NHL 31 in 31: Calgary Flames 2018-19 season preview
Point out our home record sunk us last year.
Q1: Is dipping into the Carolina Huricanes' well really the best course of action?
Q2: Where does James Neal fit in with the Calgary Flames?
Q3: What can we expect from new Head Coach Bill Peters?
Playoff Predictions:
Mike Johnson thinks we'll be better, especially at home. Says he thinks we'll be a playoff team after a pretty significant jump if Mike Smith stays healthy.
Dan Rosen thinks we'll barely miss.
Last edited by AC; 08-04-2018 at 10:20 PM.
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Dan Rosen is the worst; let’s see him say well this, this is the year Edmonton puts it together. I think he’s the worst part of the actual NHL.com coverage, Johnson isn’t my favourite either but even he looks at all the additions and sees us gaining traction with a healthy Smith.
The write up for the flames by Aaron Vickers is better than that Johnson/Rosen video.
I can see why people who don’t follow the team closely do not see a team that has been upgraded significantly. There are those that think Calgary got the worse end of the draft day blockbuster. There are those who are not sold that Bill Peters is any kind of upgrade on Gulutzan (I am still skeptical myself). There are people who think we grossly overpaid James Neal.
Those who really watch the team closely (this forum) realize that something was wrong with this roster. I don’t think many of us thought this was a good team that had a few injuries and that is why they missed. The team needed to be changed on several levels and Treliving did just that.
Huge turnover and in my opinion a huge upgrade on the roster. The average age of the players going out is 30 and the average age of the players coming in is 26. The team absolutely added scoring firepower to the roster which was a huge need last year. I think the mix of players will also yield much better results. They still have a top 4 on the blue line that is among the better in the league. They have a legit top 6 now with 4 of those players 25 or younger. They have added some depth to the bottom 6 by adding Ryan, Czarnik, and bumping Frolik down. They still have 2 intriguing youngsters in Bennett and Jankowski in the bottom 6. Lastly they have some good prospects in Mangiapane, Foo, Dube, Valimaki, Andersson, and Kylington pushing for spots.
So I can see why haters or people out east who just look at the numbers saying Calgary is a bubble team but as a hardcore fan who loves their summer I think this is a team that will be in the mix for the Pacific division title.
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Dan Rosen has no idea how much of a better team we've become over the offseason.
Johnson says that Hamilton is criminally underrated and that Hanifin is not as good as him. I think that the hockey world is going to have their opinions change very, very soon when Hanifin gets his opportunity to shine here.
Meh—both opinions seem pretty reasonable overall. Flames should be better than last year, but will still be in tough to make playoffs.
Ultimately, I think Vinny’s take about the overall makeup of the team is correct. Treliving did a great job of improving both the “guts” of the lineup (like, 3rd/4th lines) and also added some skill. The potential there is very exciting, especially because I think the youth-infusion and competition for spots on those bottom two lines will drive the team, something that was definitely missing last year.
Still, the Flames will have to show that they don’t have to rely so much on Smith (and/or Rittich), will have to improve the PP and definitely will have to improve that home record. I’m way more optimistic going into this season with this roster than last year’s, but suggesting the Flames could miss playoffs by a hair is not unreasonable.
If not for terrible coaching and PP last season, this team probably would have made the playoffs.
As long at that improves and with the roster changes, I can't see why the team shouldn't be in a the playoffs.
Like always though, it doesn't matter what's on paper. Given how this team under performs more often than it doesn't, I think Rosen is making the easy prediction.
__________________
"A pessimist thinks things can't get any worse. An optimist knows they can."
Well he could be right as the Flames have underachieved year after year especially when we've been expected to have a good year. All in all I do like the roster changes but only time will tell if we really are a playoff team. My heart says yes but my head says no.
I can definitely see how one might be unconvinced of the Flames' playoff chances. On paper this is a bubble team if everything goes right, but this fanbase should know better than most how quickly a team can unravel with poor goaltending and/or coaching. And on both of those fronts there are question marks.
I can definitely see how one might be unconvinced of the Flames' playoff chances. On paper this is a bubble team if everything goes right, but this fanbase should know better than most how quickly a team can unravel with poor goaltending and/or coaching. And on both of those fronts there are question marks.
A bubble team if everything goes right is selling them short imo. They are a bubble team if several things go poorly.
If everything goes right they should be top 4-5 in the West for sure
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In all seriousness, I think we miss. To make it we’ll need .915+ goaltending, and I don’t think we’ll get it. The back end got worse this summer. Expecting
Brodie to do a 180 is unrealistic and, in any event, even if he does he is still weak defensively.
I can see why people who don’t follow the team closely do not see a team that has been upgraded significantly. There are those that think Calgary got the worse end of the draft day blockbuster. There are those who are not sold that Bill Peters is any kind of upgrade on Gulutzan (I am still skeptical myself). There are people who think we grossly overpaid James Neal.
Those who really watch the team closely (this forum) realize that something was wrong with this roster. I don’t think many of us thought this was a good team that had a few injuries and that is why they missed. The team needed to be changed on several levels and Treliving did just that.
Huge turnover and in my opinion a huge upgrade on the roster. The average age of the players going out is 30 and the average age of the players coming in is 26. The team absolutely added scoring firepower to the roster which was a huge need last year. I think the mix of players will also yield much better results. They still have a top 4 on the blue line that is among the better in the league. They have a legit top 6 now with 4 of those players 25 or younger. They have added some depth to the bottom 6 by adding Ryan, Czarnik, and bumping Frolik down. They still have 2 intriguing youngsters in Bennett and Jankowski in the bottom 6. Lastly they have some good prospects in Mangiapane, Foo, Dube, Valimaki, Andersson, and Kylington pushing for spots.
So I can see why haters or people out east who just look at the numbers saying Calgary is a bubble team but as a hardcore fan who loves their summer I think this is a team that will be in the mix for the Pacific division title.
Great write up. I disagree that we have a top tier blueline and think that this forum has consistently overrated it in the face of terrible results, year in and year out.
The lines up front are way better. If Bennett improves could be one of the best in the west. But the D is way overrated. Always has been. Bubble team.
This team should definitely be a playoff team, the Neil signing and his 25+ goals should alone push them there. Whether or not the team as such can be a contender is another question.
Treliving has locked up the core guys to long term contracts which says he thinks this group can get it done. If he has to shuffle the deck again like he did this off-season I don't see his tenure here lasting much longer.
Losing Hamilton's boneheaded penalties should push this team alot closer to the playoffs. And having right handed options to take draws should improve special teams.
I think just looking at scoring in vs scoring out is selling the impact of the roster changes way short. There are just way fewer weak links in the team makeup, wether it be handedness, speed, and give a s***level. Now, let's hope they gel in China and have a strong start.
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NHL 31 in 31: Calgary Flames 2018-19 season preview
