[CP Story] Reactionary Roster Management

[djsFlames]

No to Smith.

It's not that he didn't play well to finish

You just want to separate yourself from that result. Different guys, different locker room atmosphere, maybe less chance of the same fate happening.

Maybe Rittich doesn't play as well as Smith in net, but maybe the guys in front of him play better so he doesn't have to. Maybe there is a swagger and style of play correlated to the goalie and the aggressive puck playing vs. normal puck playing.

Maybe we can pick up someone that doesn't have such a rollercoaster of a year that the team in front of him doesn't know whether he'll collapse or turn into a brick wall and third defender.

[dammage79]

Fine tuning with moderate cuts into the fabric of the team.

You can upgrade on Janko and Frolik.
The defensive youth has made three d men expendable (Brodie, Stone, Fantenberg)

You do not move a guy like Hanifin 1 year after signing him. Foolish maneuver IMO. Hoping Neal gets dealt is another fools errand as well.

Frolik, Brodie, Stone can all fetch a return to help both sides of the organizational needs coin. You can stock some pucks and bring in another top 6 forward. Even a 2nd line center.

Weakest leak on the fw chain IMO, and I honestly love the guy to bits , but Janko is kind of out of step to the rest of the roster. Can he get better? Oh hell yes, but I dont think he can be that guy that can play the down and dirty minutes. Part of the issue IMO was Janko was not a go to guy for special situations and that may have hampered the other 3 centers and their gas tanks.

Package Janko and Brodie and see what you can get. I bet we can get a pretty solid Center.

[dammage79]

Oh and I think we get 2 new goalies. Varlamov and another guy like Stolarz.

[GioforPM]

I didn't want Hayes as a rental. But I think he'd be an interesting guy as a UFA. But that depends on losing some salary and what Tkachuk gets.

[Vinny01]

I don’t agree with shopping Hanifin at all. Treliving talks about his will and drive to be the best player he could be. He was a sheltered Dman that could put up some points prior to coming to Calgary. This year he was an all situations Dman who had 33pts. Hamonic has a huge bounce back year and playing with Noah could be one of the reasons why.

Cooling off the last couple of days o do not see any chance the Flames move Monahan or Gaudreau. The one wildcard in everything this summer is the high end talent in the RFA pool. Treliving has proven he has no fear when it comes to trading for a high profile RFA as he did with with Hamilton, Lindholm, and Hanifin.

If I were to guess TJ Brodie and Michael Frolik are as good as gone. I can see Treliving shopping Jankowski who I think holds decent value especially for a team in more of a rebuilding mode but I certainly doubt he gives him away.

I prefer getting a younger goalie that could play in a tandem with Rittich. If Smith is okay with one year $2M then I could get behind it.

Treliving shook up the core of this team last year and they responded with a 2nd overall finish. The playoff beat down stings but I am not sure another blockbuster will be in the cards.

[TheoFleury]

Originally Posted by dammage79

Oh and I think we get 2 new goalies. Varlamov and another guy like Stolarz.

Where do you see Rittich?

[Jiri Hrdina]

I would quitely shop both Monahan and Johnny to at minimum understand what you could get.

[Mattman]

So I've waited a week to let the 1st round thumping process, and this is the conclusion I've come to with this roster.

I want to see players on this team that can excel at the role they are given and play with heart. My only two requirements.

That being said this is the skeleton of the roster I would keep, because these are the players that showed any ounce of wanting to win these playoffs. These are the players that when you saw them on the bench in game 4 and 5, they were visibly frustrated. These are the players I saw skating hard to the puck "for the majority" of the gutless final periods in game 5.

Gaudreau - XXX - Lindholm
Tkachuk - Backlund - XXX
Bennett - XXX - Czarnik
Mangiapane - Ryan - Hathaway

Giordano - Anderssen
XXX - Hamonic
Valimaki - XXX

Smith

*Disclaimer* this doesn't mean this is the lineup I would ice, and also doesn't mean I want to get rid of any player I left off. These are just the players I noticed in the series that seem like they give a sh*t about winning hockey games.

[Mattman]

There are more than a few players in "Off-season Purgatory" right now and I put them in 3 categories.

Take a hike
Brodie
Neal

Maybe time to just move on
Frolik
Fantanberg
(Smith)

In need of some soul searching
Monahan
Jankowski
Hanafin

[Reggie Dunlop]

Walk away from Smith. Middling results. Call it a career.

[SeanCharles]

Everyone needs to relax..

Do not trade any of Gaudreau, Monahan, Tkachuk, Lindholm, Bennett, Backlund, Ryan, Dube, Mangiapane, Gio, Hamonic, Andersson, Hanifin, Valimaki, Kylington or Rittich, and probably Hathaway too.

We don't need to panic. If they #### the bed in next year's playoffs ok start talking about major changes but this year is an odd year, every division champ was knocked out by a wildcard. Not only that Pittsburgh who won 2 of the last 3 cups was swept by a team that had a leading scorer with less points than 5 of our players. Nashville, Winnipeg, Vegas, Pittsburgh, Washington, TB are all out in round one. That is just plain nuts.

Replace guys like Frolik, Brodie, Stone and if you can Neal and go from there. Jankowski might be a guy you look at moving for an upgrade as well.

Trim the fat, add some size and speed to the forward ranks and see what happens next year before we go blowing it up.

There are no excuses for losing the way we did but there are reasons. Give these guys a chance to learn from this and provide them with some better support.

Take a breath everyone and stop talking about trading our best young players.

Let's see how they respond to this epic failure before we make any hasty decisions.

[gunnner]

People referencing Leblanc, Hertle, Couture as hearth players, these are players the sharks drafted. I felt our most heart and best players in the series came from the young guys, Hathaway, Bennett, Anderson, thought Valamaki looked great. Maybe what we need isnt to bring in another James Neal and chase that elusive gritty experienced vet. Maybe we need to start shipping out older guys, get more draft picks, stock the cupboard with young players with heart to complement a pretty good mid 20's core. It doesnt take 5 years to develop a forward anymore. Id move Brodie for a pick, move Frolik and Janko for mid round picks, then call it a summer.

Tkachuck-Lindholm-Bennett
Gaudreau-Monahan-Neal (selke line)
Dube-Backlund-open spot for rookie/cheap FA signing
Mangiapane-Ryan-Hathaway

Gio-Anderson
Valamaki-Hamonic
Hanafin-Kylington

[Dr. Doom]

What are we talking about trading Monahan?? He needs to be bumped down in order to take a load off true #1. He's very capable (understatement) if he's a 1/2 punch who can't be smothered.

If I'm Treliving I'm using Gaudreau in a key piece to either get a #1C or an upcoming #1C (younger) or another Monahan type 1/2.

Oh and Kadri is exactly what we need and should get asap while Toronto is disgusted with him. Kadri and Tkachuk would be a disturbing duo, the London boys...

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Spinach

I don't understand this sentence:
"The team was out predicting “playoff” Bennett leading up to the series, so you’d have to assume they see a Zucker-like addition as still mandatory." Bennett met what the team predicted, so the Flames see Zucker as an essential addition?

Just saying that the emergence of Sam Bennett as a force in the playoffs is unlikely to change the thinking of the team when they were tire kicking on Jason Zucker as they were already predicting beast mode Sam from quotes leading into the playoffs.

[jlh2640]

How is it possible that I consistently see people on here asking or wanting to get Kadri ???? Are you guys high ?

[Beatle17]

Originally Posted by Dr. Doom

What are we talking about trading Monahan?? He needs to be bumped down in order to take a load off true #1. He's very capable (understatement) if he's a 1/2 punch who can't be smothered.

If I'm Treliving I'm using Gaudreau in a key piece to either get a #1C or an upcoming #1C (younger) or another Monahan type 1/2.

Oh and Kadri is exactly what we need and should get asap while Toronto is disgusted with him. Kadri and Tkachuk would be a disturbing duo, the London boys...

Rhett Warrener had an interesting point this morning on the radio about a number 1 center. They drafted Bennett to become that guy and he has not performed. Rhett made the point that Bennett should be talked about as wanting a $5-$8M contract this summer, not MAYBE $3M. If Bennett had performed all the time like he did in the playoffs then Monahan would probably be the number 2 guy by now. Bennett is a gritty player now but the team development turned when he didn't work out as a top line center.

I thought the point was well communicated.

[Strange Brew]

No to shopping guys.

Yes to identifying a need and going after it.

[nik-]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

I would quitely shop both Monahan and Johnny to at minimum understand what you could get.

I think a scenario like this is closer than some people might want to accept.

I'm on board.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by nik-

I think a scenario like this is closer than some people might want to accept.

I'm on board.

I think it should always be in the conversation. Listening isn't shopping. You have to know what your players are worth on the open market to best make asset management decisions down the road.

If a Philly or Jersey want to overpay on a Gaudreau deal you listen, extract more and make a decision. Doesn't mean you're shopping the player.

[Flamenspiel]

^^I agree, emotions aside those teams have a bigger problem than Calgary. Our "stars" should not be "shopped", management just needs to wait and see. JG is a special player, beyond his value on wins and losses he is a very entertaining and marketable player that would be attractive to put fans in the seats for teams that have attendance problems. Not a problem for Philadelphia, but certainly New Jersey and the others that may be in the market.