Flames announce 23/24 opening day roster

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Originally Posted by Lanny_McDonald

I guess I'm hoping for too much. I expected the team to go with the players that stood out and earned a position over guys who did nothing. Zary, Solovyov, and Wolf outplayed guys who made the roster. I really don't care with how many rookies you have to go with. Playing Hunt and Oesterle is just as likely to result in the same number of mistakes as a young player, except the young player has the potential to get better and turn into a better player in the long run. As disappointing as Wolf was in camp, where he looked human for once, he still looked better that either Vladar or Markstrom. I don't see any improvement on paper with the veteran additions and think there are better players who got demoted. I'd rather see the team invest in the youth, that's all.

I think you're answering your own question. He didn't play outstanding and doesn't need to pass through waivers. Pretty easy choice for the coaches. Now they have time to potentially work out a deal for Vladar while Wolf plays more and hopefully dominates the AHL in the meantime.

I never caught the last two games but what I saw from Oesterle I liked. Looked like a good skater, good passer, good mobility. Again, if the coaches didn't see a lot of daylight between him and Solovyov and one doesn't require waivers then it's an easy choice. Oesterle looks like a very solid 6/7 guy.

Those young guys you mention will almost all certainly play with the big club at some point this season. Who knows, a Vladar trade or a Hanifin trade could be in the cards sooner than later opening some spots for those guys.

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by Lanny_McDonald

Woof. Was hoping for a youth movement. Looks a lot like last year's lineup which was so unlikeable they were difficult to watch. If you had told me the big change was going to be the additions of Dryden Hunt, Yegor Sharangovich, A.J. Greer, and Jordan Oesterle I would have thought you were on crack. Pretty disappointed with this lineup.

*ahem* Coronato??? Come on man.

Dropped Ritchie's, Lewis, Lucic, Stone, etc. Those are old dudes.

Edit: addressed above.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by MillerTime GFG

I don’t know how this team is going to score enough goals to be competitive. Here’s hoping for some lightning in a bottle…

With all the struggles last year, including an anemic PP, and being coached to shoot from everywhere instead of making plays, they were 19th in scoring, a whole 9 goals less than the cup champs, and 15 goals from being in the top 10 in the league. They'll be fine top half of the league.

[You Need a Thneed]

Originally Posted by Locke

And now I'm the cynic.

That collection of 'Bubble Team' playoff 'maybes' is hugging the Cap?

Ugh...this team is in serious trouble.

There's a lot of "bubble teams" hugging the cap the last couple years.

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

Originally Posted by gvitaly

The captains:

https://twitter.com/user/status/1710819135175967142

Tanev has the smile of an angel.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by TrentCrimmIndependent

Tanev has the smile of an angel.

Whereas his brother has the smile of a demon.

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

Can't really be surprised at this lineup based on the team that went into camp. Look at the Wranglers roster and tell me who deserves it more.

That said, there are lots of forwards whose hold on a roster spot is precarious IMO. Coronato, Hunt, Duehr, Ruzicka, Greer all need to play well to keep their spot in the lineup and maybe that's a good thing.

Connor Zary.

[gvitaly]

Originally Posted by TrentCrimmIndependent

Tanev has the smile of an angel.

For sure, one of the best smiles in the league.

[fire_starter]

That lineup isn't too shabby and honestly I'm just ecstatic hockey is finally back! 2 more days!

[Reggie Dunlop]

I for one will vigorously cheer on the Men of Red. May they be victorious in their seasons journey!

[CliffFletcher]

Out:

Lewis 36
Lucic 35
Ritchie 27
Stone 34
Toffoli 31

In:

Hunt 27
Greer 26
Sharangovich 25
Coronato 20
Oesterle 31

This lineup is much younger and faster.

[dino7c]

Most of the league is at the cap

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Out:

Lewis 36
Lucic 35
Ritchie 27
Stone 34
Toffoli 31

In:

Hunt 27
Greer 26
Sharangovich 25
Coronato 20
Oesterle 31

This lineup is much younger and faster.

Pele and Kylington out too...not managements fault there. Did some people expect them to dress an all rookie team

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by dino7c

Pele and Kylington out too...not managements fault there. Did some people expect them to dress an all rookie team

I think this is exactly what the whiners (myself included) were looking for this season. Literally the only thing missing was Pelletier getting injured (and he would have made it if not for injury).

This was exactly how we'd hoped the pre season announcement would go and those that are complaining were likely going to complain no matter what. Like did these guys watch the players that got cut besides Zary? None of them were NHL ready or at least good enough to take a spot from an NHL player.

[jayswin]

The other and most important thing to factor in is that the youth movement and giving chances to prospects doesn't end at the opening night roster like some are crying about in this thread. A player like Zary will likely see playing time on the big club very quickly as this was not just a pre season directive.

[Macindoc]

More development time will be beneficial for Zary's progression in the long run. Pelletier will return in a few months, and after him, Zary will be the next call up if anyone in the top 9 is injured or traded. The Flames don't want injuries to block the development, progression, or promotion of players when they are ready, so they have a few placeholders in the lineup who can easily be waived and sent down when someone is ready to join the lineup. They aren't using all of the LTIR available because it's advantageous to be as close to the cap as possible at the start of the season.

I think the next few weeks will tell us a lot about if and when they expect Kylington back. If the other injured players are placed on LTIR and they use that cap space to bring someone else in, he's likely out long term.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by jayswin

The other and most important thing to factor in is that the youth movement and giving chances to prospects doesn't end at the opening night roster like some are crying about in this thread. A player like Zary will likely see playing time on the big club very quickly as this was not just a pre season directive.

Wolf and Solovyov too.

[Savvy27]

The roster looks pretty good to me. Their top line is weaker than other playoff teams, but a top 6 F group with: Huberdeau, Kadri, Lindholm, Mangiapane, Backlund, and Coronato is going to be competitive. Then add Sharangovich, Dube, and Coleman and it's a strong group up front.

The strength of the team is their D core. Unfortunately, Kylington isn't available so it's not the excellent group we were expecting but if the top 5 are managed well then they should be able to control a lot of games and join in on the rush and offensive zone for a lot of creative attacks

Huska and the coaching staff are going to be so important this season as the team can't rely on superstars to carry them. They need to be consistent, motivated, and their special teams have to be high end on both sides.

I'm not very confident in LaBarbera as a goalie coach, nor Markstrom as a starter. Hopefully we are in for a pleasant surprise and the skaters can do a better job of limiting the massive breakdowns we seemed to see often last year.

I'm looking forward to a team that works really hard and has few weaknesses throughout the line up. They have the pieces to compete for the division but need everyone working together with a terrific gameplan to get there.

[blankall]

Originally Posted by dino7c

Pele and Kylington out too...not managements fault there. Did some people expect them to dress an all rookie team

Major blow. These two likely replace Oesterle and Greer, making the team even younger.

Happy seeing so much youth in the lineup though.

[Toonage]

I can't stress how much I think having a younger 4L alone will improve this team. I get that people liked Lucic, had a soft spot for him, but his actual play was truly awful and it was made worse by Sutter's insistence on giving him so much ice time (and thats not even considering his top 6 stint).