Training Camp - Sept 22

[djsFlames]

But Johnny is getting legit mates during the games. I think he'll ramp it up in the exhibitions here on out, as long as he gets played. A big game on cbc for Kraft hockeyville on Wednesday will do a lot to help his case. Highly doubt he gets cut this week anyways.

[AC]

Didn't hear much from management. Conroy seemed high on Diaz, was pretty proud to announce to another that it was indeed Diaz with the shot.

[Bingo]

I was glad to hear him say he needs to adjust to the time and space of the NHL, because that was apparent last night at the Dome. He just wasn't the Johnny Gaudreau you see in the Worlds, BC, or development camp.

Hopefully he finds that zone in tighter traffic, but he may need the between step in the AHL first.

[Five-hole]

Originally Posted by Mike F

Could be that, or it could be that they know he'll be in camp for the full duration and want to give guys currently on the bubble a good look.

Time will tell.

Or see how he'll look if he's getting 3rd/4th line ice on the big club. If he's not going on a night and gets bumped down a few lines, can he still play? These are important things to know. I think everybody knows what he can do on the skill side.

[Scoutski]

Originally Posted by Five-hole

Or see how he'll look if he's getting 3rd/4th line ice on the big club. If he's not going on a night and gets bumped down a few lines, can he still play? These are important things to know. I think everybody knows what he can do on the skill side.

Absolutely agree, need to also keep in mind that for the last 3 years, his hockey-playing schedule has been much shorter so expecting him to come in and play big line minutes against the toughest competition for an 82 game schedule is a big ask. If they want to use him for a full season it may very well need to be in a bit more limited of a role to start with so he can adjust, I have no doubts that he'll get to where he needs to go eventually.

[djsFlames]

But it doesn't take him long to adjust to a new level/speed of the game. That's been apparent in his career to this point. I'll bet you the Gaudreau we see in the last few exhibitions in a week or two is different from the one were seeing now. And it's not like he's playing badly now either (and for the situations he's being put in).

Anyways Sven seemed to have an edge today. Was exerting himself out there, but still making the odd bad/dumb play. I don't think he gets cut this soon either, despite the apparently mediocre game yesterday.

[Caged Great]

If it was me based off what I've watched to this point, I would cut Gaudreau and give him some time in the minors. His talent is great, but he needs time to adjust. He seems a bit reticent at times and is not quite ready in my opinion.

Even if only for a month or two just to give him some reps. He won't be in the A long if he doesn't make the team out of camp.

Also, I think Granlund has passed Baertschi developmentally and Sven hasn't looked bad. Granlund seems to be on the rise big time.

[Wastedyouth]

If they were cutting guys because of one game then Smid, Russell, Wideman and almost every guy in the Edmonton game would be cut.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves here.

[MissTeeks]

Derek Wills‏@Fan960Wills1m

#Flames Head Coach Bob Hartley told #YYC media that Bennett & Setoguchi should practice in full tomorrow but "He's worried" about Backlund.

[Caged Great]

Originally Posted by Wastedyouth

If they were cutting guys because of one game then Smid, Russell, Wideman and almost every guy in the Edmonton game would be cut.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves here.

I've been at all of the winsport stuff as well as the game vs EDM. He hasn't been as good as he can be, and patience with him would be a good thing. Spending time in the AHL to refine things like pace isn't a bad thing, look at Gustav Nyquist as an example.

[heep223]

If management is serious about their slogan (and new culture) of "earned, not given" then Gaudreau (and Bennett) have to do something very special to start with the big club. If they have not done much to prove that they deserve a spot, they will start in the minors just like every other prospect has. The status quo with the club is that rookies spend time in the minors, any other situation is because they couldn't legitimately send someone down because they proved themselves (Monahan). In my eyes it's as simple as that.

[AcGold]

Originally Posted by Bingo

I was glad to hear him say he needs to adjust to the time and space of the NHL, because that was apparent last night at the Dome. He just wasn't the Johnny Gaudreau you see in the Worlds, BC, or development camp.

Hopefully he finds that zone in tighter traffic, but he may need the between step in the AHL first.

I disagree, nearly everytime he had the puck he created a scoring chance. He made excellent passes back to the d, found some seams and never gave up on puck battles trying to fight off 2 guys in the corner at once. He had one really bad shift, one, no need to write him off because he was hemmed in his own zone for a minute. It's visible that everytime he's on the ice he is a positive factor and literally helps move the puck closer to the opposing net and away from ours every shift. Johnny's one bad shift was Butler's nightly contribution.

Johnny looked great last night, problem was every time he passed it his teammates would fumble with the puck and kill the scoring chance. Just wait until he's on the powerplay with Hudler, Monahan, Brodie and Giordano. He'll be lighting it up, I think he's NHL ready because he'll naturally be a positive influence even with a half-hearted effort. He has a presence on the ice every shift only second to Monahan yesterday. If you send him down it's to wait to see if he reaches 170 or 180 pounds as he clearly is one of our most talented and effective players. Also, the Oilers were clamping down really hard and putting 4 guys in front of the net. Tough to pull off dazzling dekes and goals when there are 4 guys in front of the net and his teammates can't receive a pass. He almost did too, flipping the puck at the side of the goalies head trying to bounce it into the top corner.

[codynw]

Originally Posted by MissTeeks

Derek Wills‏@Fan960Wills1m

#Flames Head Coach Bob Hartley told #YYC media that Bennett & Setoguchi should practice in full tomorrow but "He's worried" about Backlund.

This doesn't sound good. Hope he isn't out too long.

[AcGold]

On the plus side this is the opportunity of a lifetime for Reinhar, Knight, Granlund and Jooris. If Backlund is resting for a month these guys might never get a better chance at an NHL job.

[Bingo]

For Immediate Release
Monday, September 22, 2014

Calgary, AB – The Calgary Flames announced today that they have assigned Jason Fram (Spokane/WHL), Brandon Magee (Victoria/WHL), Mason McDonald (Charlottetown/QMJHL) and Hunter Smith (Oshawa/OHL) to their respective junior teams.

Training Camp will resume on Tuesday, September 23, 2014 at the Scotiabank Saddledome at 9:00 am. The Calgary Flames have 58 players remaining at camp (5x goalies, 20x defensemen, 33x forwards).

[dammage79]

NVM, Bingo got it.

[bubbsy]

ughh... man i hope backlund is healed up for at least a game or two in preseason.

This was going to be a big year for him after finally icing a solid season, would hate for injuries to again interfere with his development path.

[djsFlames]

Originally Posted by heep223

If management is serious about their slogan (and new culture) of "earned, not given" then Gaudreau (and Bennett) have to do something very special to start with the big club. If they have not done much to prove that they deserve a spot, they will start in the minors just like every other prospect has. The status quo with the club is that rookies spend time in the minors, any other situation is because they couldn't legitimately send someone down because they proved themselves (Monahan). In my eyes it's as simple as that.

Except Bennett has been injured and Johnny has not at all been ordinary. He's been better than some vets arguably despite not putting up on the board, and at the same time hasn't been playing as good as we know he can. Still sooooooo early and the sample size is too small. I hope Bennett at least gets a chance to prove himself.

[MissTeeks]

Kristen Odland‏@KristenOdlandCH1m

When asked how close Monahan is to being a 1st line centre, Hartley: “He very well could be. It’s not about age, it’s about performance.”

[MissTeeks]

Aaron Vickers‏@AAVickers58s

Bennett said he was 100% and ready to go: “I don’t know what the plan is. I’ll probably find out on game day but I’m itching to play.”