How do you feel about this team?

[Volica]

I actually like this team. It actually boggles the mind why they haven't found any kind of consistency.
Like, to me it's a coaching problem and maybe just an overall philosophical problem with the team in general. A team where your top 2 wingers are Gaudreau and Tkachuk; your top three centres are Monahan, Lindholm and Backlund, and your top 4 Dmen are Giordano, Brodie, Hanifin and Andersson... you shouldn't be a bubble team.

A lot of teams would kill for a similar core, just in terms of positional depth.

Yeah, we don't have an elite 1C (or maybe we do in Lindy?); but all the other pieces are there to be a successful franchise.

If Calgary could catch a bit of fire down the stretch here, maybe end up going like 12-5-1 or something... If I was another Pacific team I'd be pretty nervous. This was a top team in the league last year, a team that dominated people with the puck all night, and killed people with chances; it hasn't worked this year so far... but the pieces are definitely there.

If they fail to make the show, or get the 4 and done in the playoffs... I think that the best move would be to make a fundamental change to the team.
I'd probably move Monahan, I think he'll draw the most amount of value (centre, big, scoring); and it would slide Lindholm to centre full time. I always feel like this team cares a bit too much about the success of Monahan; like, things have worked in the past but his drop in production always reunites him with Johnny.

 

[Ace Rimmer]

I feel optimistic.

 

[Guffman]

Jets fan here but I live in Calgary for a number of year and get indoctrinated in Flames news on the radio.

Flames are just one year removed from an amazing regular season so you certainly have the pieces of being a top team. The Pacific is ripe though I would worry about Vegas as they seem to be the team to beat to get into the WCF.

With Markstrom out for the Canucks for an extended period, I would think that the Flames should be able to pass them down the stretch, likely setting up a Flames/Oilers Round 1 match-up. What's not to like with that potential series, which I would view as a coin flip?

To the OP who partially hopes that the team misses the playoffs to increase the chances of the coach/GM getting replaced... ugh. I've seen that type of mentality from so-called Jets fans. You should always rout for your team to do its best and then let the team figure out if the GM and/or coach is underperforming based on the team results. I would hope you would upgrade your coach in the offseason, even if you make the playoffs. The GM? Ehhh, not sure about.

Off-topic, absolutely hate the radio announcer for the Flames.

 

[Fig]

I really like what we have to work with going forward for the future 3-5 seasons. I think Treliving will do something at the expansion draft and we will be on solid footing in a way many others may not be after the expansion draft.

But I get where OP is coming from. I am confused as to what type of attitude to have for the current season. There's some really confusing on ice display from this group and I don't know if it's fair to put it all on coaching (ie: Peters putting Lucic to the point that he wanted to retire within only a few weeks) and Ward being thrown into a crazy and disadvantageous situation mid season and having to sort things out and figure things out on the fly. We have talent but there's some serious glue that's missing. Whether we need players to be that glue (seems to be what Treliving is trying to do) or if we use management to provide that glue (ie: Coach), I am not sure.

I can barely even say I'm cautiously optimistic at this point. Just seriously uncertain. It's like we were blazing last season and when we took a pit stop, something was done incorrectly and screwed up the machine and the vehicle doesn't drive correctly at all. We've been in diagnostic mode for a little bit and things are looking better, but we aren't sure if things are totally ironed out yet. No idea if we can fix the issue by this season or if it's something that will be straightened out by the end of the expansion draft. If the 80s is a fair comparison, I think we need a few seasons of fine tuning with this group to be a serious contender.

I think we have the pieces and we are in a situation where we have a core worth betting on for quite a few more seasons and there's a wide band of longevity with the players we have. Contrary to the opinion of some, IMO we also have the luxury of enough futures that we can re-balance the roster with luxuries as needed (unlike the Feaster years or the current Minny group when our core was aging and adding talent is just plugging holes from age deterioration vs young guys who can bounce back and create new career seasons). Our group is fricken young and most of it tied up for a decent duration.

I know some posters want more in the pipeline on the cusp of breaking out, but IMO I don't think that's completely necessary to the level that some posters seem to want. We don't need to be like the leafs or Oilers where their roster has elite talent but major holes and a ton of blue chips on the farm. Our roster IMO is much more balanced and steady. It just needs a bit more consistency which could be ironed out with Ward or another HC. We don't play like the Hartley era and don't need a ton of reserve troops as a result. We've been ridiculously healthy to the point depth is nearly pointless because no one gets that badly injured (ie: Fantenberg complaints). We don't need a crap ton of reserve troops ready to go. We definitely were unlucky this season losing Valimaki, Hamonic and Gio all at the wrong times though. On the farm we lost a ton of kids to injuries as well in both Zs, Pelletier etc.

The expansion draft is an interesting situation though and it's also kinda oddly hilarious that this seasons TDL acquisitions all read like Brodie and Hamonic lites for cheap like Treliving is anticipating losing both guys but already back filling their positions/styles with Gustafsson and Forbort.

Again, I think this is a great group that just needs time to fine tune and figure out how to play to their strengths more consistently. I just don't know if this is the season to be unwavering in my confidence in them or if it's next season to be unwavering in my confidence in them.

 

[viper0220]

Jets fan here but I live in Calgary for a number of year and get indoctrinated in Flames news on the radio.

Flames are just one year removed from an amazing regular season so you certainly have the pieces of being a top team. The Pacific is ripe though I would worry about Vegas as they seem to be the team to beat to get into the WCF.

With Markstrom out for the Canucks for an extended period, I would think that the Flames should be able to pass them down the stretch, likely setting up a Flames/Oilers Round 1 match-up. What's not to like with that potential series, which I would view as a coin flip?

To the OP who partially hopes that the team misses the playoffs to increase the chances of the coach/GM getting replaced... ugh. I've seen that type of mentality from so-called Jets fans. You should always rout for your team to do its best and then let the team figure out if the GM and/or coach is underperforming based on the team results. I would hope you would upgrade your coach in the offseason, even if you make the playoffs. The GM? Ehhh, not sure about.

Off-topic, absolutely hate the radio announcer for the Flames.

With Markstrom out for a while, I think the Flames or the Oilers pass them in the standings but if it was a Flames vs Oilers in the playoffs, I don't think it would be a coin flip, the Flames would be the underdogs because the Oilers have 2 of the best players in the league right now.

 

[SKRusty]

With Markstrom out for a while, I think the Flames or the Oilers pass them in the standings but if it was a Flames vs Oilers in the playoffs, I don't think it would be a coin flip, the Flames would be the underdogs because the Oilers have 2 of the best players in the league right now.

Draisaitl and McDavid do pose a significant challenge for the Flames but Defense, Goaltending and Overall team depth go to Calgary.

The Oiler D is really suspect especially with Klefbom and a bum shoulder at play. Essentially if the Oilers lose one of Klefbom, Nurse, Green, or Larsson you have Kris Russell moving into the second pairing. Kris Russell wouldn't make our top 8.

Goaltending statistically we hold the advantage.

Outside the top 2 players Calgary out-skills Edmonton with every other player. Calgary in 5 if we meet.

 

[viper0220]

Draisaitl and McDavid do pose a significant challenge for the Flames but Defense, Goaltending and Overall team depth go to Calgary.

The Oiler D is really suspect especially with Klefbom and a bum shoulder at play. Essentially if the Oilers lose one of Klefbom, Nurse, Green, or Larsson you have Kris Russell moving into the second pairing. Kris Russell wouldn't make our top 8.

Goaltending statistically we hold the advantage.

Outside the top 2 players Calgary out-skills Edmonton with every other player. Calgary in 5 if we meet.

I like your optimism but I don't think it is easy as you say. They just need Connor to go off(like MacKinnon) and it becomes very hard for us.

 

[SKRusty]

I like your optimism but I don't think it is easy as you say. They just need Connor to go off(like MacKinnon) and it becomes very hard for us.

Don't get me wrong McDavid is a god... My question becomes how healthy and how much in the tank he will have in game 83. If Edmonton makes it into the playoffs it will take everything those 2 players have to get there.

More than that Gio, Backs, Chucky and Brodie have learned how to minimize the damage better than most teams. Connor has only had 4 points in 4 games against Calgary.

MacKinnon had Rantanen and Landeskog, Makar, and Nichushkin playing at a very high level. Colorado's d annihilated our fore-check last year.

Lastly Edmonton has yet to truly play as a team like Colorado and Anaheim have done to us previously.

 

[Mobiandi]

The pieces are there. I don't know if Ward can put them together

We return to this

 

[DFF]

I feel good then I feel bad then I feel good...right now I feel good but I don't fully trust my feeling...lol

 

[tmurfin]

Beating a dead horse here but we need a coach that can go with the god damn flow. I feel like last year Peters basically handed our top line the keys when they were on the ice and said have at er, than coming into the year all this talk of “wanting Monahan to be a more complete player”, it seemed like he tried to reign them in too much and it f***ed everything up. Mony and Johnny are one of the top scoring duos in the league, as long as they are a net positive, I don’t give a f*** how “complete” they play.

I truly believe it wasn’t our toughness or two way play that got us wiped out in the playoffs last year, it was the fact that our whole game was focused on shutting down MacK, instead of implementing our game, which led to them constantly getting caught following instead of leading the dance.

That being said, if this core wants another kick at the can next year, they HAVE to show something, coaching be damned.

 

[super6646]

Beating a dead horse here but we need a coach that can go with the god damn flow. I feel like last year Peters basically handed our top line the keys when they were on the ice and said have at er, than coming into the year all this talk of “wanting Monahan to be a more complete player”, it seemed like he tried to reign them in too much and it f***ed everything up. Mony and Johnny are one of the top scoring duos in the league, as long as they are a net positive, I don’t give a f*** how “complete” they play.

I truly believe it wasn’t our toughness or two way play that got us wiped out in the playoffs last year, it was the fact that our whole game was focused on shutting down MacK, instead of implementing our game, which led to them constantly getting caught following instead of leading the dance.

That being said, if this core wants another kick at the can next year, they HAVE to show something, coaching be damned.

Common sense here...

We outhit Colorado... but never forget that (according to some fans) their hits “were harder”.

 

[Fig]

With Markstrom out for a while, I think the Flames or the Oilers pass them in the standings but if it was a Flames vs Oilers in the playoffs, I don't think it would be a coin flip, the Flames would be the underdogs because the Oilers have 2 of the best players in the league right now.

Playoffs are always a coin flip. Prior to the series, it was deemed Colorado had more elite talent and better goal tending, but Calgary was the more balanced roster. Mack went full on god mode in a way I have not seen in a fricken long time. Colorado also had contributions from everywhere up and down their line up including Makar who has barely ever played with those guys which solidified their win and was like pouring vinegar into the wounds.

Our players do not escape unscathed from criticism, but I truly place most of that playoffs on Peters. Yes, most fans summarize that the team didn't show up, but I felt it was weirder than that. This was more like the whole eins, zwei, drai thing from Cool runnings which effs up the whole team IMO.

We've seen what our roster does when they get into bad habits and go panic mode under Hartley and Gully. What happened in the playoffs was not players in panic mode and not failure in following the coaches system from the regular season/tuning him out. It was something absolutely new IMO. The team looked like they were trying to play something cute that Peters cooked up on the fly for his first ever playoffs that was immediately murdered by the Colorado coaching group. Several games later, Peters tried to revert back to something similar to what was played in the regular season, but the team was already poisoned by whatever the hell Peters tried to pull.

This wasn't bad habits 101 which we'd seen regularly under Gully. Hell, this wasn't even something that looked like the bad habit games from the regular season. There's no way the team should have looked that way even if they tuned out the coach.

Draisaitl and McDavid do pose a significant challenge for the Flames but Defense, Goaltending and Overall team depth go to Calgary.

The Oiler D is really suspect especially with Klefbom and a bum shoulder at play. Essentially if the Oilers lose one of Klefbom, Nurse, Green, or Larsson you have Kris Russell moving into the second pairing. Kris Russell wouldn't make our top 8.

Goaltending statistically we hold the advantage.

Outside the top 2 players Calgary out-skills Edmonton with every other player. Calgary in 5 if we meet.

If the BOA games are an indication, I ultimately think it's a coin flip with the pure simplicity of the healthier team that moves on. There's also the crazy fact that anyone can go from ass to hero and vice versa in an instant the moment game 83 begins. Smith was ass in the regular season, but went god mode in the playoffs. Our regular season stars last season went beast mode to bust mode.

Yes, you generally cannot outrun injuries, but assuming you're healthy, anything can happen and regular season performance means nothing at all.

I like your optimism but I don't think it is easy as you say. They just need Connor to go off(like MacKinnon) and it becomes very hard for us.

The knife cuts both ways in a BOA playoff series and logic may not prevail in the playoffs. Jankowski and Khaira could suddenly be hit with Chuck Norris' blessing lead both teams in playoff points by an insane margin for all we know. This is especially true with the type of BOA physicality we have seen if everyone else ends up more pulp than a couple litres of Tropicana.

I feel good then I feel bad then I feel good...right now I feel good but I don't fully trust my feeling...lol

Under Peters, I kept asking, "Who the eff are these guys? Hmm... some of this looks kinda familiar..."

Under Ward, I kept asking, "Who the eff are these guys? Hmm... some of this looks kinda familiar..."

But winning and losing the team under Ward and the team under Peters looks completely different to me. They are succeeding and failing IMO in totally different ways under both regimes. I don't completely disagree with the vocal group that wants a coaching change. But I am torn if hiring a coach right now will do more harm than good. 3 coaches in 1 season is bonkers. To me it seems obvious that the identity is completely messed up right now and lots the team is doing quite a few things to disassociate themselves with who they've been for the last 4-5 seasons or something. I have confidence they'll figure it out sooner or later, but I am not familiar with what the team has been icing in 2020. It's very different than the Hartley, Peters and Gully era IMO.

 

[Rubi]

How do I feel about this team?

It changes from game to game.

Inconsistency at its finest... just like the team.

 

[JPeeper]

I feel like with Gallant or Laviolette we could challenge for the West in the playoffs, with Ward its a toss up whether we get bounced in the first round or play around his dumb decisions to win a series or two.

I watch the Tampa game and we didn't play horribly, but the last sequence with no time out and not playing the top line the final 30+ seconds should never happen in the NHL. Ward makes too many dumb decisions and the teams overall lack of defence is super frustrating.

 

[Tofveve]

Yesterday's win over the Panthers was satisfying.

 

[Tkachuk Norris]

The Flames should be a top 5 team and yet it doesn’t feel like the year are

I think we could get hot and go on a run. Don’t see much of a difference between us and St Louis

 

[Iggys Dome]

The Flames should be a top 5 team and yet it doesn’t feel like the year are

I think we could get hot and go on a run. Don’t see much of a difference between us and St Louis

 

[Jihadi Flames Fan]

What's that saying.. "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice.. shame on ??"

First round fodder. If you think otherwise, you're just fooling yourself.

 

[Oil Dood]

Draisaitl and McDavid do pose a significant challenge for the Flames but Defense, Goaltending and Overall team depth go to Calgary.

The Oiler D is really suspect especially with Klefbom and a bum shoulder at play. Essentially if the Oilers lose one of Klefbom, Nurse, Green, or Larsson you have Kris Russell moving into the second pairing. Kris Russell wouldn't make our top 8.

Goaltending statistically we hold the advantage.

Outside the top 2 players Calgary out-skills Edmonton with every other player. Calgary in 5 if we meet.

I dunno about that, I think you are underestimating the Oilers roster a bit. For example, Ryan Nugent Hopkins has the same amount of points as Gaudreau(in less games) and Yammimoto is a PPG player for the Oilers.
The Oilers have lost both Klefbom and Green and Russell, once he came back remained on the bottom pair.
I am not gonna argue too much about defense though, you guys have last seasons Norris winner so the edge there goes to Calgary.
Goaltending? Neither team has a legit number one. That will and could be the down fall for both teams.

 

[InfinityIggy]

I dunno about that, I think you are underestimating the Oilers roster a bit. For example, Ryan Nugent Hopkins has the same amount of points as Gaudreau(in less games) and Yammimoto is a PPG player for the Oilers.
The Oilers have lost both Klefbom and Green and Russell, once he came back remained on the bottom pair.
I am not gonna argue too much about defense though, you guys have last seasons Norris winner so the edge there goes to Calgary.
Goaltending? Neither team has a legit number one. That will and could be the down fall for both teams.

Rittich is definitely a #1G. Better than any goalie the Oilers have iced since Roloson.

I should also add, no one is impressed by RNH riding Draisaitl's coattails.

 

[Oil Dood]

Rittich is definitely a #1G. Better than any goalie the Oilers have iced since Roloson.

I am a pretty big supporter(not a fan because of who I cheer for) of Rittich. Hell I even liked the stick flip(I think that kind of emotion is good for the game), but an argument could be made that Talbot has looked better down the stretch.
Having said that, I think Rittich is probably the best goalie out of the 4. The other three would be good back ups.
Edmonton has been brutal on their goalies for way too long.

 

[InfinityIggy]

I am a pretty big supporter(not a fan because of who I cheer for) of Rittich. Hell I even liked the stick flip(I think that kind of emotion is good for the game), but an argument could be made that Talbot has looked better down the stretch.
Having said that, I think Rittich is probably the best goalie out of the 4. The other three would be good back ups.
Edmonton has been brutal on their goalies for way too long.

Talbot has looked better this recent stretch, but I think you can take just about any starter in the league and find a stretch where their backup outplayed them.

 

[Oil Dood]

Talbot has looked better this recent stretch, but I think you can take just about any starter in the league and find a stretch where their backup outplayed them.

You are totally right there as well, I think Rittich is a good goalie, this stretch drive will tell you guys if you have the starter to go deep or not as well. I love this time of year for that purpose, it seperates the heart players from the trash. I think you guys have more good then bad, although you have some of the same "complain no matter what posters"that we do.
I want the BOA in the playoffs. That will be the ultimate bragging rights around here.

 

[Kranix]

The Flames should be a top 5 team and yet it doesn’t feel like the year are

I think we could get hot and go on a run. Don’t see much of a difference between us and St Louis

It doesn't feel like the year are because the year aren't