Emergence of the young guys

[FlameZilla]

Youngsters watch:

Mikael Backlund: 25GP 6G 7A 13P -6+/-

Season grade so far: A-

This season has been one we've been waiting for with Backs, and at 24 years old it is about time. Pro-rated over 82 games backs would have 20 goals and 43 points. Definitely a season to build on. Projects to be a good 2nd line centre but concerns about his durability remain.

T.J. Brodie: 39GP 1G 8A -11+/-

Season grade so far: A-

Brodie has a commanding presence in the transitional game. Speed on the break & a good eye for the break-out pass make Brodie a good candidate to eat up most of Bouwmeester's minutes next year and he seems to be ready for the challenge. Could still be some growing pains to come but he should fill a spot on the second D pairing & 1st power play units next season.

Roman Horak: 12GP 1G 3A -4+/-

Grade: NA (too few games played)

Horak plays a strong 2-way game with poise beyond his years. Easy to forget he's only 21. Plays a lot bigger than he looks. Very responsible and aware in his own zone and good backchecking. I'm always surprised by his playmaking skills when playing with good linemates and his strong forechecking skills make sure he's often the first player to get to pucks in the offensive zone. Should have been up with the big club all season in my opinion. Next season he sticks with the Flames, either centering the 3rd line or playing on the wing.

Sven Baertschi: 13GP 0G 1A -5+/-

Grade: NA

It's fair to say it has been a disappointing season in the NHL for Sven. After tearing up the AHL during the lockout Sven failed to translate his success on the stats line to the NHL. A logjam at LW on the Flames hasn't helped him by limiting his icetime and the quality of his linemates. In recent games he has looked very good with impressive passing and vision in the offensive zone. I would say he's been snakebitten this season, with many of the great opportunities he's created being spooned by his linemates. He's been robbed on many occasions by highlight reel saves. With Tanguay injured we should see a lot more icetime and hopefully some offensive production. Chin up Sven...

Max Reinhart

Last night against the Coyotes Reinhart played his best game so far in only his 4th game as a Flame. All over the ice in all zones. Two big chances to break his duck & get that first goal but Mike robbed him both times. All in all it's been a nice cup of coffee for Max. Depending on who is still around after the draft Max could be ready for full time action next season, but it wouldn't hurt to let him play in AHL for more experience.

Hopefully in the last few games we'll get a chance to see Cundari & Hanowski. Kulak might get a look. Aliu should play like a pinball against the Oilers but I don't think we'll see him next season. Nemisz & Irving might be finished as Flames.

[Da_Chief]

Down the middle

Mackinnon
Backlund
Reinhart
Bouma

I can certainly move forward with this group. 2 of them are proving they belong in those spots, Bouma showed well for 4th line last year and we have the pick for this year. Damn, I'm excited.

[DeZoE]

Alright, I am an Oilers fan. I come to this forum for shadenfreude. I will admit reading about the displeasure of our foes to the south brings me joy which I should probably feel a little guilty about, but I don't. Now that being said, this is the first time I have felt compelled to respond in a thread. I understand the pain you as flames fans are feeling at the moment with your team and I don't think most of you understand exactly how long this "re-tooling" will take. You won't get a high draft pick this year and then start competing, hell, you won't even get a high draft pick next year and compete the year after. It just won't happen. Your cupboards are bare. Your blue chip prospect has 1 point in 13 games. 1 point! I don't understand how Feaster still has a job in the NHL after that debacle with O'Reilly earlier this year. Now don't get me wrong, our management is not any better and should be gutted and fresh blood brought in. I think that is the main reason we will be a mediocre team for years to come. Anyway, the way I see it now, you will be hovering in the bottom of the league for the next 3-4 years. You have no goaltender, no defensive prospects projected to be NHL caliber and the crop of forwards in your system rivals that of the hitmen. You're fooling yourselves if you think you will have a Stanley Cup contending team anywhere within the next 5 years. I'm not here to gloat about this. I'm here because I just don't understand how a fan base can be so delusional. It's not just one or two of you, it seems to be 70-80%. There are the few who are realistic and understand what they are in for but the rest of you.... Where are the pitchforks and torches? Why are you content with an incompetent management? A management that let the face of your franchise go for some magic beans. Bouwmeester for nothing! Not a single prospect that is NHL capable! I would be furious! Iginla should have been traded two years ago already. He would have fetched you a good future and you would be reaping the benefits as we speak. As an Oiler fan I'm furious for you! I enjoy the BOAB when it is competitive. How awesome would a playoff series between The Oil and The Lames be? Like I said earlier, I know that my team sucks atm. I know we need some gel. We need some D. We need.. Who the hell knows what we need. All I know is that I've come to terms with being mediocre. Welcome to hell.

[Da_Chief]

Use enter!

Your management is ######ed, simply put. No way a team should get 3 top overall picks and still suck. Good luck with yours.

Is Feaster any better? no but Weisbrod is a hockey guy and hes leaving hockey decisions to Weisbrod. To be honest I like the boom bust picks we've been making.

I'm not saying we have all-stars coming through the system but we have character guys here and coming.

Center
Like I said above, Backlund is developing into a sized 2-way center. Reinhart, no pressure right now, but is showing well has the hockey sense. Bouma was pencilled to be ont his roster this year, he played well at the end of last year. With our top pick this year, we can potentially finally find that top line center. Will take couple years for these guys to really mature.

Left Wing
Sven is in your face type of player, he struggled this year in the NHL, no doubt about it. The year for him was a write off; injuries, demotion, lockout etc. I fully expect him to be a 50 point player next year getting 18 minutes a night. If its not Mackinnon then it can be Drouin potentially behind Sven. Glencross is 3rd line LW on a decent contract and likely staying here, decent grinder. Few AHLers trying to grab that 4th line spot already Aliu, Hanowski, Jones etc. The answer might not be there but not a huge concern right now.

Right wing
Its weak, Cervenka might develop into a 2nd liner, big might. Horak looks like a legit 3rd line RW option. McGratton can protect the young guys. Up front definitely the weakest position right now.

Defence
Brodie is blossoming into a top 4. Gio even with his struggles is a top 4 guy. Prospects are a few but we'll have to wait and see who develops.

Goalies
Goalies are usually late rounders and we have a few of them, one hopefully works out.

Some key areas are filled but lots of open spots and it all depends how they progress. It could be an Ottawa or an Edmonton.

Whatever it is all we can do in enjoy the ride and hopefully things work out.

[wingmaker]

Don't see how Brodie could get anything other than an A+ this year. Yes he has made mistakes, but he was a fourth round pick. Right now he is playing a top 2 role. I have no idea what more he could have done this year given who he is and the limitations that he has.

[Bandwagon In Flames]

I'm not going to quote what DeZoE said as it was painful enough to look at even 1 time on this forum. When you start by saying how much pleasure you get from our misfortunes you've just lost all hope for anyone to take your opinion seriously.

Edmonton will not even make the playoffs after this super long rebuild and you feel the need to gloat and make accusations of a team you don't follow? Brodie is surely an NHL caliber defenseman already and I can safely say is on par or better than any of Edmontons D prospects. Sure Shultz can play on the powerplay, but can he shut down NHL forwards and be reliable in his own end?

Simply because Edmonton has the poorest drafting and decision making in the NHL doesn't mean Calgary's rebuild will take as long. The reason you guys needed 3 first overall picks is because those are the only picks they couldn't possibly screw up. It gets to a point where you need to re-rebuild which many oiler fans were calling for earlier this season. Can't keep all these increasingly more valuable players on a 60mil cap forever.

Thanks DeZoE for making the most troll post in weeks. Edmonton fans never disappoint! I'm now wondering why I spent these few minutes responding to this post.

[saillias]

Originally Posted by DeZoE

Alright, I am an Oilers fan. I come to this forum for shadenfreude. I will admit reading about the displeasure of our foes to the south brings me joy which I should probably feel a little guilty about, but I don't. Now that being said, this is the first time I have felt compelled to respond in a thread. I understand the pain you as flames fans are feeling at the moment with your team and I don't think most of you understand exactly how long this "re-tooling" will take. You won't get a high draft pick this year and then start competing, hell, you won't even get a high draft pick next year and compete the year after. It just won't happen. Your cupboards are bare. Your blue chip prospect has 1 point in 13 games. 1 point! I don't understand how Feaster still has a job in the NHL after that debacle with O'Reilly earlier this year. Now don't get me wrong, our management is not any better and should be gutted and fresh blood brought in. I think that is the main reason we will be a mediocre team for years to come. Anyway, the way I see it now, you will be hovering in the bottom of the league for the next 3-4 years. You have no goaltender, no defensive prospects projected to be NHL caliber and the crop of forwards in your system rivals that of the hitmen. You're fooling yourselves if you think you will have a Stanley Cup contending team anywhere within the next 5 years. I'm not here to gloat about this. I'm here because I just don't understand how a fan base can be so delusional. It's not just one or two of you, it seems to be 70-80%. There are the few who are realistic and understand what they are in for but the rest of you.... Where are the pitchforks and torches? Why are you content with an incompetent management? A management that let the face of your franchise go for some magic beans. Bouwmeester for nothing! Not a single prospect that is NHL capable! I would be furious! Iginla should have been traded two years ago already. He would have fetched you a good future and you would be reaping the benefits as we speak. As an Oiler fan I'm furious for you! I enjoy the BOAB when it is competitive. How awesome would a playoff series between The Oil and The Lames be? Like I said earlier, I know that my team sucks atm. I know we need some gel. We need some D. We need.. Who the hell knows what we need. All I know is that I've come to terms with being mediocre. Welcome to hell.

All the Captain Hindsights are saying "Iginla should have been traded 2 years ago" Yeah in the middle of his 43-43 season, signed for 2 more years? No GM would have traded him then. No GM would have taken him either due to his age, caphit and term. Maybe Sather.

[DeZoE]

Well, I expected that. I came in here wondering why the flames fans were not angry about their management and the direction the team has taken in the past two years. I'm not here to troll. I know my team is in trouble at the moment. It has nothing to do with my team. I want to know how you as fans feel about what I as an outsider see as a train wreck that could have been diverted a few years ago but was allowed to happen anyway. No need to get defensive. Its fact, not opinion.

[FBI]

I refuse to believe our rebuild is going to take as long as our piss poorly managed neighbors up north.

[djsFlames]

@ Oiler guy trying to help us see through our apparent 'delusions' : Just because you guys went to hell and haven't yet even escaped it, doesn't mean your rebuild has ANY direct implications whatsoever on how the Flames' rebuild will go. Any rebuild can go any which way, in varying amounts of time, depending on managment, drafting, scouting, speed of development, and a whole lot of luck (eg. Pittsburgh). As much as it would please you to see us suffer through the same horrible stretch that your fanbase has, your past few seasons is on an all-time level of bad, and you assuming that the Flames will be as bad, is no more than you throwing out an ill-willed guess, and nothing more.

A large part of the Oilers' problem was never having addressed the defense and goaltending issues properly with all those high picks. Continually piling up skilled forwards and supplying them with a feeble, leaderless bunch of seasoned vets, they instilled both a one-dimensional group with an inability to keep pucks out of their net and a losing culture together at once. It doesn't take a monkey with a brain to figure out why your team has run around in a hole for years, and why Columbus, for example, is challenging for a playoff spot.

By gathering a large pool of talented goalie prospects and creating a high level of competition for the future starter job (referring to the 'darts on the board' metaphor), Feaster has already started to address this area..as he has said that they intend to build from the net out. Also I would argue anyday that the vets that Feaster is keeping in place for the infusion of youth are far better than that which the Oilers left for their kids. And there's simply no way that this coaching staff could be worse with kids than the bench bosses that the Oil have had.

We may be as bad for as long as the Oilers, but that's not a sure thing whatsoever. Because so much of it depends on things that haven't even happened yet..

[puckedoff]

Originally Posted by DeZoE

Well, I expected that. I came in here wondering why the flames fans were not angry about their management and the direction the team has taken in the past two years. I'm not here to troll. .....
Its fact, not opinion.

Well don't hog the crystal ball. Since you can tell the exact projection of a rebuild years in advance, why didn't you warn Tambo?

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by DeZoE

Well, I expected that. I came in here wondering why the flames fans were not angry about their management and the direction the team has taken in the past two years. I'm not here to troll. I know my team is in trouble at the moment. It has nothing to do with my team. I want to know how you as fans feel about what I as an outsider see as a train wreck that could have been diverted a few years ago but was allowed to happen anyway. No need to get defensive. Its fact, not opinion.

Fact? What in your post was fact?

Was it the 70-80% are delusional comment? Did you run a poll? Because I must have missed it.

Was it your assessment that the Flames have no defense and no prospects?

You obviously have no idea what the word fact means.

These recent posts by Oiler fans, mock-lamenting the multi-year pain that the Flames face, are absolutely hilarious. Yes, rebuilds take time. However, the gong show that has been going on up north for the past several years is not - contrary to the opinions of Oiler fans - the only possible way for things to play out.

However, if garbage posts like the one above make you feel better about yourself and your team, knock yourself out.

[DeZoE]

You people seem to think this is a pissing match between the oilers and the flames. It's not. I'm not here to say my team is better then yours. We aren;t in the playoffs and at this rate we might not be next year either. For those of you who can comprehend a sentence, I am asking you why you're not much more upset with management then you let on or if you think the current management group is capable of bringing you to the promised land. Please, if you have nothing intelligent to say then by all means, keep it to yourself.

[wingmaker]

What is there to get upset about? Some people wish the rebuild began earlier. Great. It didn't happen then, it is now. There is nothing really to get too upset about until we see how Feaster uses the draft picks he acquired from his deals. Some people are hopeful because of the last two drafts, others are worried because of his record in Tampa. There are many different opinions. But I don't know what there is at this point to get too worked up about. The process just started, whether it started too late or not. There isn't much to do yet but wait to see what happens this summer.

Why aren't Oilers fans up in arms at their management?

[Da_Chief]

One more thing, say what you want to but Flames have shown to be more desirable UFA destination then Edmonton. Now will that continue now that we're re-building? Prob not but we can hope.

In couple years with Brodie, Backlund, Sven, Top pick this year, Gio etc and a new building coming I feel ok.

Not in denial, but no point in looking at glass half empty, there are enough thing in real life ppl have to worry bout so why bother stressing over your hockey team. Hope for the best.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by DeZoE

You people seem to think this is a pissing match between the oilers and the flames. It's not. I'm not here to say my team is better then yours. We aren;t in the playoffs and at this rate we might not be next year either. For those of you who can comprehend a sentence, I am asking you why you're not much more upset with management then you let on or if you think the current management group is capable of bringing you to the promised land. Please, if you have nothing intelligent to say then by all means, keep it to yourself.

Try looking around the forum a bit.

Being angry at management is probably the #1 topic (other than discussing the draft).

Bad management decisions is how you get to the bottom of the NHL.

However, that doesn't explain or justify your garbage post.

[DeZoE]

Originally Posted by djsFlames

@ Oiler guy trying to help us see through our apparent 'delusions' : Just because you guys went to hell and haven't yet even escaped it, doesn't mean your rebuild has ANY direct implications whatsoever on how the Flames' rebuild will go. Any rebuild can go any which way, in varying amounts of time, depending on managment, drafting, scouting, speed of development, and a whole lot of luck (eg. Pittsburgh). As much as it would please you to see us suffer through the same horrible stretch that your fanbase has, your past few seasons is on an all-time level of bad, and you assuming that the Flames will be as bad, is no more than you throwing out an ill-willed guess, and nothing more.

A large part of the Oilers' problem was never having addressed the defense and goaltending issues properly with all those high picks. Continually piling up skilled forwards and supplying them with a feeble, leaderless bunch of seasoned vets, they instilled both a one-dimensional group with an inability to keep pucks out of their net and a losing culture together at once. It doesn't take a monkey with a brain to figure out why your team has run around in a hole for years, and why Columbus, for example, is challenging for a playoff spot.

By gathering a large pool of talented goalie prospects and creating a high level of competition for the future starter job (referring to the 'darts on the board' metaphor), Feaster has already started to address this area..as he has said that they intend to build from the net out. Also I would argue anyday that the vets that Feaster is keeping in place for the infusion of youth are far better than that which the Oilers left for their kids. And there's simply no way that this coaching staff could be worse with kids than the bench bosses that the Oil have had.

We may be as bad for as long as the Oilers, but that's not a sure thing whatsoever. Because so much of it depends on things that haven't even happened yet..

Alright, this is a start. I'm wondering tho who the "large pool of talented goalie prospects" are tho. I agree with the vets. Keeping Glencross is key. What do you do with Cammy tho? Tanguay? Who are the untouchables in the off season and what kind of signings do you make? Do you try to improve for next season or do you tank at least one year and then see where you're at?

[kyuss275]

Originally Posted by DeZoE

You people seem to think this is a pissing match between the oilers and the flames. It's not. I'm not here to say my team is better then yours. We aren;t in the playoffs and at this rate we might not be next year either. For those of you who can comprehend a sentence, I am asking you why you're not much more upset with management then you let on or if you think the current management group is capable of bringing you to the promised land. Please, if you have nothing intelligent to say then by all means, keep it to yourself.

There are many that want a managment change. There are also a lot that think Feaster should get another chance ( not sure why), among them it seems like ownership is in that group.

Feaster has made a debacle of this franchise, but i have stopped thinking about it because i am pretty sure ownership will give him another chance.

[BigFlameDog]

Originally Posted by DeZoE

Well, I expected that. I came in here wondering why the flames fans were not angry about their management and the direction the team has taken in the past two years. I'm not here to troll. I know my team is in trouble at the moment. It has nothing to do with my team. I want to know how you as fans feel about what I as an outsider see as a train wreck that could have been diverted a few years ago but was allowed to happen anyway. No need to get defensive. Its fact, not opinion.

Most people are probably not reading your posts because we don't put a lot of stock in dudes who can't use punctuation or the previously mentioned enter key.

Not joking, haven't read your spew.

[devo22]

Originally Posted by DeZoE

Alright, this is a start. I'm wondering tho who the "large pool of talented goalie prospects" are tho.

Gillies had a fantastic freshman year at college. Brossoit has been excellent in the WHL. Ramo has probably been the best goalie in the KHL for some years now. Don't know too much about Berra yet, but I'm hearing good things from my friends in Switzerland. And Ortio has been good in Finland this year. Goalies are always difficult to project, but I'd say the Flames have a nice group of goalie prospects right now.