Making the playoffs or keeping our top-10 first round pick 2025?

[Hackey]

Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy

Bahl is averaging almost 22 minutes a game. That's not a bottom pairing Dman

At the time of the trade he was a bottom pairing dman on the devils with one full NHL season. If he gets more ice time on a team with Hanley, Bean, and Pachal in their top 6 good for him. As I said multiple times I'm not criticizing the player or the return.

Did the return drastically alter because Conroy held out? I don't think so. The value of a late 1st and Bahl or some other combination of similar value was likely always the approximate return. Mercer, 2024 1st, Casey, etc. were never going to be the return despite many thinking that was what Conroy was holding out for.

I see Andersson being similar. He is their best trade chip but we will likely have a similar scenario where the expected return is way more than what the market is going to offer. And personally I think the Flames would be smart to deal him before next trade deadline. This trade deadline or offseason.

[Calgary4LIfe]

Originally Posted by Hackey

At the time of the trade he was a bottom pairing dman on the devils with one full NHL season. If he gets more ice time on a team with Hanley, Bean, and Pachal in their top 6 good for him. As I said multiple times I'm not criticizing the player or the return.

Did the return drastically alter because Conroy held out? I don't think so. The value of a late 1st and Bahl or some other combination of similar value was likely always the approximate return. Mercer, 2024 1st, Casey, etc. were never going to be the return despite many thinking that was what Conroy was holding out for.

I see Andersson being similar. He is their best trade chip but we will likely have a similar scenario where the expected return is way more than what the market is going to offer. And personally I think the Flames would be smart to deal him before next trade deadline. This trade deadline or offseason.

He was playing top 4 minutes in his first season last year on the Devils due to injury issues, and was looking solid, especially considering he was a rookie. He has improved this year so far as well.



That Markstrom trade is going to age beautifully, even without knowing what that 1st rounder ends up being.

[Calgary4LIfe]

Looking at the standings:


Calgary sits at 43 points.



Detroit (bottom 10) - 38 points.


Islanders (bottom 5) - 35 points.


Flames are 8 points out of the bottom 5.


What teams are burning it down? San Jose is improving over last year. i think they sell a piece or two at the deadline, but that's about it. Ditto for Chicago - though I don't think they have a piece to sell, and I think they finish last this season. Lamoriello doesn't do rebuilds, but I am sure he sells a piece or two. Buffalo has nothing to sell - if anything, they will add. Nashville made huge moves, and I think they struggled with expectations and a general lack of chemistry, but I think they are rebounding slowly - I bet they improve themselves out of the bottom 5. Rangers are a complete mes, but I expect them to get sorted this season, probably with firings and trades. Just too much talent to be at the bottom of the standings all season long. Anaheim Ducks are proving to be better. Kraken are treading water to me. Philly should be improving over last year, but not by much it seems, but still a positive movement. Detroit, Montreal, Columbus, Ottawa, Utah - all teams that have been rebuilding forever and are full of young talent already trying to find their way up.



Pittsburgh is really the only team I worry about deciding to burn it to the ground. I think for this season anyway, they stick around trying to compete.


This year you don't need to burn it to the ground to get a top 5 pick. Flames are one losing streak away from it. Happens every season - I am sure the Flames will experience a couple of losing streaks this year on top of the one that they had a while back (and 2 games doesn't count - 5,6,7 game losing streaks).



Point I am making is that it is both plausible that the Flames make the playoffs this year, while it is also plausible that they don't and instead end up with a top 5 pick. Neither are out of reach this season, so I am not going to mope around after a loss or a win, and I will not worry about finishing 11th worst just to make myself sick. Playoffs or BUST - they are both plausible this year.

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by The Cobra

Huberdeau’s shooting percentage lifetime is in the range of league average.

This year, he is double that.

There is nothing misleading with 25% , and for that, there can be no debate.

League average during his career was usually about 9%. He's been shooting an average of 12% and a personal best of 16%. This year the average is up to 10%. He's scoring about double his usual pace, not triple, as you might guess if you didn't know his personal history.

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by Jay Random

League average during his career was usually about 9%. He's been shooting an average of 12% and a personal best of 16%. This year the average is up to 10%. He's scoring about double his usual pace, not triple, as you might guess if you didn't know his personal history.

I looked at the average shooting percentage of forwards only, as what defensemen do is not relevant to Huberdeau.

As I said, he’s generally around league average but is double that this year.

[dissentowner]

Hopefully last night was the beginning of a long losing skid into the bottom 5.

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

Hopefully last night was the beginning of a long losing skid into the bottom 5.

They need to fire Huska. That alone should result in the Flames losing many many more games and thus obtaining the much needed top 5 pick. If I hear Ring of Fire one more time after a home game I don’t know what I will do. So depressing when they win.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by Aarongavey

They need to fire Huska. That alone should result in the Flames losing many many more games and thus obtaining the much needed top 5 pick. If I hear Ring of Fire one more time after a home game I don’t know what I will do. So depressing when they win.

Keep fishing.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Goalies usually makes bad or ok coaches look great

Huska is a top assistant and PK coach when working with the defence. As head coach he likes to stifle his teams. Can we pin that on him only having poor rosters his entire coaching career ?

[Jiri Hrdina]

"He likes to stifle his teams"?

Based on what?
What coach deliberately is trying to stifle his team?

Or are we just making stuff up?

[Paulie Walnuts]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

"He likes to stifle his teams"?

Based on what?
What coach deliberately is trying to stifle his team?

Or are we just making stuff up?

You can just go look at his coaching history and see he coaches low scoring teams.

I’d provide them for you but you’ll just change the narrative like you did with Andersson that fans don’t know how to evaluate defenceman.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Coaching low scoring teams is different than "He likes to stifle his teams".

[Paulie Walnuts]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Coaching low scoring teams is different than "He likes to stifle his teams".

Well his system or style obviously stifles his team since they can’t score much.

He had the Flames playing low event hockey.

It’s fine. We are rebuilding. But let’s keep the elite coach talk down until we see what he can do when we add more offensive talent.

[1qqaaz]

MoneyPuck currently has the Flames at a 15.8% chance of making the playoffs, and a 0.1% chance of winning the Stanley Cup.

Finishing bottom 10 may be difficult at this point, but an argument can be made that it is more likely/realistic than is making the playoffs/winning the cup.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

You can just go look at his coaching history and see he coaches low scoring teams.

I’d provide them for you but you’ll just change the narrative like you did with Andersson that fans don’t know how to evaluate defenceman.

Someone already refuted this point, and listed several seasons where Huska's teams were in the top 5 or 10 in scoring.

[Calgary4LIfe]

The entire "Huska stifles offence" has been debunked somewhere on here recently. I am way too lazy and disinterested to hunt it down, but that has been disproven, no?

[Aarongavey]

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

You can just go look at his coaching history and see he coaches low scoring teams.

I’d provide them for you but you’ll just change the narrative like you did with Andersson that fans don’t know how to evaluate defenceman.

This has been covered with actual facts in this forum recently. Like the real actual history.

Originally Posted by Aarongavey

His championship team in the dub was 5th out of 22 teams in scoring

His team in 13/14 was 2nd in the dub in scoring

His team in 12/13 was 2nd in the dub in scoring

07/08 was 5th out of 22 teams in scoring

I would think being in the top 5 of league scoring 4 out of 7 years is pretty good in terms of offensive production.

His first year in the AHL his team was 6th out of 30 teams in scoring

I don’t think his coaching record shows a guy whose teams cannot create offence.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

Well his system or style obviously stifles his team since they can’t score much.

He had the Flames playing low event hockey.

It’s fine. We are rebuilding. But let’s keep the elite coach talk down until we see what he can do when we add more offensive talent.

Is anyone calling him an elite coach? Who are you actually arguing with on this point?

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by 1qqaaz

MoneyPuck currently has the Flames at a 15.8% chance of making the playoffs, and a 0.1% chance of winning the Stanley Cup.

Finishing bottom 10 may be difficult at this point, but an argument can be made that it is more likely/realistic than is making the playoffs/winning the cup.

Only 4 points out of the bottom-10, it won't be all that rough of a stretch to get them into the bottom-10. A few more losses, or a bit of a losing streak - and they're there.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

Is anyone calling him an elite coach? Who are you actually arguing with on this point?

Yes Aarongravey