At this point sending Johnny down means one thing and one thing only. This management team will do anything and everything to draft Eichel or McDavid. Johnny is probably worth 8 to 10 points in the standings all by himself.
I was lucky enough to be lower bowl last night and all I can say is Gaudreau and Monahan were amazing. Every time Johnny had the puck something was going to happen it seemed to follow him and his passes are out of this world.
Personally I thought Bennett was so so and really feel he needs another year to bulk up but the speed as skill is there.
Even though the passing was horrible for both teams in the 2nd period, the pace of play last night was the highest we've seen this pre-season.
And Johnny looked fantastic again. 'Nuff said, he's made it.
Jooris looked great again, but anyone that thinks he is ready to play 82 games at the NHL level is just wrong, IMO. He has come such a long way and it's great to see - he is a legitimate NHL prospect now - but he still need to go to Addy, where he will be an integral part of the top 9. And hopefully he gets a call-up at some point this year, because he has earned it.
Baertschi should and will start the season in Addy I think. He has gotten stronger and has worked on his physical game - all good. But he has also lost his mojo. He needs to go down, play on the PP, and get his confidence back. And then he will be a great NHLer.
I know no one here wants to hear it, but Setoguchi was really solid last night. Really hustled on the backcheck several times, played physically, and was a presence out there.
Monahan was awesome.
Engelland is a nice addition. The size and physicality is obvious, but he is poised as well. A solid pairing with Russell.
Bennett wasn't good - at least until the 3rd. People have off nights though, and that's ok. I would expect that they play him again in Wpg to have another look. And I still think he gets some regular season games in. But he has to go back to the O.
I did a double take when I saw that he played 18 minutes last night.
I love how he drew 5 defenders in his direction, and still made the right play.
The thing is, Johnny wants to draw the opposition to him as it opens up passing targets. Most players panic when the other team swarms them. With Johnny, it's the plan. He makes the other team look like a swarm of wasps, mean but stupid.
Looks like he tried to slew foot Johnny a bit there.
Nah. He got beat and I think it's a natural reaction to make some contact to try to slow him down. Slew foot, to me, means an intentional, thought out motion. This was purely reactionary.
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I was lucky enough to be lower bowl last night and all I can say is Gaudreau and Monahan were amazing. Every time Johnny had the puck something was going to happen it seemed to follow him and his passes are out of this world.
Personally I thought Bennett was so so and really feel he needs another year to bulk up but the speed as skill is there.
Monahan looks like a 27 year old vet out there.
Then put the basterd on waivers!
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The thing is, Johnny wants to draw the opposition to him as it opens up passing targets. Most players panic when the other team swarms them. With Johnny, it's the plan. He makes the other team look like a swarm of wasps, mean but stupid.
If Johnnys plan is to make the other team swarm around him he is going to have a field day against the oilers
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Considering guys like McGrattan and Bollig are going to be on the team... I don't see why Jooris isn't ready for 82 games. He's not going to go down to the AHL and tear it up. He is what he is... an energy guy. He's 24 years old, he's not going to morph into something much more than he is right now.
Was at the game last night, was pretty much my first full game veiwing of the team so far but based on last night:
- I'll echo what everyone is saying about JG. Best player on the ice. That move off the boards to feed Jooris was great. Not sure his first assist was legitimate, but working his butt off to force the dman to rim it resulted in the goal. He made some noticable defensive plays as well.
- I'm pulling for Baertschi, but I hardly noticed him last night. Honestly doesn't look much bigger than JG does out there and looked like he was trying, but it's just not enough. Looked tired and weak IMO.
- Bennett also looked pretty fatigued. Similar to Baertschi in that you can tell he's trying, but ultimately ended up having little impact on the game. You can flashes of his game and intensity. Made a nice pass on Jooris' second goal (thought it was JG) and even bested Kane in a 1-on-1 along the boards, but he needs some more time.
- Jooris was a nice surprise. Just driving the net and doing the little things. You need guys like that willing to pay the price to compliment guys like JG and Sven.
Overall, the team looked decent. Gio and Brodie are noticably better than all other dmen. Russel hada good game. Smid looked good, but a little behind (conditioning I'm sure). Ramo had a nice game as well. I feel like he and Hiller will end up almost 50/50 in GP.
Honestly, at some point, they need to just trust Sven, let him learn from his mistakes and stop punishing and sending him to the farm.
Honestly, at some point, fans need to stop seeing being sent to the minors as punishment and realize it's to help players improve their game and confidence.
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The part that amazes me on that second assist, and I'm sure it's been talked to death already, is the seeming omniscience Gaudreau has.
You can see it develop from the camera angle but it's amazing that he visualizes and understands the position and movement of all the players around him. He holds and waits until Perreault (85) commits to a hit then rolls out of danger. Passing to Jooris seems like his secondary option as he runs straight into Trouba (8) (which it looks like he thought would keep the outlet to Jooris as blocked) but the ability to get out of danger and know that he's got at least two players out of the play (Perreault and Halischuk (15)) is something I haven't seen in a Flames player in...well, ever. The earliest games I remember seeing live were in Vernon's twilight years. Tanguay had great ice-level vision but didn't always show that level of elusiveness offensively nor did he seem to always been in the right spot or know exactly what he needed to do.
I try to keep myself grounded with Gaudreau and remember that it's still preseason and he's still playing marginal NHLers...but it's seeming more likely that Gaudreau will be on the Flames roster to start the season. I'm fully on the bandwagon at this point.
Mr. Hockey is definitely awesome so far!
You should watch Huselius at the 4min mark... good memories, hehe.
It was a great game for all of the youth movement. I wonder now between Jooris and Ferland who has a lead for a roster spot, because I believe they are fighting for the same spot. EDIT: Jooris it is.
Looks like he tried to slew foot Johnny a bit there.
He was just doing standard board pin technique. Guys always put their knee between the other players legs. He was foolish thinking Johnny would just stand there and get tied up.
Honestly, at some point, fans need to stop seeing being sent to the minors as punishment and realize it's to help players improve their game and confidence.
Best thing for Sven is to acknowledge the work he's put in over the summer, pump him up, and send him down to be on the top line. Make it a positive unlike last time which was more of a wake up call
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Huselius, one of the most skilled Flames ever...was fun watching him (most of the time)...why did he retire so early?
I don't want to get this thread too off topic, but as far as I remember he was injured quite a bit in his last couple of years in Columbus. His lacking defensive play didn't help his case either.
*In case it was just sarcastic question my detector is a little off sometimes.
Honestly, at some point, they need to just trust Sven, let him learn from his mistakes and stop punishing and sending him to the farm.
I really hope that no players consider going to the AHL as punishment, sure everyone wants to play in the NHL, but the AHL is not the doghouse, it's a place where they can work on their skills under a lot less scrutiny while getting more playing time than they would in limited NHL roles.
Same goes for Gaudreau or anyone else (even though I definitely want him up), he'll go down so he can get a ton of minutes and just work on consistency so everyone can feel confident in the decision. He's not being punished for being a young player or something...
EDIT: Just saw the other responses to this post, I responded before I got to the end of the thread, sorry for echoing.
People are also too fixated on the opening night roster. Player will be waived and moved up and down all through the season. Veterans are usually pushed out of the lineup during the season. Rookies will get games.
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