Expectations for 2015-2016

[dammage79]

My expectations for next season:

They make the 2nd round series a lot close than a 5 game stretch.

That's about it.

[Geeoff]

This team has set my expectations really high for the first time in forever. Much different feel to next year already.

[saskflames69]

- Reintroduction of the flaming horse snot jersey
- Sam Bennett meets and/or exceeds expectations
- Ferland buys his mom a nice house in Okotoks
- Matty Franchise gets an A
- Gaudreau wins the Art Ross (seriously)

[GranteedEV]

Drew Shore makes the team full time and establishes himself as the top 6 RW we need him to be.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Resurrection

It's hard to pick what will happen in the Pacific next year.

Will San Jose and LA miss the playoffs again?

Will Vancouver stay up in playoff contention or fall of as the Sedins age?

Will Edmonton finally stop sucking?

Will Colorado rebound?

As far as I'm concerned the Pacific will be the most interesting to watch unfold next year. Not the best division in hockey but the best story.

1. San Jose, yes. LA, no.
2. Vancouver will miss the playoffs.
3. No.
4. Yes, but in the other division.

[Red Menace]

I think we can safely assume that ANA makes the playoffs again, leaving LA-CAL-VAN-SJ fighting for 2 spots, it seems unlikely (today) that the Pacific will earn a WC spot either...so we have to beat out 2 of these teams....I think we can do that, but it's certainly not a forgone conclusion...If our shooting %'s regress we may just slide out of the top 3.
I don't think it would be the end of the world either....we are still rebuilding.
I'd predict a 3rd place finish behind ANA-LA

[dino7c]

wouldn't be surprised if LA missed again...they were never that good in the regular season and are not getting any younger plus cap issues.

they could make it, my guess now would be

Ana, Calgary, LA

but who knows

Last year at this time who was Calling Vancouver and Calgary in round one?

[dino7c]

Calgary likely wont have a million comeback wins next year but on the other hand they hopefully won't lose 8 in a row! 8 games with a single point and they still made it to 97, fack

[Robbob]

Originally Posted by dino7c

Calgary likely wont have a million comeback wins next year but on the other hand they hopefully won't lose 8 in a row! 8 games with a single point and they still made it to 97, fack

I think there will also be some progression where the need will not be there to come back as many time.

Two years ago they played 42 one goal games. I think this helped them make the step this year where some of those one goal games shifted to from loses to potential points because they made significant strides in development and added more skill to the lineup.

I also don't expect the team to pull out 13 comebacks, but on the other hand I think the experience and added skill/development from the young core will make it so the team isn't required to make the comebacks.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by GranteedEV

Drew Shore makes the team full time and establishes himself as the top 6 RW we need him to be.

One of the few Hartley moves that mystified me was his limited use of Shore. I like what I saw from him. Perhaps Shore was not in "Hartley shape", which obviously got corrected. Or maybe he wasn't good in practice.

Anyway, he is up next year, with his waiver situation, and if he works out, great. If not, I don't see Corbin Knight making a big breakthrough either.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by dino7c

Calgary likely wont have a million comeback wins next year but on the other hand they hopefully won't lose 8 in a row! 8 games with a single point and they still made it to 97, fack

This. Everyone talks about the Flames squeaking in, about shooting percentage, but they forget that the Flames lost a bunch they could have won. .500 hockey in that stretch equals 8 points and the Flames finish with 105!

[heep223]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

One of the few Hartley moves that mystified me was his limited use of Shore. I like what I saw from him. Perhaps Shore was not in "Hartley shape", which obviously got corrected. Or maybe he wasn't good in practice.

Anyway, he is up next year, with his waiver situation, and if he works out, great. If not, I don't see Corbin Knight making a big breakthrough either.

I agree, I've liked what I've seen from Shore.

[getbak]

The Flames will win every one of the 7-game segments, and go 7-0 in at least one of them.

San Jose and Vancouver will continue to regress. The Coyotes will do everything they can to get local-kid, Auston Matthews. Oilers gonna Oil. The Kings will recover, but not enough to finish ahead of the Flames.

Flames playoff race will be with the Ducks for first in the Pacific, but it will fall just short. Flames finish second in the Pacific and advance to at least the Conference Finals after finally breaking the Honda Center curse.

[CroFlames]

I would expect playoffs again next year, without deviating from the original rebuild plan.

There is no reason our top line can't be great again next year. Another year older stronger & smarter. We have many young guys coming up to fill out lines 2, 3 & 4, plus seasoned vets who will do the job. Nothing spectacular, but I don't expect regression from lines 2 to 4.

Healthy Gio & a 25 year old Brodie? That can make a grown man drool at the thought of those two beasts on the ice again together. One of the top 5 pairings in the NHL. I don't expect Widedog to score 56 points again, but he'll probably get 40. Him and Russell together are really good. Engelland proved to us all he's a player, and can play top D-pairing when needed. Him & whoever rotates as the sixth guy won't be a downgrade from this year, we know that.

Goaltending is the biggest question, but we are pretty much guaranteed to have at least one or both back. Neither was spectacular, so I don't expect regression here either.

Having said all that, Vancouver is interesting. Yes the Sedin's are gonna be 1 year older, but they didn't exactly grind it out their entire careers. I expect them to play until 40, so they still got something left in the tank, even if it's just assists. Oilers? Still no good.

Central
1. Chicago
2. St Louis
3. Nashville

Pac
1. Ducks
2. Canucks
3. Flames

WC
1. LA
2. Min.


Dallas I guess regresses. Seguin & Benn were both lights out, and they still missed. I'm not sure Avs have the right mix of players to get to the POs. SJ are regressing. Winnipeg is interesting. They'll battle it out with Min for the 2nd WC spot.

[Stay Golden]

I hope they finish 2nd or 3rd in the Pacific next season.
No expectations beyond that. Just keep on course and improve.
But i do expect Treliving to go after and improve the RW and D through UFA so long as they don't go after +32 year olds.

[hockey.modern]

I could definitely see the teams goal for next season is be 2nd in the division

[T@T]

Originally Posted by saskflames69

- Reintroduction of the flaming horse snot jersey
- Sam Bennett meets and/or exceeds expectations
- Ferland buys his mom a nice house in Okotoks
- Matty Franchise gets an A
- Gaudreau wins the Art Ross (seriously)

I'm going to keep em a secret but at least 3 of those have zero chance

[Lanny_McDonald]

Expectations will be low. Still another transition year. Expect the team to be be similar to this year and work hard every game and be in most of them. Should fight for a playoff spot and it will likely come down to the last week of the season again. The Flames need to work more of their young players into the lineup and prepare for their arrival as a possible power in 2017-2018.

[driveway]

I just hope our possession stats are better, league average would be fine, partly because I think they are a decent metric for predicting team success, but mostly because then I think people will pretty much just shut up about it.

[ricardodw]

Interesting the lack of believe that CP has in general after the shocking season the Flames delivered.

The 2-3 year window for them to win the SC opens next year.

Right now they have value contracts for all their core.

Monahan, Gaudreau, Bennett, Colborne and Ferland will all be taking a lot bigger cap hit in 3 years. They will take the cap space away from the depth options.

Wideman, who took over as #1 is 32, Hudler leading scorer 32, Gio is 31, Engelland 33.... chances are that the career best years have passed for 3 of the 5 Flames D-men... in 3 years they will be 34-36 and looking at a last contract.

Right now the Flames have a chance to load up on 2, maybe 3 quality UFA's hopefully D-men and cash in on having the best young players on low contracts in the league.


We don't want to go to way of the Av's who now are the best that they are going to be with their great young guys: landeskog, Duchense and RoR making a combined 17.5 M

What the heck were they thinking getting getting Iginla and Briere as depth forwards and Stuart and Zach Redmond shore up their defense.