GDT: "Battle" of Alberta: Flames vs Oilers - 8 PM MT

[TkachuksMouthguard]

I went through the entire Sunday without checking the score (or any other scores). Spent the entire day taking care of house, baby and wife... working hard so I could sit down in the evening, pop a cold one and enjoy a good hockey game. What a freaking let down. What total crap showing. Thanks Flames!!

This team has no back bone. This game should of been treated like a playoff game. Instead it just another 50/50 lets see what happens and barely show up. We have a looooong way to go if this team thinks its going to be a top team in the West. Sure we can sneak into the post season but these guys do not have it in them to threaten anyones existence. Plus... at this point I dont even know what can be done. Coaching change is the only bigger thing that could wake this team and even then Im not so sure.

 

[Dack]

What does Hamonic do well? Every time I see him he's doing nothing or blowing an easy hockey play. He doesn't even seem to fit what I expect of a pure shutdown D man (Has no puck skills but at least doesn't give up scoring chances) so far the guy can't move the puck to save his life, gets beaten to the puck on every dump in and doesn't even clear the crease that well. He also sucks at breaking up zone entries.

I hope the "It takes time to adjust to a new system" people are right but I don't see it just because Hamilton started bad and turned it around doesn't mean thats how it works for everyone.

I'm no fan of either but at this point I think I prefer Stone.

Brodie looks awful but the one guy he's actually had success with in the past was a good possesson player (Gio) so maybe try that instead of changing the kind of anchor he's tied to.

Those two are our biggest problem right now any night where Hamilton is off our defence looks putrid because we have one top pair and two bottom pairs.

 

[Baxterman]

Hamonic is good positionally, doesn't make dumb pinches or chase guys around the ice, is physical and tough so wins puck battles, is adequate with the puck in terms of passing and getting the puck out of the zone and can clear the net well.

I don't think it is a case of him having to adjust to the new team as he has been just fine. The concerns about him make no sense as he has been perfect as a stay at home 2nd pairing guy. He has been the most steady defensively of all of our defensemen and the majority of his problems this year have been having to cover for Brodie's terrible defensively play so far this year.

 

[Dack]

"Most steady defensively" what does thay even mean? He gets scored on pretty much every night and is slow as hell. Not making dumb pinches and chasing guys around doesn't do it for me, we paid for a guy who shuts down other teams top players not a guy who loses every race to the puck.

It's not just Brodies mistakes either. What was he doing on the first goal? I'm not at all content with this player.

Also are we watching the same guy? I like my 2nd paring guys to not spend the entire night in there own zone and have the skating ability to actually retrieve the puck if it's dumped in on them.

I liked him in NYI prior to last season but he's clearly lost a step from his injury or something. What good is a defensive Defenseman that gets scored on nightly anyways? He's not even bad defensively but we generate next to nothing when he's on the ice and the defence doesn't make up for it imo.

Also I'd like to add that there is more to defending than just not making blatant mistakes.

 

[Baxterman]

"Most steady defensively" what does thay even mean? He gets scored on pretty much every night and is slow as hell. Not making dumb pinches and chasing guys around doesn't do it for me, we paid for a guy who shuts down other teams top players not a guy who loses every race to the puck.

It's not just Brodies mistakes either. What was he doing on the first goal? I'm not at all content with this player.

Also are we watching the same guy? I like my 2nd paring guys to not spend the entire night in there own zone and have the skating ability to actually retrieve the puck if it's dumped in on them.

I liked him in NYI prior to last season but he's clearly lost a step from his injury or something. What good is a defensive Defenseman that gets scored on nightly anyways?

Most steady means he doesn't do anything flashy just does his job effectively. Others- Hamilton, Gio, Brodie- have made more plays that stand out both good and bad but hamonic just does his job so it doesn't stand out as much.

It is tough to evaluate him against the others as he doesn't have the offense so I wouldn't say he has been our best defenseman because of the lack of offense but he has clearly been the best defensively.

I would say the reason he is getting scored on a lot is mainly because of Brodie or bad luck like with the Polak goal the other night.

I guess we are watching different guys because I have been nothing but impressed with Hamonic since coming over and would make that deal 1000 times out of 1000 if given the chance again.

 

[Dack]

Most steady means he doesn't do anything flashy just does his job effectively. Others- Hamilton, Gio, Brodie- have made more plays that stand out both good and bad but hamonic just does his job so it doesn't stand out as much.

It is tough to evaluate him against the others as he doesn't have the offense so I wouldn't say he has been our best defenseman because of the lack of offense but he has clearly been the best defensively.

I would say the reason he is getting scored on a lot is mainly because of Brodie or bad luck like with the Polak goal the other night.

I guess we are watching different guys because I have been nothing but impressed with Hamonic since coming over and would make that deal 1000 times out of 1000 if given the chance again.

Huge no on doing that deal over for me. I understand that he doesn't make many blatant mistakes but to me that doesn't make him good.

His play style of "let them takes shots as long as they aren't prime oppurtunities" lends itself to getting scored on and at the same time hurts us offensively because the other team controls the play when he's on the ice.

If he were keeping shots against down and shot for I wouldn't have an issue that's Tanev style and it's effective but he isn't. They get a lot of shots and they're scoring sometimes because if Brodie sometimes because of him not doing enough (first goal last night).

It's good to hear that we at least agree on what he does the difference is you value it and I don't.


This isn't a new opinion for me though I said this back in April when this board was talking about acquiring him.

"Yes Hamonic is a defensive defenseman who had the worst GA/60 in the NHL. I've said it before anyone can go up against top competition and get destroyed like Hamonic does. I don't see how adding someone who can't stop other teams from scoring when that is the only thing he is actually supposed to do."

 

[Skobel24]

I thought we were getting a Regehr type dman in Travis Hamonic. Turns out we got an Adam Pardy.

I hope he turns it around.

 

[CamPopplestone]

I've always thought Hamonic was a great #5 third pair guy, who can play top 4 with injuries in spot duty, but isba below average top 4 D. He isn't changing my mind.

Brodie looks average to slightly above Average when he's playing with anyone besides Gio. It's clear Gio basically makes anyone who plays with him look better.

 

[JPeeper]

Positives to take away from last nights game: hopefully this is one more step in the direction of firing our monkey of a coach, Bennett is starting to get going (5 points in his last 3, 8 in his last 11), Jankowski still looks good.

Negatives without pointing out the obvious: Troy Brouwer, someone who hasn't scored a goal since last March is on the first PP unit, like wtf man, he had a chance to tie the game late on the PP from a great location and he misses the net high and wide, f***ing bury this bum in the minors already. First line has also seemingly cooled off a bit, which is concerning considering they're the only the ones who ever score.

 

[Mobiandi]

I thought we were getting a Regehr type dman in Travis Hamonic. Turns out we got an Adam Pardy.

I hope he turns it around.

Defensemen in Regehr's mould and quality are all but extinct from this league

 

[OvermanKingGainer]

Defensemen in Regehr's mould and quality are all but extinct from this league

Gudas, Manson, and mayyyybe Nurse are pretty much the closest you'll get to Regehr. Chasing that kind of player is pointless, we should be building around our strengths rather than our weaknesses.

 

[Mobiandi]

Still can't get over the fact that even the Sabres held them to 1 goal, scored in garbage time. Meanwhile, we shit our pants every time we step out against them