[News] Calgary Flames Garbage Bag Day Media Availability 10AM

[Locke]

Lol....so Tanev was busted up, Monahan was the Walking Dead, Markstrom suffering concussion symptoms, Leivo with a broken finger and who knows what else.

So what was the plan then? Try and desperately sneak into the playoffs?

Cool. Cool, cool, cool.

And then what?

Increase the physicality and up the intensity?

This is a good plan. A great plan! I'd love to meet whomever came up with it.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Locke

Lol....so Tanev was busted up, Monahan was the Walking Dead, Markstrom suffering concussion symptoms, Leivo with a broken finger and who knows what else.

So what was the plan then? Try and desperately sneak into the playoffs?

Cool. Cool, cool, cool.

And then what?

Increase the physicality and up the intensity?

This is a good plan. A great plan! I'd love to meet whomever came up with it.

I guess the alternative is to concede the POs even though not eliminated?

[Locke]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

I guess the alternative is to concede the POs even though not eliminated?

Or play uninjured players perhaps?

I dont know why the Flames do this every year where they seem incapable of realizing that points at the beginning and middle of the season are, mysteriously, just as valuable as points at the end of the season when you're desperate because you pissed points away earlier.

[Goriders]

Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe

Some positives:



1) Gaudreau wants to re-sign with the Flames. That's great. The Flames look completely listless offensively when he is not on the ice. Hopefully the two sides can come to an understanding. However, no, he did not have to say he wants to re-sign. He could have left it more ambiguously, or even said the usual 'I like playing here, but that's between my agent and the GM'. There is a lot that he could have said that would not really answer the question. He answered it. Still has to work out for him and the team, but he addressed that question head-on, and good for him.


2) I agree with Sutter and some other players - this team was turning it around. I am optimistic to see how they do next season, even before accounting for any changes that are yet (and sure) to be made. Lots of the conversation made me remember Hartley's Flames - how they played with pace, how they were more resilient and committed, how Hartley used to bother them in the off-season and make sure that they were working out hard, how they preached quickness and play at a high tempo. That's a lot of the same things that Darryl either outright said, or that some of the players were saying. Hartley had a crap team, but that team was fun because it played fast and were resilient. Calgary needs a coach like this.


Some negatives:


1) I find it really funny that people think that Seattle wouldn't pick up Giordano if he was left exposed. There is no way they won't. They will pick him up both for his leadership and his on-ice play. It is literally a no-brainer for them. In fact, he is going to leave a really big hole in the lineup, as he is still this team's best defencemen and a pretty damn good captain too. No idea what is going to happen between now and then, but if he isn't here next season, that's going to be a big hole.


2) The area that worries me the most about this team is defence. I really do think that losing Brodie last off-season really hurt this team and its' ability to play a quick style. It appears that now the Flames are also about to lose Giordano. Not too long ago, they also lost Hamilton. That's 3 puck-moving defencemen that are all very mobile with an ability to generate offence in their own ways. Hanifin hasn't been really. Tanev doesn't have a drop of it. Andersson showed that he isn't ready to take a step forward, and you have to hope that he will. Valimaki had a rough year. Nesterov (even if he is re-signed) doesn't have any offence. Kylington is likely trade bait or just un-signed/un-qualified. Mackey had a short sample size - something there for sure, but he is going to be a bottom-pairing D for much of the season. The defence corps leaves you with a lot of 'hope' that they can take a step forward, but that's all you really have. This team is really going to miss Giordano.


I hope that Treliving (if he is still around) doesn't make a panic move to save his job. Don't throw out the baby with the baby water. Make the right choices on who is exiting this team, and who is brought back.


This off-season has a lot of big contracts coming to a head. You can't have either Gaudreau or Tkachuk starting the season as Flames without an extension - if this team is holding a playoff position or even very close, those two won't be traded, and will walk away for nothing either in the off-season (Gaudreau), or possibly by accepting the QO without any intention of re-signing (Tkachuk). He has to figure out if they are part of the solution, and if so, how much they are worth and get them re-signed.



This team has to figure out how to improve their defence.



No need to be an alarmist - I do think that with Darryl at the helm, this team will improve without any changes at all. They need to make moves as improvement isn't satisfactory - either build a contender, or tear it down and rebuild it from scratch. This off-season has to go well. Losing Brodie for nothing last year really hurt.

Brodie leaving got us Tanev.

Tanev is a better overall defenceman in my opinion.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Locke

Or play uninjured players perhaps?

I dont know why the Flames do this every year where they seem incapable of realizing that points at the beginning and middle of the season are, mysteriously, just as valuable as points at the end of the season when you're desperate because you pissed points away earlier.

At the time uninjured Rittich was no better than recovering Markstrom. After the TDL, neither was Domingue. Tanev didn’t miss a beat. So instead of Monahan who - Ruzicka?

It would have been conceding the POs.

[saillias]

Just listened to a few of these. I got Tkachuk right after Lucic and the contrast was something.

Tkachuk is furious he didn't play enough, on one hand was careful with his wording to accept responsibility for not being very good, but his bitterness if not entitlement really comes through. He believes he should've played more sooner and that's a reason he wasn't very good and the team wasn't very good.

Just my takeaway. Definitely changes my impression of Tkachuk.

[djsFlames]

Given Tkachuks tone/evaluation of the season and the fact that he showed up only when it was too late, and Gaudreau's enthusiasm to re-sign, I'm aboard the Tkachuk+ for Eichel train.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by djsFlames

Given Tkachuks tone/evaluation of the season and the fact that he showed up only when it was too late, and Gaudreau's enthusiasm to re-sign, I'm aboard the Tkachuk+ for Eichel train.

It actually makes more sense contractually, skill-wise, name value for the Sabres, fit, etc.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by djsFlames

Given Tkachuks tone/evaluation of the season and the fact that he showed up only when it was too late, and Gaudreau's enthusiasm to re-sign, I'm aboard the Tkachuk+ for Eichel train.

Toot toot

[Reign of Fire]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

Treliving:

- this was a good team that underachieved
- clearly some holes that we needed to fill/need to fill, there were some holes we failed to fill and going forward we will need to address
- consistently inconsistent, we never got on a roll
- we played a much better team game in the last 5-6 weeks
- we just didn't get it done, it starts with myself
- we didn't score enough, the people who were brought in didn't contribute to scoring (...that's a good ol Tobias Rieder blame game Edmonton style)
- Gio sets the tone for the group on and off the ice, one of the best leaders Tree has been around, but this is a business, so we'll sit down and talk about it (re: expansion protection)

- is not using covid restrictions as an excuse
- does not expect to see any cap growth in the foreseeable future

- Hesitates a bit on Johnny. Says it's on the "to do list" re: extension talk. Organizational meetings next week, including meetings with Darryl. Had a good talk with Johnny today, and Johnny has expressed desire to be here (Calgary). "It has to make sense for him, it has to make sense for us"

- Andersson "took a step" this year
- Valimaki - believes it was injury related, peaks and valleys. Development path is never straight.

- Tkachuk's injury in the bubble prevented him from skating for most of the off-season, Matthew holds himself to a high standard.

- team underachieved, by in large they've been together for a long time. With how they underachieved, things have got to change and that's our job between now and the start of next year

Tre can go F himself. It should start and end with him.

[kyuss275]

Originally Posted by djsFlames

Given Tkachuks tone/evaluation of the season and the fact that he showed up only when it was too late, and Gaudreau's enthusiasm to re-sign, I'm aboard the Tkachuk+ for Eichel train.

For me, them trading Tkachuk + for Eichel is the only chance I could see a re-tool working. If they can’t make that trade they should rebuild.

[djsFlames]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

Listening to Brad disagree with Darryl on where expectations for this should have been is telling.

Treliving has fallen in love with his own roster. He, and his pro scouting staff are bad at their jobs in comparison to the rest of the league.

I laughed when Brad mentioned the Capitals as a team that didn’t win until their core was older…like, what? The Capitals were a dominate team that just couldn’t win the big game until their players were older - that is not what is happening here. Holy hell.

He says he didn’t have any expansion problems with Vegas but does now because of team growth. What is he talking about? The team is every bit as bad today as it was then. The players that he has to risk today aren’t difference makers. He doesn’t sound like a GM that is aware his team has won 3 playoff games in the last 6 seasons.

There's no comparison to the capitals. They were atop the regular standings perennially and just needed time to break through on the playoff side of it. Flames continually struggle or plateau down the stretch into playoffs and aside from one season where everything went right, are firmly a bubble club. They haven't yet figured out how to place high in the regular season as a baseline and have been a group for several years. That tells you its a case of the team just not having a high ceiling due to merely good but no elite skill.

As a manager you have to stay impartial & intellectually honest enough to make the best decisions for your team. Definitely got the impression Brad was too invested in the core and believed they could accomplish things they didn't have the tools to. If he managed to add a couple Toffoli-level wingers (partly by not making that mistake on Neal) then they maybe could've done it by committee. But with just Gaudreau-Lindholm-Tkachuk-Monahan doing the heavy lifting, there is not enough skill and consistency there to get it done.

[Rutuu]

I've really been thinking about the Draft and the Flames. Our talent evaluation has improved under the last few GMs with players graduating to the big club. One thing I've noticed is that it always felt like we've given our scouts fewer picks than other organizations. Now since this isn't the Super Weather Thread, numbers matter, so I added up all the picks under the Cliff Fletcher (Calgary tenure, not Atlanta) and Brad Treliving. The results are interesting as we were in the top 4 teams under Fletcher for the number of picks, and under Treliving we're in the bottom third. Two other teams at the bottom, are "win-now" teams with superstars they're surrounding perennially. We are not that team.

I haven't done Risebrough, Coates, Button, Sutter, or Feaster yet...but the trend is there.

[Burning Beard]

Originally Posted by djsFlames

Given Tkachuks tone/evaluation of the season and the fact that he showed up only when it was too late, and Gaudreau's enthusiasm to re-sign, I'm aboard the Tkachuk+ for Eichel train.

I would be very stoked if that happens.

[djsFlames]

Originally Posted by kyuss275

For me, them trading Tkachuk + for Eichel is the only chance I could see a re-tool working. If they can’t make that trade they should rebuild.

I don't see any other obvious avenues to a quick re-tool either. Put together the best Tkachuk-centric package you can to Buffalo and see if they bite.

Would you keep Gaudreau if he does want to re-ink to help lead/guide the kids through said rebuild or set him free then and cash in on his remaining value?

[DoubleK]

If you are ownership, when do you start to question letting the team spend to the cap with such mediocre results?

Why not leave some buffer to allow for flexibility to make upgrade trades throughout the season and if the team sucks ass sell your cap space for draft picks.

Wouldn't that help turn things around faster than the current MO?

[MrMike]

Originally Posted by kyuss275

For me, them trading Tkachuk + for Eichel is the only chance I could see a re-tool working. If they can’t make that trade they should rebuild.

If you are Gaudreau do you wait the season to sign an extension then knowing Eichel will be your center?

[DionTheDman]

Originally Posted by ah123

the D is too young.

[combustiblefuel]

Originally Posted by Skyceman

Wow Bennett is a top center now?

I don't know but he had 15 points in 10 games , was a plus 12 as the #2 Center on one of the tip teams in the league....

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by CGY12

And I acknowledged that I missed the presser and might not have full context. My opinion doesn't change IF he was referring to his and or the teams mindset on the season. If it was related to covid then obviously thats completely different but I highly doubt the Flames tsn beat reporter would be posting that quote on twitter if it was related to covid.

Really? I don't doubt it at all.