[PGT] Loss - 10/30/2024 - Utah defeats Calgary 5-1

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Originally Posted by ResAlien

I dunno I kind of love it. Folks clamouring for a rebuild, get a rebuild, “no not like that!”

Exactly. You don't get high draft picks by being a good team and winning.

The Flames are a bad team, they will lose a lot. I'm not sure what some fans were expecting. This is only October of the first year of a rebuild. They won't be decent/good again for another 3,4,5 years. If anything, what we're seeing right now in terms of where they sit in the standings might be as good as it gets for a long, long, long time. Buckle up.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Saqe

But what are you going to do with him, he's still taking up a roster spot. I would imagine in a few years they want to be competitive and that matters. It's also an elephant in the room.


I don't think the extra years from the buyout for a million or so matters at all.

Nothing. You eat it. You live with it.
You don't extend it.

Maybe indeed it's worth it in the final year. Puckpedia has a great tool you can play with:
https://puckpedia.com/player/jonatha...ut?s=2030-2031

If you buy him out in 2030/2031 you get a savings of 3.7M that year but take a 1.8M hit the next year. Might be worth it.

If you buy him out the year before you create a 4.4M savings, and take a 1.1M hit in the next 2 years.

So maybe at some point, if you need around 4M you do that.

The two other outs are potentially:
- A compliance buyout tied to a new CBA
- As the years remaining decrease, he decides he wants out

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by KootenayFlamesFan

Exactly. You don't get high draft picks by being a good team and winning.

The Flames are a bad team, they will lose a lot. I'm not sure what some fans were expecting. This is only October of the first year of a rebuild. They won't be decent/good again for another 3,4,5 years. If anything, what we're seeing right now in terms of where they sit in the standings might be as good as it gets for a long, long, long time. Buckle up.

And again it's not because of effort. It's because they aren't a good team.

They lack an entire first line. When that's the case all your slotting is wrong. Everyone is playing above where they should and will be over-matched by teams with more quality players.

[Ferarri]

Originally Posted by dustygoon

Brent Krahn on radio ripping Huberdeau for yucking it up and laughing when down 5-0. Anyone see this?

I accept that his contract is brutal. His lack of bringing anything else is painful. But to laugh? omg.

Disappointing to hear this. At the very least he needs to set the tone for what it means to be a leader. This is not a good look.

[Locke]

I dont know why people are after Huberdeau...other than that he's French which is a good enough reason on it's own, admittedly.

But...its not like he's taking a spot away from someone more talented.

Its not like he's going to generate any value in a trade.

Its not like the cap space really matters to this team right now.

Its not like its our money.

And its not like he has a bad attitude.

We're going to suck. We're going to suck for a while. Best to make peace with it.

[taxbuster]

Notwithstanding the crap play from last night (and vs Vegas, though that is much more understandable)...what I miss is where they started out on the PP earlier in the season. They played 2 guys just on the goal line, or sometimes below it, and had pretty good success doing so. Now they're just gassing around with the puck and shooting it from the blue line like the Sutter years and nobody is in front to do retrieval. WTAF?


The other annoying thing is the lack of focus from everyone on passes...they put SO many passes into opposing players...and not because Utah was doing things right...but because they just didn't take a look first. Just blind passing. They weren't doing that earlier.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

Thing with Huberdeau is he's again playing very low event and safe hockey.

Among forwards he has the lowest xGA/60 on the team (2.1 xGA per 60), the 2nd lowest xGF/60, the 2nd lowest corsi against per 60, the 2nd lowest corsi for per 60, the lowest High Danger Corsi Against, and the 2nd lowest High Danger Corsi For per 60.

It's not like he's a liability on the ice right now, his defensive effort has actually been strong, he's just unable to generate anything offensively.

And he takes very little risks to generate offensively. If you watch him closely you really start to notice it.

- He's often the high forward in the offensive zone
- He's often the last forward in the defensive zone (very rarely is he cheating on the breakout)
- He's generally the first forward back on the back check
- If a d-man pinches he's the one often covering the point

He has been playing very, very safe hockey for the better part of two and a half seasons in Calgary now, and it's hard to generate offense if you don't take a risk every once in a while.

He is 2nd on the team in scoring and one of the better players by defensice metrics.

But he isnt young and makes too much money so its all his fault

[Calgary Highlander]

Is there a clip of Huberdeau laughing with Hill?

[Bandwagon Surfer]

Originally Posted by Saqe

But what are you going to do with him, he's still taking up a roster spot. I would imagine in a few years they want to be competitive and that matters. It's also an elephant in the room.


I don't think the extra years from the buyout for a million or so matters at all.

I think it comes down to how long you expect a rebuild to take.

Personally I think it is going to take at least 3 seasons in the basement, plus another few seasons of improvement before the Flames are a contender (assuming everything goes well).

With 7 more years on Huberdeau's contract, it would put it ending right when the Flames are going to need space for their top picks's expiring ELCs, and when they will need all the space possible to load up for the playoffs. Any type of buyout would be moving cap him from rebuilding time into contending time where they will need cap space the most.

[ComixZone]

There's really no problems with the Flames roster for where the organization is. Yeah, it'd be great if Huberdeau's contract was a couple years shorter, likely ditto with Kadri...but it absolutely does not matter right now, and they're critical to keeping the Flames above the cap floor at the moment.

The losses will pile up, as planned. At the end, we as fans will end up with a very good young prospect (hopefully a centre) that will then help provide a decade of stability. It takes time to build a team, and this is all part of that process.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by dino7c

He is 2nd on the team in scoring and one of the better players by defensice metrics.

But he isnt young and makes too much money so its all his fault

Yup - it's funny Huberdeau and Mantha have been taking a lot of flak for these last 4 games but if you look at the numbers they are actually the best 2 forwards at 5v5 over this 4 game losing streak.

xGF:
1st: Mantha: 60.2%
2nd: Huberdeau: 59.1%

GF%:
1st: Mantha: 100% (1-0)
2nd: Huberdeau: 60% (3-2)

High Danger:
1st: Kirkland: 71% (5-2)
2nd: Huberdeau: 67% (4-2)
3rd: Mantha: 57% (4-3)

And our Forwards only have 4 goals in the last 4 games, Huberdeau has 1 and Mantha has 1.

The entire forward group has been really poor in this stretch, but Huberdeau/Mantha have probably actually been the best of a bad bunch in this stretch.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Players sometimes have buddies on the other team, it's not unusual to see them smiling at each other saying something and smiling.

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

I don't think I'd be making trades or signing players to try to play with him.

But I also think it's pretty obvious that guys that are more slower paced don't actually work well with him.

He doesn't really drive play himself, so needs guys to push the pace a bit which helps open up space for him.

It's what was working those first three games. Both Pospisil and Mantha were really attacking the middle of the ice with pace, and it opened up more space for that line as a whole.

For whatever reason though since the 3 day break the whole team hasn't been attacking the middle of the ice nearly as much, and reverted back to dump the puck in, cycle along the wall, and get the puck back to the point approach.

What was working was a small sample success. Mantha was playing with an edge that he can never keep up. Hubby was likely playing over his head. It's not like Calgary can just subject their will on other teams. I think they caught some teams playing poorly to pen the season. Hubby has played with pretty much everyone on the team, this is simply a case of shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic, its always going to end up at the bottom of the ocean.

[All In Good Time]

Originally Posted by Hockey_Ninja

It would've been nice to get a W for Back's 1000th game, but alas.....

Hey, you know, as long as he had fun, that’s all that really matters right?

[Toonage]

Well, he coined the term pit of doom after so I'm guessing it wasn't too fun.

[All In Good Time]

Originally Posted by Goriders

Wonder what’s going to happen with attendance at the dome?

We are at 90% capacity now
I suspect it’ll get a lot worse before it improves

[SutterBrother]

Originally Posted by Jason14h

Not much IMO because it already stinks

https://www.hockeydb.com/nhl-attenda...h.php?tmi=5090

The all time low was 1990 at 15320, and only twice have they fallen below 16000

I question this data.

(I mean you're just reporting what you see of course, so not on you specifically).

The year after you win the Stanley Cup isn't a struggle for attendance.

In the late 90's you could turn in a coupon from a case of Coke and get a $5 ticket it was so dead. That didn't recover till 2004.

Anyway - doesn't feel accurate.

[dustygoon]

Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy

I don't what folks want Huberdeau to be doing in a 5-0 loss?

Sulking? Crying? Throwing hissy fits?

The guy is making $10.5 million a year and he will be for the next 7 years, no matter what the team is doing. He's on a rebuilding roster with no hope of a trade and no hope of winning. So he'll just take his pay cheque from his buy out proof contract and laugh all the way to the bank.

I know fans think the players should care as much as they do, but many of them don't.

Once you realize this, you as a fan will also care less.

I don't know. Maybe at least pretend to not enjoy losing? Kids and all are watching.

[CroFlames]

Originally Posted by Locke

I dont know why people are after Huberdeau...other than that he's French which is a good enough reason on it's own, admittedly.

But...its not like he's taking a spot away from someone more talented.

Its not like he's going to generate any value in a trade.

Its not like the cap space really matters to this team right now.

Its not like its our money.

And its not like he has a bad attitude.

We're going to suck. We're going to suck for a while. Best to make peace with it.

We expect more from a player like that.

I fully accept the tank job, as I have been advocating for the rebuild the moment Johnny left. So I am cheering for losses.

But I want each individual player to play to the best of his ability. Kirkland isn't scoring 30, but watching Kirkland be the best Kirkland he can be is fun. Huberdeau is playing at like 35% of his ability and that is frustrating. I want to see the best Huberdeau he can be while watching the tank.

[Jiri Hrdina]

I haven't seen the video but feels like people are looking for more reasons to criticize the guy. His play on ice is enough. If he had a moment with a fellow player - I don't really care. And I don't know why I care if kids are watching.