I am very very happy. Maybe next season the former 115 point winger will play on his proper wing all season, not be forced to play with a center in Kadri who he clearly had zero chemistry, and not spend one second with Lucic on his other wing.
Those exit interviews must have been something.
Already looking forward to next season, thank you Flames.
I wonder if Huberdeau and Kadri can be a solid duo under a different coach.
I like this move, I don't think a replacement coach will get as good results as Darryl did, but would force the team into a rebuild, which is what this org needs
Not sure why you (and others) rag on Lewis. The guy was one of our absolutely BEST PKers...and I'd have him back in that role in a heartbeat. Used correctly he's a valuable asset. He wasn't used entirely correctly IMO.
I still like him on PK and as a solid presence with kids on the 4th line. For his age he's got good speed, too. I think he'd be a good assistant coach. I wonder if you can pay a guy league minimum but top him up as AC? who was the last player-coach in the league?
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This franchise needs new braintrust from top to bottom, Sutter would have been the right hire in 2018 but the Flames need to retool and rethink everything. Hopefully this is because management realizes this and not just giving into player demands. I still think Sutter is a good coach.
TBF - guys like Lewis and Stone are fine veterans. They don't cost any more than a rookie. Lewis had a lower cap hit than Duehr or Pelletier for example. But you should treat them more like Stone (a fill in for injuries or play the odd game), and not like Lewis - who basically played every game. You should be using a guy like Duehr or other young guy X in that role because there is a chance they may develop into something more. The older guy gives you a pro who can stay in shape and fill in when needed while also not having his development hurt by sitting in the press box for a month straight.
I don’t disagree. Lewis played a role well, he’s a pro. I don’t tune into watch Lewis. I like watching the Duehrs. Simply the fact that there is a window of opportunity for younger players to succeed in a role that suits their skill set provides a road map for other players in the system.
I still think this is a top team. It's nice to have 13 forwards I want in the lineup too. The forward lines would probably end up different than these, but I'd really like to see Huberdeau with Coronato + Pelletier for a bit. That line could be very dangerous. I also think Phillips signs a 1-way with the Flames if Love becomes the head coach. It's fun to dream again as a fan...even if those dreams are silly.
I liked Sutter, but as a fan, all I could dream of was escape from his stubbornness. FREEDOM!!!
How are you making the cap fit?
And are you prepared to lose some of our best players as UFA’s at the end of the year?
They've got a really good young D core,especially with OK coming back, and they've some good players up front too, that underachieved. They've also got some decent youth to inject into the line up.
The biggest question mark for me is goaltending. Will Markstrom be .920 or .890 Markstrom? And if he sucks again, is Wolf able to bring what he brings to the NHL level?
Personally, some tweaks to the roster, inject some youth to the forward core, hire a good coach and I won't be surprised to see this team back to 100+ points next season.
Not surprised at all. As I mentioned months ago there were a ton of players that were tired of Sutter's antics. I'm excited to see who they bring in (Hoping for a Huska or Love promotion) and the potential bounceback from guys like Huberdeau and Lindholm
Huska should be gone too. His D bleeds goals badly. let the whole coaching staff go.
Good news is - the team will try to bring younger players.
Bad news - without high draft picks it's not easy select young players who can be corner stones of a team.
Good news - the team will have a new coach and there will be roster changes.
Bad news - they have a great of players so they will try to go back to post season with these players.
Bad news - the teams longest term players had worst season and most of impact players wants out
So our only hope is the team find someone who is like hockey Guru who can see future elite players and draft them late rounds by their picks.
however this ends, I think a complete reset with a new GM and a new HC is going to be a really good thing for this franchise going forward. If the team is successful under Love (or another HC, but hopefully it's Love), then great. If not, at the very least they will be forced to rebuild.
I'll echo the positive sentiments about Maloney. Really like how he has handled these things.
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Bull Case: Great team underperformed due to toxic environment created by a dinosaur coach. And a player's coach will get the best out of this team. The vezina caliber goalie returns to form, the team finds chemistry under a a more positive enviornment, the two franchise forwards have great seasons, and three special rookies on entry-level deals take the team over the top.
Bear Case: The inmates are now running the asylum. And not just any inmates. Two boat anchors who have done nothing to earn the respect of the organization.
In the bear case, the franchise is a clusterpuck. Tre bridged Tkachuk to keep 10-point per season frolik. Then Tkachuk takes advantage of the situation and Tre makes the worst trade in a generation. Then Tre signs two boat anchors to long-term contracts. And then Tre rides off into the sunset when its clear how ####ed the franchise is. Meanwhile, Sutter has to deal with 2 Prima donnas and then Tre's friend fires Sutter rather than address the boat anchor problem because no other team is willing to take on these boat-anchor contracts and it's untenable to buy them out.
They've got a really good young D core,especially with OK coming back, and they've some good players up front too, that underachieved. They've also got some decent youth to inject into the line up.
The biggest question mark for me is goaltending. Will Markstrom be .920 or .890 Markstrom? And if he sucks again, is Wolf able to bring what he brings to the NHL level?
Personally, some tweaks to the roster, inject some youth to the forward core, hire a good coach and I won't be surprised to see this team back to 100+ points next season.
It's more complicated than just not selling. Backlund, Lindholm, Toffoli, Hanifin, Tanev, and Zadorov are UFA at end of next year.
Next season needs to be cooked and all about roster assembly going forward.
