CP Radio is returning: your questions?

[Robbob]

Who or what should be the core going forward.

[Dion]

Should they bring back Talbot with a promise of fair shake at a starting position?

Is it too early to make judgements on Rittich as to weather he can play at the elite level on a consistant basis?

[Sylvanfan]

For optimum cap usage how much should the Flames committ to the number 4 defence slot this upcoming season? Gio, Hanifan, and Anderson are the top 3 at 6.75, 4.95, and 4.55. Can they afford another 4 million dollar guy or should the be looking at a player in the 3.5 range.

[Reggie Dunlop]

Can Valimaki slot into the Top 4?

[The Original FFIV]

Discuss in detail the challenges we have as a small market Canadian team (team on most players ntc, elite coaches not coming here). Identify what Treliving is doing Right to overcome this handicap and What needs to be improved. Grade team on roster construction (trades, drafting, free agency) and what have been strong points/weak points.

[nieuwy-89]

I think we should just have a good group cry over the debacle of Game 6.

[Lanny_McDonald]

Can this team get by without a proven coach?

Which Sam Bennett shows up to training camp?

Does size really matter, and do the Flames have enough of it?

Will a retool work, or is it rebuild time?

Is there a goaltender out there for this team, and where do they find him?

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by troutman

CP Members - “Quien Es Mas Macho?

I'm going Montalban.

[Strange Brew]

Realistic expectations for next season?
What to do with Giordano?
What you would do to turn the club into a contender?

And just for Jiri, why trading Johnny Gaudreau is the tonic that will cure the club's ails.

[Poe969]

does the team and their fans fall in love with players and prioritize "relationships" over winning? Are they afraid to trade players because they feel like family?

[Locke]

For me its two burning issues.

Coaching is a concern. I think goaltending was solid more or less.

But this team....its either missing real top-end talent...which I'm not so overly concerned about because teams with real top-end talent also failed....

But its the ability to elevate effort and performance. The GAF meter at critical moments. Intelligence.

I find this to be a deep and well balanced team that makes bad mistakes at critical moments from management to players.

I think two playoff disasters in a row really speaks to the character of this team. And Treliving went out and got Lucic and it was highly controversial but I dont think anyone would lament or downplay his role during these playoffs.

There is either a rot here....or this collection of players are simply not good enough.

Like I said, two things. I saw team mail games in regularly. Unacceptable. With their foot on the gas they were a force to be reckoned with.

Figure it out.

[DeluxeMoustache]

Have to follow up on Monahan’s comments. Why can’t they close out good situations when the opponent wants it badly?
(ex. Why don’t the players eat the puck on the boards with 20 seconds to go? Then fail to learn from it, and do likewise, the next game? Basic stuff to expect. Coaches or players? )

Are the players deployed optimally? Could this mix of players be deployed more effectively to actually be successful?
(Given the situation that 13/23 are not producing even strength, but are ok defensively, does it make sense to break up what us unexpectedly working Johnny is doing flybys on big guys on the forecheck. Should you contemplate pairing him with a linemate with grit 5v5?
Is Mangiapane right now ideally a second or third liner?)


How do you view the sequence of events in the game 6 goalie pull ? What’s the worst decision of the many?
-Deciding it’s a good time to pull the goalie? (How in the good hell do you pull a goalie when the game is just tied? You ran up 3, they got 3 of what I would consider luckier goals. Normally you pull when the other team is starting to run away.)
-Deciding to throw in an ice cold guy who hasn’t played competitive hockey in 5-6 months behind a shellshocked team?
-Talbot having “equipment issues” (taking his stuff off)?
-Failing to communicate to Talbot that it was a short term pull?
-Publicizing that disconnect?

How much does Ward’s horrendous goalie pull cancel out all of the positives? The post Peters turnaround in terms of W-L, emergence of Mangiapane, revival of Lucic, Bennett, etc. Improvement of 23 and 13’s 200 foot game?

People are talking about Tkachuk as a candidate for C. When does this conversation make sense? He gives a compelling interview, and has a regular season highlight reel, but 2 points in 6 games is right in line with his overall playoff* achievement of 5 points in 15 games. Great interviews, great hat flip. What do you need to see from him to graduate from ‘likely future captain’ to ‘presumptive future captain”?

5 penalties in a row. Do the refs hate the Flames? Is the Wideman curse real?

What did you see as the difference between periods 1, 2 and 3 in game 6? Did the Flames play well in 2 and 3? Fluky bounces? Bad luck?

Lots to discuss. Many good suggestions in this thread. Have at it, fellas

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

Realistic expectations for next season?
What to do with Giordano?
What you would do to turn the club into a contender?

And just for Jiri, why trading Johnny Gaudreau is the tonic that will cure the club's ails.

Never said it was

[gunnner]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Never said it was

Does seem like Gaudreau gets a rough ride from the fan base & media compared to Monahan though? I thought Gaudreau competed harder and played better than Monahan in the playoffs but his diet/work ethic/etc... always is brought up on here by yourself and others, but much less on Monahan. Matter of different expectations?

[GirlySports]

Which coaches should the Flames target?

A draft preview show.

Should we make Bennett #1C happen in a rebuild?

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Never said it was

Don't take my comment too seriously.

You certainly have been beating the trade Gaudreau drum consistently, for as long as I can remember, with frequent criticisms of his commitment and fitness.

After these last playoffs, if there is one guy I am resigned to thinking needs to be moved, it's Monahan. Gaudreau could explode in a different situation with different linemates. I don't think that about Monahan.

Trading Gaudreau is about targeting what you want for the future direction of the club.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Yes. And my reason for trading Gaudreau largely has been based on extracting the most value out of the asset. And because I don't think the other outcomes (him walking, or him signing another contract) are positive.
More recently his performance has simplified increased my belief he should trade him. But the core of it has always been more about managing the asset.
I don't feel the same urgency with Monahan. And I'm also not in a rush to trade the team's best centre, without understanding how that player is going to be replaced...unless you are going full scorched re-build (which I would actually be in favor of, but doubt that the ownership group would allow).

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by gunnner

Does seem like Gaudreau gets a rough ride from the fan base & media compared to Monahan though? I thought Gaudreau competed harder and played better than Monahan in the playoffs but his diet/work ethic/etc... always is brought up on here by yourself and others, but much less on Monahan. Matter of different expectations?

Again my push to trade Johnny is less about performance and more about managing and getting a return on the asset. That's the urgency from my perspective. I think his value will continue to diminish as he enters the last 2 years of his contract. The time is now.

[Robbob]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Again my push to trade Johnny is less about performance and more about managing and getting a return on the asset. That's the urgency from my perspective. I think his value will continue to diminish as he enters the last 2 years of his contract. The time is now.

I get it. Fans typically don't have asset management high on their list. It has to be a hockey trade similar to the Hamilton trade (3 years of Hamilton and 1 year of Ferland for 5 years each of Linholm and Hanifan). I don't think the Flames can take a chance on magic beans, unless the the other team over pays.

Historically, Flames fans have seen an asset walk or get traded for significantly diminshed returns. Ie. Iginla being traded the potential return was rumoured to be Schenn and Simmonds (maybe a draft pick) if it was done before walking him to his last year.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Yes. And my reason for trading Gaudreau largely has been based on extracting the most value out of the asset. And because I don't think the other outcomes (him walking, or him signing another contract) are positive.
More recently his performance has simplified increased my belief he should trade him. But the core of it has always been more about managing the asset.
I don't feel the same urgency with Monahan. And I'm also not in a rush to trade the team's best centre, without understanding how that player is going to be replaced...unless you are going full scorched re-build (which I would actually be in favor of, but doubt that the ownership group would allow).

Trading Sean Monahan is not scorched earth rebuild. Replace him with a center who can play in his own zone and the team is better IMO even if they can’t finish like he does.

Gaudreau is an asset like all others IMO. Managing that asset shouldn’t be looked at differently than say Tkachuk or Giordano. Just my opinion that the focus on Gaudreau and particularly his commitment should be proportional to all other potential solutions out there.