Oct 2 Practice notes

[djsFlames]

I turn on 960 for some hockey talk finally and it's the stinkin Bo show.

[DJones]

Frolik just never bounced back from his face being broken. Understandable really.

If the 3M is together I just see that as meaning that they are going to get brutal minutes again. Which is fine as long as the bottom 6 can score. Which looking at the lines, they should.

[Enoch Root]

I was in the camp that was hoping to see the 3M line split up, but I think these lines are fantastic.

I don't like the idea of Frolik with Bennett and Jankowski - I think they need some speed and play making on their line. Enter Czarnik.

And I think Ryan and Dube are perfect line-mates for Neal.

That leaves 3M as a thing.

I absolutely love this lineup. Four solid lines. And when the Flame are down, Peters is going to pack 3 offensive lines together and run with that, so I don't see any reason to be concerned with ice-time.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

And when they played with Jagr, they were quite effective. So I don't see this as a rebuttal.

[EVERLAST]

Originally Posted by DJones

Frolik just never bounced back from his face being broken. Understandable really.

If the 3M is together I just see that as meaning that they are going to get brutal minutes again. Which is fine as long as the bottom 6 can score. Which looking at the lines, they should.

Maybe not last year but showing up and being the fittest flame speaks volumes .
Frolik is more explosive this year and seems like one of the few vetss to take the challenge of new young players coming up seriously.

This team is so so so much faster at everything. Each line looks dangerous.

I love that feeling you get on a line change of "what's going on happen now"!

Peters knows his Stuff , Ward, Gelinas and Huska round out this coaching staff well.

God this is such a breath of fresh air .....the potential ascension of this team from here on is impressive and I honestly think the whole team believes in Peter's already and that was no small feat.

[delayedreflex]

I actually quite like that Czarnik is with Bennett and Jankowski, as I don't think either of them have shown consistent enough playmaking skills to drive that line offensively (and neither would Frolik) - plus it's the JBC line!

It is hard to know whether spreading scoring throughout the line-up is the best idea or not, but best case scenario, Neal on the "3rd line" could be like Kessel on the HBK line in the Penguins' cup run, worst case it doesn't pan out and we can at least expect that Peters will shake things up rather than spend 50 games trying to force a square peg into a round hole.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

And when they played with Jagr, they were quite effective. So I don't see this as a rebuttal.

Only a rebuttal the assertion that they never had skilled linemates. It was more a joke than anything serious.

[Oil Stain]

What's going to be the #1 PP unit to start the season?

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by Oil Stain

What's going to be the #1 PP unit to start the season?

Nm

[Breakfast]

Deepest forward group in so many years.

[wwkayaker]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

If anyone looks at that roster and sees two thirds + a fourth line they are not seeing or thinking clearly.

Apparently, Drunk Uncle’s username fits.

[Drunk Uncle]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

If anyone looks at that roster and sees two thirds + a fourth line they are not seeing or thinking clearly.

2/3 of the Backlund line performed at 3rd line rates for 5v5 scoring last year and that line is unchanged and we don't know what the Dube-Ryan-Neal line is yet. While I don't think it will be the case it isn't inconceivable to think we have 2 - 3rd lines and no second line.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Drunk Uncle

2/3 of the Backlund line performed at 3rd line rates for 5v5 scoring last year and that line is unchanged and we don't know what the Dube-Ryan-Neal line is yet. While I don't think it will be the case it isn't inconceivable to think we have 2 - 3rd lines and no second line.

What are third line 5v5 rates?

I know that rather simplistically based on overall production both Tkachuk and Backlund were right in range of League average-to-above-average point production. Neal and Ryan were likewise producing last season within this same range.

[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Only a rebuttal the assertion that they never had skilled linemates. It was more a joke than anything serious.

Jagr was obviously skilled even in his final season, but he also had a pretty brutal 6.06% 5v5 individual shooting percentage the season before he joined Calgary. His finish was even less successful by the time he arrived here.


Here are the 5v5 SH% of various "third" line players in Calgary the last three years:

2015-16 Colborne - 17.81%
2015-16 Bennett - 13.21%
2015-16 Jones - 12.5%
2015-16 Raymond - 8.51%
2015-16 Granlund - 6.67%
2015-16 Jooris - 5.41%
2015-16 Ferland - 2.73%


2016-17 Chiasson - 11.46%
2016-17 Brouwer - 8.82%
2016-17 Bennett - 7.83%
2016-17 Versteeg - 7.14%


2017-18 Jankowski - 12.09%
2017-18 Bennett - 7.14%
2017-18 Versteeg - 6.67% *injured most of the year
2017-18 Hathaway - 4.55%
2017-18 Jagr - 4.00%
2017-18 Lazar - 3.23%

Jagr's abysmal SH% hurt that line, even if he brought skill (and shooting volume) to it.

I'm looking forward to seeing if Austin Czarnik can shoot over ~7% and Bennett / Janko can hold steadily above 7%.

[Drunk Uncle]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

What are third line 5v5 rates?

I know that rather simplistically based on overall production both Tkachuk and Backlund were right in range of League average-to-above-average point production. Neal and Ryan were likewise producing last season within this same range.

If you look at the simplistic view that the top 186 guys are 2nd liners, for forwards that played 300min 5v5 pt/60 last year was as follows:

140th - Neal - PT/60: 1.75
158th - Tkachuk - PT/60: 1.69
190th - Ryan - PT/60: 1.59
228th - Backlund - PT/60: 1.47
294th - Frolik - PT/60: 1.29

Again while I don't expect it to happen and completely agree that this team is deeper, it's not completely incomprehensible from a pessimistic view point to think Neal regresses based on the perfect storm in Vegas and Backlund/Frolik stay where they are.

[SeanCharles]

Originally Posted by Oil Stain

What's going to be the #1 PP unit to start the season?

Tkachuk
Lindholm-Monahan-Gaudreau
Gio

Unit 2 will primarily consist of Neal, Backlund, Ryan, Czarnik and Brodie or Hanifin with the possibility of Bennett, Jankowski, Dube and Valimaki subbing in if they earn the extra icetime.

[jlh2640]

Lots of options but I like it on paper move guys as needed, Rittich needs to be a good NHL goalie for them to be successful this year. Love the depth. Prout size and toughness if needed. Hathaway is a good team guy who can play tough. Lazar to me has something to work with still but this is his last chance.

[jlh2640]

I am interested to see who the primary PKers will be. Janko and Bennett mainly

[dammage79]

Originally Posted by jlh2640

I am interested to see who the primary PKers will be. Janko and Bennett mainly

It'll be interesting in the fact that they have roughly about 3 PK pairs at FW they can deploy. So if the PP units get a lot of time or the PK units gets a lot of time, there will be no loss of icer time and killing of Flow for players. It's so balanced it's almost silly.

Backs-Fro
Benny-Janko
Ryan-Czarnik

[AC]

A worthwhile read:
https://www.nhl.com/flames/news/hock...er/c-300573134

Noah Hanifin can hardly recall a commute like that.

"It's been a while," he said, smiling from ear to ear. "College? I mean, we're talking about a foot of snow overnight.

"That's no joke."

When Hanifin awoke to the blinding glare of the fluffy, blustery cityscape, his first impression of the salient, sleeping giant of a prairie winter incited quite the reaction from this adopted Calgarian.

"I'll tell ya… we never had this in Carolina," he laughed. "But hey, it's hockey weather, right? It's fitting. We're ready to go and I guess the weather is, too.

"How can you not get fired up? I had a big smile on my face when I saw it coming down."