Treliving needs to nail down a tough guy...

[Roof-Daddy]

Originally Posted by nemanja2306

I might be wrong, but I think the OP was referring to guys who are big, tough and mean but can also actually play.

Like Cody McLeod and Chris Stewart?

*shudder*

[Erick Estrada]

The team could use a physical defender for sure but the team doesn't need a heavyweight that scraps. Most of the better teams in the league are winning with skill players over toughness.

[nemanja2306]

Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy

Like Cody McLeod and Chris Stewart?

*shudder*

I don't know much about McLeod, but wasn't Stewart a decent player?

[calgaryblood]

I thought the thread title was some sort of Jesus joke.

[Vinny01]

Hathaway, Ferland, Tkachuk, Bennett all play with a physical edge. Someone once told me Brouwer did that as well but that remains to be seen in a Calgary jersey.

[Bourque's Twin]

The Flames need another tough guy. That doesn't mean goon, but it means someone who can fight a guy like Lucic if need be and still play the game. I thought the Flames were finally able to match up against Anaheim physically this season, and Engelland was a big reason why. He was actually the toughest guy on the team.

I think a bottom pairing guy like Engelland, Gudas, McIlrath, etc.

Replacing Chiasson with a tough winger would help too.

[puckedoff]

I don't care if he can play hockey, this team needs a guy who can mash skulls! They played so much better with McGrattan in the linup.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by puckedoff

I don't care if he can play hockey, this team needs a guy who can mash skulls! They played so much better with McGrattan in the linup.

That was when the Flames had expansion draft levels of talent on the roster and were beginning a rebuild. The gap between McGrattan and the rest of the roster wasn't that big. Now the talent gap would be the size of the grand canyon. It's not feasible.

[Roof-Daddy]

Originally Posted by nemanja2306

I don't know much about McLeod, but wasn't Stewart a decent player?

He was years ago. Now hes just a 4th liner with awful possession metrics.

[H2SO4(aq)]

Flames need to get tougher. We needed to get tougher when we HAD Engelland. It's a huge concern at the moment.

[Nsd1]

Originally Posted by puckedoff

I don't care if he can play hockey, this team needs a guy who can mash skulls! They played so much better with McGrattan in the linup.

That's how you end up with Chris Neil on your team.

[killer_carlson]

we need to get nastier.



i'm still holding out hope of a grumpy old men 4th line.

Iginla Stajan Doan

[tvp2003]

<cough> Iginla <cough>

(Probably the toughest UFA available BTW)

[killer_carlson]

Landeskog or Simmonds would help as well.

Troy Brouwer for Scott Hartnell wouldn't make me upset either.

[Matty81]

People who say the flames don't need a fighter are naive. Young team is gonna get bullied without one.

Picture playing the oilers and Lucic runs Smith or concusses a rookie with an elbow. Cgy doesn't score on the powerplay and no one responds. Or someone tries and gets beat up.

There is still lots of fighting and our young players need the confidence of someone having their back.

For every high end team without a goon there is a team like the oilers 4 or 5 years ago where Hall got injured fighting and Boogard concussed a couple small young guys running around.

[Ashasx]

I really don't think toughness is an issue with this team.

The team needs good players, regardless of their style of play.

[DazzlinDino]

Originally Posted by Snuffleupagus

With Engelland gone our only real deterrent left is Ferland and while tough he's not really a heavyweight either. hate to say it but that stink up north will beat us up and spit us out if we don't address this over the summer.

I hope Treliving can snag a player like Cody McLeod or Chris Stewart on the cheap before this season starts.

How many times did we see Johnny getting pushed down with no response? Some credit to the team for coming together adding toughness near the end of the season, but will they still respond without Engelland. We saw what adding a little toughness in Stone meant to the team so I am curious how they will respond without Engelland.

[Funkhouser]

Gaudreau Monahan Ferland
Jankowski Backlund Frolik
Tkachuk Bennett Lazar
Lomberg Stajan Hathaway
Hamilton Chiasson

Bolded players bring toughness
(if you're wondering where Bouma and Brouwer are, they were fired into the sun)

We could definitely use a scrapper on D though

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Matty81

People who say the flames don't need a fighter are naive. Young team is gonna get bullied without one.

Picture playing the oilers and Lucic runs Smith or concusses a rookie with an elbow.

I tried picturing it, but then realised you must not have watched the Oilers last year. Lucic was a slow nobody.

It's not about having a big bruiser, it's about team toughness. Tkachuk being a crazy person alone did more for our reputation than Engelland did. Teams don't bully teams that aren't afraid, and Tkachuk, Bennett, Hathaway, and even Brouwer most definitely aren't. They might not be heavyweights, but you don't need a heavyweight when you've got a few mean welterweights.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by DazzlinDino

How many times did we see Johnny getting pushed down with no response? Some credit to the team for coming together adding toughness near the end of the season, but will they still respond without Engelland. We saw what adding a little toughness in Stone meant to the team so I am curious how they will respond without Engelland.

Johnny's a grown man not a child. If he gets pushed down he gets back up. Responses these days typically lead to a two minute minor penalty for instigation or roughing. I think some of you people take this toughness stuff way too seriously. Johnny's seen this kind of stuff for his entire career being one of the smaller players on the ice at all ages. If it was something that he couldn't handle he would never had made the NHL in the first place. I don't understand why there has to be retribution for hard hits or a little pushing. Players are penalized after all for dirty play so I don't see the point of running after a guy that's heading to the box anyway? Flames have several players on the roster that can drop the gloves and it's not like the league has many heavyweight scrappers left anyway.