Would the Flames have beat the Ducks if they had a healthy Gio

[KaseMeOutside]

would have been the closest 5 game series ever

 

[SirQuacksALot]

Flames in 4, ducks are the worst teams in the playoffs, ever.

 

[Anglesmith]

You don't seem to be considering at all that Anaheim had home ice for this series, which means they get last change in 4 of 7 games.

Giordano certainly improves Calgary's chances, but he alone isn't going to turn Calgary into the better team in this series.

It isn't that simple, necessarily, because getting away from those matchups could also work to the Flames' advantage if the Ducks forced it that way. The Gio/Brodie defensive pairing makes every Flames player on the ice better and makes the unit not only less vulnerable, but dangerous on the attack. So if the Ducks tried to avoid putting their top players out against the Gio/Brodie pairing, that could well come back to bite them.

I think there were enough close games in this series to suggest that the Flames might have been one Norris-calibre defenceman away from winning games that they lost. So who knows? My gut would say that they would not have won even with Gio.

 

[DCDM]

The Flames might have won game 4 at home but nothing was saving them from the Honda Centre curse.

*Not to discredit the Ducks at all - they were very much the better team and fully deserved to win the series.

 

[Ducks in a row]

Maybe 1 more win but not enough to win the series.

 

[Flamer12]

I don't think so. The Ducks were a lot better than the Flames in this series. So much better, that I doubt any one player makes a difference in the out come. Give them 2 more years and they would be able to do it with or without Gio.

 

[Ducks in a row]

I don't think so. The Ducks were a lot better than the Flames in this series. So much better, that I doubt any one player makes a difference in the out come. Give them 2 more years and they would be able to do it with or without Gio.

IMO would of require someone like a Hasek to of been able to get Flames to win.

 

[TheStroker]

No. Flames got beat all over the ice, not just on D

 

[Ducks DVM]

It isn't that simple, necessarily, because getting away from those matchups could also work to the Flames' advantage if the Ducks forced it that way. The Gio/Brodie defensive pairing makes every Flames player on the ice better and makes the unit not only less vulnerable, but dangerous on the attack. So if the Ducks tried to avoid putting their top players out against the Gio/Brodie pairing, that could well come back to bite them.

I think there were enough close games in this series to suggest that the Flames might have been one Norris-calibre defenceman away from winning games that they lost. So who knows? My gut would say that they would not have won even with Gio.

And then maybe Hiller doesn't get pulled because Game 1 isn't a rout but is merely a win, and then Ramo isn't the only thing keeping Game 2 from being a rout in the first period, and Game 5 being a rout as well.

Playing hypotheticals is ultimately fruitless. Calgary would undoubtedly have been better with Giordano, but Giordano isn't THAT good.

 

[illpucks]

Not even close. Sorry. But Ducks are on another level. It took years of playoff failure to get a team this good. Flames would lose in 5 still.

Flames are too inexperienced to win against them.

 

[Harvey Birdman]

Neutral fan of both teams.... Highly unlikely, Gio is a great player, but he isn't that much of a game changer to turn a series ending in 5 games into a series win.

Maybe with him on ice they make it a 6 game series, a couple of lucky bounces and the stars align to force it to game 7. But in the end IMO the Duck still would've won the series.

They are just simply on another tier than the Flames are right now... And that's not a insult to the Flames, they are just very young. All Flames fans should be proud of their team and the playoffs this year. Shows a great level of promise for the team going forward. It would be a safe bet that they will be a cup contender in 4-5 years if they follow the course and players develop properly.

 

[Mr Positive]

Flames were lucky a lot of those games were as close as they were, but Gio would be the best Dman in that series so a win or two more is not out of the question

 

[Alwalys]

The flames were inordinately lucky to go as far as they did this year, who knows whether that one change would have upset the whole thing. They could have been out even earlier with him in.

 

[Fig]

If we didn't lose him during the regular season, there wouldn't be as big of an opportunity for kids to step up and up their game which means we might not be as competitive in general to the end. I think Gio would have been the go to guy rather than Gaudreau for instance which means maybe Gio gets his Norris, but Gaudreau might not be in Calder discussion in favor of Forsberg.

If we got him back just before round 2, I still say no. Everyone is still gassed and banged up. Maybe we bring it to 6 or 7, but I doubt we win the series.

 

[The Midnight Burrito]

And then maybe Hiller doesn't get pulled because Game 1 isn't a rout but is merely a win, and then Ramo isn't the only thing keeping Game 2 from being a rout in the first period, and Game 5 being a rout as well.

Playing hypotheticals is ultimately fruitless. Calgary would undoubtedly been better with Giordano, but Giordano isn't THAT good.

There is no single defenseman that could have rescued the Flames in that series. It wasn't close, at all.

 

[Mickey Marner]

Nope. The Ducks are a flat better team.

 

[Hammer79]

No. Every team has to deal with injuries. The playoffs are meant to test a team's depth. The Ducks are a way better team at this point.

 

[Sojourn]

If we didn't lose him during the regular season, there wouldn't be as big of an opportunity for kids to step up and up their game which means we might not be as competitive in general to the end. I think Gio would have been the go to guy rather than Gaudreau for instance which means maybe Gio gets his Norris, but Gaudreau might not be in Calder discussion in favor of Forsberg.

If we got him back just before round 2, I still say no. Everyone is still gassed and banged up. Maybe we bring it to 6 or 7, but I doubt we win the series.

That's why these hypothetical questions never really have a clear answer. It's the butterfly effect.

Based on how the two teams played, and from my own observations of what you can realistically expect from a single defenseman(even one playing at a Norris-worthy level), I'd be hard pressed to say that the end result(Anaheim winning) would change. No individual skater has that kind of impact, and I think you'd need to assume everything goes right and there is no negative to changing the past and introducing Giordano to the line-up.

 

[Mc5RingsAndABeer]

Any team that makes the playoffs can beat any other. Giordano would've improved the Flames chances.

However, the Ducks were clear favourites going into the series and were clearly the better team.

 

[8LX7psQ]

Nope

 

[WarriorofTime]

No. The Ducks are a much better team. Calgary was overmatched. One player isn't going to make that big a difference.

 

[CraigsList]

I think we would have pushed it to 7, but the Ducks would still come out on top. They have far more experience than us.

 

[Not So Mighty]

For sure Gio would have made the Flames win the series. Probably a sweep even. Teams that are greatly out possessed and beaten in five games are typically only one player away from being the better team.

 

[Fig]

That's why these hypothetical questions never really have a clear answer. It's the butterfly effect.

Based on how the two teams played, and from my own observations of what you can realistically expect from a single defenseman(even one playing at a Norris-worthy level), I'd be hard pressed to say that the end result(Anaheim winning) would change. No individual skater has that kind of impact, and I think you'd need to assume everything goes right and there is no negative to changing the past and introducing Giordano to the line-up.

Yep. I agree with your butterfly effect comments and analysis. I could understand if someone asked a hypothetical and asked about an outcome of perhaps a single game (ie: Slot Gio in game 5, do we win OT?), but not a full series or a long stretch. IMO, penalties did both teams in for game 3 (Ducks), 4 (Calgary) and 5 (Calgary) as key goals were scored on the PP in those games. Game 1 was a huge rallying point IMO. It was a huge learning experience and wouldn't really call it a wake up call. I believe style wise, we came into game 1 with the wrong style play and were at a disadvantage due to it. By game 3 (IMO) we had developed game play that made us reasonably competitive (within 1 goal each if we exclude empty netter).

The best part of hockey at times is the fact it's such a free flow game. Play 20 games over and over with the same rosters and the outcome can be completely different 20 times. Adding Gio might have a ripple effect or a splash, but with the strong current that the Ducks had the whole time, I would agree with you, Ducks win anyways as a splash or ripple doesn't affect a current. Maybe we delay the inevitable at most.

That being said, I believe that Gio had a part in the kid's doing well after Gio was out. I wouldn't say this season comes to fruition in spite of Gio, because I believe he had a big hand in the way the season ended as well as how the early season unfolded. Dude was back training within days after the initial injury and surgery.

On a side note... hypothetical are sorta fun when you begin to consider butterfly effect.

 

[Unlimited Chequing]

I would say in the best case scenario, game 1 wouldn't have been a complete ass whoopin' for us and we might have squeezed out another win, but the end result would have been the same and we'd be doing a whole other hypothetical post.