How are you feeling about the flames so far? - Page 7 - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

the_only_turek_fan · 10-31-2021, 11:29 AM

Gundo · 10-31-2021, 11:39 AM

I’m amazed what a new coach with a winning past and the removal of an old captain have done for the team.

Flame On · 10-31-2021, 11:50 AM

There's a part of me, as with previous versions of the team, that is waiting for the other shoe to fall. Things like injuries, scoring droughts etc. will occur.
But even then I have faith that the group will have bought into the collective and will be better to ride those peaks and valleys.

Itse · 10-31-2021, 12:45 PM

I still don't think this team has enough top end skill for when the going really gets tough, but there are a lot of things to like about the way this team is playing and how it's being coached.

I keep expecting Mangiapane to drop down the lineup or at least not be able to make the next step, and every year the guy keeps getting better. Seeing him have success always makes me happy, he's such a likeable player.

Monahan spending time down the lineup is IMO a great move. His sniper hands are clearly lost to injuries, and that forces him to re-discover his game, and that's a lot easier to do with reduced offensive responsibility. Not having the fans and media constantly track his goal production is probably a load off mentally in this situation.

The younger defensemen are proving why letting Gio go was absolutely the right move.

I'm guessing that a large part of this early success is that the new Flames have caught a lot of other teams by surprise, and that things are going to get a lot more difficult soon. A six game winning streak with a 25-7 goal differential is very likely to start drawing attention. There's a lot of buffer in those goal differentials though

It's super super early to start declaring this seasons Flames truly different, but it's great to have a more positive atmosphere around the team for a change.

Elias Lindholms contract has to be in competition for the biggest bargain in the league.

Mathgod · 10-31-2021, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Itse

Elias Lindholms contract has to be in competition for the biggest bargain in the league.

Aside from Eatbread, are there any contracts out there that come close to Lindy's in terms of bang for buck?

jayswin · 10-31-2021, 08:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gundo

I’m amazed what a new coach with a winning past and the removal of an old captain have done for the team.

Wait, how are those one?

Sylvanfan · 10-31-2021, 11:38 PM

It's only natural for any of us to want to compare this team to the 03-04 Flames team that Sutter resurrected from years of being outside the playoffs.

The biggest reason why that team got off to a slow start was that the goaltending was between bad and mediocre. Turek got injured in game 2 after a bad opening game start, and Sutter had tried to off McLennan in the waiver draft before the season not thinking too much of him and was forced to go with him. That team played quite well and deserved a much better record than they had. I remember being livid at ownership for not letting Sutter go out and get another goaltender waiting for Turek's insurance money to kick in as they were 6-8-2 largely due to bad goaltending.

Fast forward 18 years and the team has come out playing well early, but the difference here is that this team has better goaltending in place to start with. After a suspect opening game, Markstrom has been dialed in pretty well since. Daryl Sutter coached teams that get Vezina calibre goaltending have alwasys been very hard teams to beat.

I was unsure about the defence and specifically if it could add enough offence for the way the game is currently played. So far it's holding up alright. One thing that's not being talked about a lot is that Rasmus Andersson might be taking that step forward that many expected last year. Thus far he's holding his own on the PP and him and Hanifin have played very well together. I still think Hanifin has more to give at that end of the ice, and Kylington has been a bit of a surprise in getting into the lineup and contributing what he has. So far it's only 1 goal thru 8 games and at the beginning of the season I said I didn't think the unit could combine for more than 20. But it's contributed a lot more to the overall offence than I expected it to.

Overall, I don't think the Western Conference is particularly strong, and the Pacific Division certainly is no juggernaut. So if the Flames can play well in their own end and get that higher end goaltending and not suffer an unreasonable amount of injuries to key players they should be able to make the playoffs. If they keep getting balanced scoring up front, they'll be a team who can finish in the top half of the playoff bracket. If they can muster up 210'ish goals I think they make the playoffs. If they score over 225, I think they will have home ice advantage in round one.

I don't know if it's a team that's a so called contender. Really the Western Conference might only have 1 true Stanley Cup type contender, but someone has to win the Conference, and at this moment I probably feel as good about the Flames chances to be that team as I might for the rest fot the season.

Jethro Choicebro · 10-31-2021, 11:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gundo

I’m amazed what a new coach with a winning past and the removal of an old captain have done for the team.

Lumping Gio moving with the coach change seems like quite a leap

GioforPM · 11-01-2021, 12:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jethro Choicebro

Lumping Gio moving with the coach change seems like quite a leap

Yeah, it was obvious last year that Sutter loved Gio and in turn Gio’s game took a big step back to being good when Sutter came in and put him with Tanev. If Gio was on this team they’d be even better than right now IMO. But exposing him was still the right call.

dino7c · 11-01-2021, 01:19 AM

Coleman and to a lesser extent Pitlick but that Backlund line has been unreal

not to mention Kylington and Gudbranson

Sutter has made a massive difference but its not the same roster

Jore · 11-01-2021, 07:38 AM

Very good start, and they're legitimately playing excellent team hockey instead of just riding high percentages. Sutter is clearly the best coach they've had since he was last here.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1454445299544494086

https://twitter.com/user/status/1454831146701709314

I still have my doubts that they have the top end talent to compete and win in the playoffs against true championship caliber teams, but not a lot to be disappointed about so far.

Enoch Root · 11-01-2021, 08:23 AM

I said over and over that the Flames weren't slow, they just played slow.

From 30th to 1st in the league in rush chances against! In half of a season!

3rd overall in rush chances for.

Not bad for a slow team.

VladtheImpaler · 11-01-2021, 08:37 AM

I knew DS was the best coach in Flames' history, but is it possible that he is even better than I thought? The only comparison I can make in terms of impact is Thomas Tuchel/Chelsea in the EPL.

Infinit47 · 11-01-2021, 08:56 AM

Pretty hard to not be ecstatic with the Flames start. Interested to see how they do when some serious adversity hits before ai let myself get to carried away. Don't want to go full Oiler after 8 games.

Enoch Root · 11-01-2021, 08:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VladtheImpaler

I knew DS was the best coach in Flames' history, but is it possible that he is even better than I thought? The only comparison I can make in terms of impact is Thomas Tuchel/Chelsea in the EPL.

Sutter is a great coach, that is indisputable. And to be clear, I am one of his biggest fans, and I was among the loudest critics of the prior coaching.

But I think a lot of fans were also far too negative about the talent level on the team. If one were to believe some of the fans around here, the Flames were the least talented collection of slugs in the NHL. If you believe that, then the only conclusion is that Sutter must be the greatest coach to ever coach.

And he is a great coach. But a coach can only do so much. The players have to play. And maybe we have to also admit that they aren't such a talentless cesspool of toxic waste after-all.

VladtheImpaler · 11-01-2021, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Sutter is a great coach, that is indisputable. And to be clear, I am one of his biggest fans, and I was among the loudest critics of the prior coaching.

But I think a lot of fans were also far too negative about the talent level on the team. If one were to believe some of the fans around here, the Flames were the least talented collection of slugs in the NHL. If you believe that, then the only conclusion is that Sutter must be the greatest coach to ever coach.

And he is a great coach. But a coach can only do so much. The players have to play. And maybe we have to also admit that they aren't such a talentless cesspool of toxic waste after-all.

Well, I think it just emphasizes how bad his predecessors were. Again, see Tuchel with Chelsea - Rudiger goes from not even being on the bench to best defender in Europe. Maybe coaching matters.

Macindoc · 11-01-2021, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VladtheImpaler

I knew DS was the best coach in Flames' history, but is it possible that he is even better than I thought? The only comparison I can make in terms of impact is Thomas Tuchel/Chelsea in the EPL.

Is he that good, or were the previous coaches that bad?

I think it's the combination of having a competent coach and the fact that we have had some of the worst coaches in the league for the better part of a decade.

SuperMatt18 · 11-01-2021, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

I said over and over that the Flames weren't slow, they just played slow.

From 30th to 1st in the league in rush chances against! In half of a season!

3rd overall in rush chances for.

Not bad for a slow team.

For whatever reason this coaching staff around the all-star break of the 18-19 season starting playing a slower, more plodding system that they thought would be better for the playoffs.

It failed.

Sutter came back and realized this team needed to play quick, while also being able to have defensive structure. And it's working.

Elite coaching is so important in this league.

VladtheImpaler · 11-01-2021, 09:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Macindoc

Is he that good, or were the previous coaches that bad?

I think it's the combination of having a competent coach and the fact that we have had some of the worst coaches in the league for the better part of a decade.

Yeah, for sure.

Shazam · 11-01-2021, 10:08 AM

Ward was a terrible head coach. I think he's a fine assistant coach.

GG was a terrible head coach.