[PGT] Season in the ICU. Flames lost 3-1 to Utah

[Paulie Walnuts]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Yes I think it's all those factors.
I can also imagine that a coach looks at a Blues team, and thinks he can probably do something more near-term with it than the Flames squad - including because there are some guys on their like Binnignton who have won. But that's a guess.

There's also a history with the organization, with him being an assistant there.

St. Louis also has a #1 C that is 25 years old. Here is the age of the top 5 point producers on the Blues. 25, 26, 22. 29 and 32. The Flames top 5 point producers are 33,31,31,21,32.

Wolf is great, but they have a goalie who won a cup. If I was a coach I know which team I would pick to work with.

We are headed to a 3rd straight non playoff season and all we have to show for it is Parekh as a top tier prospect. That is a massive failure. I will give you the 1st playoff miss because they had a roster built to compete, but they lost 2 star players so they pivoted. But they should have leaned into a rebuild that year but whatever. Once the UFA players said no they should have leaned into. I don't get this culture and mentorship bs. You would still have Kadri, Weegar, Huberdeau here.

[Hot_Flatus]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

#1 priority needs to be getting a decent head coach.

Who is responsible for Coronato breaking out, Huberdeau looking like a useful player again, Wolf rounding into legitimate starter form if it isn't at least partly the coach? Huska has squeezed everything he can out of a team with this kind of talent and nearly snuck them in.

This teams first PP unit is full of second unit talent on most playoff teams and you're saying the Flames need a real coach? The Flames need some real elite scoring talent that goes beyond 60 point players. How many other legitimate playoff team don't even have a single PPG player on their roster?

This isn't coaching killing the Flames is quite literally the opposite. #1 priority is giving Huska and the team more talent by graduating prospects and/or upgrading via trade.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by BoLevi

The fact that they didn't leverage their cap space this year was a miss for Conroy.

There had to have been enough bad contracts out there that werent attached to a locker room cancer type.

What bad contracts with short term were moved with assets attached this year?

The only one I can think of is Jake Walman and it really sounds like Yzerman just lost his mind, called one team and went "will you take Walman + 2nd" and Grier smartly jumped all over it.

Otherwise there weren't really any moves where bad contracts got moved with assets attached.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

What bad contracts with short term were moved with assets attached this year?

The only one I can think of is Jake Walman and it really sounds like Yzerman just lost his mind, called one team and went "will you take Walman + 2nd" and Grier smartly jumped all over it.

Otherwise there weren't really any moves where bad contracts got moved with assets attached.

Unless people wanted Scott Laughton and Brandon Carlo.

Our cap was only good for retention.

Rantanen wasn't coming to Calgary, and even if he would spending the type of assets Dallas did we are in no position to do that especially for a winger.

The offseason is going to be interesting. The Flames are not a few offensive players away from anything outside of being in the same position next year.

The team has significant holes on defence, and we have no first line. That can't be fixed with free agency.

[Inferno]

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

Rantanen wasn't coming to Calgary, and even if he would spending the type of assets Dallas did we are in no position to do that especially for a winger.

They wouldn't have traded for him. They would have took a shot at him in free agency if he got there which he didn't. That's if the rumor that they were going to target him is true.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Buff

Those lists don't exactly give me confidence in the Flames offence. We need to worry more about how to get forwards who can carry offence than we need to worry about the coach.

I posted the numbers a while ago, but a lot of players have had their best or at least maintained their career average under Huska. He’s also had some of the highest scoring teams in junior.

It’s not a jockey issue, it’s the horses. Give him high production players and he’ll show you a high production team. Give him the opposite, and he’ll give you the opposite, but the defensive side of the game will remain sound. The Flames have shipped out the vast majority of their top talent over the last couple years, they’re rebuilding. Anyone who thinks there’s a whole lot more blood to get out of this stone isn’t it touch with reality.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Originally Posted by Inferno

They wouldn't have traded for him. They would have took a shot at him in free agency if he got there which he didn't. That's if the rumor that they were going to target him is true.

LeBrun said they looked into trading for him along with a bunch of other teams. I am sure the price drove them away.

His comment at the season ticket holder show seems to confirm he was a target as he said guys they would go after are getting signed. Still would be dumb to go after him for the contract he would command in free agency.

[Bonded]

That’s a tough one to drop. Win out from here I guess

[Paulie Walnuts]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

I posted the numbers a while ago, but a lot of players have had their best or at least maintained their career average under Huska. He’s also had some of the highest scoring teams in junior.

It’s not a jockey issue, it’s the horses. Give him high production players and he’ll show you a high production team. Give him the opposite, and he’ll give you the opposite, but the defensive side of the game will remain sound. The Flames have shipped out the vast majority of their top talent over the last couple years, they’re rebuilding. Anyone who thinks there’s a whole lot more blood to get out of this stone isn’t it touch with reality.

Outside of Huberdeau and Kadri no one has scored 60 points in their career on this team. So I am not sure who these multiple 60 point players are being held back. They are also both 2 points away from 60. If Kadri hits 3 more points that will be his 3rd best season in his career, the 2nd best came last year under Huska........

They also talk about Coleman and Backlund regressing lol. Players that age don't start setting career highs. Most people understood that Coleman had a career last year and it was likely not to be repeated, and he is back to his career averages.

The poster also voted the team as overachieving in the poll and continues to tell us they are underachieving.

Keeps calling me Donald and others Donald, while he keeps saying he is a victim and changing his tune on everything. The irony.

[BoLevi]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

What bad contracts with short term were moved with assets attached this year?

The only one I can think of is Jake Walman and it really sounds like Yzerman just lost his mind, called one team and went "will you take Walman + 2nd" and Grier smartly jumped all over it.

Otherwise there weren't really any moves where bad contracts got moved with assets attached.

Imi think Conroy is smarter than me and could have figured something out.

I assume he tried and there was nothing there.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Frost, Coronato, Zary, Kadri, Huberdeau all have creativity. The problem is showing it consistently against NHL quality opposition. Guys who can do it consistently get paid. So you’d be looking at bringing in someone like Ehlers on a big contract with term.

Until they graduate a couple more skilled guys from in the system (Parekh should help), the Flames will have to play a north-south game.

Seems like the players aren't supporting each other in the offensive zone. For example, I've been really impressed with Frost's ability to carry the puck into the offensive zone. When he gets there, there's no around to receive the puck.

Our PP just seems so obvious too. I feel like almost every time I watch a Flames PP, they heavily project where the puck will go and who will take the shot. They have zero ability to control the puck anywhere but the perimeter. When I watch other teams' PPs they bring the puck in and out of the slot, they get the defence moving, they have multiple players open, get the goalie moving etc... the Flames can't do that consistently. They get PP goals from jamming the puck into the net on rebounds. In fact, that's how they get a lot of their goals.

Anyways...the Flames need to consistently score more than 1 or 2 goals to win games. The Flames are now one goal back of second last in the league for goal scoring. They aren't going anywhere with that kind of a stat.

[OILFAN #81]

I've been on this board almost 20 years and I rarely comment in anything specifically Flames related (game threads, etc) but I wanted to chime in.

From an outsider perspective it's wild to me that anyone says coaching is the problem. The Flames haven't underachieved, they have over achieved if anything. Everyone was saying Calgary was a bottom 5-10 team in the league at the beginning of the year. Dustin Wolf has been very good most of the season and is probably the biggest reason that Calgary isn't that low in the standings (and will finish 1st or 2nd in the Calder race as Hutson is the only other candidate worthy IMO) but the coach deserves credit as well. Huska has done really well with what he has to work with.

Hanley, Bahl, Bean, and Pachal are 4 of the team's 6 defenseman. Bahl has been a good defenseman and better than most people thought when the trade happened but at the beginning of the season that looks like an expansion roster. Andersson also had a down year from previous years. Weegar is a top pairing guy.

Up front guys like Pospisil, Farabee etc have seen top line or top 6 minutes. Calgary is lacking 1-2 top line forwards. Kadri and Huberdeau have done well but those 2 shouldn't be the guys leading the offense on a playoff team. Coaching is not the issue and goaltending is not the issue. Scoring is the issue. Calgary needs to either draft, sign in free agency or use assets to trade for top forwards. I know captain obvious and it's easier said than done but even more experienced coaches would have had a tough time getting better results. Just my opinion. Huska has done well IMO.

And off topic but what is this McDavid bet? I'm in for $200 to CP if it's still on the table.

[Sylvanfan]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Are the Flames really in that much worse of a situation roster-wise than the Blues were when they hired Montgomery? If St. Louis was a more attractive situation, it’s because of ownership, management (Armstrong is one of the most respected in the league), and market/location.

I would say roster wise that St.Louis is currently superior to what the Flames have in terms of NHL talent. The Flames don't have a Rob Thomas up the middle. They're guys like Thomas, Kyrou are in their prime years with others like Holloway and Neighbors a bit ahead of the likes of Zary and Coronato. They also have a more established top 4 especiallywith adding Fowler earlier in the season.

I don't know what their current upside is, I don't think they're a cup contender, but they're with teams like the Wild and Kings for the bottom half of the playoff bracket. At the beginning of the season I think most would have expected the Blues to be more or less where they are. I would guess most had the Flames ahead of the Sharks and Hawks and close to the Ducks and Krakken to start the season.

[Bonded]

The forward group just isn’t that good and no coach will fix that. Going into the season I thought the team had a bottom ten D core and bottom ten forward core. I was wrong about the D and right about the forwards.

[Bonded]

Originally Posted by BoLevi

Imi think Conroy is smarter than me and could have figured something out.

I assume he tried and there was nothing there.

I think Flames fans need to get over trying to replicate the Monahan trade. Cap space is going to be way less valuable for until every team is capped out again

[D as in David]

Originally Posted by blankall

Seems like the players aren't supporting each other in the offensive zone. For example, I've been really impressed with Frost's ability to carry the puck into the offensive zone. When he gets there, there's no around to receive the puck.

Our PP just seems so obvious too. I feel like almost every time I watch a Flames PP, they heavily project where the puck will go and who will take the shot. They have zero ability to control the puck anywhere but the perimeter. When I watch other teams' PPs they bring the puck in and out of the slot, they get the defence moving, they have multiple players open, get the goalie moving etc... the Flames can't do that consistently. They get PP goals from jamming the puck into the net on rebounds. In fact, that's how they get a lot of their goals.

Anyways...the Flames need to consistently score more than 1 or 2 goals to win games. The Flames are now one goal back of second last in the league for goal scoring. They aren't going anywhere with that kind of a stat.

So true. When they're on, they move the puck off their sticks quickly. When they're not, they receive the pass, stick handle it and ponder their options giving their opponents plenty of time to reset and get into position.

[HighLifeMan]

Anyone saying that the play of Backlund and Coleman hasn't been a massive issue for this team as of late are lying to themselves.

The last two months have been a complete nightmare for those two guys, and it's unfortunate because they have been this teams safety blanket up front for the last handful of years, and when they are on it really helps the rest of the lineup slot into place at five on five.

Coleman - Last 24 games played, 1 goal, 2 assists, 26.67 GF%, 47.75 xGF%
Backlund - Last 20 games played, 1 goal, 2 assists, 20% GF%, 47.71 xGF%

They really haven't done there jobs well for a while now, and at the most important moments of the season to boot. We needed these guys to step up and lead by example and unfortunately they were unable to do that.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Sylvanfan

I would say roster wise that St.Louis is currently superior to what the Flames have in terms of NHL talent. The Flames don't have a Rob Thomas up the middle. They're guys like Thomas, Kyrou are in their prime years with others like Holloway and Neighbors a bit ahead of the likes of Zary and Coronato. They also have a more established top 4 especiallywith adding Fowler earlier in the season.

I don't know what their current upside is, I don't think they're a cup contender, but they're with teams like the Wild and Kings for the bottom half of the playoff bracket. At the beginning of the season I think most would have expected the Blues to be more or less where they are. I would guess most had the Flames ahead of the Sharks and Hawks and close to the Ducks and Krakken to start the season.

The signings of Broberg and Holloway looks pretty astute today. Basically added two mature prospects for the small cost of a 2nd and 3rd round pick.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Originally Posted by HighLifeMan

Anyone saying that the play of Backlund and Coleman hasn't been a massive issue for this team as of late are lying to themselves.

The last two months have been a complete nightmare for those two guys, and it's unfortunate because they have been this teams safety blanket up front for the last handful of years, and when they are on it really helps the rest of the lineup slot into place at five on five.

Coleman - Last 24 games played, 1 goal, 2 assists, 26.67 GF%, 47.75 xGF%
Backlund - Last 20 games played, 1 goal, 2 assists, 20% GF%, 47.71 xGF%

They really haven't done there jobs well for a while now, and at the most important moments of the season to boot. We needed these guys to step up and lead by example and unfortunately they were unable to do that.

One guy is 36 on the backend of his career the other is a 32 year old who is performing at his career averages. If they are expected to lead the offensive charge the issues on this team are much deeper.

But culture and mentorship are important.

[Monahammer]

Paulie needs to take some laps on Holloway just like he will on Cozens.

Man, I wish we could have signed Holloway.