Pretty sloppy game all round. Passing was very poor, almost too robotic and predictable.
Bennett made things happen and looked much less frantic with the puck.
Elliot and Parsons were solid.
Engellend was our best defenseman and Jankowski, as poor as he was, is still an upgrade on Stajan.
Just my thoughts.
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Tkachuk was noticeable. Good compete -- has some good awareness out there. Good to see him get a greasy goal tonight, on the PP to boot. I like it.
Kylington made some nice plays. The ability and offensive instinct are there. Key will be to solidify his defensive game so he can perform at a consistent NHL level. Don't think he would be my first defensive callup from Stockton but he's not far.
Jankowski didn't look out of place in a preseason game but he needs more seasoning, especially if he's going to play Center. Some good potential there.
Kimchuk wasn't bad but didn't stand out either. Looks like a responsible player but won't get past the AHL unless he can find a way to generate/finish chances in the offensive zone. Not optimistic it will happen for him. EDIT: didn't realize it was him who hit the post late in the third. Too bad -- a goal would have been nice for the local kid.
Brouwer (and Bennett) continue to impress. Will be interesting to see who they put on the other wing (if Tkachuk gets sent down).
I really like Elliott. So calm back there, but still has the athleticism to be in position when things break down. On one sequence there was a carom in front and Elliott was caught going the wrong way. Not only did he recover and get in position, but he was up on his skates and squared to the shooter. If it was Hiller you know he would have already been on his knees, and then sliding back across the crease trying to get into position.
For Vancouver, Baertschi and Granlund generated some good chances out there, and Granny got the primary assist on their goal I believe (he's always been an underrated passer IMO).
Last edited by tvp2003; 09-30-2016 at 11:09 PM.
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I haven't seen too much of the preseason but after watching tonight I think the Flames should send Hathaway and Kjillington to the farm tomorrow. Hathaway just ruined any offense on every line he was on. What was with all the 2 foot passes to people who weren't expecting them? Also Wideman needs to sit in the press box until they can trade him, he was brutal.
I was watching more to see some of the younger players and Jankowski did some nice things but I still think he has some stuff to work on, but would definitely keep him over Stajan. I only noticed Klimchuk a few times but he seems to be pretty smart and knows where to be all the time, hopefully he has a healthy year.
Thought it was a bit sloppy, but wondered if that is simply the lack of a solid understanding of a system and too many guys still in camp.
Didn't really expect a masterpiece, but got a decent look at a few of the up-and-comers, so that's really all one can expect maybe?
Liked the physical pushback a few times - beats last year when there was little or none. Hope to see a lot more of that. PK looked composed though the PP was a bit ragged at times.
I like the Ferland-Hamilton pairing. It will be a shame if Bollig and Stajan take up space on the fourth line over those guys.
Gaudreau-Monahan, Backlund-Frolik, Bennett-Brouwer, and Hamilton-Ferland are my forward pairs at the moment.
Agreed. I think Stajan has been outplayed by both Jankowski and Hamilton so far. Can we bring back the "Always earned, Never given" motto. Seems like it was abandoned last season and some(Stajan,Wideman,Bollig) under performing vets just got the ice time no matter how bad they played.
I have to think its a shoe in that Tkachuk is getting a long look in the NHL this season. He'll get the 9 game for sure IMO.
Gotta love that potential of a line though, so fun!
Really want Johnny to sign already so we can see who he jives with on RW. Gotta think the key to that #1 RW will be someone aggressive on the forecheck to cause turnovers and havoc, giving Johnny and Monny time and space with the puck and also able to crash the net.
Shinkaruk or Ferland could still work depending on chemistry but there's really not an ideal player for that spot on the team.
Also Elliott is awesome. I love our goaltending this season.
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I have to think its a shoe in that Tkachuk is getting a long look in the NHL this season. He'll get the 9 game for sure IMO.
Gotta love that potential of a line though, so fun!
Really want Johnny to sign already so we can see who he jives with on RW. Gotta think the key to that #1 RW will be someone aggressive on the forecheck to cause turnovers and havoc, giving Johnny and Monny time and space with the puck and also able to crash the net.
Shinkaruk or Ferland could still work depending on chemistry but there's really not an ideal player for that spot on the team.
Also Elliott is awesome. I love our goaltending this season.
I still think Chiasson gets a hard look in that spot, for the reasons you mentioned.
Agreed. I think Stajan has been outplayed by both Jankowski and Hamilton so far. Can we bring back the "Always earned, Never given" motto. Seems like it was abandoned last season and some(Stajan,Wideman,Bollig) under performing vets just got the ice time no matter how bad they played.
I don't disagree, but sadly, it's not that simple. Unfortunately contracts matter and Wideman is immovable with his NMC, so he's going nowhere.
Stajan can be buried because he only has a NTC, but they'll be stuck with about 2.2M of his salary remaining on the cap + the salary of his replacement. Maybe he'll get buried if he continues to stink it up real bad throughout the first 10, 15 games or whatever of regular season, but I wouldn't bet on it because there's not enough to really make it worth it.
Bollig is much easier to bury because not only does he suck, he's also relatively cheap too. If he's buried, only $300,000 of Bollig's salary will remain on the cap + the salary of his replacement. Better chance that this could happen because of the savings.
I don't disagree, but sadly, it's not that simple. Unfortunately contracts matter and Wideman is immovable with his NMC, so he's going nowhere.
Stajan can be buried because he only has a NTC, but they'll be stuck with about 2.2M of his salary still on the cap + the salary of his replacement. Maybe he'll get buried if he continues stink it up real bad throughout the first 10, 15 games or whatever of regular season, but I wouldn't bet on it because there's not enough to really make it worth it.
Bollig is much easier to bury because not only does he suck, he's also relatively cheap too. Better chance that this could happen.
Someone has to fill the 13 and 14 forward slots. Stajan gives us decent depth from the bench and Bollig is pretty close to minimum wage.
As for Wideman, I still want to see if they can get him going. He and Brodie had success in the past.
Pretty sloppy game at times especially in the 2nd. Always nice to beat the Canucks though. Here are some of my thoughts on the game.
Thought the Brouwer, Bennett and Tkachuk line was good again. Not as dominate as the Edmonton game, but still solid. We are gonna see a lot of those type of goals from Tkachuk. Love how he just goes to the net.
Really liked Hamilton's game tonight. Looks to be a solid 4th line center. Haven't seen the stats, but he seemed solid on the draw as well. Move Stajan to the wing and have Freddie as our 4th line guy.
Thought Jankowski was ok. I think he defintely needs some time in the ahl. He's close though. Let him play down there and hopefully dominate and by mid season I think he'll be pushing for a spot. Do agree with a few of the other posters in that he needs to be a bit more aggressive. Seemed a bit passive at times. Hopefully that'll come with experience.
Still liking shinkaruk over chiasson at this point. Both had quiet games though. Ferland I thought was good. Higgins was okay, but I don't know if there is a spot for him at this point. Hathaway is a solid 4th line guy/13th forward.
Elliot again just looks so in control and comfortable back there. Just a solid goaltender. I really liked Parsons in his one period. Good positioning and made some solid stops. I assume he'll be sent down in the next few days, but defintely a guy to keep an eye on. Goalies are so tough to predict, but really liking what I've seen from him during the prospects camp and this game.
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I agree with a lot of what has been said i this thread.
Jankowski looks like he needs time in the AHL to me. He did some things well and I thought his play on the boards was pretty good, but he also took two penalties and it was his point man who was able to walk in and score. Not a terrible night or anything but I don't see him taking anyone's spot at this point.
I'm not sure what to think about Tkachuk. I like almost everything he does on the ice and I think he meshes with Bennett-Brouwer really well. On the other hand, he is benefiting from playing with those two and it might be the case that Shinkaruk would be getting just as much done if given the same opportunity. At this point, my guess is that he'll be headed back to London but he looks like he could make the jump and have a decent rookie campaign.
Wotherspoon was very disappointing tonight. I'm a fan of his and was hoping that he would force his way into the top six but he's gotta bring more than he did tonight. He turned the puck over a few times on passes that he tried to force through coverage and I didn't notice him do much as far as being physical or breaking up plays intelligently. I really thought he would bring more out there.
Shinkaruk was a lot less noticeable with the puck tonight than he was in the Edmonton game. He was really grabbing it and protecting the puck well. I'm not sure he did much to help himself get a roster spot tonight.
Parsons looked excellent. Can't do much more than stop all the shots but he was being aggressive in the crease and battling to see pucks through the screen during that last penalty kill as well as taking away the low shots. He's a pretty exciting goalie prospect.
Kylington skated well (like usual) and made a couple of good pinches.
I like Hathaway a lot and I hope he makes the team. It was a pretty boring game and he brought a bit of energy to the building with a big hit and a few good forechecks.
Freddie Hamilton was mostly noticeable in the third period with some hardworking shifts and physical play. If they do decide to try out Stajan as a left winger, he seems like he could fit the bill as a fourth line center.
Not a big Higgins fan, but have to give him credit as a good penalty killer. He used his stick well to not only break up a few plays, but to cut off passes to the pointman at the center of the blue line and keep the puck at the side-wall. I wouldn't be overly surprised if he carves out a spot on the team.
Klimchuk had a few good shifts. He looked like a pro this season and has obviously improved after spending a year in the AHL.
Also, I saw a bunch of criticism of Wideman in the game thread but I thought he played pretty well tonight. He made some nice passes and I saw him make some good plays defensively as well. I was actually encouraged about his play after tonight.
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The whole interview is pretty nice to see his enthusiasm, but the ending cracked me up.
"Troy Brouwer. 1st start in the building, 3rd star on our broadcast. Flames win." Brouwer: "Hey! I only made 3rd star on the broadcast?" https://youtu.be/v3lZ64HNCRw?t=78
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