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They might not win it all this year...but return Treliving in charge they got better chance than ever if anyone can't get them to Cup finals it's Treliving as GM...

Marchand I meant haha...

On 8/4/2023 at 1:54 AM, Brewin Flames said:

It's gonna be Marchy or Mac....honestly, summer sucks and i have not even been paying attention.

Yeah Marchment for sure he had seniority...unless they let Lucic be captain for final free years he's probably most popular for fans...

Can't hang onto old players with salary caps in place...if only they'd get rid of the salary caps then teams can spend all the want to keep legacy players their entire careers...

Think it's the taxes more than anything except wanting to be closer to their home town which can't be helped...

12 hours ago, ruxpin said:

I'm not bullish on over 100 points. I think they may sneak into the playoffs as an 8-seed, but I just don't like this team.

 

Too much has to go just right with their kids.  I think Huberdeau will likely be better (could he be worse?) but no matter how you slice and dice it, Barkov does not play for Calgary, so you won't see Huberdeau return to Florida production.

 

I am not, nor have I ever been, a fan of Markstrom. He's not terrible but can be. And I think two seasons ago was his career high water mark.  He's going to have to be at least that good because I still think their defense is suspect and their forward lines are decent but mismatched players.

 

The middle to bottom of the conference is terrible, so things could go well enough that they get in, but I would not think they have any contender qualities. I don't think they can skate with the stronger teams.

Totally agree and I'm pretty depressed about our chances this year...I can't see them competing with Las Vegas Edmonton and Los Angeles for Pacific Division playoff sorts just on paper those teams are heads and shoulders above our young rookie lineups in Calgary...

I agree Huberdeau will definitely produce more with Sutter gone but Huberdeau Kadri and Lindholm can't replace the firepower that Tkachuk Gaudreau and Toffoli produced...even with the rookies like Coronado and Pelletier etc yeah too much has to go right it would be a miracle team full of youngsters leading this team and I doubt it can happen...

I like our defence and goaltending situation hopefully that doesn't changed but if Hanifin and Tanev leave I'm thinking were definitely gonna get short changed for the return...and they should have kept Stetcher...

To me this team looking more and more like the young lineups in Anaheim and I think Calgary will lead the basement dwellers in the west few points ahead of Anaheim Arizona and San Jose...

19 hours ago, pilldoc said:

How many times can I say great write up…. Seriously… again spot on.

 

I love Wolf in net... Sadly there is one word blocking him. ….that word and player is Markstrom…….. Markstrom and his 6 million dollar is there for 3 more years.

 

 I could see Vlader being moved and Wolf sliding in behind Markstrom.

 

Like Gibson. Markstrom’s contract could be hard to move.

I doubt they move Marktrom they gotta give him a chance to bounce back at least...they can't get much for him now anyways until he start playing better...

20 hours ago, yave1964 said:

LAST SEASONS RECORD 38-27-17 93 points 2 points out of a playoff spot, plus 8 goal differential.

 

 STAT OF THE YEAR, NOT JUST FOR THE FLAMES BUT FOR ANY TEAM They became just the 3rd team EVER to lose 30 games or more by one goal, their 31 one goal losses is the second most in history. On top of that they shattered their own team record with 17 overtime losses. This team simply did not know how to win.

 

ADDITIONS Sherengovich came over from the Devils. They brought in long time assistant and player friendly Ryan Huska to be the head coach and longtime Flame alum Craig Conroy to be the GM. Retread Oesterle will serve as the 7D. 

 

SUBTRACTIONS Sutter is out as coach. Treliving is gone as the GM. Toffoli wanted out, he was dealt to New Jersey. Spare parts Lucic, Michael Stone, Ritchie, Trevor Lewis and Troy Stecher were all shown the door.

 

KIDS IN THE SYSTEM Lots. Matthew Coronato is going to be a very good goal scorer for years to come. Walker Duehr is a fantastic forward prospect. Jakub Pelletier is going to be a middle six winger for a decade. Dustin Wolf has pushed himself into the conversation for top young goalie prospects with a second consecutive fantastic season with Stockton. A good four or five other kids will be fighting for ice time this year.

 

  I was a Sutter apologist for much of last year, i like a tough coach who isnt afraid to put the fear of God into a team but sutter lost the room completely. His biggest failing was giving guys like ritchie and Lucic top six minutes at various times throughout the season and not trusting the kids. It cost him his job and will likely tarnish his hall of fame resume a tad. 

 

  SO THE QUESTION, ARE THEY STILL CONTENDERS? I give new President of hockey operations Mloney and GM Conroy so very much credit, they didnt panic sell. Rumors were that Lindholm, Hanifin and Backlund all wanted out, none have (so far) been dealt. They have taken it slowly, assessing where they are as an organization. I give Treliving credit for last season as well, he lost Guadreau for nothing, instead of doing the same with Tkachuk he dealt him for Huberdeau, Weegar, and signed Kadri. It didnt work out but he went down swinging.

 

 SO THE ANSWER, ARE THE FLAMES IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM A CONTENDER? Absolutely yes, YES, A THOUSAND TIMES YES. 31 one goal losses will never happen again. If they slip back into the middle of the pack with that number this year, league average last season was 17, that bumps them to 107 points.

 

  Losing Toffoli hurts, plain and simple he was lights out last season. Sherengovich is a solid hard checking 3rd line winger who can sneak a goal in every now and then, nothing more. He along cannot and will not replace the offense. But man the kids, led by Coronato can and will score. clearing out the deadwood, Ritchie, Lucic, Lewis were not very good or interesting. By not panic trading as Treliving did, they have kept the core of a damn good team that was snakebit and couldnt get catch a break all year. The kids, a fresh new front offi ce with an optimistic outlook IMHO many folks will look past the club and forget that two years ago they were one of the leagues darlings. Not me, i am going to buck that trend. I have them second in their division with 105 points and a damn fine year.

I hope you're right but I really doubt they are even in the playoff conversation...this was a rebuild ever since Treliving and Sutter left...the Pacific belongs to Las Vegas Edmonton and Los Angeles...Calgary is not younger but not tougher and faster but not better...I think we'll see a repeat and the same differences as when Gulutzan took over from Hartley which is ironic because Harley won the best coach of the year same as Sutter did...

Yzerplan indeed

Yserman is a smart guy succeeds at anything he does...

On 8/15/2023 at 5:04 AM, ruxpin said:

Do you keep the GM?

 

From my vantage, they won the Cup because they accidentally tripped over it. I've never been an Armstrong fan.

Naw get rid of him for sure...Armstrong didn't expect that team to win the Cup they won it despite him...some GMs like Treliving are always in win now mode...some like Yserman and Sakic are always in clever deals mode...but this Armstrong is always stuck in win never mode and despite his win never deals the players and coach all won despite that...

16 hours ago, Tomdog said:

I’d say they’re a team one season away from a rebuild. 

I'd say they're in the rebuild right now and only thing they got right say far is keeping the coach...

Jets are in still mode so they going backwards...

They'll finally be playing for playoff sport even more than last year...if I had to guess I day they make it this year finally and Islanders find make...

This is awesome for Pittsburgh

7 hours ago, JR Ewing said:

a) It's a terrible and damned near buyout-proof. The aging curve for players like Wilson is more than a bit grim, and he has a long history of injury problems. I don't think the Caps see it much differently than the rest of us, though, and it's probably more about

b) The Caps know they're going to be bad, so they've signed a player who is very popular with the fanbase, who will have a reason to come to the arena besides watching Ovi chase the goal record.

 

If it's because they think Wilson is an important piece going forward, every divisional opponent should be very happy. Hell, they should be happy no matter what.

 

Yeah I agree it's about keeping a popular player like they did with Lucic etc...Wilson will protect Ovie etc and the fans love them both...

I don't agree with the amount for sure but I'm not surprised...Zegras and Terry and MacTavish are their future and losing any of them would be an embarrassment...in any event bettman will have the NHL similar to the NBA soon enough anyways...

4 hours ago, radoran said:

 

The OWNERS are the ones who insisted upon the salary cap and MLSE was among the ones leading the charge.

 

It's making decisions like Tavares that has them where they are, not the lack of a salary cap to give them a "you screwed up free" card.

Yeah that's why I say the salary cap should be abolished...what's the point of having all these dumb salary rules just manage your team like any other business and if you go bankrupt you go bankrupt...

On 7/17/2023 at 1:45 PM, NHL HHOF said:

 

...and this is why the salary cap has to go...

Not one veteran player signed in Calgary since Sutter been fired plus the GM too...I'm not buying that all the players hate Sutter...

16 hours ago, NHL HHOF said:

 

Haha who is this guy...? He says Weegar says Backlund telling Sutter to fck himself...? He says it's been quoted by never tells us where he read or saw this quote...I'm not buying it...all I've seen so far after Sutter left is veteran players leaving or not signing plus a general manager who wouldn't sign either...doesn't make sense what good guy saying...

55 minutes ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

 

You know what?
I don't see a downside for the Sens here. Nor for Tarasenko for that matter.

With him, Ottawa will have a top six of Stutzle and Norris down the middle, and Tkachuk, Tarasenko, Batherson, and Giroux on the wings.
And they STILL have Kubalik they could put in there if one of those players struggles

Senators could have a very dangerous offense, and both PP units should theoretically be good.
Even with a so-called 'down year', Vladimir still put up 50 pts. Lots of NHL players would LOVE it if a down year for them were a lousy 50 pts!
Unless Tarasenko has some lingering and/or hidden injury, and EVEN if he just puts up those same 50 pts again for the Sens (if he is healthy he certainly is good for much more!), it's a win for the Sens!

And for Vladimir, well, he can always parlay that into a bigger contract if he does well, or get traded to a contender if he is doing well, but Ottawa bombs again on the season.

Ottawa's real weakness will be in goal prevention by their defense...something Jakub Chychrun is supposed to help with, and of course, who knows which Jonas Korpisalo they get, and can Anton Forsberg put together another decent season.

The NHL's Atlantic Division continues to get more and more offensively dangerous though!
 

Yeah I agree this is what Ottawa needs and $5M for one year not much of a gamble low risk high rewards here

1 hour ago, TropicalFruitGirl26 said:

 

I'm not so sure about that.

I would imagine acquiring Karlsson would involve giving up quite a bit so I would have to see how much of the Leafs team is actually LEFT after such a major acquisition.
Add in the salary gymnastics that would be necessary (it CAN be done, I am sure), and what other big contracts may need to be moved out (Nylander??) due to the cap, oh, and the goaltending situation needs to be resolved...will it??....and a Leafs team that somehow managed to acquire an elite player like Karlsson, may find itself severely lacking in other areas and be no better off as a Cup contender than they were previously.

I am pretty sure Toronto will ice a good enough playoff team this coming season, and even the next.....but an auto Cup team? Even with Karlsson? Hmm. They gonna have to prove that to me.

Maybe they'll move Nylander there for picks too for Karlsson...either way Treliving going all in just like in Calgary he probably wanted Lucic again but Looch probably retiring in Boston this season so he settled for Reaves...

Man if Toronto gets him I'll definitely take them to win the Cup this year or next...Treliving picking up where he left off in Calgary when they were in win now mode...