticed...

I don't think his numbers accurately reflect this assessment. The knock on Ferland for the last couple years was that he is a very streaky player, and while that is still true to a degree, he was MUCH more consistent this year. Up until 10 February he had 20 goals and 34 points in 54 games, and had only one stretch early in the season in which he went more than two games without a point. There sure were not many complaints about his level of engagement for the first 2/3 of the season. Do you think his very poor final 30 games had anything to do with his own health, or that of his centreman?

[Calgary4LIfe]

Originally Posted by St. Pats

Thing about Ferland as a power forward is he does not create chances like a normal power forward. Actually on most of his goals he looked like a Monahan type sharp shooter. Right place at the right time and good shot. Sure didn't bust off the half wall for goals or bust dmen off the puck very often. Look unengaged most of the time like a primadona 1st line winger without the career stats for such an attitude. That could be an unfair assessment of his mental state but the results are the same. He isn't a power forward thought he has the physical tools.

I think if part of the trades is to send a message about intensity Ferland would be near the top of the list for a move. Brodie is another one who could be moved as well. Really unimpressed with his play and attitude. His give a crap meter used to be a whole lot higher and that all changed just because he got moved to his natural side?

Those two are where I would start unless by some gift of the hockey gods they could sign Tavares. Cause if they got him I'd move Monahan for the right winger to complete the first line.

He does not create like Gaudreau and Monahan, but he creates. Heck, just look at that last game of the season. His forechecking led to the Gaudreau goal to start things off - and he made a good pass after he stole the puck. Next goal he made a strong defensive play along the boards in the neutral zone (or was it the defensive zone - close anyway) and moved the puck up to Gaudreau quickly. That 2nd goal doesn't happen without him making that strong defensive play and passing.

How do you get primadonna? Ferland to me is a victim of his own success. That Vancouver series completely changed expectations for him. Show me another guy in the league that hits as hard and as often as Ferland did in that series. I offer up... nobody. Nobody can keep that up for a season. Ferland has missed time in each of his seasons thus far. He HAS to pick his spots, but he still hits heavy, even when they don't look like it. Some reviews show the opposing player limping off after Ferland hit him, but watching the hit in real time it looked like nothing. Watch the replay, and it was a heavy but relatively unnoticeable hit.

Here are some numbers:

Salary: 1.75 million. (tied for 14th)
Goals: 4th
Points: 6th
Plus/Minus: 2nd
Hits: 171 hits - 1st (next closest is 154)
ATOI: 14th (excludes goalies obviously)

Like I said, give me another 2 or 3 Ferlands. Size, speed, great shot, great IQ, sound defensively, good offensively, physical, and can work as a deterrent (or make guys answer the bell).

I disagree that you could use Tkachuk on the top line. His game has a lot to do with scrums, mucking it up and getting the opposing team off their games. Can you imagine Gaudreau in scrums? Either you have to tell Tkachuk NOT to play that type of game, or you risk Gaudreau getting rag-dolled (teams would intentionally target him in those scrums).

I do think that Tkachuk should be elevated onto a scoring line, but it should be:
Tkachuk - Jankowski - Bennett

At any rate, there are a lot of things wrong with the Flames, but trading away one of the few guys who can actually score, play hard along the boards, etc., is a way to make this team worse, not better.