Making the playoffs or keeping our top-10 first round pick 2025?

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

Yes Aarongravey

You need to learn how to use the quote function, it will make your allegations seem substantive.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Originally Posted by Aarongavey

You need to learn how to use the quote function, it will make your allegations seem substantive.

Maybe when I’m not using my phone and these ads screw #### up.

You said Huska is an elite coaching having us punching anove our weight class

[dissentowner]

Lol there are lots of coaches that never get a sniff of the NHL that had teams that put up decent offensive numbers in the CHL. I mean Dale Hunter should have took the Washington Capitals to multiple SC wins instead of a one and done by that standard and Brian Kilrea should have become one of the greatest NHL coaches of all time.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

Lol there are lots of coaches that never get a sniff of the NHL that had teams that put up decent offensive numbers in the CHL. I mean Dale Hunter should have took the Washington Capitals to multiple SC wins instead of a one and done by that standard and Brian Kilrea should have become one of the greatest NHL coaches of all time.

No one said "he's a good coach because he had teams in other leagues that did well".

People simply refuted PW's post that claimed that all of Huska's teams have struggled offensively.

[Hackey]

Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe

He was playing top 4 minutes in his first season last year on the Devils due to injury issues, and was looking solid, especially considering he was a rookie. He has improved this year so far as well.


That Markstrom trade is going to age beautifully, even without knowing what that 1st rounder ends up being.

Top 4 minutes because their entire team was injured last year. If you go by ATOI he was 6th for dmen. Again, I have no issue with the player or the return. I'm saying I think the total value of the return was likely always similar.

[Wolven]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

Hopefully last night was the beginning of a long losing skid into the bottom 5.

I still think it is going to come down to the increased number of road games in January & March. We are not as good on the road as we are at home this season and we have a pile of road games between now and the trade deadline.

The team does not really need to have anything change to drop in the standings... we just need to have more road games than home games and the Flames will win less games.

Losing two games in a row at home definitely tilts the conversation toward the "top-10 draft" side of the equation. If we keep our road record of winning about 41% of the possible points and start losing more home games... then dropping in the standings is certain.

[flamesgod]

Originally Posted by Hackey

Top 4 minutes because their entire team was injured last year. If you go by ATOI he was 6th for dmen. Again, I have no issue with the player or the return. I'm saying I think the total value of the return was likely always similar.

I never heard Bahl’s name in the rumours last year. I heard Holtz plenty, and people were wishing for Mercer. Not the same thing at all. I also heard the Flames would have to retain a bunch of salary. If the deal wasn’t better in the summer, Conroy wouldn’t have pulled the trigger. He didn’t need to trade Markstrom.

[flamesgod]

Either way, being patient is not a bad thing.

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

Hopefully last night was the beginning of a long losing skid into the bottom 5.

Fingers crossed!

[stemit14]

Looking at the current standings, I think Calgary’s only path to a playoff spot at this point is the final wild card spot. Of course, there’s lots of the season left to play and things can shift a lot but there are pretty decent gaps forming right now and teams that were supposed to be good are playing more like they should have (Colorado for example).

There are 4 teams currently battling for that final wild card spot: Vancouver, Calgary, St. Louis and Utah. Vancouver currently holds the playoff spot but the range is this:

Vancouver: 38 GP; 44 PTS; 0.579 P%
Calgary: 39 GP; 43 PTS; 0.551 P%
St. Louis: 41 GP; 42 PTS; 0.512 P%
Utah: 39 GP; 41 PTS; 0.526 P%

I think Vancouver, if they are healthy and if their dressing room drama is sorted out is probably the best of those four teams and should have the inside track on that last playoff spot. But neither of those things have been true for the Canucks this season so far. If their team gets healthy early in the 2nd half of the season and their drama is sorted out, they likely claim that last playoff spot. If not, it’s a toss up between all 4 teams. They are pretty even teams in that case.

I will add that, of those 4 teams, Calgary is the only one that I think could trade away a significant piece (Andersson) this season that could drop them out of the race. Vancouver could trade Pettersson or Miller but it would likely be a hockey trade where they plan on it not hurting their current season. Utah and St. Louis don’t have much to trade away at the deadline - Utah only has young players in their core that are part of their long term plans and it’s a similar case with St. Louis. Calgary, on the other hand, could trade a core piece like Andersson this year for a future-oriented return (young players + picks) that makes Calgary a worse team this season.

In my opinion, the flames playoff chances sit at 25% at best if Vancouver continues to struggle with injuries and dressing room drama and if the flames don’t trade Andersson this season.

[Hackey]

Originally Posted by flamesgod

I never heard Bahl’s name in the rumours last year. I heard Holtz plenty, and people were wishing for Mercer. Not the same thing at all. I also heard the Flames would have to retain a bunch of salary. If the deal wasn’t better in the summer, Conroy wouldn’t have pulled the trigger. He didn’t need to trade Markstrom.

Bahl or Holtz it's pretty similar value. Holtz probably a slight edge. Flames ended up retaining salary anyways. And sure he didn't need to trade Markstrom but I think Markstrom had one foot out the door based on how he reacted to the trade that didn't go through.

As far as Andersson goes I think this deadline or off season is the best time to deal him. We waited on Hanifin and that return was pretty bad for the player. You wait until the last second to trade Andersson and you could be in a similar situation. Just my preference to get the deal done earlier where you actually have some leverage and a team gets him for more than one playoff run.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Originally Posted by Hackey

Bahl or Holtz it's pretty similar value. Holtz probably a slight edge. Flames ended up retaining salary anyways. And sure he didn't need to trade Markstrom but I think Markstrom had one foot out the door based on how he reacted to the trade that didn't go through.

As far as Andersson goes I think this deadline or off season is the best time to deal him. We waited on Hanifin and that return was pretty bad for the player. You wait until the last second to trade Andersson and you could be in a similar situation. Just my preference to get the deal done earlier where you actually have some leverage and a team gets him for more than one playoff run.

Unprotected 1st, a 3rd and a project isn't a bad return for a pending UFA who had his agent try to sabotage trades behind the scenes.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Hackey

Bahl or Holtz it's pretty similar value. Holtz probably a slight edge. Flames ended up retaining salary anyways. And sure he didn't need to trade Markstrom but I think Markstrom had one foot out the door based on how he reacted to the trade that didn't go through.

As far as Andersson goes I think this deadline or off season is the best time to deal him. We waited on Hanifin and that return was pretty bad for the player. You wait until the last second to trade Andersson and you could be in a similar situation. Just my preference to get the deal done earlier where you actually have some leverage and a team gets him for more than one playoff run.

On what basis does Holtz have more value than Bahl?

I think the Devils offered Holtz and the Flames wanted Bahl.
I also think you are probably right that the bones of the deal were likely established during the deadline chatter, and that it served as the foundation for the deal eventually done.

The reason why the Hanifin return was poor was because he pretty much said he would only sign with Vegas. Increasingly players are exerting that type of control which really impacts value.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

On what basis does Holtz have more value than Bahl?

I think the Devils offered Holtz and the Flames wanted Bahl.
I also think you are probably right that the bones of the deal were likely established during the deadline chatter, and that it served as the foundation for the deal eventually done.

The reason why the Hanifin return was poor was because he pretty much said he would only sign with Vegas. Increasingly players are exerting that type of control which really impacts value.

Actually, he wanted to go out east with Tampa as his preferred destination.

Don't think the return was poor. He was a rental no assurance he would sign with Vegas. Dougie Hamilton was traded for a 1st and 2 2nds.

https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article...is-top-choice/

Article a few days befor ehe was traded.

[Hot_Flatus]

This team isn't a playoff team and won't be when the dust settles on the season. Once the road games and terrible road record start to catch up with them, it will even out.

They are middling defensively (mainly buoyed by good goaltending) and terrible offensively. The fact they are playing hard and are at times fun to watch is a bonus, but this team is going to be drafting high in 2025 - still only 6/7 points separates them from some of the worst teams in the league!

[Inferno]

Originally Posted by Hot_Flatus

Once the road games and terrible road record start to catch up with them, it will even out.

Watch them start winning more on the road now.

[traptor]

I would not be upset if they started to slide.

It's been a fun year. We stayed competitive for a good chunk of it and didn't get our faces caved in.


Sliding into a top 5 pick now would make it an overall fantastic season.

[Tbull8]

Originally Posted by traptor

I would not be upset if they started to slide.

It's been a fun year. We stayed competitive for a good chunk of it and didn't get our faces caved in.


Sliding into a top 5 pick now would make it an overall fantastic season.

Better than starting in a lottery position and worsening our position with wins over the year. Gives clarity at the deadline to optimize some returns

[gvitaly]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

The reason why the Hanifin return was poor was because he pretty much said he would only sign with Vegas. Increasingly players are exerting that type of control which really impacts value.

I'm pretty sure Conroy mentioned that he could only trade Hanifin as a rental, and that was the main reason he couldn't get more for him. Essentially Hanifin's camp didn't want to negotiate an extension with a team before playing there and seeing what it was like. It was his right, and he wasn't risking much by potentially hitting free agency with the great season he was having.

[Vinny01]

Hanifin got a pretty strong return with an unprotected 1st in a good draft year and a 3rd that had a good chance of becoming a 2nd but Vegas lost in the first round. Mirimanov was a toss in but overall it was a decent return.