Flames Disfunctional Line-up

[ForeverFlameFan]

Originally Posted by Gaskal

Don't you think it will be Granlund as the center? I feel that Max is ready for the NHL.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by ForeverFlameFan

Don't you think it will be Granlund as the center? I feel that Max is ready for the NHL.

If Max Reinhart makes it to the NHL, it will be as a winger. He was moved to the wing last season. It suits his game better too, he's a killer along the boards.

[Gaskal]

Originally Posted by ForeverFlameFan

Don't you think it will be Granlund as the center? I feel that Max is ready for the NHL.

Well, I was referring to Sam, but I suppose that'd be counting your chickens before they hatch...

But yes I do realistically see a Gaudreau - Granlund - Poirier starting in the AHL next year, that line should rip any opposition to shreds.

[Enoch Root]

How about:

Gaudreau - Granlund - Reinhart (keeping tose two together - they were awesome last year)

Baertschi - Knight - Poirier

Agostino - Arnold - Wolf

Adirondack is going to be fun this year!

[dammage79]

Granlund getting fed passes from Gaudreau? Maybe the only guy who could read his passes on properly. Oh Em Gee.

[SebC]

Originally Posted by dammage79

Granlund getting fed passes from Gaudreau? Maybe the only guy who could read his passes on properly. Oh Em Gee.

I bet Monahan could do it. Dude always seems to go to the right places at the right times.

[JJ1532]

<draft day panic> FFS, nobody tell Burke and Brad we have too many centres, they might use it as an excuse to move back and draft Ritchie! <draft day panic>

[djsFlames]

Let's clarify that list a bit.

Top 6 potential:

Monahan, Poirier, Gaudreau, Baertschi, Jankowski, Granlund, Ferland, 4thOA

Bottom 6 potential:

Klimchuk (could upgrade), Colborne (could upgrade), Arnold, Reinhart, Agostino, Knight, Hanowski, Harrison

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Klimchuk definitely has top two line potential

[FlameZilla]

If Bennett - Monahan - Backlund pan out as top 2 centremen on the team (let's face it: due to injuries and whatnot over the season, a good team needs at least 3 guys capable of playing top 6 minutes as a pivot) then some of these guys should transition to wing easily enough. If we're seriously stacked because Jankowski ends up reaching his potential and Granlund pans out then Bennett and Monahan pair up to form an elite 1st line. EXCITING.

If RW continues to be a difficult void to fill then Knight and Arnold could easily be converted to natural RWers. Knight could still pan out as a 2nd liner as he plays a solid game and has a good shot on him.

As things stand, even before the 2nd to 7th rounds of this draft kick off, we have a scary looking group of young forwards:

Gaudreau Monahan Poirier
Baertschi Bennett Jankowski
Klimchuk Backlund Colborne
Bouma Arnold Knight

Plus Granlund, Ferland, Agostino, etc etc...

Things are looking great!

[442scotty]

Now all we need is some more D and Goaltending

[Daradon]

Yeah, nothing wrong with having a ton of prospects to choose from. None of these guys are going to get 40 goals for us next year. Let's build them and develop them and see how it all shakes out. I'd rather have too many prospects at center than any other position.

[FlameZilla]

Originally Posted by 442scotty

Now all we need is some more D and Goaltending

Updated fantasy forward lineup of the future:

Gaudreau Monahan Poirier
Baertschi Bennett Smith
Klimchuk Backlund Colborne
Bouma Arnold Knight
Jankowski/Granlund

D are a worry:

Brodie Wotherspoon
Culkin Kulak
Kanzig Sieloff
Mattson/Hickey

Ortio/Gilles/McDonald vying for goal...

The only stark weakness in our system now is on D. Really pleased to have added McDonald, Smith, Hickey & Mattson. In my opinion, we're top-pairing D away from having a very, very strong young team.

[#-3]

I Think looking at the Org depth chart (I kinda went NHL ready, Call up Ready, the Rest, in skill order within their group. Not really trying to debate where players stack up).

The guys in Bold have or will have to change positions to play for the Flames.

There are a couple things that are easy to see.

If there was a 30' wide No Go zone on the right side of the ice, this would be a vary good team vary soon.

The Flames need to add ~6 players before you could really call their cupboards "Full"
1st Line RW, Journeyman RW, Journeyman backup Goaltennder, Top 4 RD, Journeyman RD, and another Blue Chip D prospect.

The Surplus seems to be in Average LD prospects, C Prospects, and NHL quality LWers. I'm not sure that you could leverage any of those into what this organization really needs.

Maybe minor Trades for Free Agency will will fill 2 - 4 of those organization holes this summer. Hopefully the Draft next season can address the remaining holes.

I'm pretty hopeful next off season there will just be no holes in the organizational depth chart, and the Flames will be that team everyone knows if getting vary close.

Hudler - Monahan - ???
Glencross - Backlund - Colborne
Gaudreau - Stajan - ???
Bouma - Bollig - McGrattan
Galiardi - Granlund - Wolf
Beartschi - Reinhart - Poirier
Agostino - Knight - Byron
Klimchuk - Bennett - Hanowski
Ferland - Janowski - Smith
Van Barbant - Arnold - Carroll
Elson - Jorris - Harrisson
Deblouw

Giordano - Brodie
Russell - ???
Smid - Widemand
Wootherspoon - ???
Cundari - Sieloff
Billins - Kanzig
Culkin - Hickey
Kulak - Ramage
Gilmour - Mattsson
Rafikov - Roy

Ramo
???

Ortio
Roy
MacDonald

[TheDebaser]

If the Flames trade assets well then they could end up being a very good hockey team for years to come. There are lots of great assets there and we should really trade a couple of them in a package to get elite RW or RD talent.

[dustygoon]

Forwards are fine. Our blueline pipeline is hooped though. Any d men drafted in last few years that we could trade for that have top pairing potential?

[GettinIggyWithIt]

Originally Posted by TheDebaser

If the Flames trade assets well then they could end up being a very good hockey team for years to come. There are lots of great assets there and we should really trade a couple of them in a package to get elite RW or RD talent.

Agree - Just looking at age and experience, I think this season Reinhart, Hanowski and Knight all need to make a push to be in the lineup. They'll either push the Flames to move someone else or be packaged out similar to what happened with the Kings and Vey. I think this is the start of that type of cycle as many others will be in that situation over the next little while as the develop. Unfortunately it's not likely that they get much more than 2nd or 3rd round picks in return for some of these players alone, but as part of a package they could probably return more value.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by dustygoon

Forwards are fine. Our blueline pipeline is hooped though. Any d men drafted in last few years that we could trade for that have top pairing potential?

We'll really get a feel if we're hooped or not this season. With Kulak, Culkin and Seiloff all playing full time in the AHL we should really get a good idea of what we have with these players. Wotherspoon looks like an NHL player but yeah it's obviously not a strong organizational strength.

If the Flames fall out of the top 2 for the 2015 draft you can bet they'll target Noah Hanifan.

[Roof-Daddy]

I've said it before, although the Flames blue line prospect pool lacks any elite talent, I think it's quite under rated at the moment. A little bit of everything in there as far as skill sets go. Lots of mobility and smarts too.