Be A GM Thread - NHL16 EDITION

[Joel Ward]

Was excited to have Matthews in the game and started a Yotes BAGM but now in season three he is only 84 overall (medium franchise) and has been playing top 6 minutes from the begining.

 

[GingerJesus28]

Was excited to have Matthews in the game and started a Yotes BAGM but now in season three he is only 84 overall (medium franchise) and has been playing top 6 minutes from the begining.

How have the teams been? Have you been paying attention to morale?

 

[Joel Ward]

How have the teams been? Have you been paying attention to morale?

The team made the playoffs in his 2nd season and morale is hovering around 86%.

 

[GingerJesus28]

The team made the playoffs in his 2nd season and morale is hovering around 86%.

thats weird then. Hopefully he progresses this year.

 

[mjd]

Its always close. The scoring is way down. The most points someone had so far in 4 seasons has been like 95, and that was McDavid at 99 overall.
If you get 70 points you're gonna be top 10 in points.
Lowest season winner in points was 15/16 where Giroux had 80 points and led the league lol

Yeah for mine the point leader is very low as well:
1st. Year: Crosby 95, Ovechkin 92, McDavid 91
2nd Year: McDavid 112, Tarasenko 105, Tavares 99
3rd Year: Tarasenko 106, McDavid 105, Crosby 97

The absolute highest I've ever seen so far was another BAGM I did, a CPU McDavid had 47-72-119

 

[mjd]

As someone who loved the feature: Did EA get rid of or remove player career stats for BAGM?

If so, wtf?

 

[GingerJesus28]

Yeah for mine the point leader is very low as well:
1st. Year: Crosby 95, Ovechkin 92, McDavid 91
2nd Year: McDavid 112, Tarasenko 105, Tavares 99
3rd Year: Tarasenko 106, McDavid 105, Crosby 97

The absolute highest I've ever seen so far was another BAGM I did, a CPU McDavid had 47-72-119

95 isnt that low now lol pretty normal if youre going for realism

 

[BruinsFTW]

I should get down on this thread with ya'll....

I played as St Louis year one......Tarasenko absolutely RIPPED it up for me...

Won the cup year one...

I'm at the offseason right now...a lot of these guys want some big raises I can't afford...

I think I grabbed Thornton for like...Brouwer or something and Boedker who is AWESOME for like Lethera....

Its been fun so far....


I thought about trying to rebuild Boston but....gross.... hahaha

Calgary, NYI, NSH, STL etc were on my list to pick...I did EDM last year.

Right now I'm playing BAP in the CHL and enjoying that....HUT isn't entertaining me this year...probably get back into Be a GM and update in this thread with you guys..

Trading is definitely a tad harder for sure.

 

[SuperGM17]

As someone who loved the feature: Did EA get rid of or remove player career stats for BAGM?

If so, wtf?

No for NHL 16 (i assume) you just press R3 on the player. In bagm it shows atributes, statistics, moral and moral trends(or something like that) when you go over *statistics* it gives you the option to view full career stats!

 

[Kilted Yaksmen]

Calgary Flames Franchise with NHL 16

Part 1: First Half of 2015/2016

Previous Entries: (Introduction)​

​

After a very successful first season with the team, Flames first year GM Brad Treliving unexpectedly resigns. It was quite the shock given that a mere month has passed since he outright stole budding #1 defenseman Dougie Hamilton from the Boston Bruins. Treliving bought some serious time with that genius move so it was very surprising to see him step aside. Treliving himself wouldn’t comment but President Brian Burke was quick to act, hiring a very handsome and brilliant candidate in Kilted Yaksmen.

Many across the hockey world were shocked that such a young and inexperienced candidate was hired but Burke was quick with reassurances, “This young man quite obviously awesome in every way. He’s like a more handsomer Bradley Cooper in the movie ‘Limitless’… only he doesn’t need drugs to unlock his four digit IQ. Before you dolts in the media starts questioning his experience, just remember: the only reason he has no experience is because he’s never done this before. Give him some time, this guy's going to be Sam Pollock to the power of Bill Torrey. If you will... imagine exponential awesomeness...â€

​

Burke resigned the next day and Yaksmen was promoted to his position, absorbing all significant authority in hockey operations for the team going forward.

Season 1 - 2015/2016​

August was quiet in Flames land as the new GM acquainted himself. The only major signing was captain Mark Giordano’s 6 year $40.5m extension that was announced near the end of the month. Apparently the deal had already been agreed to between Treliving and Giordano before the former stepped down, a shrewd final move assuming the talented defenseman doesn’t regress during the life of the deal.

Suddenly September hits, training camp is upon us and our plucky GM pulls off his first two deals within a 24 hour period. A third came down at the end of training camp, just days prior to the start of the season.

Opening Trades/Signings​

9/18/15

Calgary trades C M.Granlund + 2018-1st (CGY) + C M.Stajan + D L.Smid to Boston for 2016-1st (BOS) + 2016-1st (SJ) + 2016-3rd (BOS).

GM comments: “This was one tough negotiation, Don is clearly going to be great GM in this league for a long time. He ground us down, but ultimately Markus was obviously the most valuable piece in this deal. We get 3 picks in the upcoming draft and they get a 1st in 2018, but we also gave them Stajan and Smid… who are still serviceable veterans.â€

TSN: “Boston should probably stop making trades with Calgary.â€


9/19/15

Calgary trades LW B.Bollig + D K.Kanzig + LW A.Carroll to Florida for 2016-2nd (FLA).

GM comments: “They approached us with the basics of the deal. They wanted Bollig for a 4th, so I asked if we could get a 2nd if we included a couple of surplus prospects, they agreed. I was quite surprised and happy as I didn’t see a future here for any of those three players anyway. No offense to them, it was just a numbers game that they were never going to win.â€

TSN: “Odd trade for Florida but great for Calgary as Bollig was going to likely get claimed on waivers while the other two players are "C" prospects at best. Getting a 2nd round draft pick back makes this is a no brainer.â€


9/26/15

G M.Visentin, RW T.Vincour, LW A.Pettersson, C A.Saarela and D R.Valiev sign 2 year/2-way contracts.

GM comments: “These players all have solid potential and fill areas of need for our hockey team, this is found money.â€

TSN: “Not sure why these guys are free agents. They were the property of other NHL teams about a week ago. Did I miss the memo?â€


9/29/15

D C.Franson signs 2 year $9.5m contract ($4.75m AAV).

GM comments: “Cody will provide great depth for our team and will really solidify our top 6, we are thrilled to have him. The 2 year term was key, we had to pay a little extra for that.â€


TSN: “Giordano, Hamilton, Brodie, Wideman, Franson, Russell and Franson. What else is there to say?â€


9/30/15

Calgary trades G J.Hiller + C D.Grant + 2018-2nd (CGY) to Winnipeg for 2016-1st (WPG).

GM comments: “Hiller was not as good as Ortio or Ramo in camp, thus a decision had to be made. Also, we can’t carry 3 goalies and Joni is ready for the NHL… this was the logical choice, especially factoring in the age and contract status of the players.â€

TSN: “Winnipeg didn’t lose as bad as one might think here. Hiller is good insurance for the Jets as Pavelec can be quite inconsistent. A 1st is a big price to pay but they did get a 2018-2nd to offset that. Calgary wins another one and are sitting pretty with four 1st round picks in the 2015 draft.â€


10/5/15

G J.Gustavsson signs 1 year $0.7m contract.

Depth Chart as of October 1st, 2015

Rank. Player Name, Age (Overall Rating - Player Type) Potential / Probability / Salary / Term Remaining

Center

1. Sean Monahan, 20 (87 - SNP) Elite / High / $0.925m / 1
2. Mikael Backlund, 26 (82 - TWF) Top 9 / Low / $3.575m / 3
3. Sam Bennett, 19 (81 - PLY) Elite / High / $0.925m / 2
4. Josh Jooris, 25 (80 - TWF) Top 9 / Medium / $0.975m / 1
5. Drew Shore, 24 (80 - TWF) Bottom 6 /Medium / $0.85m / 1
6. Paul Byron, 26 (78 - TWF) Top 9 / Low / $0.9m / 1
7. Bill Arnold, 23 (74 - TWF) Top 9 / Medium / $0.825m / 1
Depth: Elson, Vause, Saarela

Left Wing

1. Johnny Gaudreau, 22 (86 - PLY) Elite / Medium / $0.925m / 1
2. Lance Bouma, 25 (83 - GRN) Top 9 / Medium / $2.2m / 3
3. Mason Raymond, 30 (82 - SNP) Top 9 / Exact / $3.15m / 2
4. Micheal Ferland, 23 (82 - PWF) Top 6 / Medium / $0.61m / 1
5. Morgan Klimchuk, 20 (77 - TWF) Top 6 / Medium / $0.865m/3
6. Kenny Agostino, 23 (74 - TWF) Top 9 / Low / $0.735m / 1
Depth: Wolf, Van Brabant

Right Wing

1. Jiri Hudler, 31 (88 - PLY) Top 6 / Exact / $4.0m / 1
2. Michael Frolik, 27 (85 - TWF) Top 6 / Exact / $4.3m / 5
3. Joe Colborne, 25 (83 - PWF) Top 9 / Medium / $1.275m / 1
4. David Jones, 31 (82 - PWF) Top 9 / Exact / $4.0m / 1
5. Emile Poirier, 20 (80 - SNP) Top 6 / Medium / $0.865m / 3
6. Tomas Vincour, 24 (77 - SNP) Top 6 /Medium / $0.75m / 2
Depth: Hathaway, Smith

Defensemen

1. Mark Giordano, 31 (91 - TWD) Elite / Exact / $6.75m / 7
2. Dougie Hamilton, 22 (88 - OFD) Franchise / Medium / $5.75m / 6
3. TJ Brodie, 25 (86 - TWD) Exact / Medium / $4.65m / 5
4. Dennis Wideman, 32 (85 - OFD) Top 6 / Exact / $5.25m / 2
5. Kris Russell, 28 (85 - OFD) Top 4 / Exact / $2.6m / 1
6. Cody Franson, 27 (84 - OFD) Top 4 / Exact / $4.75m / 2
7. Deryk Engelland, 33 (80 - DFD) Top 6 / Exact / $2.92m / 2
8. Tyler Wotherspoon, 22 (75 - DFD) Top 6 / Low / $0.925m / 1
9. Patrick Sieloff, 21 (71 - DFD) Top 6 / Medium / $0.895m / 2
10. Rinat Valiev, 20 (68 - TWD) Top 6 / High / $0.7m / 2

Depth: Culkin, Kulak, Andersson

Goaltenders

1. Karri Ramo, 29 (84 - HYB) Starter / Exact / $3.8m / 1
2. Joni Ortio, 24 (82 - HYB) Starter / Medium / $0.6m / 1
3. Mark Visentin, 23 (77 - HYB) Fringe Starter / Low / $0.575m / 2
4. Mason McDonald, 19 (67 - HYB) Elite / Medium / $0.855m / 3

Salary Cap: $71.4m Total Salary: $65.69m Cap Space: $5.71m


Start of Season

Opening Day Lineup

LW C RW

Gaudreau (86) A-Monahan (87) Ferland (82)

Bouma (83) Bennett (81) A-Hudler (88)

Frolik (85) Backlund (82) Colborne (83)

Raymond (82) Jooris (80) Jones (82)

Shore (80) Byron (78)

LD RD

C-Giordano (91) Hamilton (88)

Brodie (86) Franson (84)

Russell (85) Wideman (85)

Engelland (80)

G

Ramo (84)

Ortio (82)


First Half Notes

Calgary wins an incredible 12 games in a row at one point during an inspiring first half performance. The streak went from November 13 to December 10, nearly a full month. They outscored the opposition 54-19 during the stretch.

Flames are an incredibly disciplined team as they go shorthanded a paltry 96 times in the first half while going on the PP 162 times for an eye popping +66 differential. With the Flames scorching PP over 20%, they didn’t even need a great PK to have great special teams overall with a difference that big. The PK was 80.6% in the first half, barely in the top 20, yet they boasted a +14 special teams differential thanks to the extra PPs that they scored on consistently.

Injuries were a big issue at times in the first half. At one point Frolik, Bouma, Bennett and Raymond were all sidelined with injuries, leading to a 4th line of Poirier-Byron-Engelland for a couple of weeks. Just as some of those guys came back, Gaudreau is knocked out for 2 weeks with an injured knee.

Forwards

Calgary starts the season on fire, going 9-2 in their first 11 games, while scoring 40 times in this stretch. Everyone is firing on all cylinders especially Mason Raymond who puts up 8 goals in October to pace the Flames. Calgary is the talk of the NHL with their amazing offense that averaged 3.3-3.7 GPG throughout the year, boosted by a ridiculous PP that seems to score at will at times. Ferland started at RW, playing with Monahan and Gaudreau and the three immediately click and would not be separated all year unless forced by injuries. Ferland smashing, Johnny dishing and Monahan finishing became a very common theme.

Line 2 was predominately Frolik-Bennett-Hudler, but Bouma and Colborne played some there as well (separately, always replacing Frolik for whatever reason). Line 3 started out as Bouma-Backlund- Colborne but Raymond found himself there early on with his hot start. Colborne and Backlund would play together all year and played very well especially early on while Raymond was doing his Mr. October routine. Bouma was the X-factor, moving up and down lines 2-4 depending on injuries or player performance.

Through the first half of the year, the top 9 was positively hopping and even guys like Shore and Jooris were making lineup decisions very difficult with their great play. The odd man out was David Jones who battled injuries and inconsistency constantly. His morale was seriously hurting the team with his constant complaining. Even when he found himself on the 4th line, he wouldn’t do anything to stay there putting up a meager 2 goals by Christmas. He found himself on the trade block after a month but that made him even more upset.

Defense

​

Calgary’s bread and butter. Hamilton was much better than advertised, and Giordano picked up right where he left off in 2014/15 before his unfortunate biceps injury. Franson was a key pickup in FA that really solidified the top 6, he proved to be a great partner for two-way beast TJ Brodie. Wideman and Russell were relegated to the third pair due to the depth so their point totals suffered but they were easily the best third pair in hockey. Engelland was none too happy about becoming the team’s 7th dman and he voiced his displeasure constantly. In the end, he found some playing time on RW more than D due to injuries but it became apparent early on that Engelland would have to go despite a solid performance the year prior.

Goaltending

With Hiller gone, many wondered if Ramo would be up to the task as a #1. Boy, was he ever. It helped playing behind such a great defense but Ramo really did play well just the same, posting a .920+ sv% throughout the first half while winning 3/4 of his starts. Ortio was another story, as he struggled for most of the first half of the season.

First Half Stats

Team Stats: 28-11-2, 58 points. 144 GF 95 GA 21.6% PP 80.6%. 1st in the NHL, lead Canucks by 8 points in the race for first in the Pacific Division.

Player Stats

Player GP G A Pts PIM +/-

Gaudreau 41 11 33 44 4 +18
Monahan 41 18 20 38 11 +17
Hamilton 41 15 20 35 8 +14
*Bennett 38 13 14 27 9 +10
Giordano 39 8 19 27 41 +24
Hudler 39 9 17 26 0 +7
Franson 41 3 19 22 2 +10
Ferland 40 14 8 22 36 +20
Brodie 41 4 18 22 2 -2
Raymond 29 9 12 21 2 +12
Frolik 29 7 9 16 11 +9

Wideman, Bouma and Colborne all with 15 points

Goalie Stats

GP GAA W-L-SO/OT SV% SO

Ramo 34 1.93 23-8-3 .928 3
Ortio 9 3.50 5-4-0 .893 1​

 

[SPV]

Looks like this thread is going to be the spot for NHL 16; so I'll add my update here. Just getting ready to roll into my second season in Boston.

Last year, the Bruins made the playoffs, squeaking into the 8th spot but getting eliminated in the first round. Ottawa won the Cup, beating LA in six games. They traded for Joe Thornton & Jaromir Jagr at the deadline.

Connor McDavid won the Calder, beating out Eichel although they both had similar stat lines.

Zdeno Chara retired and I named Patrice Bergeron the new captain.


Heading into season two; my Bruins have the following roster:

Marchand-Bergeron-Eriksson
Lucic-Krejci-Pastranak
Beleskey-Spooner-Griffith
Rinaldo-Donato-Randell

Krug-S.Jones
Seidenberg-C.Miller
Morrow-K.Miller

Rask
Smith

Pastranak & Griffith are progressing really well. I made up Donato last year, and he fits well on the 4th line between my two bangers. On defense, Krug is amazing, and Colin Miller and Joe Morrow made the jump to the next level. My team morale entering the year is at 78%.

 

[542365]

I can't stand this morale stuff. Is there any way to get a player back after they're disengaged or disgruntled? It doesn't seem to matter who I trade for, my 3rd/4th liners and 2nd/3rd pairing DMen always fall off a cliff after I trade anyone away. I don't want to just keep the same team throughout every season, but it seems like if I make any moves at all it screws everything up, unless I use draft picks for the trade, which I don't like doing.

 

[SPV]

I can't stand this morale stuff. Is there any way to get a player back after they're disengaged or disgruntled? It doesn't seem to matter who I trade for, my 3rd/4th liners and 2nd/3rd pairing DMen always fall off a cliff after I trade anyone away. I don't want to just keep the same team throughout every season, but it seems like if I make any moves at all it screws everything up, unless I use draft picks for the trade, which I don't like doing.

someone mentioned this in another thread, but option #2 has no effect to positive effect every time. In many cases, it was the one I would pick anyway; but selecting it helps to keep some players in line after they have fallen off.

I think the morale forces you to have a lot of consistency in your roster too; which I kind of like; but I can see where others would have an issue with...

 

[GingerJesus28]

I can't stand this morale stuff. Is there any way to get a player back after they're disengaged or disgruntled? It doesn't seem to matter who I trade for, my 3rd/4th liners and 2nd/3rd pairing DMen always fall off a cliff after I trade anyone away. I don't want to just keep the same team throughout every season, but it seems like if I make any moves at all it screws everything up, unless I use draft picks for the trade, which I don't like doing.

I traded away my captain and assistant (Giroux and Hedman) going away into my 5th year and my team morale only went down 2% and only 2 players regressed. I think it matters when you make the trade, who you acquire, who you trade and how the team has done in the past.

Same thing, expect my team morale was at 80%, i traded away great players and team morale went down to 70% and players regressed.

Its important. People have been *****ing about wanting it to be realistic? They got it lol. There's consequences for trading great players who are loved in the locker room, which is the way it should be. It does make it less fun for sure.

Im 50/50 on it. Sometimes its really dumb, then other times I get it; i understand what they're going for.

 

[GingerJesus28]

someone mentioned this in another thread, but option #2 has no effect to positive effect every time. In many cases, it was the one I would pick anyway; but selecting it helps to keep some players in line after they have fallen off.

I think the morale forces you to have a lot of consistency in your roster too; which I kind of like; but I can see where others would have an issue with...

thats me

 

[SPV]

I traded away my captain and assistant (Giroux and Hedman) going away into my 5th year and my team morale only went down 2% and only 2 players regressed. I think it matters when you make the trade, who you acquire, who you trade and how the team has done in the past.

Same thing, expect my team morale was at 80%, i traded away great players and team morale went down to 70% and players regressed.

Its important. People have been *****ing about wanting it to be realistic? They got it lol. There's consequences for trading great players who are loved in the locker room, which is the way it should be. It does make it less fun for sure.

Im 50/50 on it. Sometimes its really dumb, then other times I get it; i understand what they're going for.

Agreed, I think I like it so far. I had a lot of players upset that I didn't re-sign Chris Kelly; but I had a rookie ready for that spot. But I think that is very much like real life; Kelly is a well liked leader on the 4th line.

I wish the game focused more on this and less on overall ratings; I find those to be a distraction while I'm setting up a team; wish it was all based off chemistry and player type. In real life you don't have an "84" over a young player's head to know where you are going to slot him in the lineup!

 

[Kilted Yaksmen]

No for NHL 16 (i assume) you just press R3 on the player. In bagm it shows atributes, statistics, moral and moral trends(or something like that) when you go over *statistics* it gives you the option to view full career stats!

It shows year by year but doesn't total them for some reason, kind of annoying but at least there is more than 4 years of stats now.

 

[Saturated Fats]

Completed my first season on Canucks BAGM. Finished 27th in the league, 4th OV draft pick. Simulated most of it. Top-scoring player was D Sedin with 53 pts.

Stanley Cup: PIT over LAK in 7 games
Hart: M Smith (.932 SV%, 38W, 1.94 GAA)
Art Ross: T Seguin (93 pts)

In-season Trades
D Hamhuis, 2017 2nd to WPG for J Trouba
R Vrbata to PIT for 2016 1st Rd. Pick
D Dorsett to CBJ for 2016 5th Rd. Pick
N Jensen, 2016 3rd Rd. Pick to NYI for C De Haan
L Sbisa to NSH for K Fiala

Draft Day
Traded 4th Overall pick, 2016 2nd Rd. Pick, 2017 3rd Rd. Pick to CAR for 2nd Overall pick
Traded R Miller to EDM for 2016 1st Round Pick (16th OV), A Slepyshev, 2017 5th Rd. Pick

Drafted J Chychrun 2nd overall
Drafted T Soy 16th overall (EDM pick)
Drafted M Akerman 30th overall (PIT pick)

Off-season trades:
J Markstrom, C Cassels, 2017 1st Rd. Pick to TBL for A Vasilevskiy, 2017 2nd Rd. Pick, A Erne
H Shinkaruk, J Subban, S Baertschi to SJS for L Couture (low morale - had demanded trade)
2018 2nd Rd. Pick to BOS for J Hayes
2018 1st Rd. Pick, A Erne to CBJ for B Jenner

UFA signings
T Purcell - 3 yrs, $4.375M per
N Spaling - 2 yrs, $2.2M per
M Kruger - 2 yrs, $1.75M per

Other Off-season
D Sedin retired
H Sedin retired

J Virtanen (81) - L Couture (A - 88) - T Purcell (83)
B Jenner (85) - B Horvat (C - 85) - R Kenins (82)
A Burrows (82) - B Sutter (84) - J Hayes (83)
N Spaling (82) - M Kruger (81) - J McCann (78)
K Fiala (79)

J Trouba (86) - A Edler (A - 85)
C Tanev (84) - C de Haan (83)
J Chychrun (64) - M Scandella (82 - waiver pickup)
M Bartkowski (79)

A Vasilevskiy (88)
T Demko (80 - created)

 

[GingerJesus28]

Next GM I'm gonna be the Yotes or Canucks and rebuild & build through the draft.

 

[542365]

I traded away my captain and assistant (Giroux and Hedman) going away into my 5th year and my team morale only went down 2% and only 2 players regressed. I think it matters when you make the trade, who you acquire, who you trade and how the team has done in the past.

Same thing, expect my team morale was at 80%, i traded away great players and team morale went down to 70% and players regressed.

Its important. People have been *****ing about wanting it to be realistic? They got it lol. There's consequences for trading great players who are loved in the locker room, which is the way it should be. It does make it less fun for sure.

Im 50/50 on it. Sometimes its really dumb, then other times I get it; i understand what they're going for.

Yeah, I get what they're going for but it certainly could've been implemented much better. I'll stick with answering the second response from now on.

 

[snake989827]

Can anyone tell me what a "Presence" is?

 

[ThatNavyGuy]

Can anyone tell me what a "Presence" is?

Seems to me like that calming player(Like the vets that some teams will get during a playoff run.) that kinda calms the room down or something along those lines

 

[mjd]

Seems to me like that calming player(Like the vets that some teams will get during a playoff run.) that kinda calms the room down or something along those lines

I had then an 18 year "veteran" Connor McDavid on my Oilers Team in a "Pressence" Role lol

 

[mjd]

It shows year by year but doesn't total them for some reason, kind of annoying but at least there is more than 4 years of stats now.

Exactly! In previous NHL games, I would take the time to go through the league checking the elite players careers accumulate after each season.

It was really cool seeing Ovechkin reach 500, 600, and sometimes even 700 goals on Washington.
Crosby would usually finish anywhere from 1650-1900 points depending on the sim file

 

[Kilted Yaksmen]

Calgary Flames Franchise with NHL 16

Part 2: Second Half of 2015/2016 and Playoffs

Previous Entries: (Introduction), Season 1: (Part 1: First Half of 15/16)

​

2/2/16

Calgary claims D Stephen Johns of waivers from Dallas. The youngster had 27 1 4 5 + 8 51 PIMs in the AHL so far. He was viewed as an Engelland replacement with the veteran becoming disenfranchised with his role on the team.

Jones and Engelland had become toxic by this point and GM Yaksmen was working furiously to try to move them but it was easier said than done with Engelland now a 75 OVR and Jones being a 77 OVR and both players mired in disastrous seasons, sporting a combined 39 GP 2 G 4 A 6P -11 6 PIMs by the time Johns was claimed.

2/21/16

D Deryk Engelland sent down to Stockton (AHL).

GM comments: “No one wants him… I’m not sure what people want me to do… I’m having a hard time finding someone. Being in Stockton long term is not a solution either, not unless he can approach the situation more positively.â€

2/28/16

D Ryan Wilson signs 1 year $0.6m contract

GM comments: “Ryan hasn’t played a lot in the last few years so he will need some time in Stockton to get back up to speed. No comment on the Engelland situation.â€

2016 Trade Deadline​

There were many near moves and close calls at this year’s trade deadline, the Flames were very busy as they found themselves favorites to win the cup. In contrast, The Hockey news ran a story in early February titled “McDavid who", the jist of which was the story of the Oilers phenom struggles and how they were matched only by his own team’s… all whilst their provincial rivals fortunes rose ever higher. It was hardly thinkable at the start of the season but this was the situation they found themselves in, and as a result, they were definitely buyers at this year’s TDL. Gaudreau, Hamilton, Monahan and Giordano were the primary catalysts behind a relentless offensive explosion that saw Calgary on pace to win the President’s Trophy while scoring more goals than any other team in a single season since Washington in 2010. There were many others having great seasons as well, certainly put to bed any notion that 2014/15 was a fluke. Or did it?

Ryan Lambert: “This is completely unsustainable. There is NO WAY this team can get to 120 points! Their Corsi is only 12th in the league so that pace is just… unquestionably a farce.â€

Top 8 Flames prior to the TDL

Player GP G A Pts PIM +/-

Gaudreau 59 16 41 57
Hamilton 59 20 33 53
Monahan 62 24 28 52
Hudler 59 13 28 41
Giordano 59 13 28 41
*Bennett 52 18 21 39
Brodie 61 8 28 36
Ferland 58 18 13 31

Goalie GP GAA W-L-SO/OT SV% SO

Ramo 47 2.07 29-14-3 .923 4
Ortio 17 2.89 11-5-1 .907 1​

The Skinny: At 40-17-4, the Flames led the Ducks by 10 points for 1st in the Pacific. They were 1st in the NHL in P%, had an eye popping 212 GF against 148 GA. Hamilton and Giordano were having their way with the NHL all year. They were easily the best defensive pairing in the league while the forwards were all having career years (again). Damned straight they were ‘buyers’.

Even though the Flames GM was clear about what the team’s intentions were as early as December, The New Jersey Devils just wouldn’t stop asking about pending UFA RW Jiri Hudler. Caught in between contending now and cashing in on Jiri Hudler’s insane trade value, Calgary’s GM was in a tough, but enviable position and a decision had to be made. Hudler wasn’t having as good a season as he did in 14/15 but he was still a great top 6 forward for any team. The trade offer that kept coming that had the Flames GM THIS close to offloading Hudler was as follows:

NJ offers 2016-1st (NJ) + 2017-1st (NJ) to Calgary for RW Jiri Hudler

Calgary’s GM didn’t dismiss it out of hand, especially since he was well aware he likely wasn’t going to be able to sign Hudler in the offseason as he would likely be seeking a 6m+ deal on a long term deal. It was quite the opposite, as the offer was almost too good to be true. However, in the end the GM stuck to his word. The team was doing too well to make a trade like that. Calgary was ‘going for it’. It would’ve been a disservice to the guys in the room to fight all year and have one of their best forwards traded in the name of asset management. In a sense, Hudler was now a rental himself given the opportunity cost. The Flames chose not to receive two 1sts, in return they ‘rented’ Huder’s services for the balance of the season.

Instead, Calgary decided to sacrifice a bit of the future to help the team today in one trade and made another with an eye to the 2016 NHL entry draft.


3/1/16

Calgary trades LW M.Raymond + D D.Engelland + 2016-1st (CGY) + 2016-2nd (CGY) to Arizona for RW S. Doan + LW J.Scott + 2016-2nd (ARZ) + 2016-3rd (ARZ) + 2016-4th (ARZ)

GM comments: “I am very excited about this move. We add a quality veteran leader for our playoff run in Shane Doan. Shane is very excited about coming to Calgary and competing in the Stanley Cup playoffs for possibly the last time. This trade also gives Deryk what he has been asking for, which was important as well. I’m most excited about our cap flexibility going into the offseason. We gave up 4 years’ worth of contracts for one in this trade, all while upgrading the current team in multiple ways.â€

TSN: “Apparently the Flames kicked the tires on Jarome Iginla as well (what a story that would’ve been!). Unfortunately Colorado’s ask was just too high. In the end, Doan is a great addition and just what they need. A great leader, a steadying influence and a big RH power forward, Doan looks to line up with Backlund and Frolik on the third line.â€

Rival GM: “What is remarkable here is how little the Flames paid for Doan. Raymond and Engelland were clearly cap dumps with minimal value so all Arizona really got was a couple of marginally upgraded picks. Calgary is essentially downgrading the following picks: 27-30th to 32nd OA, and 57- 60th to 62nd OA. Calgary also gets 92nd OA. To acquire Shane Doan… that’s nuts.â€


Calgary trades D B.Kulak + 2016-3rd (CGY) + 2016-6th (CGY) + 2016-7th (CGY) to Pittsburgh for 2016-2nd (ANA).

GM comments: “We wish Brett the best but this was mostly about giving him an opportunity than anything. Getting another 2nd is also nice, of course.â€

TSN: “B prospect plus a pick that will be around 86-90 OA (as well as two late picks) for a pick that will likely be around 50 OA. Now the Flames will have 8 picks within the first 65 or so selections in the upcoming draft, as well as a couple of 4ths. Another solid move for the rookie GM.â€

Down the Stretch​

The Flames kept chugging as the games became more meaningful. Ramo seemed to slide slightly but Ortio seemed to pick up the pace while the rest of the team just kept doing their thing despite some injuries at crucial times (only Brodie, Backlund and Russell played all 82 games).

Calgary goes on another protracted winning streak, this time a 7 gamer. The streak went from March 11 to March 24 and saw the Flames outscore the opposition 26-9 during the stretch which ended in a 3-1 loss to Colorado (with Iginla scoring twice). All said, the Flames carried a 14-2-1 record coming out of the deadline, including the 7 game streak.

Calgary clinches their division on March 16 with a 3-2 win over Winnipeg, in game 70. The win was costly as C Sean Monahan suffered a broken jaw that (at the time) threatened the rest of his regular season, though he did end up coming back with a few games to spare.

Doan proves to be a solid addition, though he didn’t score much. He provided a solid physical presence that really opened up space for his linemates. He also sported one of the best giveaway to take away ratios on the team at nearly 3:1. He, Ferland and Colborne also provided the Flames the advantage of having a power forward on each of the top 3 lines, something that really proved effective given the 6 other mostly finesse forwards that inhabited Calgary’s top 9.

Johnny Gaudreau finishes up a masterful sophomore campaign, posting 29 goals and 81 points while garnering serious Hart Trophy buzz. With 10 game winning goals, Gaudreau was proving to be one of the best clutch performers in league. He and Hamilton were as dynamic of a duo as you would find in the NHL, especially on the PP. With Hamilton on his off side, it was one timer city with Johnny Hockey teeing up the 6’5†26 goal scorer with regularity. Giordano really came on in the second half of the season, scoring 12 goals and 26 assists for 38 points in his last 41 games. For you math geniuses out there, that’s a 24 goal, 76 point pace. Oh, did I forget to mention he ended up a cool +45 to end the season?

All told, the Flames lit the lamp 289 times in 2015/16 while conceding a meagre 191. They won 57 flippin’ hockey games.

The questions from last season were answered with brutal finality. There would be no regression. The Flames were on top of the hockey world. The only question was, could anybody challenge them?

2015/2016 End of Season Stats​

​

Team Stats: 57-20-5, 119 points (1st) 289 GF(1st) 191 GA(7th) 20.4% PP(2nd) 80.6%(14th)

Player Stats

# Player GP G A Pts PIM +/-

13 Gaudreau 80 29 52 81 11 +27
27 Hamilton 79 26 43 69 18 +35
5 Giordano 80 20 45 65 96 +45
23 Monahan 75 30 35 65 15 +26
24 Hudler 80 16 42 58 4 +18
93 *Bennett 73 22 28 50 9 +13
7 Brodie 82 11 36 47 20 -4
11 Backlund 82 19 19 38 12 +11
79 Ferland 77 20 17 37 63 +29
8 Colborne 77 17 19 36 46 +7
44 Franson 78 5 31 36 2 +23
67 Frolik 63 12 20 32 17 +23
6 Wideman 78 10 22 32 8 +9
19 Doan 77 16 12 28 56 +9
Phoenix 57 12 11 23 36 0
Calgary 20 4 1 5 9 20 +9
16 Jooris 75 10 17 11 +12
4 Russell 82 2 24 26 2 +21
21 Raymond 50 10 15 25 4 +16
17 Bouma 81 9 16 25 101 -1
22 Shore 61 11 7 18 30 -2
54 Jones 60 4 9 13 6 -2
3 *Johns 12 1 3 4 9 0
32 Byron 13 0 3 3 4 +1
28 *Poirier 14 2 1 3 6 -4

Goalie Stats

# Goalie GP GAA W-L-SO/OT SV% SO

31 Ramo 56 2.04 36-16-4 .924 5
37 *Ortio 29 2.58 21-6-1 .915 2​

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2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs​

Playoff Analysis: Calgary entered the playoffs as the unanimous favorites. Skeptics the hockey world over have begun to sing a new tune, the Flames tune. Going into the first series against St. Louis, hardly anyone gave the Blues a chance. The consensus was that if the Flames could stay disciplined and not get drawn into the Blues taking liberties with their players, this would be a short series.

Round 1 – Pacific Division Semi Finals

1. Calgary Flames (57-20-5 119 Points, 1st in Pacific)
Versus
4. St. Louis Blues (47-33-2 96 points, 5th in Central)

CGY won season series 2-1-0, outscoring STL 9-7

Game 1 - St. Louis 3 Calgary 2 (Backlund, Doan)

Game 2 - St. Louis 1 Calgary 4 (Giordano, Frolik, Brodie, Hudler)

Game 3 - Calgary 2 St. Louis 4 (Backlund, Jones)

Game 4 - Calgary 3 St. Louis 2 OT (Hamilton, Backlund, Monahan) Hamiton scores OT winner

Game 5 – St. Louis 3 Calgary 6 (Wideman, Colborne, Brodie, Gaudreau, Monahan, Giordano)

Game 6 - St. Calgary 3 St. Louis 2 OT (Ferland, Monahan x 2) Ferland scores OT winner

Calgary wins series 4-2

GM comments: “Very proud of the boys, they really earned this. No one panicked when we went down 1-0 and 2-1, we just stayed positive and played our game. St. Louis is a very good team, this is a great accomplishment.

TSN: "Maggie the monkey took the Blues here but the rest of the panel took the Flames, this was no surprise. Calgary is on a major upswing and St. Louis is seeing their window shut a little more each year."


Round 2 – Pacific Division Finals

1. Calgary Flames (57-20-5 119 Points, 1st in Pacific)
Versus
2. Anaheim Ducks (45-27-10 100 points, 2nd in Pacific)

CGY won season series 3-2-0, outscoring ANA 18-16

Game 1 - Anaheim 1 Calgary 4 (Gaudreau x 2, Ferland, Backlund)

Game 2 - Anaheim 1 Calgary 4 (Hamilton, Hudler, Jooris, Gaudreau)

Game 3 - Calgary 4 Anaheim 2 (Hudler x 2, Colborne, Frolik)

Game 4 - Calgary 3 Anaheim 1 (Ferland, Gaudreau, Colborne)

Calgary wins series 4-0

GM comments: “To beat Anaheim after how badly they manhandled us last year is... huge. We have taken another huge step here, this is a team that has owned us over the last several years and we took them out."

TSN: “We thought Anaheim would pose more of a challenge to Calgary than St. Louis did. We were wrong. That's why they play the games."


Round 3 –Western Conference Finals

1. Calgary Flames (57-20-5 119 Points, 1st in Pacific)
Versus
1. Minnesota Wild (51-27-4 106 points, 1st in Central)

CGY won season series 3-0, outscoring MIN 13-4

Game 1 - Minnesota 3 Calgary 1 (Monahan)

Game 2 – Minnesota 2 Calgary 6 (Bennett x 2, Monahan, Backlund, Hamilton, Gaudreau)

Game 3 - Calgary 6 Minnesota 7 (Gaudreau, Hudler, Frolik, Ferland, Bennett, Backlund)

Game 4 - Calgary 2 Minnesota 5 (Backlund, Gaudreau)

Game 5 - Minnesota 2 Calgary 3 OT2 (Gaudreau x 2, Ferland) Gaudreau scores OT winner

Game 6 - Calgary 2 Minnesota 1 (Hamilton, Bennett)

Game 7 - Minnesota 1 Calgary 4 (Backlund, Hudler, Gaudreau, Colborne)

Calgary wins series 4-3

GM comments: “To come back from 3-1 down shows incredible resolve, words cannot express how proud I am of this group. Not once did we stop believing in ourselves, it really speaks to the leadership in the room that we were able to respond to such adversity."

TSN: “When Ramo went down with that hip injury and they were down 3-1, we thought the Wild were going to pull this off. Credit to Ortio and the rest of the team, this was truly impressive against the second best team in the league. This was almost the true Stanley Cup Finals. Not to discredit Calgary's actual opponent (Toronto) but we don't see how they will stand much of a chance with how badly Calgary dismantled the Wild with their backup in net over the last 3 games. Ramo is expected back for the next series, and is expected to play, but Ortio was really lights out in relief. How long of a leash will Ramo have if he struggles against Toronto?


Round 4 – Stanley Cup Finals

1. Calgary Flames (57-20-5 119 Points, 1st in Pacific)
Versus
1. Toronto Maple Leafs (46-29-7 99 points, 1st in Central)

CGY won season series 2-0, outscoring TOR 8-2

Game 1 - Toronto 1 Calgary 3 (Jooris, Bouma, Giordano)

Game 2 - Toronto 2 Calgary 4 (Bennett x 2, Brodie, Franson)

Game 3 - Calgary 3 Toronto 4 OT (Monahan, Hudler, Giordano) Komorov scores OT winner

Game 4 - Calgary 4 Toronto 2 (Frolik, Gaudreau, Backlund, Monahan)

Game 5 - Toronto 1 Calgary 6 (Hudler x 3, Giordano, Doan, Shore)

Calgary wins series 4-1

Jiri Hudler is awarded the Conn Smythe as Calgary wins the Stanley Cup for the second time in team history.

GM comments: “This is the greatest feeling in the world. There are no words."

TSN: “In this series, The Leafs were the 2004 Flames and the Flames were the 2004 Lightning, only stronger. No one expected the Leafs to make the playoffs much less win 3 game 7's on route to a SCF appearance. They never really had a chance here but this is a huge step for a supposed re-building team, they showed a ton of heart and potential. The Flames? What else can you say? They were dominant from October all the way to June, and they're only getting better. Hudler winning the Conn Smythe was interesting as he was nearly traded at the deadline. It doesn't look like there is room to keep him long term but you have to wonder if the Flames GM will try to make room with how amazing Hudler was in the playoffs."
​

2016 Playoff Stats​

Team Stats: 16-6 (Won Stanley Cup) 79 GF 51 GA 23.1% PP 72.7% PK

Player Stats​

# Player GP G A Pts PIM +/-

24 Hudler 22 10 16 26 0 +11
23 Monahan 22 8 15 23 0 +9
27 Hamilton 22 4 18 22 4 +15
13 Gaudreau 22 12 9 21 8 +10
5 Giordano 22 5 16 21 8 +10
11 Backlund 22 8 6 14 2 +8
93 *Bennett 22 6 8 14 6 +6
79 Ferland 22 5 5 10 12 +11
7 Brodie 21 3 7 10 12 +7
67 Frolik 20 4 5 9 2 +2
44 Franson 22 1 8 9 4 +10
8 Colborne 22 4 4 8 19 +12
6 Wideman 22 1 5 6 6 +1
16 Jooris 22 3 2 5 0 +6
4 Russell 22 0 5 5 6 +6
17 Bouma 7 1 2 3 2 +3
19 Doan 22 2 1 3 16 +2
54 Jones 17 1 2 3 9 +2
32 Byron 3 0 0 0 0 -1

Goalie Stats

# Goalie GP GAA W-L SV% SO

31 Ramo 19 2.36 13-6 .912 0
37 *Ortio 4 1.53 3-0 .944 0​