Do you think the Flames will contend for the Cup with this core?

[Stay Golden]

Gotta believe anything can happen

[SebC]

They are able to, and they had better, but I don't know that they will. Peters' reputation as a Gulutzan clone concerns me.

[Enoch Root]

I think there is enough talent there to become a contender. But I think two things need to happen:

1) further development from at least one or two of: Bennett, Jankowski, Czarnik, Lazar, Mangiapane, Dube or Foo

2) they need to develop a swagger - they are far too passive as a team

Also, the goaltending needs to solidify itself. Can they make a run with the current goalies? Yes. But to become a perennial contender, someone will have to step up, going forward.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by N-E-B

Maybe? I do think we’re going to miss Hamilton a lot more than people realize. I’m still not overly thrilled with that trade.

Bennett not developing so far is also really hurting. I’m not convinced we’ll be contending for any presidents trophies any time soon.

I don't think they'll miss Hamilton at all. I think the D core, in the aggregate, will be better than last year.

And with respect to the team being too passive, moving out Hamilton should help (as will bringing in Neal).

[Magnum PEI]

I think it's extremely unlikely this core will ever be a true contender. Hope I'm wrong, Monahan and Tkachuk likely haven't peaked, so I'm not going to rule out the possibility.
Gaudreau is borderline elite, but that won't get it done. We need a legit superstar.

[EVERLAST]

I love the passion we have as hockey fans regardless of what we have or haven’t done since 1980.

I’ve watched nearly every game and in 1986 I thought we’d done it.....I’d be lying if I said losing that long ago didn’t still bother me.

1988/89 rolls around and wow.......we do it.

That team had it all and it had more to do with Bob Johnson than Terry Crisp. Johnson was an incredible coach who turned all negative into positive and had the players ears and hearts.......he was a highly superstitious man and I loved Bob .

We had mean nasty defence men who could skate shoot fight hit with the best of them .

We had hungry rookies and grizzled vets and it was a great mix.

Three of our smallest players Theo, Joey Mullen and Hakan Loob could break games open all by themselves but never needed to as they had great great line mates such as Gary Roberts and Joe Neiwendyk .......and Doug Gilmour.

Goaltending was something I’d always worried about but Vernon was pretty incredible when he needed to be.

That was a great cup team

2004 was unexpected by everyone but me. I actually called the cup final that year before the season began and before I signed up here on CP.

What Darryl Sutter did here was incredible. I hadn’t seen a team embrace the coach, his philosophy etc etc like that for so long ......it felt like we’d waited forever.

I loved being the underdog and the fact we’d lost so many players to injury was pretty dire but we did it. It was in and in my heart that was cup #2.

Here we are how many years later and I have my spidey sense going off again. I have a good feeling about everything that has happened this summer .

I keep forgetting we have Neal, Czarnik ......folks keep talking about Hanifin, Lindholm and Ryan but the video I’ve watched of all our new players has me gushing .

Czarnik looks like Johnny V.02 playing in the videos I’ve watched. What a pickup.
Neal is just Mr Consistent.

The rest look sneaky good as I don’t think they get any respect ....I think Ferland and Hamilton will be forgotten pretty quick .

Peters hasn’t said anything to make me worry but I really hope he learns fast and can make adjustments in game so we don’t see another mentally fragile team step on the ice for a third straight year.

He has to find these pairs he talks about and find the players which compliment these pairs the best and get this team scoring goals. We haven’t seen that for awhile. This teams inability to score and compete for the last 3 years is mystifying.....I feel like that’s all about to change .

The rumours of us still trying to find a stop gap for a goalie are about the only thing that concerns me.

If smith doesn’t get overplayed I think the skies the limit and that’s where our potential to contend comes in.

I wish we’d gotten smith Earlier as I like his compete level and I hope it rubs off on Gillies , Rittich, Parsons, Schneider and McDonald.

Things that have to happen this year ......Score goals, rebound, 60 minute games, discipline, team defence , team toughness, way better power play and penalty kill.

If this team can just bond fast in China and training camp with no major hiccups there’s no reason we can’t do well.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by dino7c

Who was calling Washington a year ago...are they the best team in the league? Sometimes it just all comes together.

Maybe is the right answer...Forward depth has greatly improved

To be fair, a year ago Washington was coming off two consecutive President’s trophies.

I agree that it’s a “maybe,” but going from out of the playoffs to Stanley Cup contender is a lot different than going from top team in the regular season to Stanley Cup contender.

[Bourque's Twin]

If Hanifin, Lindholm and Bennett breakout this year, yes.

[Yrebmi]

Yes.
I am admittedly an optimist and a fan of this team.
Go Flames GO!

[Cali Panthers Fan]

I will say yes regardless of any specifics because of one word: parity.

Any team can win any year, they just need a few breaks and some momentum.


Except for Edmonton. They will be forever no good.

Nobody can save the Edmonton Oilers. Not even the concept of parity.

Nobody.

[Hackey]

I like our forward depth but I do think we are lacking top end talent other than Gaudreau. Washington for example has Ovechkin, Backstrom, and Kuznetsov. I think we can overcome that if some younger guys break out but I dont see us winning a Cup relying on Monahan or Neal to be our top guys up front. Love Tkachuk but I see him as more of a supporting/all around player than a game breaking forward like the other two.

[GGG]

What is contend?

I’d say Home Ice advantage in the first round about half the time plus one trip to the conference finals in the next five years?

With that definition I’d say this core group will contend for a cup.

[troutman]

Flames missed the playoffs by 11 points and had a -30 goal differential.

Does adding Neal, the Carolina trade and new coach make up all that difference? That is a big ask.

[GordonBlue]

Originally Posted by dino7c

Flames have a better team than Anaheim and Vegas...Preds/Jets? Not yet but maybe at some point. Jets roster is gonna take some hits in the coming years.

Who was calling Washington a year ago...are they the best team in the league? Sometimes it just all comes together.

Maybe is the right answer...Forward depth has greatly improved

Better players than the ducks and Vegas, maybe. No way the flames are a better team right now, though.

[DropIt]

No. I don't think coaching was near enough of a problem as has been let on.

The Flames are extremely top heavy their best player is aging and their goaltending is questionable going forward. They have a good group in long term plans (Tkachuk, Monahan, Gaudreau, Hanifin) bet everything else is just deck chair shuffling until proven other wise.

Calgary is a perennial wild card team with 2nd round aspirations

[Oil Stain]

I don't think any team in the West matches up well with the top teams from the East over the next 2-3 seasons.

PIT and WSH are still big threats.

Tampa Bay has Stamkos, Kucherov and great forward depth.

Hedman and McDonagh.

Vasilevsky in goal.

Playoff experience.
Tough to match up against that.

[Jacks]

Originally Posted by N-E-B

Maybe? I do think we’re going to miss Hamilton a lot more than people realize. I’m still not overly thrilled with that trade.

I'll counter that, I liked the trade on day 1. I really think we are a better team, more balanced, now. It's not just the subtraction of Hamilton but the whole team make up. I'm not usually a gushing Treliving fan (like him overall) but I think this might be his best trade.

Originally Posted by dino7c

Who was calling Washington a year ago...are they the best team in the league?

Sick brag, I drafted 8 of them in a 14 player playoff pool

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by troutman

Flames missed the playoffs by 11 points and had a -30 goal differential.

Does adding Neal, the Carolina trade and new coach make up all that difference? That is a big ask.

I dunno
They faded at the end when they were injured and playing meaningless games
Not sure that gap is a true reflection of how far off they actually were

[djsFlames]

Originally Posted by troutman

Flames missed the playoffs by 11 points and had a -30 goal differential.

Does adding Neal, the Carolina trade and new coach make up all that difference? That is a big ask.

They weren't 11 points back and -30 with Smith, Monahan and Tkachuk healthy. The team underachieved even with the roster they had pre-improvements. And even the skeptic eastern media think so.

An accurate measurement is probably that Anaheim sweep season before the roster and bench moves without an injured core. Adding the goals they did, and hopefully an improvement in the system and special teams simply because the same guys are no longer running it now feasibly puts them at a team that can win a round or two if things go right.

[Love]

Monahan historically is barely even a cup caliber #2C, so for that reason I say no. I think we're trending more in the direction of a St.Louis/Minnesota as opposed to a Pittsburgh or Chicago

If somehow we got Jack Hughes (let's say due to Gaudreau missing the season with injury that he fully recovers from / or from a fluke lottery win) then I'd be much more optimistic