Yeah seems like the indication Neal got from the Flames is he'll be given every opportunity to click with #13 and #23.
Honestly, the one thing I noticed while making my Monahan and Gaudreau videos is that when Ferland was "on" he was lethal, but when he wasn't quite clicking he biffed on a lot of Grade A chances. Have to think Johnny will be feeding Monahan and Neal for a tonne of goals this year if the trio clicks.
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I do wonder about this offseason and what the recent acquisitions think with the way it all played out.
Lindholm gets traded for and it's "You are for sure a top 6 RW/C on this team and one of the only RH shots that we have - you will be given an opportunity on the 1st line"
Then you lure Ryan and Czarnik here with a similar message about lacking RH shots and having lots of space open on the Right Wing and at Center. But now you've acquired 3 RH RW/C options at that point which already created a lot of depth there.
Then you go out and sign Neal who is a RW that locks up 1st line RW and slots everyone down a line.
If you are Czarnik or even Ryan do you feel like you got over sold on your opportunity - a lot has changed on this roster and instead of it being wide open like 10 days ago when he first chatted with the Flames now it looks really deep and tough to crack. Especially the PP units.
Last edited by SuperMatt18; 07-03-2018 at 04:49 PM.
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If Neal plays on the top line and gets PP time, he will score 30.
They have the potential for 100 goals: 30 - 40 - 30
Optimistic, I know. And there are always injuries to deal with. But keep in mind that with Ferland, they were on pace for 30 - 40 - 30 until early February. And as much as I like Ferland, Neal is a whole different ball game.
I do wonder about this offseason and what the recent acquisitions think with the way it all played. .
Lindholm gets traded for and it's "You are a for sure top 6 RW and one of the only RH shots that we have - you will be given an opportunity on the 1st line"
Then you lure Ryan and Czarnik here with a similar message about lacking RH shots and having lots of space open on the Right Wing and at Center. But now you've acquired 3 RH RW/C options at that point.
Then you go out and sign Neal who is a RW that locks up 1st line RW and slots everyone down a line.
If you are Czarnik or even Ryan do you feel like you got over sold on your opportunity - a lot has changed on this roster and instead of it being wide open like 10 days ago when he first chatted with the Flames now it looks really deep and tough to crack. Especially the PP units.
IIRC Czarnik said the Flames presented him with several different lineups and where he fit in each of them so I don't think he was sold on any one thing in particular. It was really his own play that dictated which of these potential lineups played out. I'd be surprised if the team didn't do something similar with other players as well.
At the end of the day lineups on paper really only mean anything in the dog days of summer as in-game situations are much more fluid, especially with a coach like Peters who loves to throw his lines in the blender. Players are people too and are generally less concerned with being 1st/2nd/3rd line on paper than they are with winning.
I do wonder about this offseason and what the recent acquisitions think with the way it all played. .
Lindholm gets traded for and it's "You are a for sure top 6 RW and one of the only RH shots that we have - you will be given an opportunity on the 1st line"
Then you lure Ryan and Czarnik here with a similar message about lacking RH shots and having lots of space open on the Right Wing and at Center. But now you've acquired 3 RH RW/C options at that point.
Then you go out and sign Neal who is a RW that locks up 1st line RW and slots everyone down a line.
If you are Czarnik or even Ryan do you feel like you got over sold on your opportunity - a lot has changed on this roster and instead of it being wide open like 10 days ago when he first chatted with the Flames now it looks really deep and tough to crack. Especially the PP units.
and 6 of them actually shoot right! And they have mentioned an interest in trying Tkachuk on the right side as well, though I would have to imagine that's dead now, with the signing of Neal.
After the top 2, the right side is now significantly stronger than the left.
Which if you remember the old comparisons that people used to make a few years ago:
Johnny = P. Kane
Monahan = Toews
Neal = Hossa
we wish!
I remember Hossa with the Pens and Wings, forgot that he was with the Hawks on the 2010 run. That means Hossa lost the first two and then won with the Hawks.
and 6 of them actually shoot right! And they have mentioned an interest in trying Tkachuk on the right side as well, though I would have to imagine that's dead now, with the signing of Neal.
After the top 2, the right side is now significantly stronger than the left.
A lot of flexibility in that lineup though - with 4 of those guys also capable of playing centre, and with guys like Bennett and Jankowski being able to play LW, as well as Frolik being able to play either wing, there are a ton of ways it could all play out.
I'm really excited about the prospect of potentially having 4 lines that could score - hope all of this depth on paper ends up paying off in reality!
A lot of flexibility in that lineup though - with 4 of those guys also capable of playing centre, and with guys like Bennett and Jankowski being able to play LW, as well as Frolik being able to play either wing, there are a ton of ways it could all play out.
I'm really excited about the prospect of potentially having 4 lines that could score - hope all of this depth on paper ends up paying off in reality!
The depth chart for C is crazy with how flexible it is (red is guys that probably play wing):
Monahan
Backlund
Jankowski
Lindholm
Ryan
Bennett
Lazar
Czarnik
Quinn
Dube
Eric Duhatschek gave the Flames big ups for this signing and the Flames overall changes. Characterized Neal move as one of the most impactful. Spent a lot of time with him last year, loves the player.
I do wonder about this offseason and what the recent acquisitions think with the way it all played out.
Lindholm gets traded for and it's "You are for sure a top 6 RW/C on this team and one of the only RH shots that we have - you will be given an opportunity on the 1st line"
Then you lure Ryan and Czarnik here with a similar message about lacking RH shots and having lots of space open on the Right Wing and at Center. But now you've acquired 3 RH RW/C options at that point which already created a lot of depth there.
Then you go out and sign Neal who is a RW that locks up 1st line RW and slots everyone down a line.
If you are Czarnik or even Ryan do you feel like you got over sold on your opportunity - a lot has changed on this roster and instead of it being wide open like 10 days ago when he first chatted with the Flames now it looks really deep and tough to crack. Especially the PP units.
The guy I feel bad about is Foo. He gets lured to Calgary as a free agent out of college because there are only 3 or 4 guys ahead of him on the Flames depth chart. Plays himself onto the roster in the final weeks of the season. Now there are 6 or 7 guys ahead of him.
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Last edited by CliffFletcher; 07-03-2018 at 07:01 PM.
Thanks for this analysis. Looking at these numbers, it's clear that he benefited from being on a line with Malkin and Kunitz, and less on a player that's aging. Sure, he is more prone to injury than before, but I don't see any reason why playing with Gaudreau that he can't put up 32-35 goals again if he can avoid injury. And based on his comments in interviews, it sounds like he himself believes that Gaudreau will help him go to another level.
