Darryl Sutter needs to deploy better lines - STAT

[Philly06Cup]

I want to see more offensive opportunity for Backlund and Coleman. They each make ~5M and are stapled to our 3rd line and defensive duties. Does any other team have as expensive a third line?

A lot of defensive specialists blossom if you give them offensive opportunity. Look at none other than Bergeron -- he was a surprise pick for Team Canada in 2010 for his defensive acumen, and now a complete stud. Couturier is another guy who toiled with defensive responsibility before his offense became unleashed. Barkov was initially pegged as a more defensive version of Monahan. Danault is showing another gear in LA. Ondrej Palat was a defensive/PK machine and broke out when he got top line minutes in Tampa.

Give Backlund / Coleman a chance to show their offense.

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

it is truly unfortunate that the florida guys didn't hit the ground running here

it feels like we're cursed in that way . very few players we pick up start on the same foot they left off on with their former team . it usually takes some time before they even begin to look like good every day nhlers

not sure what it is .. maybe the old stale saddledome air sucks the creative life out of players coming in

[bubbsy]

Originally Posted by TrentCrimmIndependent

yes he played on the "second" line

but it was more of a 1b , arguably 1a because he made it their 1a

he made duclair a 30 goal guy . he checks every single box you could imagine for a 1LW .. it doesn't matter where he technically slotted on that team

we just need to learn some patience around here before calling a guy a bust based on 18 games vs the 600 games prior to them

Fair enough. I guess my fear is who loses patience first.? Huberdeau or sutter...

So far huberdeau looks highly average. We're a quarter of a season in. How much longer of a “adjustment period “ is needed to before we can judge? How come other top players on new team's haven't looked sooo lost in their new environments?

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

Originally Posted by bubbsy

Fair enough. I guess my fear is who loses patience first.? Huberdeau or sutter...

So far huberdeau looks highly average. We're a quarter of a season in. How much longer of a “adjustment period “ is needed to before we can judge? How come other top players on new team's haven't looked sooo lost in their new environments?

i would give huberdeau until his 25th game to start to show signs of his former self

that's another 8 games .. which was about roughly the time hamilton started to look like a top D here as well .. i think that is a fair sample with the injury interruption and all

[Goriders]

Originally Posted by bubbsy

Fair enough. I guess my fear is who loses patience first.? Huberdeau or sutter...

So far huberdeau looks highly average. We're a quarter of a season in. How much longer of a “adjustment period “ is needed to before we can judge? How come other top players on new team's haven't looked sooo lost in their new environments?

Friggin Ruzicka has adjusted. Huberdeau needs to suck it up and produce.

They are going to be paying him $10 million dollars next season.

Figure it out.

[AustinL_NHL]

It's like people forget that guys like Lindholm, Tkachuk & especially Gaudreau were going through a rough stretch that lasted well over a season before Sutter came in, and even then they didn't start playing the right way under Sutter until the final 15 games or so in 2020-21, yet we're ready to close the book and consider Huberdeau's current play under Sutter as the final result.

Yea ok.

[Flamesfan05]

Our prospects are exceeding in the minor but no , #### them, never earned all about kissing ass. Let’s give useless vets more chances because they know something lol. Old dinosaur ��

[Flamesfan05]

Well, Treliving didn’t wait to give Huberdeau that juicy contract

He has shown very little so far that he even deserves half of it

But yeah we’ll wait lol

[Yikes]

Originally Posted by Flamesfan05

Our prospects are exceeding in the minor but no , #### them, never earned all about kissing ass. Let’s give useless vets more chances because they know something lol. Old dinosaur ��

1) Get rid of Sutter.
2) Give the C to Backlund.
3) With the exception of Ruzicka, set all of the lines back to the start of the season and leave them alone! The first line RW is debatable.

4) Package Lucic with Hanifin, if we have to retain some of #17 salary so be it.
5) Move Markstrom.
6) Start Vladar, bring up Wolf and play him.
7) Bring up Phillips, give the kid a shot.
8) Not sure on the fate of Ritchie, Rooney and Lewis.



All they have to do is make the playoffs, we all know the seed does not matter.

[Burning Beard]

Yeah let's fire the best head coach we have had since the 80s after 20 games with a whole bunch of team changes and while the team is in a playoff spot. Genius armchair GMing in here.

[Yikes]

Originally Posted by Burning Beard

Yeah let's fire the best head coach we have had since the 80s after 20 games with a whole bunch of team changes and while the team is in a playoff spot. Genius armchair GMing in here.

Give him long enough and he will coach this squad back to the 80's.

[Burning Beard]

Originally Posted by Yikes

Give him long enough and he will coach this squad back to the 80's.

Yikes.

[Backstop]

Darryl seeing this thread...

[Strange Brew]

Let’s definitely fire the coach. That page from the playbook has driven such sustained success for this franchise that you hate to turn your back on it now.

[Yikes]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

Let’s definitely fire the coach. That page from the playbook has driven such sustained success for this franchise that you hate to turn your back on it now.

Things need to change or changes will be made. Might be interesting to start a poll re: "who will be the first Flame to request a trade".

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by Yikes

Things need to change or changes will be made. Might be interesting to start a poll re: "who will be the first Flame to request a trade".

No one.

[NewFan]

Huber-Kadri-Lindy
Mangi-Backlund-Coleman
Dube-Ruzicka-Toffoli
Lucic-Lewis-Rich
Play top 3 lines more

[JohnnyB]

If Huberdeau were producing up to standard, and if Markstrom were stopping pucks up to standard, people would be talking about what a great coach Sutter is.

[Kasi]

But he’s not. And it’s not just Huberdeau struggling offensively. Everyone is. This team has a hard time generating quality chances and Sutters coaching is part of that.

Edit: last year the top line was so dominant 5v5 that I think it just let the other lines do grinding low offensive play and get away with it. Wearing teams down and being slight positive on goals but not pushing it. But now there is no line that can score tons of goals and be net corsi positive that fits into Sutters style.

[Burning Beard]

Originally Posted by Kasi

But he’s not. And it’s not just Huberdeau struggling offensively. Everyone is. This team has a hard time generating quality chances and Sutters coaching is part of that.

Wrong.