All Things Sutter

[Naitix]

Originally Posted by saillias

I think more than enough time has been spent on the take a **** drama. Supposedly it didn't go over well, but I think it's settled.

I just want to ask Sutter (or Brad), what happened with Sonny Milano and Jusso Valimaki. Why didn't those guys work out. Why did you keep Mackey and even Meloche over Valimaki. You must've known there was zero shot either of those guys are claimed, but decent to high chance Valimaki would be lost. Who's call was it to not play Milano in the last few preseason games, while he was still on PTO. It suggests to me there was a disagreement between Sutter and GM. Brad wanted the player to make the team and Darryl refused to put him on the roster and already made up his mind he didn't.

At the time I gave them the benefit of the doubt with these decisions that the org was developing very high standards and had expectations which spoke to how competitive and dominant they expected to be. But it turns out they just made two bad decisions. These are both exactly the kind of player they could use right now.

As for Sutter it does seem like he's been on 110% tilt since September. For me the "take a ****" comment did not offend me but something he said a week later saying "all that about the Flames defensive depth was BS" did get under my skin. One it's a shot at management. Two he's been taking shots at Mackey since preseason. Did you not pick him as your 7.Who's call was it to run Valimaki out of town then, Craig Conroy's?

Mackey had 100% higher chance of getting claimed than Valimaki. Arizona was the only one who put a claim in for Valimaki. Mackey was coming off a very good AHL season and is a bigger dman and big is good for a lot on NHL teams. While Valimaki was coming off a season where he was not even a top 4 dman on an AHL team and looked lost in the pre-season.

[Manhattanboy]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

How would it feel if there was an important meeting at work, in front of all your co-workers and even your external business clients were there - and you had to step out for a minute.

Then when someone asks about you, your boss says in front of everyone "he had to go take a s***"

The comment was idiotic. Sutter was being an idiot that night. Don't think it was intentional but totally unnecessary.

[UnitedFlames]

Originally Posted by Toonage

But I'm guessing your work meetings don't make the news or have sound bites repeated on sports news broadcasts or are you asked about that meeting everyday.

(or maybe it does, who knows)

Exactly. It went VIRAL. People who know nothing about Huberdeau, Sutter, the Flames, and who possibly have never watched a hockey game in their life, were laughing about it, really believing he left “ to take a ….” when in fact, the player was dealing with an injury. Such a horrid move by Sutter.

[FlamesAddiction]

I hope that Sutter gives Huberdeau free reign against the Panthers. As an ex-player, Sutter knows how big it is for a player to play against the team that traded him for the first time. Let Huberdeau have that one. Giving him 3rd line ice-time in that game will probably humiliate him more than any poop comment could.

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by UnitedFlames

Exactly. It went VIRAL. People who know nothing about Huberdeau, Sutter, the Flames, and who possibly have never watched a hockey game in their life, were laughing about it, really believing he left “ to take a ….” when in fact, the player was dealing with an injury. Such a horrid move by Sutter.

Sutter should have been cancelled for that comment. This is a hockey locker room, not a barn on the farm. I mean come on, it’s not up to the general public to show any intelligence.

[Drunk Uncle]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

How would it feel if there was an important meeting at work, in front of all your co-workers and even your external business clients were there - and you had to step out for a minute.

Then when someone asks about you, your boss says in front of everyone "he had to go take a s***"

I would laugh cause that ****'s funny.

[memphusk]

Originally Posted by Toonage

Once. And as was the case in every playoff appearance he was injured and a detriment to the team ultimately.

And he's 24 years old.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by UnitedFlames

Exactly. It went VIRAL. People who know nothing about Huberdeau, Sutter, the Flames, and who possibly have never watched a hockey game in their life, were laughing about it, really believing he left “ to take a ….” when in fact, the player was dealing with an injury. Such a horrid move by Sutter.

I think people overestimate the idea of something going “viral.” This isn’t 2012 where a viral sensation ends up on Ellen Degeneres.

There’s always at least one thing going “viral” to the level that comment went viral every day. Feel free to name the last 10 and see if anyone here has heard of them.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Honestly if people think the toilet is going to crater our season, we never had a chance to begin with.

[Toonage]

Originally Posted by memphusk

And he's 24 years old.

So is 3/4 of the league.

[memphusk]

Originally Posted by Toonage

So is 3/4 of the league.

Correct. Now Calgary has a Dinosaur thats can't seem to click.

[Savvy27]

Well that was interesting. I had a theory that this year's team was similar to the Kings in 2014-15 when they missed the playoffs with 95 points scoring 205 goals and were 20th in the league offensively (which is where the Flames are at right now). Turns out I was wrong. That LA team was top 6 defensively, unlike the Flames who are giving up a ton of goals. But I also discovered that 2014-15 was not a particular low scoring offensive year for those elite Kings teams. In 2013-14 when they won their second cup they only scored 206 goals.

So as much as I want to gripe about the lines (personally I think that they should start with Huberdeau-Kadri-Lindholm and Mangiapane-Backlund-Coleman and build from there), it seems to me that the struggles this season are really coming down to subpar goaltending.

Last year / This year
5v5
Corsi %: 55.55 (3rd) / 55.38 (4th)

Expected Goals % for: 57.25 (2nd) / 53.25 (9th)
Scoring Chances % for: 55.25 (3rd) / 51.92 (11th)
Shooting %: 8.35 (16th) / 7.45 (16th)
High Danger Chances: 55.71 (7th) / 53.38 (10th)
Save %: 92.16 (9th) / 89.97 (29th)


Special Teams:
PP %: 22.9 (10th) / 20.8 (17th)
PK %: 83.2 (6th) / 80.7 (10th)

Overall:
Goals For: 3.55 (6th) / 3.00 (20th)
Goals Against: 2.55 (3rd) / 3.13 (21st)
Shots For Per Game: 35.5 (3rd) / 36.3 (4th)
Shots Against Per Game: 29 (5th) / 27.6 (4th)

The offense seems to be a combination of things. It's a death by a thousand cuts situation. They aren't getting as many scoring chances or high danger chances as before. The powerplay has dropped off some and their shooting percentage is down too.

However, the swing in going from an elite defensive team to a below average group really does seem to be the responsibility of the goalies. You would think that maybe the Flames were giving up a ton of high danger chances, but according to natural stat trick they are giving up the 2nd fewest in the league.

TL;DR
Sutter is coaching the team the same as he usually does but goaltending is sinking them. The team has essentially the same character as it did last season, with some offensive struggles, but team defence has not really fallen off even with the injuries, it's just that Markstrom has been pretty bad.

[bucksmasher]

Originally Posted by topfiverecords

Sutter should have been cancelled for that comment. This is a hockey locker room, not a barn on the farm. I mean come on, it’s not up to the general public to show any intelligence.

CANCELED? Get a life....canceled? Lol

[Rick M.]

Most of this thread would not exist if Sutter had said, “I don’t discuss injuries or possible injuries”.

[Manhattanboy]

Ya simply should have said "He tweaked something, he's fine".

[FlamesAddiction]

Or equipment issue.

Don't give them anything.

[Toonage]

Exactly. But Sutter, for whatever reason, decided that was the time to take a thinly veiled shot at the player through the media.

And if it wasn't that, what was it exactly?

[Manhattanboy]

Best we stop talking about it because apparently its a non-issue.

[Kasi]

Originally Posted by Toonage

Exactly. But Sutter, for whatever reason, decided that was the time to take a thinly veiled shot at the player through the media.

And if it wasn't that, what was it exactly?

While that’s possible it’s also possible he’s just one of those people with little verbal filter or just says what they think off the top of their head. If he actually did do this to poke his star player than that to me is a fireable offence. I find it more likely that he just likes to #### stir or be funny and he couldn’t control his tongue. Not much different from my 80 year old dad making an inappropriate joke that comes from his life experiences.

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by bucksmasher

CANCELED? Get a life....canceled? Lol

Point proven.