Pre-Game Talk: Season Preview

[Lunatik]

CALGARY FLAMES 2018-19 SEASON PREVIEW​

Welcome to my 2018-19 Calgary Flames season preview.

The New

New is good, or so we like to believe. In the case of the Calgary Flames, I do believe that change is a positive thing. Gone, are the 2017-18 coaching staff. Gone, are rumored malcontents. In, is a new coaching staff that will play a more up tempo game and allow the players to forecheck. In, is a new level of depth lacking the last few years.

As much as a quarter of the Flames roster will be turned over from last season, additions of James Neal, Elias Lindholm, Derek Ryan and Austin Czarnik have added the aforementioned depth. The new additions came at the expense of Micheal Ferland, Troy Brouwer, Matt Stajan and Kris Versteeg. Frankly of that quartet, only Ferland was an impact player last season, combined they scored 34 goals. The incoming group of four on the other hand scored 56 goals last year, despite the fact that Czarnik never scored a goal in ten appearances with the Bruins last season.

In addition to the four new skaters signed to one-way contracts, there is still up to three open roster spots available and a plethora of players vying for those jobs. The front-runners for two of those positions are the retuning Curtis Lazar and Garnet Hathaway. Rookies, Spencer Foo, Morgan Klimchuk, Ryan Lomberg and Andrew Mangiapane, all of whom got their first taste of NHL action last season are also in the mix for those spots. Fresh of being acquired in a deal with Montreal, Kerby Rychel is looking to finally establish himself as an bonefide NHLer. Free agent signings, Alan Quine, Buddy Robinson, Yasin Ehliz, Anthony Peluso and Tyler Graovac will do their best to add their names to the conversation. One last name to watch is 2016 second round pick, Dillon Dube who is fresh off a breakout season with the Kelowna Rockets and an impressive appearance as the captain of Team Canada at the World Junior Championships.

The Flames backend will also have a bit of a new look, as Dougie Hamiton, who has been on the top pairing for the past two seasons was sent to Carolina. The result of the move not only brought youngster Noah Hanifin, who is bursting with potential, into the fold, but has led to Mark Giordano and TJ Brodie being reunited. Hanifin, who is just 21 is expected to pair up with veteran defensive specialist, Travis Hamonic. Both Brett Kulak and Michael Stone are set to return to the Flames as well, however they may see rookie Rasmus Andersson force one of them to the role of the seventh defenseman.

Bill Peters, a native of Three Hills, Alberta and former University of Lethbridge Pronghorns bench boss has taken the reigns of the Calgary Flames. Peters, used his exit clause to leave the Carolina Hurricanes after four season, to join the Flames. When you analyze the NHL standings, one could see that Carolina missed the playoffs all four years and posted an unimpressive .498 point percentage. However, during those 4 years, the Hurricanes didn't ice the most competitive of teams as former owner Peter Karmanos pinched pennies.

During his tenure in Carolina, the Canes arguably had the leagues worst goaltending and looking at the save percentages for their goaltenders backs up that up. There seem to be two schools of thought when it comes to Peters, the negative is that he had no one ice success with Carolina, so why would he have any here. To, Peters helped a teams with extremely poor goaltending overachieve by implementing a shot suppression system.

GOALTENDING STATS OF HURRICANES GOALTENDERS DURING PETERS TENURE

Name	GP	W	L	OT	GAA	SV%
Cam Ward	207	94	77	31	2.55	0.907
Eddie Lack	54	20	21	9	2.75	0.901
Scott Darling	43	13	21	7	3.18	0.888
Anton Khudobin	34	8	17	6	2.72	0.900

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

​

In addition to Peters, the Flames added Geoff Ward as an associate coach and brought Ryan Huska up from Stockton to fill an assistant coach role. Ward, has been an NHL assistant for a decade, spending seven years in Boston, where he won a Stanley Cup ring in 2011 and three years with the Devils. Among his duties, Ward will be in charge of the Flames power play, an area where improvement is desperately needed. During his time running the PP for the Devils, they were sixteenth in powerplay percentage. Under Dave Cameron, the Flames were twenty-fifth in two seasons. Huska, while having no NHL experience, has a reputation for cultivating young defensemen, going back to his decade plus as an assistant and head coach in Kelowna. In four years with the Flames minor league system as a head coach, Huska guided the AHL affiliate to the post-season just once, but is credited with helping the development of defensemen Brett Kulak, Rasmus Andersson and Oliver Kylington.

The changes behind the bench for the most part is seen as a positive among the members of the Flames fanbase, as generally the most negative comments will be along the line of "they can't be worse than Gulutzan and Cameron". But some, like myself are excited about the changes behind the bench.​

The Old

Even though a large turnover has occurred, at least three-quarters of last years roster is returning. Among the returning, is Sean Monahan who was sent to some remote lab in the Rockies to have adamantium inserted into his body. Affectionately called 'Mony' by fans and teammates, Monahan underwent three surgeries after being shelfed by the Flames when the season grew out of reach; two for sports hernias and another on his wrist. Recent reports have Monahan at one hundred percent already. New head coach, Bill Peters has stated he will keep the Flames dynamic duo of Gaudreau and Monahan together.

Another pairing that looks like it will be returning to play together, is Matthew Tkachuk and newlywed, Mikael Backlund. With a more offensive option on their right wing, both the Flames and their fanbase are hoping to see more offense from the line known for it's possession metrics.

The third member of the Triple M line, Michael Frolik; is also returning, but early line combinations from Bill Peters have him sliding into the bottom six, however the exact spot is unknown. Also returning are two-thirds of last years third line, Sam Bennett and Mark Jankowski. Due to their ages, both are expected to improve. Bennett, who shot a surprisingly low shooting percentage is a candidate to break out for the Flames. It is uncertain where either Bennett or Jankowski will play in the Flames lineup, or if they will even stay together. Also returning to the team are bottom six forwards, Curtis Lazar and Garnet Hathaway, either of whom could be used on the fourth line or as extra forwards.

As mentioned in the previous section, the move of Dougie Hamilton to Carolina, will result in the Flames reuniting Giordano and Brodie, a pairing that was among the NHL elite when they last played together. Currently still in tact in the Flames bottom pair of Michael Stone and Brett Kulak, however with Stone's ability to play the left side and rookie Rasmus Andersson knocking on the door, the pairing could very easily be split up with one of the two falling to the role of the seventh defenseman.

Between the pipes, the only possible change is Jon Gillies beating out David Rittich for the back-up spot. Mike Smith has the starters role all sewn up.
​

The Unknown

What is unknown about the Flames heading into camp is plentiful. With all the changes behind the bench and on the ice, the Flames have alot of question marks. Will it take the players a while to adjust to Peters? Does having three former Hurricane players that played under Peters make that adjustment easier? Will the apparent similarities between Gulutzan and Peters systems allow for a quicker transition as well? How will Lindholm and Neal fit with Gaudreau, Monahan, Tkachuk and Backlund?
Who will step up and take the final open roster spots up front? Will the Giordano & Brodie pairing be able to rekindle old chemistry? Will Noah Hanifin grow into the number four role? Will Rasmus Andersson or WHL graduate Juuso Valimaki steal a roster spot from Stone or Kulak? Will Mike Smith's health hold up? Has the experience of starting in the NHL given one or both of Gillies and Rittich something they needed to reach the next level? So many questions, that only time can answer.
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Prediction

I am a big fan of all the Flames changes, every single one of them. I suspect the 2018-19 season will go very well for the Flames. I think Peters will implement a similar system, but will focus more on utilizing the speed of our forwards and using a relentless forecheck. I think the new players and Geoff Ward will improve a powerplay that was a putrid 16% last season. Last season the Flames players shot 1.6% lower than their averages over the previous 4 seasons, so I expect some normalization in that regard too.

I predict that the Flames will make the playoffs in the Pacific bracket, finishing second or third in the division. I think the normalization of the teams shooting percentage and the newly added scoring depth, will vault the Flames into the top ten in scoring. I think Mike Smith remains healthy, while playing a lighter workload.
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What are your thoughts on the upcoming season?

Click to read more...

 

[The Gnome]

Very well written, love the research involved, had no idea about Peter's being a U of L bench boss, pretty cool.

I'm with you for the most part, I've seen everything as positive. My only concerns:

1) this one is minor, as the worst case scenario doesn't really damage this team too much moving forward. I'm not sure Derek Ryan can live up to his contract, some of that depends on utilization (ie: playing top 6, PP time, playing bottom six, some mixture). He seems to be a favorite of Peter's so I imagine we see him all over the lineup. Another concern with Ryan is having Peter's use him over others who are clearly superior. Hopefully logic doesn't escape Peter's like it did with GG with Brouwer and the infamous Brouwerplay. That said, from everything I've read, I like Ryan the player. I believe he will have a positive impact regardless of his cap hit.

2) Will Bennett turn into a positive for this team? Can he gain traction on his development and take a huge leap this year? Having a breakout from Bennett would make us one of the best forward rosters in the league (barring a collapse from the norm of other forwards). Most seem to think he's a bust at 22, but I see (from a historical perspective) a young guy who is more likely to improve than stay static. I'm betting he takes a step forward this year, how big of a step is the real question.

3) This one is my biggest concern, and I'm sure most are tired of hearing it. But I'm not confident about the health of Smith, particularly his groin. Smith is extremely athletic and plays a very hard style for a goalie. I know he's not goalie old, but at the age of 36, combined with his style of play and how tough groin injuries are for goalies...I really would like a 1B backup. especially given the fact that Tre has done an amazing job (on paper) to make this a contending team. Leaving yourself that exposed is a red flag imo. Perhaps Rittich can lighten the load this year with some experience under his belt.

Overall, I, like you, am pretty positive. Only the most jaded fan could not be excited with what we see on paper, this has the potential to be the best team we have iced since the flames glory days. Again, great write up, loved the read. It's nice to see a well written post that is providing more insight than opinion. It's posts like this that make me always want to come back to these boards.

 

[Anglesmith]

Same as my thoughts on last season. If we can't win, there aren't really any excuses. Time to go out there and show everyone that the Flames are a force in the Western Conference.

If we aren't, we actually should have some decent pieces to sell off during the season, and this probably won't go down as a lost season either way. With the young core, it's not like we can't afford to pull a few retools on the fly before worrying about entering a window.

 

[Lunatik]

@The Gnome regarding Derek Ryan, he actually got very little PP time in Carolina. I'm not so sure the narrative about him being a favorite is true, because his ice-tine wasn't skewed, he didn't get alot of OT time either.

It seems more like a case when a player plays a little more than he should have, so he gets unfairly labelled as a favorite.

I also don't think he will live up to his contract, but I don't think he'll be grossly overpaid either

 

[SKRusty]

Very good write up WWE. Couple of edits needed. Add Hamilton to the quartet. Mony had 4 surgeries. Wrist, 2 hernias and a groin.

On paper Calgary has the deepest line-up in the Western conference.

Calgary vs Nashville

Goaltending edge Nashville - very slight. Rinne is not the goalie he once was.
Defense edge None - Where Nashville may have a slight edge on defense Calgary has the edge in puck movement.
Forwards edge Calgary - This isn't even close. Line 1 through 4 is better in Calgary.
Coaching edge None - With the line-up in Nashville Laviolette has done nothing special.

Calgary vs Winnipeg

Goaltending edge None - Hellebuyck has had one good year his challenge is to repeat last years performance. Smith vs Hellebuyck is a saw off if both are in form.
Defense edge None - Night in night out Calgary has the advantage but one good night from Byfuglien can change all that. Dustin can change the game with, a hit a goal, or just his presence.
Forwards edge Calgary - If Stastny would have resigned with the Jets it would have tilted the other way.
Coaching edge None - Maurice is not a great coach but at this point Peters can't really be rated effectively. Peters background is stronger and in that manner Calgary should have the edge.

Calgary vs Las Vegas

Goaltending edge Las Vegas - Fleury probably should have been the MVP last year. Really really under-rated. Likely the most talented goalie not named Price.
Defense edge Calgary - Engelland was a third pairing D-man in Calgary. Nuff said.
Forwards edge Calgary - Losing Neal will hurt the team as far as chemistry, leadership and points. The group as a whole played above their heads last year.
Coaching edge Las Vegas - Gallant is likely the best coach in the game. If a coach could get the MVP award here would be your first winner.

Vegas's talent pool is not nearly as good as most teams but Gallant and Fleury made this team shine in their inaugural season. Being as well coached as they are Vegas will be a playoff bubble team but their lack of "Stars" ill become evident. There will be no easy games for Vegas this year. They will surprise nobody.



If the team stays relatively healthy Calgary should win the Pacific Division. The hardest challenge IMO will be the conference final and that will come down to the hotter goaltender. I am calling a Calgary vs Tampa Bay final. A rematch of 2004.

 

[DomBarr]

@The Gnome regarding Derek Ryan, he actually got very little PP time in Carolina. I'm not so sure the narrative about him being a favorite is true, because his ice-tine wasn't skewed, he didn't get alot of OT time either.

It seems more like a case when a player plays a little more than he should have, so he gets unfairly labelled as a favorite.

I also don't think he will live up to his contract, but I don't think he'll be grossly overpaid either

I was a little iffy about the Ryan signing when it was made and even more so once they signed Neal as well. Plus $3 M plus for a bottom six forward is a lot and there is a good chance that Ryan receives the Stajan treatment because of it.

 

[Flames Fanatic]

On what planet is Nashvilles defense not better than ours SK?

Even if you count Gio as equal to one of Subban or Josi, we still lose out on the second one, and I'd argue that Ellis and Ekholm are better than Hanifin, Hamonic and Brodie.

I'd also argue that Winnipeg's forward depth is still deeper than ours, especially at the top.

 

[Baxterman]

Coaching edge None - With the line-up in Nashville Laviolette has done nothing special.

Nothing special? He went to game 6 of the Finals.

And yet he is somehow even with a guy that is 4 for 4 in terms of missing the play-offs as a coach?

 

[SKRusty]

On what planet is Nashvilles defense not better than ours SK?

Even if you count Gio as equal to one of Subban or Josi, we still lose out on the second one, and I'd argue that Ellis and Ekholm are better than Hanifin, Hamonic and Brodie.

I'd also argue that Winnipeg's forward depth is still deeper than ours, especially at the top.

GG never activated the d-men the way hockey is being played today. Calgary's defensive core had one hand tied behind their back unable to utilize their advantage. Peters has a very active approach to the d-men. TJ, Gio, and Hanifin will all be active in the offensive zone. The largest mistake GG did when he first got into Calgary was change how the d-men were used in the offensive zone. Much of Calgary's issues was the predictability of the defense.

Josi does compare well with Gio. Subban is a defensive liability usually at the worst times in a game. He did it almost all series long against the Jets. While his offensive numbers may be superior to TJ's, his defensive abilities and speed are not near as good.

Second pairing Ellis is undersized and can be pushed around. Again look no further than the conference final. Hanifin playing for a way worse team put up about the similar numbers. Ekholm and Hamonic compare very well. Hamonic's physicality and presence is better but Ekholm is a little better at making plays. If Andersson and Valimaki/Kylington make the team there is a strong likelihood that the third pairing won't even be close.

Elliot, Ramo, Hiller, and the last 30 injury plagued games of last season really skew numbers in a negative fashion. Calgary's D matches well with any defensive core in the NHL.

Skill wise Monahan is just as good if not better than Scheifele. Scheifele has always had a great supporting cast around him. Sean has always been short a true first line RW, until this year.

Down the middle Backlund, Jankowski, and maybe Lindholm are better than the rest of Winnipeg centers. Laine is the only real threat on the second unit. I don't think forward wise Winnipeg has the depth we do.

Didn't mention Chucky, Neal, Czarnik, Bennett, and PP wise Lazar.

I stand behind my words. Calgary is as good as anybody in the Western Conference. Calgary may be one of the most under-rated teams going into the regular season. The depth on D and forwards is beyond any other Flames club. The worst case scenario is we have to pick up a better goalie at the trade deadline.

 

[Mobiandi]

It's funny for all the talk Winnipeg and Nashville about being the class of the west, the Flames have more trouble against the California teams

 

[Baxterman]

I think this is definitely the best Flames team since the Sutter days but that may speak more to how bad we have been over that period than this being a great team. I like the additions and think that at least now we are not solely reliant on Gaudreau and Monahan to provide our offense but I still think we have concerns in goal, the bottom 6 and coaching.

I have them behind the 3 California teams and St. Louis, Nashville and Winnipeg and in a battle for the two WC spots with LV, Minny, Edmonton and Dallas.

I think if someone like Bennett, Czarnik or Mangiapane (doubtful) can turn into a 40+ point guy they could get one of the Pacific spots, but if none of the bottom 6 guys step up I see us too reliant on the top line with the Backlund line likely having to play way too many tough minutes again.

 

[Anglesmith]

On what planet is Nashvilles defense not better than ours SK?

Even if you count Gio as equal to one of Subban or Josi, we still lose out on the second one, and I'd argue that Ellis and Ekholm are better than Hanifin, Hamonic and Brodie.

I'd also argue that Winnipeg's forward depth is still deeper than ours, especially at the top.

We're trying to have the same defence as Nashville, but we need team success in order to really get in that argument. We've done everything we can on paper to match it, though. Giordano and Hanifin (if developed) can be twin #1s like Josi and Subban, and both Hamonic and Brodie have looked very good in the past under different systems than we had last year. If the team plays as a cohesive unit, we can certainly end up making this d-corps look just as good as Nashville's. But it's a chicken-or-the-egg thing. A team can become much worse or much better than the sum of its parts.

 

[Tkachuky]

All I know is that my body is ready for the Flames season. GO FLAMES GO

 

[Flames Fanatic]

We're trying to have the same defence as Nashville, but we need team success in order to really get in that argument. We've done everything we can on paper to match it, though. Giordano and Hanifin (if developed) can be twin #1s like Josi and Subban, and both Hamonic and Brodie have looked very good in the past under different systems than we had last year. If the team plays as a cohesive unit, we can certainly end up making this d-corps look just as good as Nashville's. But it's a chicken-or-the-egg thing. A team can become much worse or much better than the sum of its parts.

Not sure I buy your argument. Requires a lot of what ifs. Considering this is literally arguing about who looks better on paper, the team with far less what ifs probably wins.

Our fanbase has tried to pump the tires of our defense on paper for how many offseasons in the past decade only for it to fall flat?

 

[Anglesmith]

Not sure I buy your argument. Requires a lot of what ifs. Considering this is literally arguing about who looks better on paper, the team with far less what ifs probably wins.

Our fanbase has tried to pump the tires of our defense on paper for how many offseasons in the past decade only for it to fall flat?

The argument comes from the fact that evaluation of players in hockey is so highly dependent on team success. Nashville established a good team system, had great buy-in, and went to the Cup final. That cements their d-corps as being elite, because they were the backbone of a team that was successful. Obviously, we all think that it's fair praise for their defence, as they were such a massive factor in the team success, but if the team didn't play cohesively, had no gameplan for consistently generating offence and never had that team success, do they ever get that level of praise? As a team, the Flames are really banking on the fact that a new system will play to the roster's strengths and lead to team success. The defencemen on the Flames are very much the backbone of the team, with a lot of talented players. If the team success we all expect happens, the defencemen will all be looked at as great.

Just think back to 2015. TJ Brodie was a superhero. Dennis Wideman and Kris Russell were effective defencemen. The next season, the team played non-cohesive hockey and were basically in disarray all season. All three of those defencemen were looked at very differently afterwards. Did they really change that much? Or was it mostly the success of the team that influenced how good they were, individually.

I guess the point I'm trying to hint at is that individual comparisons are essentially pointless. We know we have talented defencemen, and enough talent on the roster that we can play winning hockey. If we end up beating Nashville as a team (we have actually matched up against them very well in recent years when we play them), then the conversation of whose defencemen are better will be informed by that result, whether it should or not.

 

[Bounces R Way]

Nice write up, I agree on most everything up there. The forwards are much improved from last year so I too think this can be a top 10 offense. The special teams are such a major key, hopefully they simplify their approach and start to attack the zone and net with some speed. For me there are 2 players I will be watching very closely to see how they start the season: Brodie and Bennett. For the Flames to be successful in the upcoming season I believe they need much more out of these two and for them to play up to their potential. Also anxious to see how Lindholm and Hanifin gel with this group and how well they see the ice. The Hamilton trade hinges it's success on them both fulfilling their potential as high picks. The Hanifin - Hamonic pairing needs to be solid also for the team to do well. Can say for once that I'm relatively comfortable(comparing to recent years) with the Flames' goaltending situation, I like Smith as a goalie and a strong veteran voice for the team.

Also a big believer in Peters, the Hurricanes were a budget team that had no chance of playoffs in that division with that goaltending. Hope to see much more tempo from the Flames this season, pressuring their opponents into mistakes and keeping very aggressive gaps in the neutral zone.

 

[CamPopplestone]

Smith is the key for me. Is he able to bounce back? He was awful after his injury. If he goes back to form, and doesn't get hurt again, I think we're fine

 

[Volica]

Same as my thoughts on last season. If we can't win, there aren't really any excuses. Time to go out there and show everyone that the Flames are a force in the Western Conference.

If we aren't, we actually should have some decent pieces to sell off during the season, and this probably won't go down as a lost season either way. With the young core, it's not like we can't afford to pull a few retools on the fly before worrying about entering a window.

I really think this season, Calgary has no excuses moving forward.

Last year, yeah, you know what, we got exposed:

1) Terrible coaching. Veteran coaches ate Gulutzan up, we rarely ever won the coaching battle. Oddly enough, it's a big part of any game that next gets talked about. The coach that's making in-game adjustments, changing his tactics, etc can win a game versus one that's going to just rinse and repeat every shirt and period.

2) Sub-par depth. It was easy to get lost in this last year, and not think about it. Three/four years ago, we had such a worse team, and yet the depth was fine. We had guys like Joe Colborne, Josh Jooris, Curtis Glencross, Lance Bouma and David Jones putting up 25+ point seasons. Last season it was like, we have an AHL all-star coming (Janko), Benny's another year older, Frols is a reliable hand, Steeger is a career 40+ guy, Jagr is a stud even if he's ancient, Lazar might take a step forward... one of those guys scored over 25 points. Injuries played a part, but yikes.

Brad Treliving has assembled the best team Calgary's had since likely the mid 2000's or early 90's. And he's picked up a coach, that 3 years ago was being heralded at the next great coach in the NHL.

Peters got the most out of that Carolina team that had no business being even remotely as good as they were. We acquired two guys who are guaranteed 40+ points, both having excellent chances of growing those numbers. We got Ryan, who while Carolina fans love to hate the guy, will be a guy who brings a lot of extra offence to out third line... which was anemic outside of a Bennett hot streak.

Here's something to add onto this article written as a post. I know we have a BOLD predictions thread, but for this season, what are some realistic numbers for the team? Last year's totals are below, and below that, you'll find the NHL average/leaders. I know there's discussion on how the team will kind of look, so I mostly kept the lineup similar to last year and added the extra players to swap in for reference.

Gaudreau (84, 24g) - Monahan - (64, 31g) - Lindholm (44, 16g)
Tkachuk (49, 24g) - Backlund (45, 14g) - Neal (44, 25g)
Bennett (26, 11g) - Ryan (39, 15g) - Frolik (25, 10g)
X (~12-15, 4g) - Jankowski (25, 17g) - Czarnik (4, 0g)
Mangiapane (0, 0g)

Giordano (38, 13g) - Brodie (32, 4g)
Hanifin (32, 10g) - Hamonic (11, 1g)
Kulak (8, 2g) - Stone (10, 3g)
Andersson (0) / Valimaki (0)

Tampa Bay led the NHL with 296 goals last season.
League Average was 244 goals last season.
Calgary was 6th worst in the league with 218.

For reference, if the team maintains the same level of play, expected goals is: 224 (that's with Czarnik having 0 goals, a LW that's a question mark, and many players who had injury shortened seasons, likely closer to 235/240 outside of that). What are you expecting from us?

 

[SmellOfVictory]

I'm actually pretty jacked about this season. Last season I was apprehensive because the forward group looked so rough and there was no way Hamonic alone was going to fix the team (not to mention Cameron. Oh god). This time around I think there are defence concerns, because at the time of the trade, Hanifin was unquestionably a downgrade on Hamilton, but I'm willing to be optimistic about it in the near future. Otherwise, the only worry is that Smith might be getting a little on the ancient side to continue providing above average goaltending.

Bare minimum, we should at least have a team that's fun to watch when they lose. But I do think this is a solid playoff team (barring extenuating circumstances like Gio falling off a cliff - please never decline, Gio).

 

[Johnny Hoxville]

Really nice write up, very well done!

Keys for me are:

Brodie, Hanifin, Bennett, Lindholm, Janks and Smith. We need a lot more from all these guys, and we should hopefully get it.

I think Tkachuk becomes a star this season and I think Monahan will emerge as a top C in the West.

Super excited for this season.

 

[DFF]

On what planet is Nashvilles defense not better than ours SK?

Even if you count Gio as equal to one of Subban or Josi, we still lose out on the second one, and I'd argue that Ellis and Ekholm are better than Hanifin, Hamonic and Brodie.

I'd also argue that Winnipeg's forward depth is still deeper than ours, especially at the top.

Other than Gio, the Flames have a bunch of allstars on paper not on the ice.

They are not close to Nashville at all until they prove it. Brodie has been garbage on defense in the last 2 yrs and offered little offense compared to Subban. Whoever said he is better at anything is on some pretty strong weeds.

Looking good on paper and performing good is not the same thing.

 

[The Gnome]

Nashville, Winnipeg, and Vegas are all superior to us at this time, they have the proven track record (obviously Vegas to a lesser extent). The flames sucked under GG, and the character in our room seemed to be lacking. You know when the goalie is vocal about compete level, there is a problem. That doesn't mean we cannot dominate this year, but we have to prove it. Way too many question marks right now.

Will Brodie bounce back?
How will the new additions work?
Will Gillies/Rittich provide solid goaltending?
Will the groin hold?
Will Bennett ever live up to half the draft hype?
Will our new bench staff be an improvement?

On paper, things look bright. But that doesn't mean jack shit.

 

[Lunatik]

Nashville, Winnipeg, and Vegas are all superior to us at this time, they have the proven track record (obviously Vegas to a lesser extent). The flames sucked under GG, and the character in our room seemed to be lacking. You know when the goalie is vocal about compete level, there is a problem. That doesn't mean we cannot dominate this year, but we have to prove it. Way too many question marks right now.

Will Brodie bounce back?
How will the new additions work?
Will Gillies/Rittich provide solid goaltending?
Will the groin hold?
Will Bennett ever live up to half the draft hype?
Will our new bench staff be an improvement?

On paper, things look bright. But that doesn't mean jack ****.

I'm with you on Nashville. But Winnipeg and Vegas each have some pretty big questions, especially Vegas. And Winnipeg's track record isn't much better than ours or Vegas', do people really forget that they missed the playoffs the 2 years before this past season and were swept in 4 the year before that? Literally the only thing Winnipeg has done in the last 4 years that we haven't was win their division, otherwise it has been eerily similar to us.

Winnipeg

• Who replaces Stastny? He was only there a short time but he filled their biggest hole in center depth
• Is Hellebyuck for real? One good season doesn't make him a perennial Vezina candidate.
• Are Comrie & Brossoit seriously the backup options?
• Can Wheeler repeat the career highs he set at age 31?
• Can they replace their depth losses in Armia, Hendricks and Enstrom?

Vegas

• Can Stastny and Tatar replace Neal and Perron?
• Can Karlsson repeat a season that was 34 goals and points better then his career highs?
• Can Marchessault repeat a season that was 24 points better than his career high?
• Can Reilly Smith repeat a season that was 9 points better (in 15 fewer games) than his career high?
• Can Haula repeat a season that was 21 points higher than his career high?
• Can Colin Miller repeat a season that was 25 points higher than his career high?
• Can Alex Tuch build on a 37 point rookie season?
• Can Nate Schmidt repeat a season that was 19 points better than his career high?
• Can Theodore build on his 29 point first full season?

In case you weren't aware, last year every single player in the Vegas top 10 for scoring is either gone (Neal, Perron), was in their first full season (Tuch, Theodore) or set a career high that was significantly better than their previous. Also if you expand to their top 15 scorers, all but Eakin and Bellemare are apart of those those groups too.

 

[InfinityIggy]

Comrie is a very good young goaltender I don't think Winnipeg needs to worry too much about him as the backup so long as Hellebuyck does well.

 

[Lunatik]

Comrie is a very good young goaltender I don't think Winnipeg needs to worry too much about him as the backup so long as Hellebuyck does well.

Yeah he has good minor league numbers, but he still only has 4 NHL games under his belt (3 of which were quite poor). Also, they signed Brossoit to a one-way deal, with their internal budget and Comrie being waiver exempt, Brossoit will get every chance to get the backup job.