Battle of Alberta Real Talk

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Your point still stands - but think you were wrong about never being bad on purpose.

They were supposed to be bad on purpose after trading Iggy and Bouwmeester, and Kipper retired.

The were bad to end 2013 and had 3 1sts (Monahan, Poirier, and Klimchuk). And they were bad in 13/14...it was just really tough to outsuck Edmonton, Buffalo, and Florida during that era. And the Flames got the 4th overall pick - which unfortunately never panned out for them.

And they should have sucked again in 14/15 - most people predicted a top 5 pick going into that season..

I agree that they were supposed to suck in 13/14. Jay Feaster traded off Iggy and Bouw, and then did like nothing that Summer. He planned on his team sucking in 13/14.

Brian Burke fired him in the fall of 2013 I do believe.

Brad Treliving was hired in April of 2014, and the team immediately went back to spending free agent dollars.

So yeah, Feaster wanted the team to be bad in 13/14, and the Flames fired him and abandoned that train of thought as soon as possible.

…certainly not saying Feaster was a good GM. Those Iggy/Bouw deals sucked - but at least he was “intellectually honest” about where the team was and seemed to want to tank it up. Had the Flames been more aggressive at that 2014 TDL, we easily could have ended up with Draisaitl or someone better than Benny too. The difference was something like 10 points.

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

I agree that they were supposed to suck in 13/14. Jay Feaster traded off Iggy and Bouw, and then did like nothing that Summer. He planned on his team sucking in 13/14.

Brian Burke fired him in the fall of 2013 I do believe.

Brad Treliving was hired in April of 2014, and the team immediately went back to spending free agent dollars.

So yeah, Feaster wanted the team to be bad in 13/14, and the Flames fired him and abandoned that train of thought as soon as possible.

Jay Feaster- not the hero we deserved, but the hero we needed.

Who knew.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

I agree that they were supposed to suck in 13/14. Jay Feaster traded off Iggy and Bouw, and then did like nothing that Summer. He planned on his team sucking in 13/14.

Brian Burke fired him in the fall of 2013 I do believe.

Brad Treliving was hired in April of 2014, and the team immediately went back to spending free agent dollars.

So yeah, Feaster wanted the team to be bad in 13/14, and the Flames fired him and abandoned that train of thought as soon as possible.

…certainly not saying Feaster was a good GM. Those Iggy/Bouw deals sucked - but at least he was “intellectually honest” about where the team was and seemed to want to tank it up. Had the Flames been more aggressive at that 2014 TDL, we easily could have ended up with Draisaitl or someone better than Benny too. The difference was something like 10 points.

Treliving signed Mason Raymond, Deryk Engelland, and Jonas Hiller...those were still rebuilding team moves.

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by Bonded

Really pushing that closest sweep in history narrative lol. That is the thing, McDavid should already have a cup and the Oilers have botched it so far. Their defence and goalies are still shaky.

That’s debatable - if McDavid wins it this year, he’ll be the same age as MacKinnon was last year.

And it’s easier to fix a shaky defense and goalie than it is to find a metahuman 5x scoring champ.

[Bonded]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

That’s debatable - if McDavid wins it this year, he’ll be the same age as MacKinnon was last year.

And it’s easier to fix a shaky defense and goalie than it is to find a metahuman 5x scoring champ.

Draisaitl and McDavid is a Crosby and Malkin level of center depth but disagree on defense.Avs needed Makar to make the push over. I think you need to be clinking on at least two of defense, offense, and goaltending if you have elite players in any of those positions. Oilers have the forwards.
Goalies are voodoo. I think the Oilers will need a heck of a goalie run to win the cup.

[delayedreflex]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

I agree that they were supposed to suck in 13/14. Jay Feaster traded off Iggy and Bouw, and then did like nothing that Summer. He planned on his team sucking in 13/14.

Brian Burke fired him in the fall of 2013 I do believe.

Brad Treliving was hired in April of 2014, and the team immediately went back to spending free agent dollars.

So yeah, Feaster wanted the team to be bad in 13/14, and the Flames fired him and abandoned that train of thought as soon as possible.

…certainly not saying Feaster was a good GM. Those Iggy/Bouw deals sucked - but at least he was “intellectually honest” about where the team was and seemed to want to tank it up. Had the Flames been more aggressive at that 2014 TDL, we easily could have ended up with Draisaitl or someone better than Benny too. The difference was something like 10 points.

Unfortunately I don't know how likely it is that we could have had Draisaitl instead of Bennett - a lot of scouts had Bennett tagged as the top forward from that draft and many, many posters (myself included) were pretty thrilled that Edmonton passed on Bennett and picked Draisaitl instead.

2014 would have been a good year to load up on additional 1st round picks though - even though I recall it was considered a "weaker" draft at the top end compared to some years, the depth of top six forwards from that draft seems very solid - Pastrnak, Larkin, Ehlers, Nylander, Fiala, Larkin, Reinhart, Tuch, Schmaltz, McCann, Kempe were all first-rounders (though some of those guys only emerged as top players recently). Getting one or two of those guys would have been pretty great. Easy to say in hindsight though, it could have easily ended up like the previous year where we got Klimchuk and Poirier with our extra 1st rounders.

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Treliving signed Mason Raymond, Deryk Engelland, and Jonas Hiller...those were still rebuilding team moves.

Took the team to the salary cap with those signings.

Should have not signed any of those guys and gone bargain bin hunting or just promoted young people.

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by colbym72

The thread is called real talk. This isn't E=NG. But sure, tell me who I am a fan of. I have been a part of this board a lot longer than you have

Well, the truth is he's actually been here since at least June of 2012.

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by Bonded

Draisaitl and McDavid is a Crosby and Malkin level of center depth but disagree on defense.Avs needed Makar to make the push over. I think you need to be clinking on at least two of defense, offense, and goaltending if you h–:ave elite players in any of those positions. Oilers have the forwards.
Goalies are voodoo. I think the Oilers will need a heck of a goalie run to win the cup.

I say defense is easier to fix because Calgary has had quality blue lines, or the bones of one, for basically 20 years straight. A functional, stable blue line that doesn’t gas the game for them could win them at least one title - the Pens had one year when Letang was out the whole playoff, and either Dumolin or Justin Schulz led them in ice time, and I don’t think either of them were over 21 minutes a night.

Ultimately, while the mixture varies, you’re absolutely right - elite players are the key. And you need at least four of them, because whoever you run into at the highest level is also going have at least that many too, and you can’t be outgunned in a Stanley Cup final.

[stang]

Originally Posted by colbym72

The thread is called real talk. This isn't E=NG. But sure, tell me who I am a fan of. I have been a part of this board a lot longer than you have

Hes been here a while, just keeps getting banned and making new usernames or tells everyone he’s leaving and then makes a new username. He can’t have a normal conversation. No point in wasting your time.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

Took the team to the salary cap with those signings.

Should have not signed any of those guys and gone bargain bin hunting or just promoted young people.

He sure did not. Flames had the lowest salary in the league.

https://web.archive.org/web/20141226...w.capgeek.com/

Flames salary was $56M that year when the cap was $69M. The floor was $51M and if anything the $10.5M for those 3 were needed just to get to the floor.

Especially since they ended up moving Glencross that season.

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

He sure did not. Flames had the lowest salary in the league.

https://web.archive.org/web/20141226...w.capgeek.com/

Flames salary was $56M that year when the cap was $69M. The floor was $51M and if anything the $10.5M for those 3 were needed just to get to the floor.

Especially since they ended up moving Glencross that season.

TIL

Thanks SuperMatt18 (and for a fun yet miserable season of back and forth!).

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

TIL

Thanks SuperMatt18 (and for a fun yet miserable season of back and forth!).

Same to you.

Flames actually tried to do the right thing that year, lowest salary in the league, and looked to tank when they had a generational talent (at the time it looked like 2 potentially) in the draft.

But in typical Flames fashion they can never suck when you want them to. Makes it even worse that the Oilers sucked and lucked their way into a 4th 1st overall pick that year.

[Vedder]

Bennett flop changed everything.

There were regrettable signings and coaching hires along the way, but him not being a number 1 centre was a pretty rough turn of events. Rebuild was on a pretty good trajectory but you can’t afford for that pick to be a miss.

There is just so much luck that goes into the whole thing.

[Monahammer]

Originally Posted by Vedder

Bennett flop changed everything.

There were regrettable signings and coaching hires along the way, but him not being a number 1 centre was a pretty rough turn of events. Rebuild was on a pretty good trajectory but you can’t afford for that pick to be a miss.

There is just so much luck that goes into the whole thing.

Things would be much much different if Bennett hadn't been such a dud.

[Bend it like Bourgeois]

Originally Posted by Vedder

Bennett flop changed everything.

There were regrettable signings and coaching hires along the way, but him not being a number 1 centre was a pretty rough turn of events. Rebuild was on a pretty good trajectory but you can’t afford for that pick to be a miss.

There is just so much luck that goes into the whole thing.

It’s why the narrative that the org or ownership ‘always’ seeks mediocrity bugs me.

They did what they should and were unlucky not to get more out of it.
The team up north did nothing they should but won a lottery. #### them.

Fans want to fire coaches and GMs, and fine if they do, but really the whole league is about a lottery.

[Krognonos]

I'm an Oilers fan living in Calgary who joined ~1yr ago to look at something in Buy and Sell.

This thread is pointless.

[MacDaddy77]

Good for you. Have you been in the E=NG thread yet

[Krognonos]

I do prefer most post game threads but yes, I've accidentally gone into Edmonton is no good.

[Winsor_Pilates]

Oilers don't deserve what they have and they didin't plan to rebuild that way. It's the biggest joke in sports history and complete fluke that they were gifted 2 elite franchise forwards.

Now with that out of the way, they are a favourite in the West and if Makar is out I'd say the most likely to come out of the West.
Like the OP, I have the fear this year and really hope some other team comes to the rescue.
It's a shame that other team can't be the Flames and we won't be at that level any time soon.