[PGT] Avalanche 5 - Flames 1 | Season Over

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by burnitdown

Shadow of his former self, who despite being injured a bunch, still would have finished top 6 on the Flames in goals...

Regular season? 10 goals less than Lindy
Playoffs injured making a hit

not sure what your point is...its still a good trade which is what we were discussing

[Cleveland Steam Whistle]

Originally Posted by burnitdown

I still think we come out long-term winners in the Dougie trade...but for the COL series, I think Dougie's offense and Ferlands grit would have brought a lot more of what we needed compared to what Lindholm and Hanifin provided.

There doesn’t need to be winner. Both teams are better after the trade, which is actually what is the best outcome, no jaded GMs for the next potential deal.

[Weitz]

I heard for years you can’t win when your best player is s winger. And Johnny is as soft as they come.

I think it will be interesting to see how the flames do next year. lots of career years that dried up towards the end.

[soulchoice]

Originally Posted by Traditional_Ale

So; who do we cheer for now?

I don’t have a second team but for now, I’ll be cheering for the Jets, Leafs, Caps or Vegas. Maybe even Carolina for underdog reasons. Heck even the islanders.

The only teams I don’t want to win is the Sharks or the Bruins to be honest.

[AC]

As frustrated as I am with the team in general, and certain players specifically... listening and watching their post-elimination interviews is heart-wrenching.

Backlund on the radio was completely devastated.

Hamonic is fighting back tears:

These guys are every bit as upset, frustrated, and embarrassed as us and then some.

[Buff]

Originally Posted by CaptainCrunch

It doesn't send a message, you want to send a message, don't buy tickets, don't go to games.


Throwing jersey's is clown shoes and reminds me of a two year old throwing lego.

I've stopped. My last game was a listless 6-0 loss to Ottawa in October 2017.

When this season was looking good I contemplated but decided to wait and see how they finished... I'm extending my personal boycott for another year

[gunnner]

Originally Posted by KootenayFlamesFan

Friedman was right..........you need to team that wins to get you in the playoffs, but you really need a team that actually wins in the playoffs.

I don't doubt the Flames could have another good regular season next year, but Tre needs to tweak the lineup to bring in guys that will actually be hard to play against. This year's team was just way too soft to win playoff games. I knew they were soft, but I had no idea they would fold like they did.

But isnt that what he did by bringing in a past his prime Neal? Would rather draft those type of players than get in cap hell trying to chase them

[nickk382]

I've always believed that there is one way one individual can make a difference for the entire team. We should have never let Ferland go. He was the energy generator, he brought intensity in which teammates followed. Tkachuk didn't play the rat role well in which it brought positives. I think I only remember one play which I believe happened in game 1 when he drew a penalty from Brassard for roughing if I'm not mistaken?

Anyways, guys like Ferland are key in playoffs. It brings the mentality to the team, "Let's get the hell out there and kick some mother-####ing ass!"

What a mental rollercoaster this has been. The one guy we have doubted so hard to perform well in the playoffs for us was Smitty and he was amazing. Hats off to him and I guess I'm rooting for CBJ because that first round sweep was awesome.

[CGY12]

Flames will always Flames. What a pathetic effort in a do or die game.

Watch playoff hockey and teams fight to have any chance, the flames choke up and die,

Flames suck,

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by nickk382

I've always believed that there is one way one individual can make a difference for the entire team. We should have never let Ferland go. He was the energy generator, he brought intensity in which teammates followed.

Unless you have a time machine it wouldn't have helped...Ferland can't make a hit without getting hurt. He tried to play that style again and now he is out with no sign of a return.

[Jiggy]

Originally Posted by nickk382

I've always believed that there is one way one individual can make a difference for the entire team. We should have never let Ferland go. He was the energy generator, he brought intensity in which teammates followed. Tkachuk didn't play the rat role well in which it brought positives. I think I only remember one play which I believe happened in game 1 when he drew a penalty from Brassard for roughing if I'm not mistaken?

Anyways, guys like Ferland are key in playoffs. It brings the mentality to the team, "Let's get the hell out there and kick some mother-####ing ass!"

What a mental rollercoaster this has been. The one guy we have doubted so hard to perform well in the playoffs for us was Smitty and he was amazing. Hats off to him and I guess I'm rooting for CBJ because that first round sweep was awesome.

I agree with having guys who want to win and care a lot. But Ferland had his own plan. It wasn't about going all out like he did against the Nucks. He wanted to get paiddd this summer. And he will.

[868904]

Originally Posted by Flames0910

Boys had next to no playoff experience (Peters included). Hopefully they learn from this for next year... Need to be tougher mentally. We the skill to compete, but got knocked off our game too easily.

That’s a weak excuse for the players. With the exception of Smith, the Flames best players were arguably the playoff rookies in Anderson, Valimaki, Mangiapane. Bennett was great too but that’s no surprise.

It’s pretty rare for your star / core players to get worse each playoff. Usually it’s the other way around. I feel like Johnny and Mony were better in their first series against Vancouver and have gotten worse each series.

As for the coaches. I don’t understand how a coaching staff that has made all the right adjustments all season long would fail to identify the issues in this series. I think it’s more a confidence thing from the players. Mackinnion did a number on them and spooked them. In Top Gun terms, the whole team “Cougared”. The defenseman will be having nightmares of Mackinnion coming down on them for the whole Summer.

[Cleveland Steam Whistle]

Originally Posted by 868904

That’s a weak excuse for the players. With the exception of Smith, the Flames best players were arguably the playoff rookies in Anderson, Valimaki, Mangiapane. Bennett was great too but that’s no surprise.

It’s pretty rare for your star / core players to get worse each playoff. Usually it’s the other way around. I feel like Johnny and Mony were better in their first series against Vancouver and have gotten worse each series.

As for the coaches. I don’t understand how a coaching staff that has made all the right adjustments all season long would fail to identify the issues in this series. I think it’s more a confidence thing from the players. Mackinnion did a number on them and spooked them. In Top Gun terms, the whole team “Cougared”. The defenseman will be having nightmares of Mackinnion coming down on them for the whole Summer.

An excuse maybe, but also potentially some fact to it as well, and only time will tell if true.

All of our key players who played for us in 2015 were better for us in those series (including the Ducks loss). Doesn’t mean they didn’t learn from it or necissarily that they took a step back. And tgat also doesn’t mean there wasn’t experience needed or gained this time around. In 2015, our key players had 0 expectation and presssure on them. We weren’t expected to be there and weren’t expected to win. Literally as the expression goes they were playing with house money.

This time around, they got their first taste of you are expected to lead a team to playoff victory and beyond. They folded like a cheap deck of cards this year. But to suggest that this experience was the same as the last two playoff experiences is simply the untrue. Now there is no guarantee this experience was necissarily for them or that it means it won’t happen again, but there are a lot of examples of players and teams who eventually found their way after taking similar lumps as we just did, but we only time will tell on that.

[topfiverecords]

No Flames avatar anymore until this team wins a playoff round.

[Flames0910]

That’s a weak excuse for the players. With the exception of Smith, the Flames best players were arguably the playoff rookies in Anderson, Valimaki, Mangiapane. Bennett was great too but that’s no surprise.

Coincidence that all the guys who played well were the guys with no expectations? Not trying to make excuses but to me it seems obvious that the best players were not mentally equipped.

How they get better at that, other than experience? I honestly have no clue.

[Cleveland Steam Whistle]

Originally Posted by topfiverecords

No Flames avatar anymore until this team wins a playoff round.

Superstition or tantrum?

[Meers]

This was a choke job and an inability to rise to high expectations.

Hire a sports pyschologist.

[Jagermeister]

Originally Posted by Cleveland Steam Whistle

Superstition or tantrum?

Lol...

Or it's just frustration. It's hard to be a fan of the Flames. Disappointment after disappointment. Not much to cheer for.

[Britflamesfan]

Having to watch the flames from afar (uk) brings a slightly different respective (not so invested I guess). Having watched this team all season running rings around a lot of teams which was enjoyable to watch, I often said to my wife I was disappointed at how soft the flames were. Soft went on all season and it is not something you can suddenly turn on for the playoffs. Some will say the game has changed and they are right with regard to the regular season but not the playoffs. Physicality is ramped up considerably and you need to be able to take it as well as give it. Hardly any of our players are capable of giving it and sadly most of our forward line most definitely did not want to take it. There is no point having a super skilled small team if it cannot compete in the playoffs so to be brutally honest we need some big changes. Johny can stay but if he does the team needs to find a couple of large speedy aggressive players to go with him.
)
Mony I am afraid needs to go. Will not hit (even slightly), poor and slow skater and no real vision. He has survived because of Johny, you certainly cannot have both on the same line just way to soft.

I am not sure what happened to our second line but it was equally hopeless. Backlund is not a second line centre but would be a very good third line one.

Third line (ugg) only Bennet produced at all and another big powder soft centre who is totally overated on this site, more probably desperate hope that after all these years he would be good and sadly its not turned out that way, another wasted first round pick.

The good news is we have some really good young defence men who will see us good in the future and we will need them, after this years disappointment I am not expecting much from Geo next year.

Lets hope that the GM can pick up some speedy grit and determination players this summer. No more UFA as they never seem to work out and saddle teams with large salaries and what seem endless years of rubbish. The GM may not survive his latest signing as he is now on the hook for an enormous amount of money with a player he will be unlikely to be able to get rid of. I am not sure as an owner I would be prepared to once again write off millions of dollars for yet another duff signing.

Sad way to find out what we thought was a contender team is totally lacking in the balls department.

[868904]

Originally Posted by Spinach

Gaudreau + our 1st to NJ for Jack Hughes?

Cue the backlash... it's just spitballing, nothing more.

No thanks to another small player in Hughes. I wonder if the Flyers would do Gaudreau for Patrick and Konecny? Maybe the Flames add a minor piece to balance it out.

Patrick has Bergeron type potential and Konecny is a real gamer. Then move Janko for Kadri, helps the Leafs with cap space and they get a third line Center to replace Kadri.

With guys like Tkachuk, Kadri, Bennett and Konecny up front, Flames would be a tough team to play against.