Volica
Papa Shango
- May 15, 2012
- 21,390
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If the first two don't happen then the playoffs, let alone contention, will be out of reach for the foreseeable future anyways. The Flames should enter into a full tear-down if the new Monahan is actually the Monahan of the future and Bennett can't figure out C.
I'm not even sure Calgary can really go tear-down. I like parts of this team, really outside of a handful of players, everyone is really underperforming. Do you trade 20-24 year olds for rookies?
Really what this team needs is:
1 more top 4 Dman, and 2 competent depth D. Please no more Vet contracts; there's so much youth in this system/team that bringing a bloated carcass like Engelland on is just stupid moving forward. Likely will have to wait until the summer until Vegas has done their scavenging.
Bennett to move back to C, and give him Gaudreau when he's healthy. Those two have games that really compliment each other. They're probably the two highest skill players on this team and both have some good speed. Bennett has the most potential to be a game-breaking centre for this team; let him have it. I haven't seen a tonne of difference from his play at C vs as LW this year. Give him skill he can play with on the wings and let him roll.
Monahan has decent IQ, and a good set of mitts. If I'm the management staff, I'm telling him to work with some of the major trainers in the off-season to increase speed and work on his positioning with other coaches. There's no reason this guy couldn't figure out the defensive side of the game. The guy is literally the same size as Ryan Kesler, that should be his goal; it's not like Kesler's a speed demon, but he's a defensive beast. Monahan needs to get there. Having a guy who can score 20-30 goals and 15-30 assists a year anchoring your 2nd line would be fantastic.