If Calgary misses the playoffs will it be the biggest debacle of the season?

[HarrySPlinkett]

It's not a debacle; they lost Mike Smith for a month and had to tread water with David Rittich and Jon Gillies. Who? Exactly.

Hamonic has been fine; he's gotten better as the year has gone on.

Flames have too much money on the back end. Brodie should be traded for offensive help.

 

[Kybb79]

If the Flames had a winning record at home they would be sitting comfortable. The PP was a problem also.

 

[SI90]

Meh the 1st round pick is already gone and the Islanders play in the east, so it doesn't matter where the lottery balls fall. Missing the playoffs sucks either way.

If the Flames miss, the Islanders might as well win the lottery on both of their picks. Would be great if they knocked the Oilers and Canucks out of the top 5.

I can dig this entire post.

 

[madmike77]

It’s a debacle if they somehow miss and get into the top 3. It’s unlikely but you never know. I wouldn’t be shocked just because the Flames haven’t had any real luck in the lottery to date.

If they miss and the pick is 12-15ish, which is more likely, it’s just a disappointing season.

 

[Juicy Pop]

Nope. That would be us missing the playoffs despite hitting 1st in the Metro prior to the TDL.

 

[darcyRegier]

The Buffalo Sabres are the biggest debacle this year imo

 

[Royale With Cheese]

Debacle??? Do you know that a team that was in the stanley cup finals just last year are in complete tear down mode right now ?

Thats a debacle.

Nashville and Pittsburgh?

Wut.

 

[Anglesmith]

We have Hamonic for two more years, so definitely not a debacle by any measure. To the Flames, it makes no difference to their future where the pick lands. If it's Dahlin or the 30th overall, the Flames get the same level of benefit (none). It will be disappointing if they miss in a season they should be contenders, though, but it's a bit over the top to call a disappointing season a debacle for no other reason than not having their 2% chance at the lottery.

 

[KPower]

Burke gives out 1st round picks like Halloween candy.

 

[zeke]

always looked like a bubble team to me.

 

[ImNeverWrong]

getting hamonic was a mistake, but hes not a bad dman. just unneeded. seemed like a reactionary move to counter the potential offence of the oilers. flames just to add a top 6 forward and they'll be fine. perhaps jvr in the offseason. i think they squeak into the playoffs. mike smith can beast when hes hot.

 

[Riseonfire]

The Buffalo Sabres are the biggest debacle this year imo

Were they supposed to be good?

 

[libertarian]

No 1st round pick. No second round pick. 1st round pick not lottery protected. I can't imagine a worse situation.

Their draft team will need to find a diamond in the rough.

 

[Bandit]

Edmonton missing is probably a bigger deal.

Why? It's pretty much an annual event at this point.

 

[Bank Shot]

We have Hamonic for two more years, so definitely not a debacle by any measure. To the Flames, it makes no difference to their future where the pick lands. If it's Dahlin or the 30th overall, the Flames get the same level of benefit (none). It will be disappointing if they miss in a season they should be contenders, though, but it's a bit over the top to call a disappointing season a debacle for no other reason than not having their 2% chance at the lottery.

The debacle is that Treliving has traded most of his top picks for the next two seasons and went "All In" on a team that just isn't very good.

Its odd because he is effectively capping the team at bubble playoff level by selling off all of their futures.

 

[yababy]

Was going to say... Edmonton were expected to be clear contenders. Don't know how Calgary missing is worse then Anaheim or St. Louis missing. The point is this year several supposedly strong Western teams will miss the playoffs.

Calgary went "all in" and mortgaged the future for that team, Edmonton didn't

 

[DJJones]

Even if we miss the playoffs. Losing a 9% lottery isn't a debacle, it's bad luck.

Fire Gulutzan into outer space and get a top 6 winger. That's all the team needs for next year.

 

[Anglesmith]

The debacle is that Treliving has traded most of his top picks for the next two seasons and went "All In" on a team that just isn't very good.

Its odd because he is effectively capping the team at bubble playoff level by selling off all of their futures.

Calgary didn't go "all in" at all. Nor would it have made sense for them to. All they did was add a player to their core in an effort to improve the roster as we build towards being a contender one day.

There are no impending threats to the roster. It's been put together not just for this year, but the years afterwards. Disappointing if we miss the playoffs this season, obviously, as it represents a step in the wrong direction. But going "all in" implies sacrificing future seasons for the sake of the current one. That isn't the case. Treliving has sacrificed some futures, sure, but not just for the sake of this season; for at least the next two after this season, and likely more than that when all is said and done. And the sum of the moves made to put together this team have set the roster up so there is wiggle-room to improve where necessary, and have also ensured that our prospect pipeline is still well-supplied. So yeah, if we miss this year, it's disappointing, but unlike a team that is "all in," there isn't any sense of panic as a result, because the opportunity next year and the year after that is at least as good.

The price paid for Hamonic is what it is- we won't be adding any top prospects this year. But it's really not as big a deal as people want to make it.

 

[Bank Shot]

So yeah, if we miss this year, it's disappointing, but unlike a team that is "all in," there isn't any sense of panic as a result, because the opportunity next year and the year after that is at least as good.

The opportunity to finish 9th is still there, but so what?

The Flames don't have any forward prospects coming up and they badly need a secondary threat after Johnny.

Treliving has traded away almost all of the top 3 round picks from the next two drafts so the Flames won't have any help coming there and the lack the draft currency to trade for upgrades.

How many more picks are they going to burn through looking for the next Mike Smith replacement? A team building for the future doesnt acquire a 35 year old goaltender

Trading a first round pick and missing the playoffs is just a major setback for a team that could have really benefited from a potential top talent.

 

[Anglesmith]

The opportunity to finish 9th is still there, but so what?

The Flames don't have any forward prospects coming up and they badly need a secondary threat after Johnny.

Treliving has traded away almost all of the top 3 round picks from the next two drafts so the Flames won't have any help coming there and the lack the draft currency to trade for upgrades.

How many more picks are they going to burn through looking for the next Mike Smith replacement? A team building for the future doesnt acquire a 35 year old goaltender

Trading a first round pick and missing the playoffs is just a major setback for a team that could have really benefited from a potential top talent.

The Flames currently have a pretty top-heavy forward corps for sure. They need the guys in the system, some of whom are already on the roster, to break through and start being impactful in the bottom 6 game in and game out. But they have the pieces for that. They have plenty of very good defensive and goalie prospects, which is an area of strength for the organization. Mike Smith definitely has a shelf life, but when he is done being an elite starter, it's unlikely that that problem is going to be solved by adding to what is already a good goalie farm with Gillies, Rittich and Parsons all marinating.

The Flames have proven at many points this season that they have a roster that is workable as it stands right now. Whether they need more experience or a new coach to cut out the weaknesses remains to be seen, but this team isn't going to live or die in the next couple of years based on the presence or lack of a 2018 first and second round pick.

Worst case scenario, the team is really as bad as you want me to think it is, in which case they will become sellers either next year or the year after, and sell some of these defencemen for picks that apparently we so badly need. But realistically, this is just a squad that has underperformed just about all season, and has a lot of room for improvement with this current roster.

 

[CREW99AW]

Rangers are most definitely nowhere near a debacle. How about the Islanders??? In one of the most important seasons in franchise history in which could be the last chance to go on a playoff run with their best player in the last 30 years and they have two less wins than the Rangers in their "debacle" of a season.

No bud. A debacle would be losing the Belmont bid ,having to get out of Barclays and having no other nhl arena in the LI area to move into.

 

[CREW99AW]

I think the Islanders would win this thread if Tavares leaves in July

Yeah cause extending Tavares and being relocated out of state,would have been such a winning season for nyi fans.

 

[Snakepit]

If it ends up being a lottery pick, yes. Otherwise, no, hardly a big deal

Calgary went "all in" and mortgaged the future for that team, Edmonton didn't

All in would be if they went for rentals. All their big trades are guys with term.

 

[Matty Sundin]

Not the first time a team traded their pick and missed the playoffs. They did the same thing trading a 1st for Jokinen and chooses to keep it in 2009 but missed playoffs in 2010 and didn't have a pick.

Other then maybe a few guys on their team they'd always just been extremely average looking team.

 

[Bank Shot]

Worst case scenario, the team is really as bad as you want me to think it is, in which case they will become sellers either next year or the year after, and sell some of these defencemen for picks that apparently we so badly need. But realistically, this is just a squad that has underperformed just about all season, and has a lot of room for improvement with this current roster.

I'm not sure how you can think that this team has underperformed when most of their top players have been having career seasons including their goalie.

If anything, it's likely they take a step back next year as guys come down from career highs, and they could face more significant injury troubles. All of their best players have been healthy this season outside of a short stint missed by Mike Smith.

Looks like more potential for a step back than a step forward IMO.