08-11-2017, 10:42 AM
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#1
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Calgary
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Lambert: Why Calgary Flames window could slam shut
Since we are all bored, here's a Ryan Lambert article we can argue about!
https://sports.yahoo.com/calgary-fla...155346387.html
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Taken on its face, the high end of the Calgary Flames roster is probably among the best in the Western Conference.
You have Johnny Gaudreau, Mark Giordano, Dougie Hamilton, TJ Brodie, the entire 3M line, Sean Monahan. The good news is that basically all those guys, with the exception of Giordano (very old) and Matthew Tkachuk (very young), are in their mid- to late-20s.
This is what you’d call a team’s “window to win” — the point at which most of a team’s big-ticket players are around the primes of their careers — but the Flames have a very serious problem. You can have a good group at the top of your lineup, but if you don’t support them at the lower end, your ability to actually win while your window is open is limited.
Over the past few years, the Flames have done little to support that core group, making bad bets on outside or simply having good bets not pay off, not really developing prospects at any kind of reasonable rate, not spending to the ceiling, and (perhaps most importantly) getting it very, very wrong in net.
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So the team recognized goaltending as a major flaw; it probably cost them 10 or 11 goals over the course of the season, which is the equivalent of about three points in the standings. They gain three points and maybe they avoid the Ducks in the first round, depending upon where they lost them and so on. So in response to this major flaw, their big offseason plan was to go out and get… Mike Smith and Eddie Lack?
Smith has been roughly league-average the past two seasons, but the one before that he was horrific (.904). He also didn’t carry a particularly heavy workload over that time, averaging fewer than 50 appearances per season. Moreover, he’s 35. So the Flames are gambling that a 35-year-old goalie whose career numbers are hardly inspiring will do better than Elliott, which doesn’t seem likely based on the track records of the two goalies in question.
In addition, backup Eddie Lack has a whopping .902 save percentage over the past two seasons, so the idea that he will somehow return to the .917 he posted as a “1b” goalie over two seasons in Vancouver is likewise farfetched.
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But that’s what gets into the concerns about the Flames’ depth and lack of developed young players. After the five forwards listed above, and maybe you lump in Kris Versteeg and even Micheal Ferland if you want to be charitable, the Flames have a lot of problems up front this season. They might try to make Troy Brouwer “a thing” on the top line again, but that was a disaster last time out. Matt Stajan is their No. 3 center. Sam Bennett hasn’t come along much at all. They’ll be counting on a rookie or two to chip in offensively.
Only six forwards finished with CF% of more than 50 percent last season, and one of them (Alex Chiasson) doesn’t seem like he’s coming back. Even free of context, this is a concern, but the five they have coming back are the five “core” guys listed above. That’s got to be seen as a big issue.
After all, what can you expect out of Stajan, offensively? How many goals do Freddie Hamilton and Curtis Lazar give you if they’re everyday players? Can Sam Bennett find some way to clear 30 points again, let alone 40? And they certainly didn’t add any offense this summer, instead making their big move to trade for Travis Hamonic, who could excel in a middle-pairing role. But that’s not really what they needed here.
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It’s tough to see where this team legitimately stacks up against the rest of that division, let alone the conference, despite all the high-end talent. (And that’s with the acknowledgement that even after all the goals he scores, we still don’t have a ton of evidence Monahan moves the needle in possession).
The fact that this is even a question given the circumstances surrounding the team’s core should give everyone pause.
What, exactly, do they hope to accomplish with this group?
Point is, two or three years from now, they might all look around and realize, “Oh, we could have cobbled something together here.” Instead, there seems to be a strange lack of ambition here, which is weird given the team’s previous ‘Going For It’ culture.
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__________________
The Quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little, and it will fail, to the ruin of all. Yet hope remains while the Company is true. Go Flames Go!
Pain heals. Chicks dig scars. Glory... lasts forever.
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08-11-2017, 10:44 AM
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#2
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Franchise Player
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I advise people to not click on the link and support this writer.
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08-11-2017, 10:47 AM
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#3
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: the dark side of Sesame Street
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I've coughed up better material than Ryan Lambert writes.
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"If Javex is your muse…then dive in buddy"
- Surferguy
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08-11-2017, 10:47 AM
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#4
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Franchise Player
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Lambert is like a PCP'ed up Francis when it comes to being a Flames contrarian.
It's pathetic.
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Until the Flames make the Western Finals again, this signature shall remain frozen.
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08-11-2017, 10:48 AM
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#5
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GOAT!
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I don't know who this Ryan Lambert is, but he sounds like an Oiler fan.
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08-11-2017, 10:49 AM
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#6
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Retired
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Back in Guelph
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Baaaaaaahahahahahahaha. Wow.
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08-11-2017, 10:50 AM
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#7
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Vancouver
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I couldn't even get through a paragraph.
Giordano "Very old".
Joke.
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08-11-2017, 10:52 AM
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#8
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Calgary
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Hey, I gave you fair warning! It's in the title and everything.
__________________
The Quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little, and it will fail, to the ruin of all. Yet hope remains while the Company is true. Go Flames Go!
Pain heals. Chicks dig scars. Glory... lasts forever.
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08-11-2017, 10:53 AM
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#10
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: Right behind you.
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Ryan "my mind's made up, don't confuse me with the facts" Lambert!
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08-11-2017, 10:53 AM
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#11
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Owner
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Calgary
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It was actually amusing to read ...
A perpetually negative Flames writer struggling to come up with negatives was somewhat entertaining.
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08-11-2017, 10:54 AM
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#12
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Franchise Player
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MissTeeks
Hey, I gave you fair warning! It's in the title and everything.
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Yes, we are aware - we're just using the thread to dogpile on Lambert because I mean, who doesn't love ####ting on his content?
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08-11-2017, 10:58 AM
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#13
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Norm!
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Once again Lambert defines tremendous stupidity.
By his logic for example the Oilers window slams shut at the end of this year, especially if Draisaitl signs a 9 million dollar deal.
Why?
Because they don't have a great supporting cast, prospect wise they're weak. Outside of their vunderkind they don't develop prospects all that well.
You could argue that their strength is in net, but realistically that's because they had to ride Talbot to a miracle season in terms of game and play, but they really don't have a good backup in Broissent.
They also have a some really poor contracts in place long term.
With Calgary's core group, you can argue that they are going to get more bang for their buck cap wise. Gio, Brodie, Hamonic, Gaudreau, Hamilton, and Monahan all have what I believe to be high value good bargain contracts.
They have Bennett, MT for example as possible great young players in their lineup.
They have a solid prospect base with some of the kids pushing for the NHL this year, and more to follow.
They have Stajan coming off of the books after this year and he'll probably be replaced by a cheaper contract which gives the Flames some options in terms of lineup enhancements.
He talks about Smith being average, but I would think that being average playing behind the Coyotes is actually very good, plus he makes saves in high quality areas. Last year we bought in Elliot who was maybe sheltered behind that St Louis defense a little better then we thought.
I would think because of the current contract situation that the Flames are in, their window can stay open for a lot longer then this moron thinks.
The only contract that really worries me right now is Backlund, but if we get something under 6 aav then its a strong value contract.
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My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
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08-11-2017, 10:58 AM
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#14
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Mar 2002
Location: Waterloo, Ontario
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well he speaks some truth doesnt he? Or do we just want articles that wear rose colored glasses?
Many articles on CP about the supposed weakness on RW and huffing about Trelivings lack of push on that side.
Many here were in great angst about the acquisition of both Smith and Lack, for good reason.
Seems he could have written this article based on threads he got from CP if you ask me and we all click on these threads and respond...daily.
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08-11-2017, 11:00 AM
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#15
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Calgary
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oh boy lol
Same person who said we should send Monahan down
http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=131124
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08-11-2017, 11:02 AM
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#16
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Powerplay Quarterback
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I could see another season of goalie fail.
A Smith/Lack tandem could work, but it sure doesn't have much of a "WOW" effect.
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08-11-2017, 11:05 AM
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#17
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Franchise Player
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Calgary, AB
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Shocking - another negative Flames article from Ryan Lambert.
Did he mention anything about 3rd line college center who wasn't even good enough for the AHL Mark Jankowski?
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08-11-2017, 11:06 AM
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#18
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Our Jessica Fletcher
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Everything Lambert writes is anti-Flames. I imagine it kills him that Jankowski not only went pro, but was arguably the top rookie in the league after Jake Guentzel.
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08-11-2017, 11:07 AM
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#19
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Norm!
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mister Yamoto
I could see another season of goalie fail.
A Smith/Lack tandem could work, but it sure doesn't have much of a "WOW" effect.
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If the Flames get two things out of this goaltending duo
1) They don't allow a consistent stream of weak goals that sap the teams confidence in them.
2) They give us league average goaltending.
This team is fighting for the top of the division.
__________________
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
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08-11-2017, 11:08 AM
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#20
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Franchise Player
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That's one heck of a dumb article. It ignores logic and grasps at straws...we should not be supporting idiocy like this while actual good writers are sitting unemployed.
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