[CP Story] Reactionary Roster Management

[Winsor_Pilates]

Originally Posted by GullFoss

Im going to add that IMO the easiest option for the flames is to make their middle six better and hope it helps with match-ups and momentum next playoffs. Make your second line more of a scoring threat and make the third line the shutdown instead of the second. And then hope that Monahan comes back bigger and faster. And hope Neal is rejuvenated after a long off-season.

In an ideal world you get a #1C and this is what happens.
Monahan drops to #2 for a better 2nd line, Backlund drops to #3 as a shutdown line.

Not sure if an upgraded #1 centre will be possible this off season, but that's what takes this lineup to the next level.

[AustinL_NHL]

Here me out:

Brodie + Jankowski + Kylington for Kadri + Kapanen

Frolik + 1st (going based off rumored deadline deal) + Stone (cap reasons) for Zucker

Gaudreau-Monahan-Lindholm
Tkachuk-Kadri-Kapanen
Bennett-Backlund-Zucker
Mangiapane-Ryan-Neal

That's 4 dominant possession lines that also bring a solid amount of snarl and grit.

We'd have the best forward group in the NHL and come Playoff time (or earlier), put Kadri with Gaudreau & Monahan with Tkachuk

[Psytic]

Originally Posted by AustinL_NHL

Here me out:

Brodie + Jankowski + Kylington for Kadri + Kapanen

Frolik + 1st (going based off rumored deadline deal) + Stone (cap reasons) for Zucker

Gaudreau-Monahan-Lindholm
Tkachuk-Kadri-Kapanen
Bennett-Backlund-Zucker
Mangiapane-Ryan-Neal

That's 4 dominant possession lines that also bring a solid amount of snarl and grit.

We'd have the best forward group in the NHL and come Playoff time (or earlier), put Kadri with Gaudreau & Monahan with Tkachuk

I dont know if I would go that far...

[AustinL_NHL]

Originally Posted by Psytic

I dont know if I would go that far...

At the very minimum, we'd be in the conversation.

[SeanCharles]

Originally Posted by AustinL_NHL

Here me out:

Brodie + Jankowski + Kylington for Kadri + Kapanen

Frolik + 1st (going based off rumored deadline deal) + Stone (cap reasons) for Zucker

Gaudreau-Monahan-Lindholm
Tkachuk-Kadri-Kapanen
Bennett-Backlund-Zucker
Mangiapane-Ryan-Neal

That's 4 dominant possession lines that also bring a solid amount of snarl and grit.

We'd have the best forward group in the NHL and come Playoff time (or earlier), put Kadri with Gaudreau & Monahan with Tkachuk

I think we should keep Kylington but other than that I dont mind your ideas.

I also think Dube will be ready for fulltime duty next year and I like Hathaway as a 4th liner.

Maybe dont trade for Zucker unless we could somehow offload Neal.

[AustinL_NHL]

Originally Posted by SeanCharles

I think we should keep Kylington but other than that I dont mind your ideas.

I also think Dube will be ready for fulltime duty next year and I like Hathaway as a 4th liner.

Maybe dont trade for Zucker unless we could somehow offload Neal.

Yea, I agree on Dube.

I really wanted to slot him in over Neal but I just can't see a scenario where Neal is moved this offseason so I felt obligated to put him there.

I'm personally a huge fan of Zucker and think he'd be a fantastic add to the team which is why I still want to revisit that deadline deal

[gamesaver]

Originally Posted by Toonage

If Carolina balks at paying Mrazek twice his current salary I'd like the Flames to jump in there. Greiss is around $3M too but would cost a pick + I'm guessing. Both options I'd like to see explored ahead of Smith. Mrazek in particular might be a good partner for Rittich.

Carolina has a LOT of cap space, unlike the Flames. Can't see how the Flames can top any offer he will receive and also sign Rittich and Tkachuk this off season. Canes are now fully committed to Mrazek as their starter. Also, for Mrazek, the role is more important than the contract. He is looking for a full time starter job. With Rittich already established here, I am sure he is not going to come here to try and fight for a spot again as he has already earned one in Raleigh. Read some Czech articles and he says Carolina is the number one choice for him now and how he is hoping they can struck a deal.

As for changes, I took a step back and gave it a thought. I don't think Flames should do any major moves. This is a winning team that lacks experience. The coaching staff also, this was a first series for Peters as a head coach. Not long ago, Panthers had a great regular season, only to be upset by the Isles in the first round. They made some questionable decisions during the summer and than they fell back to the ground. I am sure Cali Panthers Fan could tell us more about that story. I am only worried about the condition of Sean Monahan. Really hoping his injury doesn't have a career ending potential.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

Is it not abundantly clear by now that Springtime Sam Bennett is not the same player as Winter Bennett? We have seen this now each and every season the Flames have played in the playoffs since 2015—Bennett plays fine in the regular season, but then turns into a post-season monster. Yeah, he is still young and maybe there is some room to grow, but I am today fairly unconvinced that he will be a viable second-line option for the Flames in September. He remains a VERY important player for this team because of what he brings when the playoffs start, but I still believe what we see from him each regular season is what we will get in the future, and that's okay.

Absolutely, that's the rub.

I think he took steps this season in driving play, but he certainly didn't in production when push came to shove. His production rate was his second highest in his pro career after his rookie season, so he's taking a step ... but that's not to suggest he's a top six forward. (He was ranked 11th for forwards in points/60 five on five on the team).

So you take that and probably plateau him as a third liner, but have some hope/confusion left to ponder with his generation stats being much higher (3rd in forwards for expected individual goals, 1st for forwards in individual high danger chances).

Is this guy good at creating but bad at finishing? Bad luck? A bit of both?

I think they find a new guy behind Backlund, and let Bennett be the ceterpiece of the third line.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by AustinL_NHL

Here me out:

Brodie + Jankowski + Kylington for Kadri + Kapanen

Frolik + 1st (going based off rumored deadline deal) + Stone (cap reasons) for Zucker

Gaudreau-Monahan-Lindholm
Tkachuk-Kadri-Kapanen
Bennett-Backlund-Zucker
Mangiapane-Ryan-Neal

That's 4 dominant possession lines that also bring a solid amount of snarl and grit.

We'd have the best forward group in the NHL and come Playoff time (or earlier), put Kadri with Gaudreau & Monahan with Tkachuk

I'm not big on the fantasy lineups but a line of Tkachuk and Kadri would easily become the most hated line in the NHL which would be a good thing for the Flames.

[keenan87]

I dont know.. I was very disappointed with Tkachuk in the playoffs.

Everyone including me continually talk about "how much teams hate him" and how he will be a menace in the playoffs. Truth is, he was pretty weak in the playoffs and just as bad as other top line guys. He needs to bring his best game to the playoffs, especially during a time when refs put away their whistles for a lot.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by PugnaciousIntern

But then, Treliving brought IN Fantenberg at the trade deadline. I am still confused by that move. In my eyes we have a glut of defencemen, but apparently we needed to add defensive depth for these playoffs. Does Treliving still believe the current list of D contracts headed into the next season are not enough?

Treliving acquired Fantenberg who has no term intentionally because he didn’t want to roadblock Kylington and Valimaki with a player with term. Suggesting Fantenberg was a rental only.

Why did he do this? Because Stone and Prout were RHD and can’t play the left side and because we can’t trust Kylington yet in the playoffs and Valimaki was still in the AHL getting back up to speed after a long injury absence.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by Winsor_Pilates

In an ideal world you get a #1C and this is what happens.
Monahan drops to #2 for a better 2nd line, Backlund drops to #3 as a shutdown line.

Not sure if an upgraded #1 centre will be possible this off season, but that's what takes this lineup to the next level.

Did y’all catch Peters talking about moving Lindholm back to centre after the season was over? What if we have the #1 centre already that bumps Monahan down to #2?

It does leave a gaping hole at RW that needs to be filled but getting a top two line RWer is easier than getting a #1 centre.

Gaudreau-Lindholm-Tkachuk
Mangiapane/Dube-Monahan-????
Jankowski-Backlund-Czarnik
Mangiapane/Dube-Ryan-Hathaway

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

Did y’all catch Peters talking about moving Lindholm back to centre after the season was over? What if we have the #1 centre already that bumps Monahan down to #2?

It does leave a gaping hole at RW that needs to be filled but getting a top two line RWer is easier than getting a #1 centre.

Gaudreau-Lindholm-Tkachuk
Mangiapane/Dube-Monahan-????
Jankowski-Backlund-Czarnik
Mangiapane/Dube-Ryan-Hathaway

What did Peters' say?

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

What did Peters' say?

That they would talk about moving Lindholm there, that Peters knows he can play the position, that it would leave a big hole on the wing that Tre would have to fill and that they’d let him know before training camp IIRC

That this was even on his mind so early in the off-season is interesting and suggest to me they have identified the performance of our centres in the playoffs as an issue.

[Toonage]

Media made a big deal about Peters repeatedly bringing that up unprompted. Suggested he must be thinking hard about it.

[Flames1217]

Originally Posted by AustinL_NHL

Here me out:

Gaudreau-Monahan-Lindholm
Tkachuk-Kadri-Kapanen
Bennett-Backlund-Zucker
Mangiapane-Ryan-Neal

That's 4 dominant possession lines that also bring a solid amount of snarl and grit.

We'd have the best forward group in the NHL and come Playoff time (or earlier), put Kadri with Gaudreau & Monahan with Tkachuk

I would rather run:
Gaudreau-Monahan-Lindholm
Zucker-Backlund-Kapanen
Tkachuk-Kadri-Bennett
Mangiapane-Ryan-Hathaway

That would be awesome

[Itse]

On the topic of trading a defenseman;

While there's arguments to be made for keeping Kylington over Brodie or Hanifin, I think it's worth considering the potential issues of lacking experience on the blueline.

Kylington is at 39 GP, Välimäki has 24 GP and Andersson is at 90 GP. That's not a lot.

[atb]

Originally Posted by Bingo

Absolutely, that's the rub.

I think he took steps this season in driving play, but he certainly didn't in production when push came to shove. His production rate was his second highest in his pro career after his rookie season, so he's taking a step ... but that's not to suggest he's a top six forward. (He was ranked 11th for forwards in points/60 five on five on the team).

So you take that and probably plateau him as a third liner, but have some hope/confusion left to ponder with his generation stats being much higher (3rd in forwards for expected individual goals, 1st for forwards in individual high danger chances).

Is this guy good at creating but bad at finishing? Bad luck? A bit of both?

I think they find a new guy behind Backlund, and let Bennett be the ceterpiece of the third line.

I think we've seen a lot of cases where the finish is often the last piece to fall in place for developing players. Not that I'm holding out hope for Bennett reaching what we thought he would be when drafted, but optically this was his best year since his rookie season by far. Statistically he's similar to Lindholm's time in Carolina before breaking out this year with the Flames. Hopefully we see the finish start to come through next year.

[TheScorpion]

Bennett reminds me a lot of a more physical Josh Bailey and I'd be thrilled if he hit that potential

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by keenan87

I dont know.. I was very disappointed with Tkachuk in the playoffs.

Everyone including me continually talk about "how much teams hate him" and how he will be a menace in the playoffs. Truth is, he was pretty weak in the playoffs and just as bad as other top line guys. He needs to bring his best game to the playoffs, especially during a time when refs put away their whistles for a lot.

A lot of people here like to focus on Gaudreau and his conditioning. Tkachuk has faded badly towards the end of every season he's finished so IMO if there's a player you want to point the conditioning finger at he's a prime candidate. A lot of players thought Hartley worked them too hard. Looks like maybe the shift from Hartley to nice guy Gulutzan drifted the team too far the other direction given that two straight seasons the team has nosed dived after the all star break, conditioning and diet may be something the team has to evaluate in the offseason.