Post Mortem : What happens now?

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by PuckDemon

We were really missing a real #1D. Earlier this year, everyone was raving about how we had Hanifin and Andersson as an amazing yet cheap top pairing. The playoffs showed that they can't handle the minutes like true top D. They aren't amazing bargain contracts; they're paid fairly and shouldn't be expected to be top level.

As everyone knows, defensemen are always finished products at 25.

[rooster]

Originally Posted by Johnny Makarov

Not sure what the hell happened to Big Z and Gudbradson in the playoffs. They turned into Bouwmeester and Butler pumpkins...

I have to believe they are injured. But if they aren't I wouldn't want either of them back next year. Which 3 weeks ago I thought that would have been crazy.

and bye bye Noah! The flood is incoming. He turned in an Eloranta, Baxter, Hulse, Gauthier, Ericksson performance! Useless.

I think they were to preoccupied with worrying about taking penalties.

[direwolf]

Originally Posted by browntrout

I hope I am wrong, I just get the sense that he wants to go back East....

Where exactly are you getting this "sense" from? What has he said or done to make you think he wants to go east? The guy has clearly stated multiple times how much he enjoys playing here and how much his family loves the organization. He also just had his best season ever under Sutter and his family are treated like royalty whenever they come to Calgary. The Flames are also currently one of the top 10 teams in the league and still have a legit shot at playoff success if they can make the right moves this summer. Do you really think Johnny wants to suddenly go play for Jersey or Philly and suck for the next few years? I highly doubt it.

I also don't buy into this thing about players wanting to play in this city or that city, or wanting to play near where they're from. These guys are multi-millionaires FFS. They can easily jet around anywhere they want to at any given time and buy summer houses wherever they please. No matter where their families or their childhood homes are located, all of these things are simply a plane ride away at any time.

Treliving said earlier that they plan to move heaven and earth to re-sign him, and I believe him. It'll be costly of course, but he's worth it. I'm fully confident he'll stay.

[timun]

Originally Posted by browntrout

I would add...what's the walkaway point for him... clearly not as good as Leon or Connor...I can't see the flames going much past 9.5.....i think kucherov will be a comparable during negotiations

I think $9.5M per and Kucherov is wishful thinking. That's a four-year-old contract when Kucherov was an RFA.

Panarin and Matthews will be the comparables. ~$11.5M/yr

[ForeverFlameFan]

Need to sign Johnny, first and foremost.

If a team wants to overpay for Tkachuk I’d entertain it. He also needs to be re-signed.

Have to be careful with Mangiapane, if he gets lowballed again he’s just going to go the UFA/arbitration route, so Treliving better play his cards right.

[Macho0978]

I think Gaudreau is going to resign and I’m sure most Flames fans will be happy with the deal.

Tkachuk though will be different. With lost revenue due to Covid and the potential for a huge cap increase in 3 years I can see a theme for players of Tkachuk caliber and age going for 3 year deals. I’m thinking most Flames will be ok with the cap hit but hate the term

Once these 2 sign I think the Flames need to go a bit younger

Keep Gubrannson to play with Mackey

Resign Kylington short term

Pelletier to replace one of Mangiapane or Dube depending on Mangiapane contract. Prefer to keep Mangiapane but not if it close to or over $6 mil

Use an asset to trade 1 of Monahan or Lucic.

If there is an cap space left make a run at a young center that’s less proven with potential

[GullFoss]

I think with Ruzicka, Pelletier, Mackey and Valimaki things are looking up. Add in a healthy Monahan and I don't see why this team doesn't come back stronger next year.

[Teroy]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Here's how I would approach the off-season. This starts with the assumption that the team is not going to re-build, including because Darryl Sutter is the coach. They are going to go for it at least one more years. I'm also not going to suggest specific trades, as those are always guesses. I also think there is very little chance BT is fired. Almost none.

- Starts with Johnny and your confidence to sign him. I'm going to assume he re-signs. if he doesn't everything else is out the window.
- I would look hard at moving Tkachuk if you can get a good return. If you handle that right I think you can extend this team's contending window
- I think you have to give some young players a chance on the roster next season: Pelleiter, Mackey for sure.
- Therefore you start to look at who you re-sign and who you don't. Zadarov probably walks. Gudbransson I try to re-sign. Gudbransson + Mackey as your final pairing next year.
- I make Tanev the captain
- I try to re-sign Jarnkrok. He didn't produce but the team needs good two-way players and I think he is that. If he wants to be here at a affordable rate I try to get him to sign
- I hope that Lucic retires. He's done. He can't skate at the NHL pace.
- I have no idea to do with Monahan
- I wouldn't be opposed to selling high on Eat Bread. You can't overpay him or Kylington. But Kylington remains an intriguing guy that I think has another step if he can just calm down. His skills are fairly unique.
- I think the team needs a guy like Joe Pavelski, or Corey Perry. A veteran who just KNOWS how to play in the playoffs. Maybe a guy like Ondrej Palet who is a pending free agent. Would LOVE to take another run at Kadri but I don't know if that's realistic. But if you trade Tkachuk...maybe?

I think we'll see a big move this off-season involving one big name. But other than that, i think the team will be given another chance under Sutter. I think they DID take a step this season, but I'm not confident they have another one to take. We'll see I guess.

Wanted him last year. He signed 2 years @ million a year. Might have got him for 2 years @ 2 million.

2021-22 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 82 19 21 40 66 9 11 5 1 6 16

[browna]

Originally Posted by dammage79

I suppose it depends on what Sutter wants to do with this group.

This is really the big X factor.

Sutter came back here for one thing, unfinished business to win the Stanley Cup for this city and franchise. That’s it. But, that’s a 2 to 3 season (max) window before he retires for good …I’d say 2.

Another offseason to build and mold the team how he wants, which is good. Potential cap space to use if losing a top player or two.

If those two top players stay, they’ll be forced to play an entire line from Stockton for cap reasons.

I trust Sutter implicitly. The guys who shut down in the playoffs, barring injury, you have to figure if they are in his plans or not.

They’ll be replacements for Richardson, Lewis and Zadorov and others, for better or worse, but again, Sutter has a goal here for the way the team needs to play and the players that need to have certain skill sets to play that role. Maybe more vets? I can see the same set of posters who want to gamble the teams future on magic untested beans and want to get Bedard etc rolling their eyes and preparing a sassy post, but Lucic Lewis and Ritchie were arguably the most consistent line in R1 and created energy and chances lines 2 and 3 didn’t.

The guys that feel the sting and embarrassment of losing to the Oilers won’t let that happen again if they are on the team next year, Sutter will make sure.

[UKflames]

I haven't read the whole thread yet, but I don't get those of you who think if JG leaves we have to blow it up and rebuild. To me there are a couple of things to think about here.
Yes he is a very good player and has been a driving force this season but he just had a career season, how many more of those do you think he will have going forward on an 8 year contract, which appears to be what everyone wants him to sign, especially at his age? Yes he scored points this off season but has he done that before or are those points just an extension of his career season? The complaint was always that he disappeared in the playoffs, so does one good playoffs erase that?

The other thought is this is a team game, unless you are the oilers, it takes more than one player to win games. The team doesn't just fall off a cliff because JG leaves. There will be other moves this off season, players will come and go, Heat players will push for spots, new chemistry will be created from new lines. It isn't all doom and gloom if JG leaves or wants to leave, trade his rights and get the best deal you can if that is what he wants.

I suppose I feel this way because I would prefer to keep Chucky, which goes against the majority of the posts I have read so far, so I'm expecting a bit of a pile on here I just feel as he is younger, has more to learn, over and above what he already brings to the table, that he would be the better long term option. Now he may want to move elsewhere, his contract demands will probably make that obvious either way, if so goodbye and good luck but he would be my preffered keep of the two.

[Macho0978]

Originally Posted by UKflames

I haven't read the whole thread yet, but I don't get those of you who think if JG leaves we have to blow it up and rebuild. To me there are a couple of things to think about here.
Yes he is a very good player and has been a driving force this season but he just had a career season, how many more of those do you think he will have going forward on an 8 year contract, which appears to be what everyone wants him to sign, especially at his age? Yes he scored points this off season but has he done that before or are those points just an extension of his career season? The complaint was always that he disappeared in the playoffs, so does one good playoffs erase that?

The other thought is this is a team game, unless you are the oilers, it takes more than one player to win games. The team doesn't just fall off a cliff because JG leaves. There will be other moves this off season, players will come and go, Heat players will push for spots, new chemistry will be created from new lines. It isn't all doom and gloom if JG leaves or wants to leave, trade his rights and get the best deal you can if that is what he wants.

I suppose I feel this way because I would prefer to keep Chucky, which goes against the majority of the posts I have read so far, so I'm expecting a bit of a pile on here I just feel as he is younger, has more to learn, over and above what he already brings to the table, that he would be the better long term option. Now he may want to move elsewhere, his contract demands will probably make that obvious either way, if so goodbye and good luck but he would be my preffered keep of the two.

Signing Johnny for 8 years is risky but it doesn't change the impact and what he did for this team this season. They lose that they will not be able to replace him. No free agent is signing here for a reasonable deal right after we lost our best player. No player in the AHL will replace him. We would lose way too many wins.

I also think no way Tkachuk resigns long term if Johnny walks.

If Johnny walks, rebuild will be the only smart option. I just don't see the return in a Tkachuk trade being an immediate impact and losing Johnny for nothing would not give us enough time to retool before guys like Lindholm's contract is up. Maybe if we win the draft lottery and get one of the top 2 in 2023 can we turn the corner quick enough for Lindholm to stay

[The Cobra]

I don’t think anyone really wants to sign Johnny for 8 years.

But the choices are sign him for 8 years or let him walk.

[tkflames]

Given the Phoenix connection and the likely Sutter feel that it was defense, not offense that killed us in this series... I wonder if the flames don't do the inverse of the Hanifin/Lindholm trade and go Mang + Kylington for Chychrun. Solves the cap issues as you can pay Johnny and Tkachuk and allows you to keep Gudbranson at a minimum.

[Royle9]

Originally Posted by GullFoss

I think with Ruzicka, Pelletier, Mackey and Valimaki things are looking up. Add in a healthy Monahan and I don't see why this team doesn't come back stronger next year.

Can’t see Monahan being on the team at @ 6M + on the 4th line.
That contract + Lucic is a big problem.

[Infinit47]

Everyone is comfortable with Trelieving being the person leading this charge? Personally I would like a new GM to come in and evaluate what the team needs with a fresh set of eyes.

[Pointman]

#1 Dman you say? Didn't we see reining Norris winner Giordano going against McKinnon's Avs in 2019? We won the first game and then a team led by a franchise center who was drafted first overall won next 4. Sounds familiar. Having an actual Norris winner made no difference for the Flames in 2019 and likely wouldn't made difference in 2022

[Erick Estrada]

Oilers don’t even have a real number 2 defenseman and they are where the Flames wanted to be. The big issue with this team is that they just don’t handle the pressures of playoff hockey well enough. They always play worse in the playoffs than they do in the regular season and not even Darryl Sutter could rectify that.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by savardandjokinen

People are giving up on Hanifin way too quickly...

Had a top pairing caliber season and is 25 years old. Him and Ras are the future of our defence.

Hanifin really struggles with decision-making under pressure. He’s not dynamic offensively. Maybe he gets better at those parts of his game, maybe he doesn’t. But he has 544 NHL games under his belt. At that stage in their careers, NHL players typically don’t see a lot of growth in their games.

I don’t think anyone is suggesting the Flames offload Hanifin for spare parts. But if the team is going to make a significant move to reshape the core, you need to give to get. The old “we’ll trade a 3rd liner and a B prospect for another teams’s core player” rarely plays out in the real world.

[Flamesfan05]

Hanifin is a middle pairing guy. Bottom pair on a cup winning team
Top pairing on a pretender

[Roof-Daddy]

I am fully expecting Johnny to sign out East somewhere.

Will be happily surprised if he decides to stay.

It will also be very hard for Treliving to keep the team as tough next season too. Especially on the back end.