[GDT] Calgary Flames VS Nashville Predators 7 PM MT; SN360

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by PugnaciousIntern

After seeing Kylington’s progression after having years of patience, why are we so keen to mess with Valimaki? Let the dude develop and don’t disrupt a team that’s playing well just to increase from 52 to 82 games played.

He's only 23 years old. A full season of tough love from Darryl will do him good. Watching same games from the press box isn't a bad thing and it's not like he's played so well that he deserves to stay in the lineup. In a perfect world he would spend this season in the AHL because IMO he's not ready.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by GranteedEV

For sure. But I think a bad preseason and 3 games isn't enough time to write the guy off for the whole year.

I hope the bottom pair is constantly being evaluated all year. All four guys - Valimaki, Stone, Gudbranson, Zadorov, as many permutations that make sense. And I hope we see Mackey and Kinnvall too.

He has missed 2 games

[dino7c]

[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

He has missed 2 games

?

Zadorov missed five games - the entire eastern trip where we went 5-0-0

[Enoch Root]

Game 1 of a 6 game road trip for the Preds, where they have 2 sets of back-to-backs. So they will be hungry for this one.

They have also won 3 in a row (MIN, SJS, NYI in a SO)

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by GranteedEV

?

Zadorov missed five games - the entire eastern trip where we went 5-0-0

We were discussing Valimaki.

[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

We were discussing Valimaki.

Valimaki is a $4M veteran defenseman?

[mile]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1455603114145316864

[Strange Brew]

The team is playing pretty well. Seems like a high class problem to be working some bottom defensemen in and out of the lineup.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by GranteedEV

Valimaki is a $4M veteran defenseman?

Oh yes, that bit was about Zadorov, my apologies (lots of conversations on the go)

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

The team is playing pretty well. Seems like a high class problem to be working some bottom defensemen in and out of the lineup.

Yeah, having 8 NHL defensemen, and being able to rotate guys in and out, is a coach's dream, and a great situation. Not sure why fans get so worked up about it.

[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Yeah, having 8 NHL defensemen, and being able to rotate guys in and out, is a coach's dream, and a great situation. Not sure why fans get so worked up about it.

Who's worked up?

Now if Valimaki sits for the next two months the way Kylington did last year (played 8 of 56 games), it's another story altogether.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by GranteedEV

Who's worked up?

Now if Valimaki sits for the next two months the way Kylington did last year (played 8 of 56 games), it's another story altogether.

With how well Kylington is playing I remain mystified about how jaded some posters are about the fact he played so sparingly last year.

Did his limited showings have any negative impact AT ALL on his development? It sure doesn't seem like it.
Did his time on the bench and practicing with the tam last year help him to get to the point he is playing at today? We don't know, but this sure does not seem implausible.
Did his low number of NHL games help the Flames to ensure he was not a casualty in the expansion draft? This also seems quite likely.

Some of you guys need to get over it. Kylington looks like an emerging top-four defensemen, and the Flames seem to have handled his development very well.

[calumniate]

sweet hat darryl!

[CaptainYooh]

Tolvanen — Johansen — Kunin
Trenin — Sissons — Jeannot

Man, not watching too many NHL games last season other than the Flames really got to me. Admittedly, I know nothing of these two lines...

[Hot_Flatus]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

With how well Kylington is playing I remain mystified about how jaded some posters are about the fact he played so sparingly last year.

Did his limited showings have any negative impact AT ALL on his development? It sure doesn't seem like it.
Did his time on the bench and practicing with the tam last year help him to get to the point he is playing at today? We don't know, but this sure does not seem implausible.
Did his low number of NHL games help the Flames to ensure he was not a casualty in the expansion draft? This also seems quite likely.

Some of you guys need to get over it. Kylington looks like an emerging top-four defensemen, and the Flames seem to have handled his development very well.

That's accurate in many ways but also takes away from the fact that Kylington could have very well been doing exactly what he's doing now, last season and made an impact on the team then, or could have been claimed by another team and doing what he's doing now for them instead.

It's worked out, but his development the last 12-18 months has hardly been handled well. I'd call it more like the Flames lucked out after waiving a player and essentially putting him on ice for the year last year. All the credit to him for putting his head down and forcing the team's hand.

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by Hot_Flatus

That's accurate in many ways but also takes away from the fact that Kylington could have very well been doing exactly what he's doing now, last season, and made an impact on the team then,

Except that he showed no sign of it. I repeat: Kylington was not the player a year ago that he is today. From the little I've heard, he put in a great deal of work over the summer to improve in specific areas that Sutter told him to work on, and it has paid off.

[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by Jay Random

Except that he showed no sign of it. I repeat: Kylington was not the player a year ago that he is today. From the little I've heard, he put in a great deal of work over the summer to improve in specific areas that Sutter told him to work on, and it has paid off.

You and I must have watched a different player, because he absolutely showed more than a sign of it.

This is the NHL. A league where a guy like Gustav Forsling gets waived, and then finds himself on a playoff team's top pair the same season. A league where a guy like Shea Theodore is given with an add to a team like Vegas, because the Ducks didn't want to risk losing Josh Manson.

The idea that Kylington did all these things this offseason that he never did in past offseasons because only Sutter was capable of telling him is a tad ridiculous. Unless you're suggesting Ryan Huska is incompetent at his job, in which case he should not be employed.

The things you can work on during the offseason - fitness, puck skills, strength, were not the issue for Kylington a year ago.

The things you can work on with regular ice time might have been? Reads, decision-making, pace? They might STILL be considering he didn't even make the top 6D out of training camp.

The fact is, no coach prior to this year played him with Tanev or even Hamonic. He looks better this year when paired with Tanev, because Giordano isn't here to take that spot.

Valimaki isn't getting better sitting out of games. Kylington wasn't either. But Valimaki sitting out of a few games while competing for a roster spot is a totally different story from sitting out 80%+ of the season for no reason.

But I guess we protected Kylington from expansion lol. While waiving him to 30 other teams the same season.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Hot_Flatus

That's accurate in many ways but also takes away from the fact that Kylington could have very well been doing exactly what he's doing now, last season and made an impact on the team then, or could have been claimed by another team and doing what he's doing now for them instead.

It's worked out, but his development the last 12-18 months has hardly been handled well. I'd call it more like the Flames lucked out after waiving a player and essentially putting him on ice for the year last year. All the credit to him for putting his head down and forcing the team's hand.

to the 1st bold - maybe, but there is no evidence - including his play last year - to support it.

To the 2nd bold: again, all of the evidence is in complete contradiction to your opinion/conclusion. It seems far more likely that you simply can't get past your bias and accept the simplest conclusion, which is that his development has been very effective and fruitful.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by GranteedEV

You and I must have watched a different player, because he absolutely showed more than a sign of it.

This is the NHL. A league where a guy like Gustav Forsling gets waived, and then finds himself on a playoff team's top pair the same season. A league where a guy like Shea Theodore is given with an add to a team like Vegas, because the Ducks didn't want to risk losing Josh Manson.

The idea that Kylington did all these things this offseason that he never did in past offseasons because only Sutter was capable of telling him is a tad ridiculous. Unless you're suggesting Ryan Huska is incompetent at his job, in which case he should not be employed.

The things you can work on during the offseason - fitness, puck skills, strength, were not the issue for Kylington a year ago.

The things you can work on with regular ice time might have been? Reads, decision-making, pace? They might STILL be considering he didn't even make the top 6D out of training camp.

The fact is, no coach prior to this year played him with Tanev or even Hamonic. He looks better this year when paired with Tanev, because Giordano isn't here to take that spot.

Valimaki isn't getting better sitting out of games. Kylington wasn't either. But Valimaki sitting out of a few games while competing for a roster spot is a totally different story from sitting out 80%+ of the season for no reason.

But I guess we protected Kylington from expansion lol. While waiving him to 30 other teams the same season.

But it isn't all just Sutter, and no one has suggested it is.

Kylington is stronger, stronger on his skates, playing with more confidence, and making better decisions than he was last year.

Sometimes guys just mature and suddenly get it. I think that is the case with him.

I don't think this is about Sutter at all, really. Kylington came to camp ready to go and has taken his game to a new level. He earned his spot in the lineup.