Notes from Oct 21 Practice: Smid returns. Hiller starts Friday.

[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by Hockeyguy15

How do you know those are system issues rather than player mistakes?

When Russell has to make a stretch pass because the forward is all the way at the red line trying to get a quick tip, that's the system.

When Wideman is down at the hash-marks and the opponent chips the puck off the glass and there's no one at the blueline (where Wideman would be) to stop the puck and keep it in, that's the system.

When the power play depends on Wideman/Gio/Hamilton taking long slappers through traffic instead of getting it down low to Johnny, that's the system. Actually, the zone entries themselves are so predictable. Too much is asked of Johnny in the neutral zone on the PP - this isn't 1985 and he isn't Wayne Gretzky. Good carry-in systems have multiple points of entry with multiple options, especially with a man-advantage.

[Crumpy-Gunt]

Originally Posted by polak

What exactly is working in it so far?

Nothing. This season anyway

[BigFlameDog]

Originally Posted by mdubz

Just a few off the top of my head:

- Constantly trying stretch passes that no longer work
- Not being able to keep possession in the offensive zone
- Not shooting when a shooting lane is available
- Wasting an entire power play trying to enter the offensive zone by dumping the puck in

All four of those can be solved by actually skating and working hard...two things they are not doing. Changing the "system" is a ridiculous idea after 6 games.

[JiriHrdina]

Originally Posted by polak

What exactly is working in it so far?

The point is you don't change systems this early in the season. You adapt and make adjustments.
Just like you don't' stop trading for quality young dman because the one you got has come out of the gate slow.
Surely you know this stuff. So are you trolling or what is the deal?

[Jables16]

Originally Posted by polak

Hamilton on the bottom pairing and rightfully so.

Flames need to stop trying to trade for "Can't lose" d-men...

What a truly preposterous comment.

[Dajazz]

I like the look of the lines, while I still like to see Jones get a stab with Johnny and Monahan, and Hudler with Bennett. Russell - Hamilton would be preferrable, but that'd leave Smid and Engelland together, ouch. Hiller in goal is fine, perhaps he can take chargé now, if not, Ortio is waiting to pounce.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

The point is you don't change systems this early in the season. You adapt and make adjustments.
Just like you don't' stop trading for quality young dman because the one you got has come out of the gate slow.
Surely you know this stuff. So are you trolling or what is the deal?

I see your point but just to be argumentative I could just as easily say you don't trade your top draft picks in an exceptionally deep draft and you don't sign young players to huge contracts until you know they are worth it.

My point is the Hamilton deal and contract always carried risk. To call it a failure now though is incredibly premature.

[Poe969]

to that point, doesn't every contract carry a risk? Some contracts look like great deals but then the players play drops off for no reason. Hamilton improved every year, he had NHL experience and was what the team was missing. The draft pick could never play a game in the NHL.

[polak]

I'm not calling it a failure yet. I'm laughing at our misfortunes as it reminds me of the J-Bo trade.

[Chingas]

^ I'm sure you were proclaiming the Bouwmeester trade an absolute failure 6 games into the season as well??

[Cleveland Steam Whistle]

Originally Posted by polak

I'm not calling it a failure yet. I'm laughing at our misfortunes as it reminds me of the J-Bo trade.

J-Bo was at a much different point in his career when we traded for him, for that perspective it's very different.

From how things went, J-Bo actually started very well for the first couple of months in Calgary. I believe he was actually paired with Gio to start, our 2nd pairing and it looked great. What wasn't going well was our first pairing of Reg and Phaneuf, and eventually Gio / Bow got split up (never to be tried again I might add.........perplexing).

Anyway, I'd rather Hamilton, at 22, struggle a little out the gate as he finds his stride with a new team and a new system, and as he and the team try to find the right partner for him as well. Doesn't have to be Gio.

[polak]

Originally Posted by Chingas

^ I'm sure you were proclaiming the Bouwmeester trade an absolute failure 6 games into the season as well??

Did I say its an absolute failure?

I compared him in an offhand remark to Bouwmeester cause that was talked about as the worst case scenario in the offseason and that's how he's playing like. It's not like I formulated some big rant about it, calling for his head.

[heep223]

Originally Posted by JiriHrdina

The point is you don't change systems this early in the season. You adapt and make adjustments.
Just like you don't' stop trading for quality young dman because the one you got has come out of the gate slow.
Surely you know this stuff. So are you trolling or what is the deal?

It really seems like other teams have figured out the Flames system. Agreed that they shouldn't change it but it's on Hartley to make these adjustments and so far we have nothing to show for it.

I actually think the two biggest issues this year have been goaltending and coaching. Coaching in the sense that whatever adjustments Hartley is trying to make aren't working. Whether it's a lack of player execution/buy-in or poor analysis by the coaching staff remains to be seen. Oh, and obviously chemistry issues on D and missing Brodie has been a huge factor, but in a sense that ties into coaching as well.