[GT] 2017-18 Flames Playoff Snake

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by bigrangy

^I disagree. I thought going into this season that the window would be most open this year.

Smith and Gio are not getting younger. Smith will need to be replaced and none of the kids are ready yet. Giordano will still be great for a while but in 3 years it could be very risky. There should be a replacement ready to go but there are no guarantees.

Backlund is still cheap and starting to go past his peak, Monahan, Gaudreau, Hamilton are all in their prime.

The only impact players that will (probably) be better in the future are Bennett/Janko/Tkachuk and they're playing at high levels already. Everyone else is in their prime or on the decline. The time to win is now.

I think you are overstating things here. I agree that the window is open, but I don't agree that it's most open.

The only key guys that are on the back side of their careers are Giordano and Smith. And the Flames' best prospects are all defensemen and goalies. Yes, there are no guarantees, but our prospect lists for those two positions are as solid as one could hope for.

Bennett, Jankowski, Tkachuk, Monahan, Gaudreau, Hamilton, and even to an extent Brodie and Hamonic, are all still improving, and can all be reasonably expected to be better,two or three or four years down the line than they are now.

The window is open, and they should be doing better this year than they are, but IMO, the window is likely to get much more open in the years ahead.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by bigrangy

...The only impact players that will (probably) be better in the future are Bennett/Janko/Tkachuk and they're playing at high levels already. Everyone else is in their prime or on the decline. The time to win is now.

This is a pretty bleak perspective. While Monahan, Gaudreau, Brodie, Hamilton, Hamonic and Ferland are all at "playing prime" age, do you honestly expect much of a drop in production or impact from any of them over the course of the next four years? I sure don't. My biggest concern is probably Backlund, but with how Jankowski has come on a transition in the next two years seems pretty reasonable.

Yes the time for the Flames to win is "now", but "now" is also a period that appears likely to continue for at least a few years beyond this season.

[taxbuster]

Originally Posted by mikephoen

No need to panic if you’re happy with the team being a bubble playoff team. Personally I had higher hopes, so flirting with the absolute minimum playoff requirements is disappointing.

Apologies to the All Mighty Snek for taking his thread off topic.

My point was that there was some wildness / amplitude / significant variations in prior years (call it what you will), but that this year, those are reduced and there is - actually I think, but perhaps not "visually" - less variation, and hence more consistency.

So my observation is that good teams stop the bleeding after a couple of games when they lose, and good teams go on mini-win streaks, too. The less downward amplitude, the less bleeding in a run, and the more upward amplitude the more streaks. But first ya gotta stop the bleeding. They seem to have done that better this year than in those past. Now they can work towards building little streaks. You can't win the year in one game or one month - but it can be lost that way.

So to me, this is actually a really good and hopeful sign/trend!!

[JohnnyTitan]

I just realized that if the Flames make the playoffs this year, they will have qualified for the post-season more than any other Canadian Team in the past four years.

Not that I'm arguing that the bar should be low. But overall we don't have much to complain about vs our Canadian peers.

2015 Flames, Jets, Canucks, Senators, Canadiens
2016 ZERO Canadian Teams
2017 Flames, Oilers, Senators, Leafs, Canadiens
2018 Leafs, Jets, ?Flames?

And I'm still optimistic to the point where I think we'll be qualifying more often than not in the next four years as well. Just beat the snek!!

[Enoch Root]

Textcritic: why does it say that you edited my post?

[mikephoen]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

So, it must happen this year, or never?

Because from where I sit the core of the team that we are watching on the ice right now looks like they have a good four or five years window to make some serious noise. The Flames made the playoffs last season after finishing with a lottery pick in 2016, and this year they appear to be improved—if even just slightly—over last year. They seem to be trending in the right direction and with how young most of their important players are it is reasonable to expect them to be a competitive or a contending team over the course of the next several years.

I think you are being unreasonably impatient.

I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree then. I don’t think that believing this team has the players to be challenging for 1st or 2nd in the division this year is unrealistic.

[Robbob]

Originally Posted by mikephoen

I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree then. I don’t think that believing this team has the players to be challenging for 1st or 2nd in the division this year is unrealistic.

I agree. Currently they are 5 points back of the Kings. That is completely attainable. To say with 40 games left they can't make up 5 points is being obtuse. We even play them a couple more times. Flames are very much in contention for a home advantage in the first round.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by mikephoen

I guess we’ll have to agree to disagree then. I don’t think that believing this team has the players to be challenging for 1st or 2nd in the division this year is unrealistic.

I don't know why you are saying you disagree, since I have made it abundantly clear that I also think the team at present could be in contention for the Division.

My point has always been that even if the Flames falter from expectations for this season, there is plenty of room to remain optimistic about the next several years. This positive, long-term view of the Flames roster certainly relieves some of the urgency to take a run this year.

[Itse]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

I think you are being unreasonably impatient.

And I think you are being unreasonably patient

I would however rather not have this discussion in this thread, especially since this talk is everywhere anyway. Less talking, more snakes.

[EldrickOnIce]

Originally Posted by Itse

And I think you are being unreasonably patient

I would however rather not have this discussion in this thread, especially since this talk is everywhere anyway. Less talking, more snakes.

Thank you

[Bunk]

Snake, snake, snake!

[squiggs96]

I know all games are worth the same amount, but this one felt a little extra special, as the red snake beat the top team in the NHL. It now sits 0.341 points below the black line, 4 points above the purple snake, and 3 points above the green snake. If the Flames win tomorrow, the red snake is back above the black line.

Regular:


Extra crispy:

[GoJetsGo]

wrong thread

[crapshoot]

Come on snake! You can do it!

[Jimmy Stang]

nm

[Otto-matic]

[Rjcsjc62]

Jimmy: Watch your taint!

[Mazrim]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Stang

>A quote that is not safe to keep here<

Oh dear...better watch your back for the next bit. From the first post (and many times previously mentioned):

Originally Posted by squiggs96

This thread has absolutely nothing to do with Sports Club Stats, nor does it have anything to do with the likelihood or chance the Flames will make the playoffs. Please do not bring these up in this thread. There are many other threads for that purpose. Anyone bringing up Sports Club Stats will be punched in the taint.

[Jimmy Stang]

Originally Posted by Rjcsjc62

Jimmy: Watch your taint!

Originally Posted by Mazrim

Oh dear...better watch your back for the next bit. From the first post (and many times previously mentioned):

Oh dear is right. My apologies. I'll remove my post and return the thread to its... untainted form.

[mrkajz44]

Go snake go!
Go snake go!
Hey Calgary, what do you say?
The snake is going to climb today!