Lines that Huska will try at camp

[Eric Vail]

Originally Posted by kyuss275

Hmmm. Really thought they would keep the Kuzmenko - kadri - pospisil line together. They had great chemistry at end of season. Granted nothing is set in stone yet. You can also put me in the camp that thinks we have a bottom 5 team. Our D is putrid.

Camp is time to try new things. They can always go back to what worked before. This team will have a million line combinations.

[Funkhouser]

Originally Posted by DeluxeMoustache

I could see this but am curious where Coronato fits then

He was doing some extra skating work with Danielle Fujita in the summer (as was Solovyov, btw)

As he is waiver eligible and needs top 9 time, I can see the Flames letting him simmer in the AHL until we unload some wingers at the deadline, or an injury.

[Bonded]

Originally Posted by dino7c

no its not, I'm guessing you haven't looked at many other rosters. Flames forwards are actually decent.

D and goaltending is a bigger question mark. Now if they have a major sell off then maybe.

Can you name ten teams you would take the Flames forwards over? I can't. The defense is definitely bottom 5

[the-rasta-masta]

Originally Posted by Funkhouser

Ok, with this premise in mind:

Huberdeau-Pospisil-Mantha
Zary-Backlund-Coleman

I could see the next lines being:
Kuzmenko - Kadri - Sharongovich
Pelletier - Rooney - Lomberg
Klapka

What about:

Kuzmenko-Kadri-Lomberg
Pelletier-Sharangovich-Coronato

I think our forwards look like pretty good depth actually especially if we see improvement from some of the younger players. It's defense and the question mark in goal that will do this team in.

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Glad to hear Huska say this, it’s a bad team, might as well try a bunch of combos and see what sticks. Especially during training camp, go crazy.

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

No matter what combos, it will just being varying degrees of suck.

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by dino7c

no its not, I'm guessing you haven't looked at many other rosters. Flames forwards are actually decent.

D and goaltending is a bigger question mark. Now if they have a major sell off then maybe.

The Flames were a bottom-3 team after the trade deadline, and have since said goodbye to their starting goalie. Everything you could point to as why the Flames could be better than bottom-3 is something you could just as easily point to on the other bottom 10ish teams from last season - but the Flames don't have as much push in that high-end 20-24 year old age group than most of the other teams.

Is Bahl, Bean, and Lomberg really going to propel that "decent" forward group to something more significant than what they were?

Are the Flames worse than the:

Blackhawks? I think so.
Sharks? No. Bottom 3, alongside the Ducks and Flames.
Ducks? No. Bottom 3 alongside the Sharks and Flames.
Blue Jackets? I think so. Their youth has been stockpiling and could explode.
Canadiens? I think so.
Senators? I think so.
Kraken? I think so.
Utah HC? I think so.

I think you're looking at a Flames, Ducks, Sharks race to the bottom. You'll likely see a mid-ranged team collapse down closer to the bottom as well...although you could argue that Calgary probably is the most likely team in that range to tumble down.

[Monahammer]

We should trade Coronato now if we're not going to give him a top 6 chance this year. Probably should have 6 months ago.

[EVERLAST]

Call me crazy but when has a Flames lineup EVAR been set in stone?

When has it not been blendable to be blended again and again like in a blender set on Puree? By the way

What is an example of a puree?
A puréed food is a food item that has been blended, mixed, or processed into a smooth and uniform texture. Examples of foods with a purée consistency include applesauce, pumpkin pie filling, and hummus. Puréed foods may be necessary for people with chewing or swallowing problems

So I guess we shall be able to handle a pureed lineup.

[calumniate]

hope at center with a prayer on RW

[CliffFletcher]

Yeah, I didn’t think Pospisil would be buried on the 4th line. I think he has a better shot at sticking at C than Zary. Give him the dirty work on a line with a couple skilled wingers.

[gvitaly]

I listened to that interview a couple of days back and my take away was that there are 3 pairs to start:
Kuzmenko - Kadri
Huberdeau - Mantha
Backlund - Coleman

There are also 3 guys that Huska wants to try out in different roles, and are likely the ones that are going to be rotated with those pairs in the top 9.
Pospisil - Huska likes his snarl, speed and size at center
Zary - Huska likes it when he gets more puck touches at center and gets to control the play
Sharangovich - Huska likes his 200ft game, but wants him to play with more oomph when he's a center

Other things that I remembered were:
Huska is going to use the same system, but tweak the forecheck a bit so it's more aggressive in the neutral zone.
Huska also wants to protect the red line better. As a result he hopes that the Flames will play less in their own zone.

Coronato apparently is looking good. He put in the work in the summer. He also got a lot more comfortable at the NHL level playing away from the puck. Huska sees him as Mangiapane, he needs to be put with more offensive guys to unlock his potential.

That's all I remember.

[stemit14]

It could get complicated if a few guys impress at camp.

What if Coronato, Pelletier and Klapka all look really good in camp? Good problem to have I guess but honestly, do you tell Coronato and Klapka they don’t get to make the team because they are waiver exempt despite having a fantastic camp? I know we always assume injuries/trades will happen but that could take a while sometimes.

I could see Kuzmenko and Mantha both being likely trade pieces but most likely they would be traded closer to the TDL. That’s a long time for Coronato/Klapka to wait if they’ve earned an opportunity.

I believe in momentum building for a young players development and sometimes, it can be detrimental to their development if they aren’t given the opportunity to take steps to a bigger role (i.e. staying in the AHL for too long). Who knows what happens in camp but I hope that young players that play well enough in camp to earn a spot on the opening roster get it rather than being sent to the AHL and told to wait.

[gvitaly]

Originally Posted by stemit14

It could get complicated if a few guys impress at camp.

What if Coronato, Pelletier and Klapka all look really good in camp? Good problem to have I guess but honestly, do you tell Coronato and Klapka they don’t get to make the team because they are waiver exempt despite having a fantastic camp? I know we always assume injuries/trades will happen but that could take a while sometimes.

I could see Kuzmenko and Mantha both being likely trade pieces but most likely they would be traded closer to the TDL. That’s a long time for Coronato/Klapka to wait if they’ve earned an opportunity.

I believe in momentum building for a young players development and sometimes, it can be detrimental to their development if they aren’t given the opportunity to take steps to a bigger role (i.e. staying in the AHL for too long). Who knows what happens in camp but I hope that young players that play well enough in camp to earn a spot on the opening roster get it rather than being sent to the AHL and told to wait.

I think you point to the 2-7-1 start the Flames had last year. They ended up calling up Zary and Pospisil shortly after. I think there will be opportunities rather quickly with this squad, because there isn't that much separating a lot of the players.

Also I don't think any of Zary, Pospisil, Rooney, Pelletier, Duehr, Hunt, or even Lomberg have a spot locked up to start the year. I think that if Coronato has a better showing, he'll get a spot.

[InternationalVillager]

Originally Posted by Samonadreau

If the Sabres finish in the bottom 5, let alone below the Flames, there will be riots in Buffalo.

With Dahlin, Power, Byram, Samuelsson, Jokiharju on the back end and Lindy Ruff back as head coach, if the BUF Sabres are not atleast a playoff team, I think there will be riots.

Last season, they were faced with significant injuries so I think that had a large part in derailing their season.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by dino7c

no its not, I'm guessing you haven't looked at many other rosters. Flames forwards are actually decent.

D and goaltending is a bigger question mark. Now if they have a major sell off then maybe.

If your defense group can't transition the puck your forward group is dead in the water.

Win the offensive faceoff or else!

Flames are a bottom 5 team.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by DeluxeMoustache

I could see this but am curious where Coronato fits then

He was doing some extra skating work with Danielle Fujita in the summer (as was Solovyov, btw)

I think unless he has an unreal camp Coronato will start with the Wranglers.

[InternationalVillager]

Originally Posted by Bingo

If your defense group can't transition the puck your forward group is dead in the water.

This x 1000.

It's all supposed to flow together.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by InternationalVillager

With Dahlin, Power, Byram, Samuelsson, Jokiharju on the back end and Lindy Ruff back as head coach, if the BUF Sabres are not atleast a playoff team, I think there will be riots.

Last season, they were faced with significant injuries so I think that had a large part in derailing their season.

I think they have a significant risk in net still. I'm not confident in UPL.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Bingo

If your defense group can't transition the puck your forward group is dead in the water.

Win the offensive faceoff or else!

Flames are a bottom 5 team.

Bottom 5 finish should get them a premium center prospect.