So are The Flames Contenders or Pretenders?

[SaintMorose]

BT has done his job and put the pieces in place but we cant say we're even a "good" hockey team until they show they are able to preform.

Gaudreau, Monahan, Tkachuk, Backlund, Gio need to keep playing well
we need to see some bounce back from Brodie and Hamonic
we need Bennett Jankowski Kulak/Andersson/Valimaki to grow their game
we need the new pieces to find ways to contribute here

there's lots of reason to think these things could come together under Peters but that's a huge difference between pretenders and contenders

If Bennett breaks out and Peters gets the D moving like Carolina's then we're 3 lines deep with a top back-end ready to challenge for the West
If Peter's cant get consistency from the D and forwards aren't finishing chances yet again we won't even be in the ploffs

 

[OvermanKingGainer]

Contender with a caveat that Sam Bennett needs to be played down the middle. The beast we saw in the 2017 playoffs is a huge part of any cup run and that can only happen if he's given the wings and the opportunity to soar. Keep him as a depth winger and we won't go anywhere because you need high end centers like him to win cups, whether that's Kuznetsov or Toews or Kopitar.

If Gulutzan's damage to Bennett's career has been done and we keep him away from the middle, then we're just an also ran, think 2015-ish St. Louis Blues who thought David Backes was a #1C

 

[Mr Snrub]

Poll seems like a false dichotomy. I think we make the playoffs, but that doesn't make us a contender.

 

[Yung Rotini]

I think if everything comes together we could contend for the Cup, but it’s unlikely. We should be a playoff team though and I think we could at least win a round with this roster.

 

[Rubi]

I honestly don't know. I thought we were contenders last year but we all know how that turned out. I think we should do better this year, but whether we're good enough to be contenders???? Didn't vote. Didn't like the choices.

 

[InfinityIggy]

Depends on how much growth we get from:

Bennett
Lindholm
Jankowski
Hanifin

And how little decline we see from:

Giordano
Neal
Smith

Maybe an over simplification, but I think those are the guys to keep an eye on most.

 

[Pirate King Luffy]

We’re Stanley Cup contenders. Monahan is going to get 50 goals on the 3rd line wing this season.

 

[SmellOfVictory]

Chicken tenders.

I don't think they're top end cup contenders, but there is no reason for them to miss the playoffs, that's for sure. How good the team is depends heavily on how good Hanifin ends up being, and whether Brodie finds his mojo again. If Hanifin replaced Hamilton by, say, 80%, and Brodano is as good as it used to be, the Flames have a reasonable shot at a cup.

 

[Ace Rimmer]

Sure seems to be a lot of Oiler fans voting in this poll.

 

[Skobel24]

There was a year under Sutter our team was gross to. I think this is close to that.

Edit: It was 08/09

Huselius - Jokinen - Iginla
Tanguay - Langkow - Cammy
Glencross - Conroy - Bertuzzi
Prust - Backlund - Bourque

Regehr - Dion
Bouwmeester - Gio
Vandermeer - Aucoin

Kipper
Noodles

The roster was something like that.

Neither Tanguay or Huselius were there that year. Backlund also only played 1 game.

 

[Volica]

Sure seems to be a lot of Oiler fans voting in this poll.

Like an absurd amount lol

 

[Johnny Hoxville]

Sure seems to be a lot of Oiler fans voting in this poll.

Lol.

 

[Lunatik]

Sure seems to be a lot of Oiler fans voting in this poll.

And to the surprise of everyone, they all are voting no.

 

[SmellOfVictory]

And to the surprise of everyone, they all are voting no.

I think Edmonton would have a stronger economy if they switched from a focus on oil and gas to salt mining.

 

[DFF]

BT has done his job and put the pieces in place but we cant say we're even a "good" hockey team until they show they are able to preform.

Gaudreau, Monahan, Tkachuk, Backlund, Gio need to keep playing well
we need to see some bounce back from Brodie and Hamonic
we need Bennett Jankowski Kulak/Andersson/Valimaki to grow their game
we need the new pieces to find ways to contribute here

there's lots of reason to think these things could come together under Peters but that's a huge difference between pretenders and contenders

If Bennett breaks out and Peters gets the D moving like Carolina's then we're 3 lines deep with a top back-end ready to challenge for the West
If Peter's cant get consistency from the D and forwards aren't finishing chances yet again we won't even be in the ploffs

.

Yes but you forgot the biggest piece....Smith staying healthy and playing like a #1 goalie

The Collapse started when he went down (both physically and with his sub par play)

 

[DFF]

I think Edmonton would have a stronger economy if they switched from a focus on oil and gas to salt mining.

Look...their GM only gave them a couple castoff 4th liners to talk about this summer.....

 

[Bounces R Way]

Definitely better than Edmonton, and they were a Stanley Cup favourite just last just year.