Quote:
Originally Posted by ForeverFlameFan
But I truly think that the reason why we don't make the playoffs is we don't know how to play a full season just yet. Every since B. Sutter coached this team, we could never play a consistent first half of the season. Always finished strong, but always finished out of playoff contention.
I think it's safe to judge how the Flames will be after the first 20-30 games. If they even a little over .500, we should have high hopes.
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That's one way to look at it - that it took Hartley a while to get consistency out of the players.
The other is the Flames started strong, when they had a lot of jump and everyone took them for granted. When teams got serious, they couldn't keep up and lost a lot. And once the Flames were out of contention and had no pressure, they played well.
That's the arc of a lot of teams that finish towards the bottom of the standings.
I'm pleased with the effort, and I hope Hartley can get them to sustain it next season. But the high-end talent deficit isn't going to be addressed overnight. Most NHLers see their biggest improvement in seasons 3-4. I don't expect the Flames to see a sustainable jump in the standings until their stable of young talent hits that stage.
