Halfway point - Grade the players

[Teroy]

A's: Hudler, Monahan, Backlund, Stajan

B's: Giordano, Russell, Byron, Smid, Bouma, Berra, Ramo, Cammalleri

C's: Brodie, Butler, Wideman, B. Jones, Colborne, SOB, Smith, Westgarth, McGrattan

D's: D. Jones, Stempniak, Glencross, Galiardi

[_Q_]

Are we ranking players on how well they have met expectations or just simply how good they are?

If it's the former, then yeah the OP sounds about right. If it's the latter, then there's no way a team that's this bad has this many A's and B's and so little D's and F's.

Going by the "How good are these players" criteria, my list is as follows:

A's (Star players)- None
B's (above average)- Giordano, Hudler, Monahan,
C's (average)- Cammalleri, Russell, Byron, Backlund, Smid, Brodie, Wideman, Ramo, Brodie, Butler
D's (below average)- McGrattan, Westgarth, B. Jones, Stajan, Colborne, Bouma, SOB, Berra
F's (terrible at hockey)- Baertschi, D. Jones, Stempniak, Glencross, Galiardi, Smith, Breen

As for Hartley, I think he's an above average coach (so a B), but he's stuck with a horrible team. I think if we had a worse coach, we would have much more D's and F's and way less B's and C's.

[HelloHockeyFans]

A: Exceeds expectations majority of the time.
B: Meets expectations majority of the time.
C: Inconsistent and high frequency of below average performances.
D: Fails to meet expectations majority of the time.
F: Fails to meet expectations pretty much all of the time.

The A's: Hudler, Giordano

The B's: Monahan, Russell, Byron, McGrattan, Backlund, Smid, Brodie, Colborne, Bouma, SOB

The C's: Ramo, Butler, Wideman, B. Jones, Stajan

The D's: Glencross, Cammalleri, Berra, Baertschi, D. Jones, Stempniak

The F's: Galiardi, Smith, Breen

[Mister Yamoto]

I surprised that so many have Ramo rated above Berra. I would think that they would be at least equal, as they have both for the most part been solid, but not good enough to make a difference. Really Berras' biggest problem is goal support.

What I like about Berra................money in the shoot out. Something that the Flames have never seen.

[_Q_]

Originally Posted by Mister Yamoto

I surprised that so many have Ramo rated above Berra. I would think that they would be at least equal, as they have both for the most part been solid, but not good enough to make a difference. Really Berras' biggest problem is goal support.

What I like about Berra................money in the shoot out. Something that the Flames have never seen.

To me Berra, while he has improved significantly since the beginning of the season, still lets in one or two softies per game. Ramo, on the other hand, while not spectacular, has made most of the saves that he needs to make. Sure he lets in a bad goal here or there, but that generally happens once every 4 or 5 games or so.

[kirant]

Scale I've used:
- A exceeds expectations by good margin
- B exceeds expectations
- C meets expectations
- D is below expectations
- F is well below expectations

Backlund: B-. I started the year thinking Backlund's career in Calgary was over. He has made a mini-resurgence with that excellent streak during Monahan's injury. Might be worth a look and see.
Baertschi: C-. Not really a terrible surprise for Baertschi's vanishing from the NHL. He's still young, still learning the game. He plays hard, but isn't confident enough in his skill or able to wield his size too play larger than he is...the two things he needs to make the NHL in my opinion. Hopefully some time in Abbotsford will let him develop again.
Bouma: C-. Maybe I saw too much into his highlight games, but he really doesn't seem as dynamic as last year.
Byron: B+. Who else had him as "remnants of the Regehr trade"? Byron seems like a replacement for Horak trading in some own end play for excellent puck skills. Could be quite a story if he develops into a top 6 player.
Cammalleri: D-. Cammalleri had a decent streak at one point, but he tries to play the game at a level he just can't play. The last 15-20 games or so, he's been forcing little dekes, passes, or shots that he can't make. Really frustrating to watch for a player who has little to offer defensively.
Colborne: C. When you get a player for a 4th round pick, you can't expect much. Colborne provides a little and it's obvious he has the skill to be much better (his breakaways and plays when unpressured are testament to that), but hasn't achieved it yet. C is where he's at now, but he provides something the 4th was unlikely to provide: 1st round skill. Good pick up by the Flames.
Galiardi: D. Ugh. I had so much hope for him early. It feels like a Comeau replacement. Except Comeau had the skill to get into shooting positions to shoot at the other team's feet.
Glencross: D/Incomplete. A season of "coulda, woulda, shoulda" so far. Started off terrible and was injured as soon as he was entering anything resembling competent. Then came back terrible.
Hudler: B+. He's been a great asset to developing Monahan. Good on the ice so far (though he's too small and too niche a player to break the game on his own) and acquired extra points through Monahan's hot streak, I love the confidence he's pumping into the Flames' prospect.
David Jones: C-. Flames acquired him and SOB for a sulking Tanguay and thought to be washed up Sarich. What exactly was expected of him? Plays a pretty mediocre game on large cap. When he's playing well, he can protect the puck better than anyone on the team...though that's not saying much. Most of the time, he is as visible as Stempniak. And not in a good way.
McGrattan: C+. Flames have asked him this year to be physical and an enforcer as needed. McGrattan, compared to other years, has certainly responded positively, checking harder than I remember him doing before. Not stepping in the ring as much as before, but he hasn't had a need to so far.
Monahan: A-. Hard to fault Monahan at all. I went in this year with 25-30 points all year as a really successful season. Adjusting for a more "normal" shooting rate, he'd have around 27 points for full season play without injury. Defensively, he's learning, which is to be expected. Good all around player though and a successful pick by the Flames so far.
Stajan: C. I sometimes see him playing well, sometimes frustrating to watch with his forced passes and shots. About what the Flames need right now though: a stop gap player who can play on most lines...he'll never be the player Sutter signed him to be, but will not completely embarrass himself.
Stempniak: F. Sorry Stempniak, but one hot streak doesn't make the season. It must suck to be Stempniak at this point too though.

Breen: D. It's too bad he hasn't been the player PMM saw him as in Abbotsford. Maybe his game doesn't translate.
Brodie: C. Brodie scares me when he plays his own end. There have been a myriad of giveaways, weird passes, and overall inability to guard his own player that make me wonder if he just looked better on isolated minutes.
Butler: D. I try to defend Butler. I really do. But the games I've been to, he's been a nightmare. That game against Phily in particular, he looked worse live than he did on TV. About 4 times he randomly gave up the puck and about half of them led to odd man chances (where all of them could have if Philly connected a short pass or skated instead of dumping the puck). He's a bottom pairing/7th swap in defence so far, but gets extra minutes on the injured defence...and it shows.
Giordano: B+. A comeback year for Giordano. Last couple years, I ragged on him because he seemed to play physically similar to his size (where he used to play above that defensively). This year has been a different story. Being named captain seems to have done wonders to his confidence. One of the few bright spots on a terrible defence squad.
O'Brien: D. I was expected for bad. I wasn't expected for "Butler + O'Brien is one of the worst pairings you've seen live" bad. Too aggressive, almost no offensive aspects, low defensive instinct...you might be able to convert him to forward to make a crash and bang line of O'Brien-McGrattan-Westgarth for giggles (and a collective -90 by the end of the season), but that's about it.
Russell: B-. Is this him playing above his 3rd pairing billing or just a sign of how terrible the Flames are? Either way, he's been better than what I expected (a slightly better Butler).
Smid: C. Pretty much what I expected...he plays a mean, tough game that hasn't been seen in Calgary all that often.
Wideman: C. Started the year great and has a great number of highlight reel hip checks. Not enough information since his return, but he seems to be back to missing the net and being invisible defensively.

Ramo: C. Ramo is slower and scrambles a lot, but plays the more traditional style compared to Berra and is much less hit and miss. Neither are great goalies so far, but are getting better through the season. Kind of eager to see how good they get once they fully adjust to the NHL (well, for Ramo - NHL again).
Berra: C. On and off. That aggressive style scares me to no end. Sometimes it works, sometimes it bites Berra. At any rate, he's learning to control it better after that odd start to the year in terms of 3rd period collapses. Needs to reel in the occasional softy.

[JobHopper]

There's no question the guy is a top 6 player.

The Flames are a better team when he's in the lineup.

That's why I gave him a B even though he's been hurt.

So I have to disagree with any grade that's less than a B.

[lifetimefan]

Originally Posted by _Q_

A's (Star players)- None
B's (above average)- Giordano, Hudler, Monahan,
C's (average)- Cammalleri, Russell, Byron, Backlund, Smid, Brodie, Wideman, Ramo, Brodie, Butler
D's (below average)- McGrattan, Westgarth, B. Jones, Stajan, Colborne, Bouma, SOB, Berra
F's (terrible at hockey)- Baertschi, D. Jones, Stempniak, Glencross, Galiardi, Smith, Breen

Brodie is a CC?
I agree that there is no way in hell a bottom 3 team has any A's on it.

I would also rate Monahan as a C, he has met expectations but not a lot more, he's still a rookie and the potential is there, however.

On the same note, no way does Baertschi deserve an F.
To me, F's are guys you wouldn't hesitate to dump for break even at best, practically nothing at worst (i.e. waivers). He's 21 with 51 NHL games over 3 seasons. Let him develop.

Both goalies should be C, meaning they both suck, but haven't sucked any more than I thought they would.

The only other change I have to this list is Smid. I'd give him a B - consistent, reliable, exceeded expectations, although now that he's set that standard for himself, I doubt he finishes the year with anything but a C.

[codynw]

Originally Posted by Mister Yamoto

Who is team MVP?

I'd say Giordano for sure. With Monahan, Hudler and Berra in the conversation.

Uhhh, what? Berra has been mediocre at best for most of the season with slight improvement lately. Ramo has a better GAA, better sv%, more wins and has generally looked better all season.

[MikeMc]

Originally Posted by HelloHockeyFans

A: Exceeds expectations majority of the time.
B: Meets expectations majority of the time.
C: Inconsistent and high frequency of below average performances.
D: Fails to meet expectations majority of the time.
F: Fails to meet expectations pretty much all of the time.

The A's: Hudler, Giordano

The B's: Monahan, Russell, Byron, McGrattan, Backlund, Smid, Brodie, Colborne, Bouma, SOB

The C's: Ramo, Butler, Wideman, B. Jones, Stajan

The D's: Glencross, Cammalleri, Berra, Baertschi, D. Jones, Stempniak

The F's: Galiardi, Smith, Breen

Not to pick on you but I'm not sure why anyone has Galiardi as an F. He's a 3rd -4th line player making 1.25 mill a year we acquired for a 4th rounder.

He's projecting to hit approx 14 points which is likely half of what he probably should hit if you look at his stats. He's a C or D.

The expectations on him were unrealistic.

[ForeverFlameFan]

Originally Posted by Mister Yamoto

I surprised that so many have Ramo rated above Berra. I would think that they would be at least equal, as they have both for the most part been solid, but not good enough to make a difference. Really Berras' biggest problem is goal support.

What I like about Berra................money in the shoot out. Something that the Flames have never seen.

Ramo and Berra have played the same amount of games, 19 each.
Ramo: 7-7-3, GAA: 3.09, SV%: .898
Berra: 5-12-2, GAA: 2.76, SV%: .904

Ramo has been pulled twice and still has a GAA lower than Berra. For some reason, our team just seems to play better with Ramo in net. For a team like us that doesn't play great, Ramo has decent numbers IMO. Berra just needs more support from the team.

[FBI]

I think you have the stats backwards there on GAA and SV%

[CaramonLS]

Originally Posted by MikeMc

Not to pick on you but I'm not sure why anyone has Galiardi as an F. He's a 3rd -4th line player making 1.25 mill a year we acquired for a 4th rounder.

He's projecting to hit approx 14 points which is likely half of what he probably should hit if you look at his stats. He's a C or D.

The expectations on him were unrealistic.

No, they're pretty much in line with reality.

I'm sorry that people expect more from a frequent healthy scratch on one of the weakest forward groups in the NHL. That isn't "meeting expectations" that is "you won't be in the NHL next year".

That's an F.

[N-E-B]

Originally Posted by Cali Flames Fan

I'll keep it simple.

The A's: Hudler, Giordano, Monahan

The B's: Russell, Byron, McGrattan, Cammalleri, Backlund, Smid, Hartley

The C's: Ramo, Brodie, Butler, Wideman, B. Jones, Stajan, Colborne, Bouma, Glencross (when healthy)

The D's: Berra, Baertschi, D. Jones, Stempniak

The F's: Galiardi, SOB, Smith, Breen

Agree with this 100%. Saves me time from having to type out my own list.

[djsFlames]

Slapping an F on Baertschi is a touch beyond ridiculous.

He may have continued to do minor league things on the ice here and there and have those defensive gaps that were at times glaring, but to me he was extremely noticeable for the most part. The effort was there most nights and he would try to make a difference whether it got him in trouble or not. I at least could see the try. I can admire that more than some of these other guys who literally vanish into thin air because they do nothing to change or alter the game in any way shape or form and seemingly couldn't care less about that fact. Just bodies to fill the ice.

[Soliak]

Originally Posted by lifetimefan

Brodie is a CC?
I agree that there is no way in hell a bottom 3 team has any A's on it.

I would also rate Monahan as a C, he has met expectations but not a lot more, he's still a rookie and the potential is there, however.

On the same note, no way does Baertschi deserve an F.
To me, F's are guys you wouldn't hesitate to dump for break even at best, practically nothing at worst (i.e. waivers). He's 21 with 51 NHL games over 3 seasons. Let him develop.

Both goalies should be C, meaning they both suck, but haven't sucked any more than I thought they would.

The only other change I have to this list is Smid. I'd give him a B - consistent, reliable, exceeded expectations, although now that he's set that standard for himself, I doubt he finishes the year with anything but a C.

Correct me if I am wrong here, but you expected Monahan to come up and make the big team, then go and score 12 goals in 36 games?

I don't disagree that he isn't a star player yet, but to say he only just met expectations must be a joke. Perhaps you just had crazy high unrealistic expectations?

[FlameZilla]

Originally Posted by JobHopper

Monahan: B+

Hudler: A

Gio: B+

Russell: C Really? Came from nowhere to be a solid top 4 D for us

Byron: C vastly exceeding expectations this call-up

Ramo: B

Backlund: C+ despite the hate- on for him he's been our best forward since the end of November

Brodie: B

Smid: C+ errmm... ok...? What did you expect from Smid he hasn't delivered?

Bouma: B

Colborne: B

Baertschi: D

Berra: B

Cammalleri: B

Wideman: C

Hartley: B

Stajan: C

Butler: C

O'Brien: D

Glencross: B Ok... maybe I could accept a B-minus, accounting for his injuries... but..

Mcgrattan: B

Stempniak: B SERIOUSLY???

D Jones: D

Galiardi: D

Breen: D

Not meaning to sound rude, but how many of these games do you watch?

[Magnum PEI]

Berra looked horrible in the Phoenix game. Couple fluke goals sure, but he didn't look like he even knew where the puck was. I've switched to team Ramo.

[Stay Golden]

Hudler: A

Gio: B+

Russell: A

Byron: C

Ramo: B

Backlund: C

Brodie: C+

Smid: B-

Bouma: C

Colborne: C

Baertschi: D

Berra: C

Cammalleri: B

Wideman: B

Hartley: B

Stajan: C

Butler: F

O'Brien: F

Glencross: D

Mcgrattan: B

Stempniak: C

D Jones: C-

Galiardi: D

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by HelloHockeyFans

A: Exceeds expectations majority of the time.
B: Meets expectations majority of the time.
C: Inconsistent and high frequency of below average performances.
D: Fails to meet expectations majority of the time.
F: Fails to meet expectations pretty much all of the time.

The A's: Hudler, Giordano

The B's: Monahan, Russell, Byron, McGrattan, Backlund, Smid, Brodie, Colborne, Bouma, SOB

The C's: Ramo, Butler, Wideman, B. Jones, Stajan

The D's: Glencross, Cammalleri, Berra, Baertschi, D. Jones, Stempniak

The F's: Galiardi, Smith, Breen

I'd move Berra up to C. He's been about equal with Ramo IMO. I'd move Russell up to an A because I wasn't expecting him to be anywhere near this good. Giordano has been shockingly good I agree. But I think Hudler was expected to be one of the offensive leaders of the club and I think he meets expectations, I'd move him down to a B.

Other than that I agree with what you've said.