[News] Flames Announce 2024-25 Opening Night Roster

[NegativeSpace]

If the Flames are bad this year, then I suspect that they will be bad next year as well. Yes, it would not be great to lose a top 10 pick. If this team is that bad, then it's going to take more than a top 10 pick to turn things around that quickly. This rebuild likely takes quite a long time.

[Bonded]

Originally Posted by Robbob

Florida out of the playoffs in the top 10 is nightmare fuel. I think I might be cheering for them this season as much as I was in the finals.

Worst case is the Flames getting the second overall and Florida being a lottery team (which is ill-defined, capfriendly had it as not transferring if they missed the playoffs).

Florida needs to make playoffs so the the Flames are down to worst case being 11th overall

[Bonded]

Originally Posted by NegativeSpace

If the Flames are bad this year, then I suspect that they will be bad next year as well. Yes, it would not be great to lose a top 10 pick. If this team is that bad, then it's going to take more than a top 10 pick to turn things around that quickly. This rebuild likely takes quite a long time.

Montreal getting a Makar because of a stupid cap dump trade would be peak Flames/Treliving

[Britflamesfan]

Holly molly the goalies are going to have their work cut out with that defence. I kind of feel sorry for them as their stats are ging to stink.

[Robbob]

Originally Posted by Bonded

Worst case is the Flames getting the second overall and Florida being a lottery team (which is ill-defined, capfriendly had it as not transferring if they missed the playoffs).

Florida needs to make playoffs so the the Flames are down to worst case being 11th overall

Capfriendly was wrong if that is what they had. It has to be top 10 for the Panthers to keep it and defer it to 2026. You are right though, if they make the playoffs then it doesn't matter.

[stemit14]

Originally Posted by Robbob

Florida out of the playoffs in the top 10 is nightmare fuel. I think I might be cheering for them this season as much as I was in the finals.

Definitely. Already a little nervous as they should be poised to have the Stanley Cup hangover. Back-to-back years of going to the finals. They have lost a few good players in the offseason. Their whole style of play is an exhausting, physical grind. I’m actually nervous about where they finish. Not thinking they’ll be in the bottom 10 but I think they could definitely drop off to be a wild card team or even just outside the playoffs.

[Paulie Walnuts]

If Florida is struggling we can send them some help. Andersson for their 2027 1st with 50% retained. Maybe even throw in Mantha or Kuzmenko.

[Naitix]

Predictions that are certain this team will be bottom of the league (like bottom 3) are pretty stupid ngl. They can be that bad but I think so many things have to go wrong for them to be that bad, it's more likely for them to be around the same spot at last year.

But I also think that this team can compete for a playoff spot just as easily. Their offense is better this year than it was at the start of last year. Wolf could catch lightning in the bottle and perform as good as he did for the past 6 years. A hot goalie can overcome ####ty defense.

I also don't think defense will be as bad as people seem to think. A lot of defensive performance relies on pairing chemistry, coaching and positioning. We have so many new faces on defense to the point we can have 20+ pairing combinations that we have not tried before, something is bound to work better than "analytical projections". I just think there are way too many unknowns to be certain that this team will be bad.

I would not be surprised if they make the playoffs. The biggest concern for me this season is goaltending. It has equal chance to be hot garbage as it has to be a brick wall

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

I am eagerly hovering over my plate of Crow waiting to chow down over Honzek. Make me do it!

Why jump on a prospect that soon any way? What's the end game?

[NegativeSpace]

Originally Posted by Bonded

Montreal getting a Makar because of a stupid cap dump trade would be peak Flames/Treliving

It's a sunk cost, though. I doubt that Conroy loves that trade and the way its conditions continue to be a factor. Montreal really took advantage of a GM with one foot out the door who wanted to sign Kadri.

On the other side, I think that it's a lot easier for people on keyboards to say that the Flames should intentionally sewer their team so they ensure they get a top ten pick than in practice.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Naitix

Predictions that are certain this team will be bottom of the league (like bottom 3) are pretty stupid ngl. They can be that bad but I think so many things have to go wrong for them to be that bad, it's more likely for them to be around the same spot at last year.

But I also think that this team can compete for a playoff spot just as easily. Their offense is better this year than it was at the start of last year. Wolf could catch lightning in the bottle and perform as good as he did for the past 6 years. A hot goalie can overcome ####ty defense.

I also don't think defense will be as bad as people seem to think. A lot of defensive performance relies on pairing chemistry, coaching and positioning. We have so many new faces on defense to the point we can have 20+ pairing combinations that we have not tried before, something is bound to work better than "analytical projections". I just think there are way too many unknowns to be certain that this team will be bad.

I would not be surprised if they make the playoffs. The biggest concern for me this season is goaltending. It has equal chance to be hot garbage as it has to be a brick wall

I think a big step back both on defending, the goalie behind the defending and transition means give up more and score less.

I don't see the offence as better if they can only create offence when they win an offensive zone faceoff.

Would be entertaining to be wrong though!

I've coached kid's teams that can't transition the puck, your forward become irrelevant.

[Paulie Walnuts]

We lost Hanifin, Tanev, and Zadorov from last year and didn't really replace them anything better.

The defence is a lot worse. Zadorov may not have been a great puck mover, but he would go for a skate. Tanev was underrated he could skate and move the puck, and his defensive game allowed his partner to as well. Hanifin was great at moving the puck.

The team had trouble adapting to the zone defence last season as well. We will be pinned in our own zone a lot this season.

[Enoch Root]

Yeah, transition is going to be a problem.

They still have Weegar, Andersson and Miromanov, but Tanev, Hanifin and Zadorov are all under-rated with respect to transition. I expect Bean, Bahl and Pachal to be good defensively, but I do not expect their transition game to be anywhere near where we were last year.

So we will be dependent on the power play to eat up the slack, and in that regard... we'll see.

LOL, I wrote that before you had posted, even though it looks like I am replying to you

[St. Pats]

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

We lost Hanifin, Tanev, and Zadorov from last year and didn't really replace them anything better.

The defence is a lot worse. Zadorov may not have been a great puck mover, but he would go for a skate. Tanev was underrated he could skate and move the puck, and his defensive game allowed his partner to as well. Hanifin was great at moving the puck.

The team had trouble adapting to the zone defence last season as well. We will be pinned in our own zone a lot this season.

Yep saw it in preseason when we just could not escape our own zone. Losing board battles, beaten to the puck and unable to identity and make a quick pass. Makes me just a little scared about the amount of rubber Wolf is going to face.

[Bonded]

I think people are really underestimating how bad the defense is and how that will affect the entire team. They are a bottom 5 dcore and the forwards maybe in the bottom 10-15 range.

[D as in David]

Originally Posted by Parallex

That would be Montreal picking 11th nah?

Originally Posted by Robbob

That would be the worst case scenario, since MTL would get that pick.

[D as in David]

Originally Posted by Bingo

Why jump on a prospect that soon any way? What's the end game?

To win the "First to predict the player is a bust*" trophy.

*Accuracy is not one of the criteria in the awarding of this trophy

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Bonded

I think people are really underestimating how bad the defense is and how that will affect the entire team. They are a bottom 5 dcore and the forwards maybe in the bottom 10-15 range.

And the forwards aren't great either.
Line for line, most nights they will have an inferior top line. That's hard to overcome. Most nights, the top 3 forwards on the other team, will be better than the top forward on the Flames.

[Leeman4Gilmour]

I'm all in on the plucky underdog narrative. I can't cheer for a tank. It's not in me. I'll be okay if we do suck and end up getting a high end pick, but I can't cheer for it. Why we won't suck;

1) No dark clouds in the form of major UFA's not willing to sign here this year. It'll be a far more cohesive team.
2) Our defense is full of inexperience, but not rookies. It is plausible that Miromanov and Bahl in particular take major steps in their career. Our transition game may not suck as much as it looks like on paper.
3) Wolf and Vladar will be good. Hot take or prediction, but I'm going with it.
4) We don't have that NHL superstar up front. But, we should be pretty balanced throughout.
5) I think Huska learned a lot in his first year and some of the kinks will be ironed out.
6) PP can't be worse.

That's a whole lot of maybe's, but I'm running with it.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Bingo

Why jump on a prospect that soon any way? What's the end game?

I never understood people writing off Honzek so quickly. He is still only 19 and the way some people talked about him, it was as if he was draft 5 years ago and wasn't showing progress, and not just drafted last year. Not to mention that he was injured most of the year.

I get being worried about losing development time to injury and below expected production when he did play (likely because he was still recovering), but some people really hated on him. I suspect there is a correlation between people who didn't like the pick a minute after it was made and people who ragged on him since then.

It's still important to keep expectations in check. I am am sure there will still be some ups and downs considering how young he is, but it's nice to see him proving the doubters wrong at the moment.