Players who need to step up a bit

[Flamesfan05]

Kadri, Backlund, Ritchie have stepped up
Toffoli, Lucic, Andersson, Lewis, Weegar and Tanev are doing as expected

Rest of them, especially Huberdeau and the goalies are underperforming if not horrific

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Flamesfan05

Kadri, Backlund, Ritchie have stepped up
Toffoli, Lucic, Andersson, Lewis, Weegar and Tanev are doing as expected

Rest of them, especially Huberdeau and the goalies are underperforming if not horrific

Huberdeau off to a slowish start offensively but his underlying numbers suggest you may be stretching things to the negative ... which is shocking.

[Macho0978]

I’m not worried about Huberdeau. Someone mentioned he’s similar to Iggy and typically is a slow starter. He will get going

Toffolli was the guy everyone was after on the first line but he’s been very good of late. Lindholm was better last night. Huberdeau is next

It’s just too bad we blew 2 games because none of this matter if we are 7 and 1

[Burning Beard]

Originally Posted by Macho0978

I’m not worried about Huberdeau. Someone mentioned he’s similar to Iggy and typically is a slow starting. He will get going

Toffolli was the guy everyone was after on the first line but he’s been very good of late. Lindholm was better last night. Huberdeau is next

It’s just too bad we blew 2 games because none of this matter if we are 7 and 1

Is it a huge deal still when the team is 5 and 3?

[Macho0978]

Originally Posted by Burning Beard

Is it a huge deal still when the team is 5 and 3?

It shouldn’t be but 7 and 1 this thread probably doesn’t even exist

[jayswin]

I'l just post my feeling on Huberdeau from the PGT thread yesterday


- Signs his first massive contract, which usually leads to early struggles for most star players


- His skill is making insane plays off the rush - Toffoli is slower and makes his bank in the zone once the play is cycling or he's able to catch up (and he's great at it, don't get me wrong). Lindholm starts off struggling massively on the season


- Top line is two, right handed snipers, Huberdeau doesn't typically carry the puck, now he's suddenly the puck carrier for the whole line and both snipers are right handed to his left handed plays


- Then he's suddenly switched to a new line that in my opinion is perfect for him in the long run, but now he's feeling even more pressure to perform and is gripping the stick too hard and forcing plays, which is the exact opposite of his skill set


- Huberdeau has also played mainly an offensive game in Florida, now he is being asked to reform his game into a two way player as Sutter asks of everyone, which will take time.

Not worried about Huberdeau at all. But still feel this team is a star forward away from pushing everyone down to truly be a Cup contender.

[Hack&Lube]

Huberdeau had like 5 or 6 high danger chances, near misses, posts/crossbars against the Oilers. Those will start going in.

They were individual efforts though so I still agree we need to find the right linemates for chemistry.

[Classic_Sniper]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I'm surprised how impatient some fans are here. I felt it may take a half a season before all the new players become fully acclimated. It took Coleman a while last season to fit in but he started playing better in the 2nd half of the season. Gaudreau, Tkachuk out and Huberdeau, Kadri, Weegar in is a major roster change and we have to accept that this is a different Flames team and it may not be as good at least initially as Gaudreau and Tkachik brought elements to the team that isn't easily replaceable. All three players are here for a long time and eventually they will make this their team but right now it's a team finding its way and that shouldn't surprise anyone.

Curious as to why you think it would take 41 games for these guys to get up to speed? Between training camp, preseason games, practices, video sessions, meetings, personal coaches and etc, don’t you think the transition would be a lot faster?

I mean after-all, they’re still playing the game of hockey aren’t they, where checking is just an intrinsic feature of the sport. Darryl is just a bit different in that he demands it and expects your work ethic to be there every night. But it’s not a new concept for these guys, they change strategies and tactics mid way into games all the time based on the score.

To me, I just think some guys are built better for specific coaches/styles of play than others. Kadri for instance, in the exact same situation as the others, actually worse, because he played in the Finals and had the shortened offseason. Yet he walks in here after an off season of celebrating his championship, doesn’t miss a beat and looks like the best player on the team. He was built for Sutter hockey though, Huberdeau on the other hand, maybe not so much.


For the record though: I think Huberdeau will start producing at some point. His skillset didn’t just disappear, I think he just needs the right linemates to unlock his full potential. I’m not expecting 100 points, but something resembling a first line numbers would be nice.

[yourbestfriend]

Huberdeau, Lindholm and Weegar have been disappointing thus far. Confident they'll pick it up though - that much talent doesn't disappear over night. I think Mangiapane and Dube have looked great. Both have had a lot of great chances, have had some trouble finishing though. Zadorov looks like he's trying to skate the puck out of the zone more, which is nice to see. Hoping to see Kylington get back into the lineup soon, we're missing that dynamic skating element on our back end. Everyone else has looked as expected.

Just a general observation. We definitely miss Gaudreau's zone entry skills. His ability to get things started in the offensive zone really engaged Tkachuk down low, Lindholm in the middle and the defense if he wanted to curl back and look for the trailer. He basically had the ability to maximize the strengths of everybody else on the ice. We currently don't have a guy who has taken his role yet. Was hoping that person would be Huberdeau (I feel like he can still be that guy). It seems like Huberdeau is more of that Tkachuk player, where if you get him the puck on the wall or down low in the offensive zone, that's where he'll generate a lot of his offense. I just didn't realize Gaudreau's absence would be so noticeable.

[SuperMatt18]

I think we actually miss Kylington a lot too.

Kylington-Tanev
Hanifin - Andersson
Zadorov - Weegar

That gives us three really good pairings that you can trust in all situations.

Zadorov-Stone have been good but also very lucky in terms of goal scoring. Stone especially has really started to show some warts as the season has went on IMO, and might be shooting too much at this point.

I really hope there is some clarity on Kylington situation soon.

[Jiri Hrdina]

No one posted Huberdeau’s comments?
Yeah, I mean, I still got a lot of work to do. Obviously, it hasn’t been easy for me at the beginning of the year,” Huberdeau said. “I’m way better than what I am right now and I think he’s right. Thinking a little too much, not moving my feet as I used to last year and I think I gotta start doing that. I want to do it as soon as possible but I just gotta relax and play my game. I know I’m a good player. I got to come back to the basics.”

[Vinny01]

I listened to Huberdeau today and I continue to be impressed with how he Carrie’s himself. Great job owning his performance but remaining confident in his ability. This is a massive adjustment for him to go from obscurity in Florida to a hockey hotbed in Calgary where everything is scrutinized and the Flames are front page material. Also there is a much different expectation on defensive play and team structure.

He got the huge contract and is the new face of the franchise who everyone expected to be better than Gaudreau/Tkachuk (or at least on par). I think it will come but the fact he is struggling is not a shocker.

I thought Kadri would struggle more given his short summer but the guy is a gamer and a leader. He is used to playing at altitude in Colorado where the other guys are at sea level.

Weegar has been okay. Hanifin-Anderson feel like the top pair on this team where I expected the Weegar pairing to take that mantle. I think he is still adjusting and look forward to see all 3 of our new players in the game 20-40 timeframe really take off. It kind of feels like Weegar, Huberdeau, and Mangiapane are struggling under the weight of new contracts but I could be wrong

[Northendzone]

i am feeling like Hubes thinks the game a little faster than his linemates and that is causing some issues. Then when you stir in that for the moment Lindholm has seemingly forgotten how to play it makes things a little worse for this line as a whole.

But what do i know

[DazzlinDino]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I'm surprised how impatient some fans are here. I felt it may take a half a season before all the new players become fully acclimated. It took Coleman a while last season to fit in but he started playing better in the 2nd half of the season. Gaudreau, Tkachuk out and Huberdeau, Kadri, Weegar in is a major roster change and we have to accept that this is a different Flames team and it may not be as good at least initially as Gaudreau and Tkachik brought elements to the team that isn't easily replaceable. All three players are here for a long time and eventually they will make this their team but right now it's a team finding its way and that shouldn't surprise anyone.

The team didn't respond to Sutter the first season he arrived, it wasn't until the second season that they seemed to start getting things together. I'm pretty sure it's the same way for the new guys coming in and the fact that the lines have changed. I agree I think some fans are being way too hard on the team,. I bet there's not a single fan in question, who can walk into that dressing room and figure it all out, but they can sure talk the talk. The team justs needs to get the details down but I'm sure they're a little bit discouraged when they don't play as well as a team as they would like to. When the new players first came in all they would talk about was how good this team was going to be, they want to win, yet coments are implying that they don't care. I am pretty sure they do.

[dino7c]

slightly better goaltending and they are 7-1...despite the hardest strength of schedule. People that think the Flames are allowing too much don't watch many other teams IMO. They are one of the best teams in the league limiting chances thus far. Problem is that almost every good chance ends up in the back of the net.
.800s from Vladar
.903 from Markstrom

[Classic_Sniper]

Originally Posted by yourbestfriend

Huberdeau, Lindholm and Weegar have been disappointing thus far. Confident they'll pick it up though - that much talent doesn't disappear over night. I think Mangiapane and Dube have looked great. Both have had a lot of great chances, have had some trouble finishing though. Zadorov looks like he's trying to skate the puck out of the zone more, which is nice to see. Hoping to see Kylington get back into the lineup soon, we're missing that dynamic skating element on our back end. Everyone else has looked as expected.

Just a general observation. We definitely miss Gaudreau's zone entry skills. His ability to get things started in the offensive zone really engaged Tkachuk down low, Lindholm in the middle and the defense if he wanted to curl back and look for the trailer. He basically had the ability to maximize the strengths of everybody else on the ice. We currently don't have a guy who has taken his role yet. Was hoping that person would be Huberdeau (I feel like he can still be that guy). It seems like Huberdeau is more of that Tkachuk player, where if you get him the puck on the wall or down low in the offensive zone, that's where he'll generate a lot of his offense. I just didn't realize Gaudreau's absence would be so noticeable.

Yeah you’re bang on about Gaudreau. His zone entries and exits are dearly missed. It wasn’t just his efficiency though, he also has the ability to hold on to pucks and buy his line-mates time to get in on the forecheck and make things happen from there. That line’s foundation was the ability to constantly be on the attack and it was poetry in motion.

That’s why I think Lindholm struggled to find his footing with Huberdeau because I don’t think that’s Jonathan’s game. Neither he nor Lindholm or even Toffoli have that same ability to buy time which has hampered their rush game and ability to play effective dump and chase.

To use a football analogy, if Gaudreau was a QB, he’d be the type to scramble and dart in and out of trouble to find his receiver whereas Huberdeau is like the pocket QB who can make quick reads and wants to make quick decisions. If his receiver has a step, he’ll find him and put the ball right in his hands.

So in my opinion, once he finds those linemates that can “get open,” or “block” for him, I’m sure his game will open up greatly. Anthony Duclair for instance was very underrated line-mate. I’m not sure he ever got enough credit for how dynamic and skilled he was or how well he complimented and extrapolated Huberdeau’s game.

[Classic_Sniper]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

i am feeling like Hubes thinks the game a little faster than his linemates and that is causing some issues. Then when you stir in that for the moment Lindholm has seemingly forgotten how to play it makes things a little worse for this line as a whole.

But what do i know

I don’t know if he thinks the game faster, if anything, his stick and his feet need to do a better job of keeping up. He looks like he’s in the right places, but plays seem to be dying on his stick more than one would expect.

Lastly, I don’t think Lindholm has been the problem. He hasn’t been a solution for Huberdeau either, but I think Lindholm found his fit with Lucic. That line looked great yesterday and scored 2 goals. Lucic is a much better fit for Lindholm, they grind, they check for their goals and that suits Lindholm’s game perfectly because he’s not afraid to get dirty and work the boards/corners.

[Kipper_3434]

Based on expectations
Great: Kadri, Backlund, Anderson, Ritchie, Stone
Good: Zad, Toffoli, Coleman, Lewis, Lucic,
Ok: Dube, Bread, Weegar, Tanev, Vlad, Rooney
Should be better: Lindholm, Huby, Markstrom, Hanifin

Realisticly 4 players aren't playing well to start the season. That's not bad, key players though, hope they all turn it around soon and let someone else slump for a bit

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by jayswin

I'l just post my feeling on Huberdeau from the PGT thread yesterday


- Signs his first massive contract, which usually leads to early struggles for most star players


.

Love to see some data on that one.

[memphusk]

Need a burner for Huberdeau to play with. Is Coronation fast?