[Signing] Flames sign Erik Gudbranson (1 yr, $1.95 mil)

[Samonadreau]

Originally Posted by TheIronMaiden

What is the story with taxi squads this year. This and the stone signing make a lot more sense if guys like Kyllington and Mackey can be held on the roster.

Thats a really good point actually, surprised this is the first it's been mentioned.

[getbak]

There will not be any taxi squads this season.

[Flame On]

Originally Posted by Monahammer

It's not the direction I would have taken the team, but I have to agree and summarize some of the disparate comments in here:

- We have been clamouring for team identity for years.
- We have loudly complained that our team is too soft and weak, especially for playoffs.
- Many of us were shouting for blood and for heads to roll regarding the rumors of Tkachuk being told to tone it down.

Taking all of this, Treliving has now given us:
- Sutter, a coach known for having teams with a hard working, meritocratic, hard hitting identity.
- Acquired a set of players known for 2 way play to make us more difficult to play against and strong in the defensive sense (also with playoff resumes): Coleman, Lewis, Richardson, Pitlick
- Acquired a couple of players known to be ultra goons (back up for Tkachuk so he never has to take it easy): Zadorov, Gudbranson

So yeah, I too am disappointed that dreams of Eichel never came to fruition, but arguably Treliving has addressed the three biggest gripes we had with the team for the last two years.

Yeah I mean I'm not saying that the team is ultra balanced and skillful and deep or anything. Or even that the offseason wasn't a bit of a disappointment.
But I am happy to see the team get bigger and less soft. And hopefully this translates to others on the team.
I'm hoping that the fact the whole team can feel safe they won't be pushed around will get more buy-in from everyone on the team, goon or not.

I am also happy to see a full team of a competent coach with a system.

[Fischy13]

I don't know how many posters have played hockey. I have, for a lot of years, over 35 to be more precise. There wasn't one team I played on that didn't have the big guy on it, or the farm kids. Our skilled guys always played better with these guys on the team and better when on the ice with them. They had the luxury of playing comfortably and without worry or scared of the other teams ###### bags. The Eric Staal piece of shyte slashing on Johnny years ago, doesn't happen anymore. These guys can play their skill game as there will be consequences the other team doesn't wanna pay. It's a real life deterrent.

Sutter will also have these guys all playing balls to the wall. There will be injuries as players will be sacrificing themselves for the team. The players will have other players backs and that extra will or want to go to battle, will be there. We all saw Tkachuk, right or wrong, but that's what happens when you don't support each other. Good coach or not, Sutter demands you play for each other and that in itself makes them better.

This mentality is seen by other players and IMO makes it easier to sign with the Flames. They don't want to come to a team that is soft or plays for stats. That's an issue the Flames have had. No Steve Begin's making the sacrifices which is contagious. Calgary isn't a preferred destination but it doesn't need another reason for players to not sign there.

As pointed out by a few other posters, look what Sutter did with Warrener, Montador, Commadore and what Engelland did for this team. It's been lacking for a long time, having 8 dmen with this style is a requirement to keep the punishment going.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Samonadreau

Thats a really good point actually, surprised this is the first it's been mentioned.

I speculated on it last week. Officially there’s no taxi squad. I’m wondering if Treliving knows that this is going to change (due to rising infection rates, etc).

[stemit14]

I have another diabolical theory as why there is an overpayment for Gudbranson… pay him extra under the secret agreement he does whatever it takes to protect/avenge the star players… even if it means suspensions. If anyone slashes Gaudreau… a star player on the other team is getting attacked by Gudbranson whether they are willing combatants or not. If he gets 2-3 suspensions this year, that will be the conspiracy theory that I believe.


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[jaginla]

Originally Posted by stemit14

I have another diabolical theory as why there is an overpayment for Gudbranson… pay him extra under the secret agreement he does whatever it takes to protect/avenge the star players… even if it means suspensions. If anyone slashes Gaudreau… a star player on the other team is getting attacked by Gudbranson whether they are willing combatants or not. If he gets 2-3 suspensions this year, that will be the conspiracy theory that I believe.


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Wasn't this the plot of the first mighty ducks movie

[stemit14]

Originally Posted by jaginla

Wasn't this the plot of the first mighty ducks movie

Pretty much.


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[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by stemit14

I have another diabolical theory as why there is an overpayment for Gudbranson… pay him extra under the secret agreement he does whatever it takes to protect/avenge the star players… even if it means suspensions. If anyone slashes Gaudreau… a star player on the other team is getting attacked by Gudbranson whether they are willing combatants or not. If he gets 2-3 suspensions this year, that will be the conspiracy theory that I believe.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Oh, I like this idea.......

No way that will backfire. Just ask the New Orleans Saints.

[Calgary4LIfe]

16-26-7 vs 24-16-9, and then 19-14-0 vs 11-19-2.


What are these records? It was the 2013-14 season, and it was Calgary's start vs Vancouver's start, and then the "Brawl game", and then Calgary's finish vs Vancouver's finish.


I also think back to some other times that this kind of stuff made a difference. IMO, I think Lucic really demolished Buffalo that year he ran Miller. I mean, I thought it was ugly and I hated him for doing it, but what happened after that game? Buffalo basically started to implode, and they have been rebuilding ever since.


Last year we saw Wilson get into the NYR's heads, and they acquired one of the toughest guys in the NHL to ensure that doesn't happen again.


IMO, that 2013-14 Flames team were the toughest top to bottom that I remember for a while, and that incident I think galvanized that squad and propelled them into a solid subsequent season that saw them go all the way to the 2nd round of the playoffs. It wasn't such miracle season, regardless of what the advanced stats say - that team started to play with swagger and they played for one another, and it didn't go unnoticed. Aaron Ward spoke about how they were playing as a team and for each other, and picked them to make the playoffs in the 2014-15 season (the only pundit to do so), and he was proven right. People forget that the season didn't have a lot go wrong as well - tonnes of injuries to important players, but they managed to battle through them.


I also remember that Treliving has always wanted size. Perhaps it was just lip service, but he always said that the Flames need to get bigger, but that size has to come with skating ability and skill. Flames have tried drafting players with size and skill, but the really good ones are picked high in the draft for the most part. Still, when you end up drafting a Micheal Ferland, it is absolutely can be a game changer, as we all saw in the 2014-15 playoffs. Flames have continually been trying to draft that size and skill, but then comes the off-season and the Flames just seem to target a random collection of players simply to fill holes - and that's fine in some cases when you already have an identity, but after the 2014-15 season the Flames lost their identity and haven't had one until now.



I think this team is going to start having that 'swagger' again. I don't think that any team in the league can really match up with the Flames. Washington has a lot of size, particularly in their top 6, but Calgary won't be backing down from any team physically this year since around 2014-15. Those 2 seasons had this team as a really tough and physical team, with a bunch of rookies leading the charge offensively for the most part.


Those UFAs that we signed are all (well, mostly) skilled in some ways. Lewis, Richardson and Pitlick are going to be incredibly annoying to play against physically and defensively, and they are going to compliment Backlund and Lucic well (Lucic is so underrated defensively).


We all were getting tired of Ritchie next to Gaudreau and Monahan, but EXCELS on the forecheck IMO, and makes this team so much more difficult to play against. Use him correctly in the lineup, and he is a very good piece to have IMO (keep him on the 4th line).


Zadorov and Gudbranson will provide a lot more of the physicality too, and I bet they end up being fairly solid defensively (hello Darryl Sutter).


I am really excited to see this team play. Once again, I completely disagree that this team hasn't made some big changes - they completely changed their style of play and their identity in one off-season. That's huge. Adding Eichel and keeping everything the same - including the style of play as last season - wouldn't have sent this team in a new direction. They would have been better, and on paper they might have been considered a really good team, but I am tired of the 'on paper' stuff that doesn't pan out. This team on paper used to have the best defence in the NHL in 2010 - and that team sucked. Then you had Giordano - Brodie - Hamilton - Hamonic - and that team wasn't very good either.


Those teams had a few things in common - they played slow, and they were poorly coached, and I would say they had no identity or swagger at all.


I am excited about this team this year. I mean, I still hope that Eichel somehow gets acquired as well, but to say that this team is not going to look drastically different this upcoming season is (IMO) not giving enough attention to the team as a whole now. It is going to be a team with a lot of swagger, a lot of moxie, and a team that just might be the most hated to play against in the NHL this season.

[Sandman]

Nice write-up as usual, Calgary4Life. Couldn't agree more.

[Goriders]

Compared to the start of last season. If Monahan can change things around and build some chemistry with Coleman and Mangiapane I think our top two lines will be very good.

I also think our D will be better than everybody thinks and way more physical than last season.

Third and 4th lines should be experienced and physical.

If Vlader can pick up where he left off with Boston goaltending should also be upgraded.

Coaching has definitely been upgraded.

[united]

I defer to Jason Spezza's view on the topic. While he hasn't played for 35+ years yet, he's been pretty successful I would say.


The ultimate hockey nerd: Untold stories of Jason Spezza’s journey from junior phenom to beloved Maple Leafs veteran/

When Ottawa would dress a super tough guy, like, let’s say that they would dress Matt Kassian in the lineup, I remember Jason explaining to me, “Listen, you’re gonna hear a lot of people tell you, you add a tough guy in the lineup and everybody feels like they’re two inches taller, and that’s why we like it.”

He’s like, “No, we love it because we’re playing with only 11 forwards. That way, guys like me get more time.”

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by united

I defer to Jason Spezza's view on the topic. While he hasn't played for 35+ years yet, he's been pretty successful I would say.


The ultimate hockey nerd: Untold stories of Jason Spezza’s journey from junior phenom to beloved Maple Leafs veteran/

When Ottawa would dress a super tough guy, like, let’s say that they would dress Matt Kassian in the lineup, I remember Jason explaining to me, “Listen, you’re gonna hear a lot of people tell you, you add a tough guy in the lineup and everybody feels like they’re two inches taller, and that’s why we like it.”

He’s like, “No, we love it because we’re playing with only 11 forwards. That way, guys like me get more time.”

Yeah, remember the half season when the Flames had Westgarth, who skated for a shift each period. He would come out between whistles and do a little spin, then ride the bench again.

Of course, it’s harder to do that with a D like Gudbranson.

[Icantwhisper]

Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe

16-26-7 vs 24-16-9, and then 19-14-0 vs 11-19-2.


What are these records? It was the 2013-14 season, and it was Calgary's start vs Vancouver's start, and then the "Brawl game", and then Calgary's finish vs Vancouver's finish.


I also think back to some other times that this kind of stuff made a difference. IMO, I think Lucic really demolished Buffalo that year he ran Miller. I mean, I thought it was ugly and I hated him for doing it, but what happened after that game? Buffalo basically started to implode, and they have been rebuilding ever since.


Last year we saw Wilson get into the NYR's heads, and they acquired one of the toughest guys in the NHL to ensure that doesn't happen again.


IMO, that 2013-14 Flames team were the toughest top to bottom that I remember for a while, and that incident I think galvanized that squad and propelled them into a solid subsequent season that saw them go all the way to the 2nd round of the playoffs. It wasn't such miracle season, regardless of what the advanced stats say - that team started to play with swagger and they played for one another, and it didn't go unnoticed. Aaron Ward spoke about how they were playing as a team and for each other, and picked them to make the playoffs in the 2014-15 season (the only pundit to do so), and he was proven right. People forget that the season didn't have a lot go wrong as well - tonnes of injuries to important players, but they managed to battle through them.


I also remember that Treliving has always wanted size. Perhaps it was just lip service, but he always said that the Flames need to get bigger, but that size has to come with skating ability and skill. Flames have tried drafting players with size and skill, but the really good ones are picked high in the draft for the most part. Still, when you end up drafting a Micheal Ferland, it is absolutely can be a game changer, as we all saw in the 2014-15 playoffs. Flames have continually been trying to draft that size and skill, but then comes the off-season and the Flames just seem to target a random collection of players simply to fill holes - and that's fine in some cases when you already have an identity, but after the 2014-15 season the Flames lost their identity and haven't had one until now.



I think this team is going to start having that 'swagger' again. I don't think that any team in the league can really match up with the Flames. Washington has a lot of size, particularly in their top 6, but Calgary won't be backing down from any team physically this year since around 2014-15. Those 2 seasons had this team as a really tough and physical team, with a bunch of rookies leading the charge offensively for the most part.


Those UFAs that we signed are all (well, mostly) skilled in some ways. Lewis, Richardson and Pitlick are going to be incredibly annoying to play against physically and defensively, and they are going to compliment Backlund and Lucic well (Lucic is so underrated defensively).


We all were getting tired of Ritchie next to Gaudreau and Monahan, but EXCELS on the forecheck IMO, and makes this team so much more difficult to play against. Use him correctly in the lineup, and he is a very good piece to have IMO (keep him on the 4th line).


Zadorov and Gudbranson will provide a lot more of the physicality too, and I bet they end up being fairly solid defensively (hello Darryl Sutter).


I am really excited to see this team play. Once again, I completely disagree that this team hasn't made some big changes - they completely changed their style of play and their identity in one off-season. That's huge. Adding Eichel and keeping everything the same - including the style of play as last season - wouldn't have sent this team in a new direction. They would have been better, and on paper they might have been considered a really good team, but I am tired of the 'on paper' stuff that doesn't pan out. This team on paper used to have the best defence in the NHL in 2010 - and that team sucked. Then you had Giordano - Brodie - Hamilton - Hamonic - and that team wasn't very good either.


Those teams had a few things in common - they played slow, and they were poorly coached, and I would say they had no identity or swagger at all.


I am excited about this team this year. I mean, I still hope that Eichel somehow gets acquired as well, but to say that this team is not going to look drastically different this upcoming season is (IMO) not giving enough attention to the team as a whole now. It is going to be a team with a lot of swagger, a lot of moxie, and a team that just might be the most hated to play against in the NHL this season.

correlation and causation are two different things

[chummer]

Worth a bump, who could have predicted this-

https://twitter.com/user/status/1500525819243814922

[monkeyman]

Re-reading some of the posts in this thread is absolutely cringe inducing.

[agulati]

Gudbranson is tied for his career high in points (13) in only 54 games. His previous career high was in 76 games back in 2014-15.

He has also hit his career high in goals with 5, and with 8 assists this year he is one back of his career high in assists.

He brings a lot of other elements to his game, but his contribution in the actual scoresheet has been pretty solid this year.

Good signing by Tre, and definitely been a major part of our defense right from the first game. I was skeptical at the price we got him for, but Gudbranson has proven me and so many more, wrong in that regard.

[Cole436]

This aged poorly

[browna]

The first 50 or so reaction posts are pure gold, and you can taste the melodrama on some of them, it is so thick.

At that point it becomes another bashing Treliving or Sutter or both for the next 350+ posts.

Like them or not at the time, Zadorov, Lewis, Richardson and keeping around Ritichie, allows Sutter to implement his style of play that filters all the way through to the rest of the roster.

I don’t think Gudbranson or Zadorov or anyone on the above list has outplayed their own expectations or level of play over their careers. Again, difference in the way they are playing this season is a product of a specific part of a tight system, and they’ve been slotted and coached up into the right spot to best match the strengths that have got them into the NHL. That’s all on Sutter for recognizing and coaching up.