Are the Flames and Lightning's failures proof that the top 2 teams should still buy at the deadline?

[Halla]

No Flames went cold with bad goaltending and Lighting just **** bed. It happens doesn't mean you need to make a trade at deadline to win. It's a shock indeed but that's NHL playoffs especially first round anything can happen.

the flames didnt get bounced because of mike smith, the flames got bounced because colorados top line showed up
and johnny hockey continued to be invisible (0g/3a over 9games last two series)

 

[82Ninety42011]

You have to restrain yourself from commenting things you clearly dont know about. Smith was fantastic in this series.

Maybe im guilty of stat watching on this then became everytime I did watch this series he was getting scored on. My bad then as your not the first to point this out to me.

 

[Artorius Horus T]

I wouldn't look into this too much, the other one was a bubble team and the other,... has failed to win it after successful reg season
for quite some time now, not that big of a deal to me, especially Avs beating Flames.

Yes i admit, it was somewhat of a surprise that Tampa lost to Jackets, but i had them beating them so,
for me... it wasn't as big of a surprise what it was to many.

I was expecting Avs to beat Flames from the day 1.

 

[Artorius Horus T]

I highly doubt Flames would of been higher than 3rd in Pacific, if both Sharks and Knights wouldn't of had regular seasons like they had.
Compared to last season, they had significantly worse seasons, that alone explains Flames great season, not that Flames didn't have a good
season, but they really shouldn't of won the Pacific to begin with, the entire division situation kinda made them look/play better what
they were really capable - ergo: lost to AVs in 5 games, rightfully so

 

[serp]

To the people saying Tampa should've added a veteran defenseman . Who exactly was that ? After the Leafs got Muzzin and Caps nabbed Nick Jensen the best defenseman traded at the deadline was Ben Lovejoy . Fine as depth but not exactly screams high impact player ( he has been a very good penalty killer for Dallas since aquired ) . After that it's McQuaid ,Gudbrannson , Fantenberg , Del Zotto and some obscure players.

There just wasn't much out there to get.

 

[karnige]

flames over achieved. I knew they would crash and burn. bolts had the talent but they didn't have the get or heart.

 

[txpd]

There was nothing the Lightning could have acquired at the deadline that would have taken the pressure off of them. The pressure is why they lost and their inability to handle it. A player added to the room wouldn't change that. It was a fundamental condition in the room

 

[Alan Wake]

15 years? Try 50 and counting.

At this rate, it may take 50 years for this goddamn team to win a cup.

 

[Goose]

A lot of times, the very best team(s) in the league refrain from doing too much buying at the deadline to not disrupt chemistry. Do their failures show that these teams should still make major additions at the trade deadline?

I would take the opposite lesson and say that it’s proof that there’s no magic personnel formula for success and that balancing out assets for long term contention is better than loading up huge for short window shots at the cup at the expense of future assets.

I’d rather go into the playoffs 9 out of 10 years as the 5-8 seed than have 4 or 5 out of 10 years as the 1-4 seed.

Playoffs is about having a “good enough” team that gets decent goaltending, good team chemistry, buying into a system and some lucky bounces at the right time. It’s not about being like the NBA where a stacked roster translates to guaranteed deep runs.

 

[HugginThePost]

What did Tampa need to add? If you replay that series ten times, they probably win nine of them.

Calgary has goaltending issues, not sure why they never addressed it.

Wow......clearly you didn't watch either series.

Lightning were outplayed pure and simple by CBJ.....they play that series again and they lose again.

There were a lot of areas to point fingers at when it comes to why the Flames lost....goal tending would have been the very last of those points. Like dead f***ing last.

 

[God King Fudge]

I don't think adding a player, or two players even, would have changed TB's fate. There's a fatal flaw there when they play a team that traps, and it's probably the coach. A team that skilled should be able to break through, but, as Stamkos said, "We had no answer." I think that's an indictment of the coach.

QFMFT

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

A new coach.

We lost Hedman, but defense wasn't our problem. We couldn't score goals at ES, same as happens every time we play a team who traps (WSH last year; even Detroit in 2015). It's a coaching problem, first and foremost, although I won't argue some size in the top-six could have helped.

I know Hedman is a catalyst for offense, but McDonagh was actually a better catalyst at ES this year. But our system involves a lot of defensemen joining the rush, which isn't all that possible when the NZ is clogged up. Cooper had no answer. I believe he could literally have had an all star team (...which he kind of did) and still would have had no answer.

This series was not close. CBJ demolished us because Tortorella successfully took away our ability to outskate his team. Cooper had no answer.

I think a cup winning team needs to be able to adapt and change its style when necessary. That's what was missing from Tampa. If you run into a gritty team that clogs the neutral zone, a skill team needs to be able to adapt and get it deep and grind it out in the corners instead.

People think Chicago and Pittsburgh were soft and were pure skill/speed teams, but it's not true. They could both play grindy games when necessary.

 

[Rangediddy]

So Calgary being knocked out in the first round is an example of why teams should be more active at the trade deadline?

They lost to a team who also didn't do anything at the trade deadline... there's no logic in what has happened so far these playoffs.

 

[Huck Cheever]

TB and CGY lost because they have no JAM. They built teams that could excel when the game is more free flowing...

Those teams needed way more than a trade deadline acquisition.

 

[Offtheboard412]

The lightning had fallen in love with the pretty east west passing game too much for any one player to make a difference. They continually would gain the zone only to pull up at the top of the circles and try to pass across the ice.

 

[Golden Puppers]

I mean it's really not realistic to think a depth/support piece or two could have really altered the outcome of either series. So, no I don't agree.

 

[InfinityIggy]

I think it should put to rest this absurd notion that adding a big player will ruin a teams ‘chemistry’. Heard this over and over after the Flames failed to add anyone of significance at the deadline as if it was some kind of silver lining.

 

[CamPopplestone]

I don't think things lined up well for the Flames to add this year. We have been short on picks because of the Hamonic deal. Our first is late, but if we moved it, we don't have a second.
Our depth was actually performing well for the most part. It was our top line that went cold.
And we couldn't get a guy like Stone as much as we'd like to. With Brodie and Hamonic coming up on 30, and going into their final years on their contracts, and with Giordano being 35, I don't think we can afford to move Andersson or Valimaki. Kylington and our 1st wouldn't have been enough to land Stone. Plus if Stone doesn't extend, that's a deal we lose. And we can't extend him without knowing what the situation will look like in regards to signing the expiring D, and Tkachuk and Bennett. So as much as fans complained about Brad standing Pat at the deadline, we didn't have the assets to trade for Stone. And you don't move a kid like Valimaki for that unless you're 100% you're re-signing him.

 

[Aceboogie]

No. The playoffs are largely luck and its foolish to draw sweeping conclusions based on 2 series

By not going all in, your preserve your future assets. More importantly you hang on to your good young talent who will replace older and more expensive vets in the next 1 -2 years. This means you get to contend for a longer period

As much as I hate Calgary, they did everything right at the TDL. The ONLY thing I would have done at the TDL or last offseason is look for a better goalie

 

[branch]

CGY and WPG both should have ponied up for Stone and taken their chances on likely re-signing him.

 

[Rangediddy]

No. The playoffs are largely luck and its foolish to draw sweeping conclusions based on 2 series

By not going all in, your preserve your future assets. More importantly you hang on to your good young talent who will replace older and more expensive vets in the next 1 -2 years. This means you get to contend for a longer period

As much as I hate Calgary, they did everything right at the TDL. The ONLY thing I would have done at the TDL or last offseason is look for a better goalie

Which didn't end up being needed.

 

[Aceboogie]

Which didn't end up being needed.

True, Smith was good for those few games. But if there is one thing we know forsure, its that Smith typically is not a good goalie. If I am in charge of the Flames, my only move would be to replace Smith. Other than that they have long term pieces to be a contender for a while

 

[2023FriendshipTour]

True, Smith was good for those few games. But if there is one thing we know forsure, its that Smith typically is not a good goalie. If I am in charge of the Flames, my only move would be to replace Smith. Other than that they have long term pieces to be a contender for a while

I think Trei wanted to see how the core did in the playoffs before going all on and he got his answer.. Stone or Hayes probably wouldn't have helped much. Hopefully he can address some things this off-season, but without some major game plan changes and more player development we are doomed to be a goodish regular season team and a flop in the playoffs.. Probably the worst place to be in.

 

[Rangediddy]

I think Trei wanted to see how the core did in the playoffs before going all on and he got his answer.. Stone or Hayes probably wouldn't have helped much. Hopefully he can address some things this off-season, but without some major game plan changes and more player development we are doomed to be a goodish regular season team and a flop in the playoffs.. Probably the worst place to be in.

Stone would have made a massive difference. He's a big body that plays elite defense. Exactly what would have helped match up against Rantanen at least (Stone's too slow to negate McKinnon).

 

[SpezDispenser]

CGY and WPG both should have ponied up for Stone and taken their chances on likely re-signing him.

Hell yeah. Huge mistake.