GDT: Free Agent Frenzy 2018

Volica

Papa Shango
May 15, 2012
21,391
11,074
So.

Outside of two additional potential signings, how much better are we versus last year?

Who here is confident this is a clear playoff team now?
 

Calgareee

Registered User
Jun 29, 2015
2,051
413
So.

Outside of two additional potential signings, how much better are we versus last year?

Who here is confident this is a clear playoff team now?

I’m definitely on the fence. Couple things that can swing it for me.

1) Special teams
2) Mike Smith’s groin
3) D pairing chemistry

If all of those things are good out of the gate we have a chance. But I’m not holding my breath on being any better than last year.
 

tmurfin

That’s the joke
May 8, 2010
11,242
1,279
So.

Outside of two additional potential signings, how much better are we versus last year?

Who here is confident this is a clear playoff team now?
I am just as certain as I was a month ago, that I have absolutely no clue how this team is going to look on the ice. I don’t even know who’s going to be in the lineup, let alone how they’re going to perform :dunno:

Saving my opinions until the regular season. We basically just dropped a few more deuces in our pile of shit and threw it at the wall, now we see if it sticks.

One way or another, I think Treliving will live or die by the moves he’s made this past few weeks.
 

1989

Registered User
Aug 3, 2010
10,361
3,865
I’m definitely on the fence. Couple things that can swing it for me.

1) Special teams
2) Mike Smith’s groin
3) D pairing chemistry

If all of those things are good out of the gate we have a chance. But I’m not holding my breath on being any better than last year.
What ticked me off about last season was that the Flames finally started with a decent October only to lose out by February.

Oftentimes it's been a slow starting team that needed to play catchup; last season it simply "got away" from them.

No idea how these moves pan out. Not unhappy but not necessarily optimistic either.
 

OvermanKingGainer

#BennettFreed #CurseofTheSpulll #FreeOliver
Feb 3, 2015
16,133
7,107
2022 Cup to Calgary
So.

Outside of two additional potential signings, how much better are we versus last year?

Much better.

Forward core: better
-Glen Gulutzan is gone, so Sam Bennett will be an all-star
-Power play is going to be absolutely deadly with guys like Lindholm, Czarnik, and maybe even Brouwer being used in PP situations that they're comfortable in (Brouwer had a specific role he used to score goals at that Gully NEVER tried). Gaudreau going to have a breakout year on the power play playing for a coach who just got Taylor Hall a Hart Trophy.
-Eleven forwards who deserve to play top nine
Gaudreau / Bennett / Lindholm
Monahan / Jankowski / Czarnik
Tkachuk / Backlund /Ryan
Frolik / Mangiapane

-Fourth line has another handful of players who will push each other and under Peters won't just fall flat on their face
*Shore (hope he's back as 4C)
Foo
Quine
Dube
Lazar

PK should be greatly improved with Lindholm able to take some right side draws. Backlund-Lindholm anyone? Then Bennett-Frolik and Jankowski-Shore. That six guy group has got potential to be the best penalty kill in franchise history.

Blue line: better
- Brodie gonna drop ~55pts next year back on the side he is comfortable
- Giordano gonna drop ~55 playing with a partner who he actually likes playing with
- Hamonic gonna bounce back to 20+ playing with a partner who actually likes to play the left side.
- Hanifin going to add another 40+ as a #4 with elite possession numbers and won't lazily put us on the PK every game
- Kulak going to progress
- Kylington / Andersson Pushing hard
- Valimaki a dark horse

Goaltending: better
- Smith more comfortable in Canadian market
- Rittich more comfortable in the NHL
- Gillies there too

Who here is confident this is a clear playoff team now?

Me. Probably gonna contend for the division with all the right moves made. Love our roster, best skater roster we've had since 2015-16 before we waived Paul Byron. If we had managed to keep Ferly out of the Hamilton trade I would even be taking President's Trophy as that's now the only roster weakness left (Fast, Huge, Snipey Sniper)
 
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Kranix

Deranged Homer
Jun 27, 2012
18,122
16,154
Much better.

Forward core: better
-Glen Gulutzan is gone, so Sam Bennett will be an all-star
-Power play is going to be absolutely deadly with guys like Lindholm, Czarnik, and maybe even Brouwer being used in PP situations that they're comfortable in (Brouwer had a specific role he used to score goals at that Gully NEVER tried). Gaudreau going to have a breakout year on the power play playing for a coach who just got Taylor Hall a Hart Trophy.

Are you ill?
 

Calculon

unholy acting talent
Jan 20, 2006
16,578
4,035
Error 503
I think they're better but the extent to which really depends on coaching and special teams. Oh and whether Smith can hold up.

The last third of the season might cloud some memories but even under Gulutzan's terrible system and Cameron's inept powerplay, the roster was still in contention up until the injuries mounted. So even with small improvements, they should make it. They're probably still a couple of major offensive pieces away from being legitimate cup contenders though.
 
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Mobiandi

Registered User
Jan 17, 2015
20,844
17,200
My gut tells me that we miss the playoffs again. I feel like we struggle out of the gates again due to chemistry issues (e.g. middle pair, bottom 6, who does Bennett play with?) and we have to dig ourselves out of a hole again. Or we have another goaltender fiasco, unless Gillies/Rittich challenge Smith enough such that he doesn't play more than 55 games

I think the hockey will be more exciting than Gully's but this roster doesn't look like it has more goals in it unless Hanifin-Hamonic and Bennett take off.

I don't know what it is but I feel like this might be Treliving's last season. I'm sure he has many irons in the fire but I don't think he's improved the roster so far
 
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1989

Registered User
Aug 3, 2010
10,361
3,865
I said this before, and I'll say it after:

Dougie needed to be traded for another top-flight centre. They're not easy to acquire and Calgary just traded a player that could return one, 1:1.

I'm not bashing Lindholm. But if this team is supposed to be anything more than a first/second round flush, teams with INCREDIBLY strong centre depth are the teams that make noise in the league. No more, no less. Yes, other positions are important, but winners have "1A-1A" centre combos… not a typo.

I'm also not saying "Tavares needed to come to Calgary". Just saying Calgary does not currently have the ability on paper to be more than a darkhorse.

That being said, I am OK with the bolstering of the bottom six as well. Great teams have relentless third and fourth line players.
 

Baxterman

Registered User
Aug 27, 2017
6,939
1,499
I said this before, and I'll say it after:

Dougie needed to be traded for another top-flight centre. They're not easy to acquire and Calgary just traded a player that could return one, 1:1.

What top flight center is even available, let alone in a 1:1 deal for Hamilton?

Also if we deal Hamilton with no replacement that defense looks very weak, downright bad if Brodie doesn’t return to his old form.
 

Flames Fanatic

Mediocre
Aug 14, 2008
13,329
2,888
Cochrane
What top flight center is even available, let alone in a 1:1 deal for Hamilton?

Also if we deal Hamilton with no replacement that defense looks very weak, downright bad if Brodie doesn’t return to his old form.

This. What top #1 C was available for Dougie exactly?
 

Calculon

unholy acting talent
Jan 20, 2006
16,578
4,035
Error 503
Also, the Flames were allegedly "shopping" Hamilton for 18-20 months. Assuming that's true (and it probably is given the smoke), the market for Hamilton simply was never as high as most Flames fans (including myself) thought it was.
 
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Calculon

unholy acting talent
Jan 20, 2006
16,578
4,035
Error 503


Only posting this because it's an NHL GM openly stating that players are indeed showcased for trade reasons during the regular season
 

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