[News] Francis: One-year faceplant

[flame4life]

Finally a thread that you all can commiserate with each other. Team Tank have fun.

[Badgers Nose]

Sometimes you just have to take your medicine to get better.

[Samonadreau]

Originally Posted by FanIn80

It's pretty crazy what drafting this generation's Bobby Orr can do for a team.

And Already having the best player since Crosby.

[EVERLAST]

I'm actually of the belief these last few years we've become the most delusional fan base in the league.

Since moving the Wranglers here, switching recently to Conroy and getting some scouting changes and tweaking coaching to a small degree were NOT different yet because those players that will make us different are still developing growing maturing elsewhere at the moment.

So obviously very obviously there's patience required

Meanwhile it's entertaining watching people expel their own braincells on impatience.

I don't see any one talking about the difference between what Bill Zito and Vincent Viola are doing changing coaches from Brunnete to Maurice and finally getting 100% buy in from players.

Its impressive.

You won't see Edmonton replicate that. Terrifyingly they came close but WTF are they thinking up there ?
I laugh at the prospect that they actually think this is their year Again?!?!?

What?

Meanwhile back here. Let's cool it for a bit . I see good things coming for the first time since the days of Badger Bob and Cliff Fletcher and that's alot of patience in between time.

Darryl Sutter was right . Don't get too high or low.

Lastly. If we are going to be successful and I define success as what Detroit, St Louis, Boston and Montreal did for many many years longer than anyone making the playoffs we need to establish FINALLY a culture that proves we're serious about better than mediocrity....the mediocre we've always been.

We once won some presidents awards consecutive....big whoop if you bow out early those years it means F A

Hey Eric .....let's talk about that. Add in some talk about out current media cesspool here . F me will you guys ever STFU ?!

Your no better than these deluded bandwagon give it to me now pom pom shaking Shaka lacka fair weather fan armchair experts gm wannabees.

Oh the life of a Flames fan

[InternationalVillager]

Well i had a very interesting exchange today. Was told very clearly that this is all smoke and mirrors on the PR front. Flames intend to bottom out this year and next in preparation for their building. KEY point that was raised to me was that they added no one of any significance this past summer. A team that wanted to compete for playoffs would have went out and tried to buy goals especially with the cap space available. They are more than comfortable executing down this path. They just won't admit it in public. They're trying to slowroll financial impact as much as possible.

The plan was to trade Kadri NEXT year...however things might change as we enter that Jan-Mar window. Most likely window for a trade might be just prior to the olympic break.

[Royle9]

Originally Posted by InternationalVillager

Well i had a very interesting exchange today. Was told very clearly that this is all smoke and mirrors on the PR front. Flames intend to bottom out this year and next in preparation for their building.

[Burning Beard]

Originally Posted by InternationalVillager

Well i had a very interesting exchange today. Was told very clearly that this is all smoke and mirrors on the PR front. Flames intend to bottom out this year and next in preparation for their building. KEY point that was raised to me was that they added no one of any significance this past summer. A team that wanted to compete for playoffs would have went out and tried to buy goals especially with the cap space available. They are more than comfortable executing down this path. They just won't admit it in public. They're trying to slowroll financial impact as much as possible.

The plan was to trade Kadri NEXT year...however things might change as we enter that Jan-Mar window. Most likely window for a trade might be just prior to the olympic break.

Some will still not believe it.

[Roof-Daddy]

Originally Posted by InternationalVillager

Well i had a very interesting exchange today. Was told very clearly that this is all smoke and mirrors on the PR front. Flames intend to bottom out this year and next in preparation for their building. KEY point that was raised to me was that they added no one of any significance this past summer. A team that wanted to compete for playoffs would have went out and tried to buy goals especially with the cap space available. They are more than comfortable executing down this path. They just won't admit it in public. They're trying to slowroll financial impact as much as possible.

The plan was to trade Kadri NEXT year...however things might change as we enter that Jan-Mar window. Most likely window for a trade might be just prior to the olympic break.

This is what makes me laugh about the "ThiS iSn'T a reBUiLD!" crowd.

They had no choice but to stand pat at the TDL last year. They couldn't sell out from under the team while sitting in a playoff spot, and they were able to wait because anyone with value wasn't on an expiring deal. But they also didn't add anything significant and the TDL and didn't add in the off season either, sitting on tons of cap space.

This year looks like it could be the opposite. Bad enough that not only will Ras be gone, but now they could likely move Kadri and Coleman too.

Hopefully our draft lottery luck is on point for the next two drafts.

[Strange Brew]

I don’t imagine they thought the team would be this bad. Seems pretty clear they came into the season hoping last season wasn’t a fluke, but not willing to bank on it by spending money on free agents or making impact trades.

The results thus far makes the direction rather clear. Still an open question about how aggressive they will be in dealing Kadri this year.

[ComixZone]

I feel like this is the first time I’ve seen Frost all night…

…wrong thread, but whatever

[browna]

I’ve said before, Conroy is at least a year behind where he thought he would be when he took over and then cleared house.

Last year didn’t help but even before then, he didn’t use the cap space they had. He didn’t get an impact player or two like he also planned to use some cap space after departures.

Now they stink and of course are hoping for a high pick because the season is basically done. But the team wants to be on the upswing going into the new building, which probably usually takes two years to stink and then a rebound year, and then the new building season with some higher expectations. They now don’t have that second season to stink next year if they want a bounce back year.

My guess is they try and supplement a good pick with some decent talent this summer for next year to be on the upswing going into the new building but I have my doubts if Conroy can make that happen, because he’s attempted to make it happen already.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

I don’t imagine they thought the team would be this bad. Seems pretty clear they came into the season hoping last season wasn’t a fluke, but not willing to bank on it by spending money on free agents or making impact trades.

The results thus far makes the direction rather clear. Still an open question about how aggressive they will be in dealing Kadri this year.

It is, yes. But whether they trade him this year or next is not overly material - the plan is the same and the results would be largely the same. With things being as bad as they are this year, it maybe ups the timeline, but that's the only real difference.

[Bend it like Bourgeois]

I think some get too worried about timelines and plans.
Once you get to not trying to win it’s debating slot machine strategies. 1 yr. 3. 10. Just keep hitting the button, and don’t f it up if you win.

[Calgary4LIfe]

I do hope that they trade Kadri this year, however. If he ends up having a bad season, there will be questions as to whether it was a symptom of Calgary, or father time catching up with him. I think a player of his age can swiftly turn from a valuable asset, to a negative cap dump. Plus, always the chance of injuries, even if he has been fairly healthy most of his career.

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by browna

I’ve said before, Conroy is at least a year behind where he thought he would be when he took over and then cleared house.

Last year didn’t help but even before then, he didn’t use the cap space they had. He didn’t get an impact player or two like he also planned to use some cap space after departures.

Now they stink and of course are hoping for a high pick because the season is basically done. But the team wants to be on the upswing going into the new building, which probably usually takes two years to stink and then a rebound year, and then the new building season with some higher expectations. They now don’t have that second season to stink next year if they want a bounce back year.

My guess is they try and supplement a good pick with some decent talent this summer for next year to be on the upswing going into the new building but I have my doubts if Conroy can make that happen, because he’s attempted to make it happen already.

We were discussing this just the other day- Conroy's plans to break down the team were derailed last year by the team pushing for a playoff spot, otherwise we would be looking at a different roster IMO. The boys were competing, so he had to do the right thing and get them help, in the form of Frost and Farabee- while not selling assets off the roster that would disrupt chemistry.

[Jiri Hrdina]

At what point do we start to talk about the fact Conroy still doesn’t have a new deal?

[Fan69]

Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe

I do hope that they trade Kadri this year, however. If he ends up having a bad season, there will be questions as to whether it was a symptom of Calgary, or father time catching up with him. I think a player of his age can swiftly turn from a valuable asset, to a negative cap dump. Plus, always the chance of injuries, even if he has been fairly healthy most of his career.

Same thing I said about Andersson. One year can he explained away as an anomaly, but two starts to look like a pattern.

Same philosophy makes me worry frost is just not going to be a point producer. However, if somebody wanted to give us a first round or for him, I probably wouldn’t be a verse to it.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

It is, yes. But whether they trade him this year or next is not overly material - the plan is the same and the results would be largely the same. With things being as bad as they are this year, it maybe ups the timeline, but that's the only real difference.

To say the plan with him remains the same suggest we know what the plan is (or was). I don’t. Given his age, I personally wouldn’t take the risk of waiting a year, as the return could easily be materially different.

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

At what point do we start to talk about the fact Conroy still doesn’t have a new deal?

Conroy promoted, Maloney retires, Jarome Iginla new GM! Conroy and Maloney were the face of the tough years, Iginla comes in with a clean sheet.

It is odd that we haven't heard a lick about Conroy's deal.

[Calgary4LIfe]

Originally Posted by Fan69

Same thing I said about Andersson. One year can he explained away as an anomaly, but two starts to look like a pattern.

Same philosophy makes me worry frost is just not going to be a point producer. However, if somebody wanted to give us a first round or for him, I probably wouldn’t be a verse to it.

Andersson is doing ok. I think he will have a fairly good market for his services.


I agree on Frost, however. I think that most players (there are always exceptions) are more or less what they are by game 300, irrespective of age (though once can argue defencemen go to 400-500 games). I feel comfortable in saying that Frost is simply a placeholder on this team. I don't see him as part of the future, so I agree with you - if the Flames could get value for him, I would be happy to trade him.


I do think he helps to shoulder the load somewhat, so I woudln't give him away either, but yeah, if someone offered a 1st, I would take it. In this market where a lot of teams are looking for help in the middle, maybe he would get it. I think it is more likely he gets moved next season, however.