Imagine looking at the cap space the Flames have, the trades they've made since CC became GM and the UFA signings they haven't made and somehow coming to the conclusion that this team hasn't been rebuilding for two years now.
Flames didn't play a bad game, just no finish, which is an old story.
I was at the Hawks game, they also generally played fine, it was just Bedard made 4 spectacular plays to score the 4 Hawk goals. Other than that, Knight stoned them.
Two of the goals were the result of egregious giveaways by Farabee and Frost.
After those players held guns to the teams head and wanted out, even after the org wanted to keep them and re-sign them. The idea that everything they've done recently was strategic is frustrating to me.
Or did the flames offer them contracts they knew the players wouldn’t accept? That way the fans that are not as fanatical as the minority that exist on a message board don’t get pissed that they are not trying to win.not everyone is willing to support a tank/rebuild.
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Or did the flames offer them contracts they knew the players wouldn’t accept? That way the fans that are not as fanatical as the minority that exist on a message board don’t get pissed that they are not trying to win.not everyone is willing to support a tank/rebuild.
Some people don't get that Conroy, as an ex veteran player, might think there's an obligation to give at least a token offer to expiring vets who have given a lot to the team. And that token offer, if accepted, would have been a real bargain and the player would therefore still be tradable.
Half the team is young (25 or under). A few more are young enough to be contributing on a rebuilt team. Only a couple older players (Weegar and Huberdeau likely) will be here when they are done the rebuild.
The biggest reason pro tank folks wanted Andersson traded sooner was to lose. Well, they are already losing. So now wouldn't the job be to get the best assets in a trade? You can only finish last. Not laster.
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On pace for 48 points, 173 GF and a goal differential of -92
Previous full season record lows are 67 points (97-98), 186 GF (02-03) and -45 goals (99-00).
In fact we're en route to go below two shortened seasons: we got 55 points in 56 games in 20-21, and the same 55 points in 48 games in 94-95.
The worst Atlanta Flames season 72-73 was 65 points in 78 games with a goal differential of -48. (That was their first season.)
The current 2nd to last place team St. Louis is on pace to 66-67 points.
There's nothing to salvage here. If someone wants to give us draft picks for our vets, you say thank you. This team is heading for the bottom regardless.
(Keep Backlund though.)
Why on Earth are we keeping Backlund? Send him to a Cup contender for futures.
When you trade away almost half an NHL roster you need to bring back some NHL players to play. The bottom line is they are net positive on 5 prospects and 9 draft picks, net negative 4 NHL players, and this doesn't take into account that the NHL players they got back were all younger than the players they traded.
It's a rebuild.
So let’s look at actions and what they have communicated.
Action: they tried to sign and have offered contracts to many of those players.
Communication: Gm Craig Conroy has communicated when trading those vets he was targeting young players that fit their timeline. This has been repeated by the media including flames media, and national media in the nhl insiders. They have all specified re-tool and differentiated what it means vs rebuild.
Actions: we do not know all of the offers they received for those vets but based on communication above they must have turned down offers that were more future heavy in picks in favour of picks plus youngish players that fit their timeline (sharangovich, bahl, miromanov) and even traded away picks and youth for youngish players that fit said timeline (farabee, frost).
Actions: re-signing Backlund
It baffles me that people keep pointing to outcomes as evidence of a rebuild was the plan along. When actions align with communication, I think you have to take them at their word. If this goes into rebuild territory where Kadri, Coleman and other core pieces are shipped and the team actively tries to maximize their own pick then then it’s because they fell into it and not because it was a strategic decision. This has always been a re-tool to produce a competitive team as quickly as possible and not a rebuild that focused on building primarily through high draft picks. This is why many are concerned and take the statements that the team is “ happy with their core” or that the team “won’t trade a player unless that player asks to be traded”, seriously even if it is posturing (which I personally think it is).
So the answer is no, Dreger has never got anything right about the Flames?
No, the answer is Dredger is doing the work he's supposed to by leaking that the Flames very much "LOVE" their guys and team driving up the price of the pieces they'll very much consider moving.
No owner in the league is going to come out and say that he hates his core, and every guys available on the team for a price because he wants a do-over.
From what I've heard, I don't think he really said much of anything, Murray is far more focused on the new building and putting together a winning team so they can be competitive when it opens.
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Or did the flames offer them contracts they knew the players wouldn’t accept? That way the fans that are not as fanatical as the minority that exist on a message board don’t get pissed that they are not trying to win.not everyone is willing to support a tank/rebuild.
From all reports maybe except for Zadarov all the contracts offered were market competitive. In the case of lindholm and hanifin the offer was even more for what they eventually signed for.
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"
In the NHL, players score goals by shooting the puck into the opponent's net. The puck must completely cross the goal line between the goalposts and below the crossbar for the goal to count. Goals can be scored in various ways, including wrist shots, slap shots, backhand shots, deflections, tip-ins, and rebound efforts. The key is accuracy, timing, and positioning to outsmart the goalie and the defenders."
From all reports maybe except for Zadarov all the contracts offered were market competitive. In the case of lindholm and hanifin the offer was even more for what they eventually signed for.
Show your work, this isn’t true at all, except for maybe Lindholm. And Lindholm screwed his value in Vancouver, so it’s not apples to apples.
Huska has a bunch of forwards that aren't really good at being net front or rebound type guys, and telling them to just get pucks to the net and play for tips or rebounds.
Not that they have enough talent either way, but the team is not playing a system that best utilizes the roster.
It's playing a system that keeps games close enough, with the Hope maybe you are fortunate enough to come out on top of a 1 goal game.
Last year it worked - this year it has not.
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From what I've heard, I don't think he really said much of anything, Murray is far more focused on the new building and putting together a winning team so they can be competitive when it opens.
There is basically zero chance the Flames can be competitive when the new building opens. It takes some years of high draft picks to put together a competitive team.
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There is basically zero chance the Flames can be competitive when the new building opens. It takes some years of high draft picks to put together a competitive team.
That’s my thoughts as well. If the flames had the foresight to rebuild after Gaudreau and Tkachuk bolted then maybe there would be a chance. My guess is someone’s ego got in the way of that happening, and we ended up with an NHL record in nosediving (Huberdeau) for it.
On the plus side, it will be pretty funny to see a brand new building not sell out consistently.
From all reports maybe except for Zadarov all the contracts offered were market competitive. In the case of lindholm and hanifin the offer was even more for what they eventually signed for.
This narrative keeps getting pushed. Conroy in his interview after the Lindholm trade said he knew after initial contract talks in September/October that he was going to trade him.
From his own mouth around the 1:15 mark
All the media reports that they were still negotiating throughout the season, especially that report around Christmas where the were said to offer 9M, was just media speak so it didn't sewer the trade talks.
See link above. Hanifin signed for less. Also the main point to what I replied to was that the flames tried to keep most of these players and offered competitive contracts. The intention was not to offer contracts that they wouldn’t sign so they could sell for futures. .
