No Dead Weight

[Yanda]

this is not a playoff team.

[Five-hole]

Originally Posted by Goriders

For many years the Flames scouting team did a horrible job of drafting and developing talent. Essentially the main reason we fell to where we did. But man have they improved the last few seasons. It's almost scary to say that we have a surplus of young talent.

Just a nitpick, but the scouting staff have nothing to do with development. There's a difference between poor drafting and poor development. The result is the same, but the reasons are very different.

Until recently, the Flames have been an absolutely atrocious development team for two decades or more. To whit: sharing a farm team with Carolina.

We've come a long way as an organization in the last 5 years, top to bottom. Gone is the entitled country club atmosphere in the Iginla regime that started the moment he could push Playfair around. In its place is an organization-wide culture and work ethic that is already paying dividends.

Exciting.

[dying4acup]

If Bennett plays 9regular season games and 1playoff game it counts. But nothing stopping him from a conditioning stint and 9 games as far as I know. I think that happened with frank corrado 2yrs ago.

I do question if it's a good idea though. Don't want him to lose the whole development year, but what is the best for him. As a positive for him, he is getting NHL pay while injured.

[thymebalm]

Smid, Engelland, Bollig, Setoguchi and Diaz are all close to the deadweight category. Every one of them needs to be upgraded if we are to stand a real chance competing in the west. I'm generally not a fan of Glencross as well. Hoping he gets traded this season for a good young defensemen. Upgrading those six would make this club pretty juicy. Happy with everyone else in general.

[Cole436]

Originally Posted by Locke

I dont think the playoffs count, but thats pure speculation.

By then he'll have a bionic shoulder and he'll carry this team to the cup!

Playoffs count for his ELC. If he plays any combination of 9 NHL games, he'll have burned off a year.

[GioforPM]

I see no reason to bring him up this year. If they make the POs they're fine without him. If they don't, they are empty games and there are plenty of other prospects to give the experience. They can recall Sven

[CaptainYooh]

I was watching the game with Florida this afternoon and thinking about this thread and the other one about "is this a playoff team?". I voted "too early to tell" there but I am now leaning towards:

Originally Posted by Yanda

this is not a playoff team.

There is dead weight at this point:: McGrattan (yes, I love him too, but he is not playing and not fighting), Bollig, Baertschi, Diaz and Smid are not contributing much at all. Glencross is a hit and miss every so often, when he decides to show up or not.

All of the injured players can't contribute, of course: Stajan, Backlund, Bennett, Colborne, Raymond and, now, Setoguchi (not that he did contribute much so far, anyway).

The core of this team is playing way too hard and reckless with an injury happening almost every game. I applaud the kids for working their asses off and give credit to Hartley for motivating them to play this way, it's very entertaining for me as a fan, but the reality will settle in soon, I think. How many minutes can Giordano and Brody play per game? If it goes like this, the team's risk of losing most of its hardest working players by mid-season is too high, I think. I've heard one of the coaches using the term "suicidal hockey" in the past. Are Flames playing suicidal hockey?