scoringmachine
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- Jan 17, 2007
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Thoughts on this seasons Flames
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It's not going to be pretty, but I'd rather it right outright suck than just be bad and miss the playoffs by a point.
And shame on any fan unwilling to stick thru the bad times...I was around in the haydays (no, not 2004) and stayed a fan thru the dark days. Just have to have a physical team, beat up a few guys - small victories.
It's going to be all about the future, and that is what this site was created for. Try checking out the Hlinka/Gretzky, U18's, WJC and get a glimpse of some of the great talent available in the next couple drafts. I'm pumped for that.
And shame on any fan unwilling to stick thru the bad times...I was around in the haydays (no, not 2004) and stayed a fan thru the dark days. Just have to have a physical team, beat up a few guys - small victories.
It's going to be all about the future, and that is what this site was created for. Try checking out the Hlinka/Gretzky, U18's, WJC and get a glimpse of some of the great talent available in the next couple drafts. I'm pumped for that.
my thoughts are by the end of this season the only player left from the 2021/22 NHL Roster will be Backlund.
Kranix
Deranged Homer
- Jun 27, 2012
- 18,675
- 16,850
nobody will be able to solve them on their march to the finals
Ace Rimmer
Stoke me a clipper.
Volica
Papa Shango
- May 15, 2012
- 21,641
- 11,329
This team will likely have a hard time breaking 70 points, probably lower than that... especially at the deadline when a bunch of vets are like "I don't want to do this anymore."
For the 'I don't cheer for losses' crowd. This is going to be a long ass season for you.
For the 'I don't cheer for losses' crowd. This is going to be a long ass season for you.
SaintMorose
Registered User
- Jul 21, 2009
- 3,962
- 543
Still have both the Sharks and Ducks in our division, could see them propelling us past a a couple teams
Backlund
Registered User
We're going to be terrible and we should be, but drafting Hagens is worth having to watch a shitty season.
It’s an extremely weird group to say this about, but I think this season comes down to 3 players: Miromanov, Bahl, and Wolf.
The offense year over in theory should be much better. Last years Kuzmenko was a better producer than last years Lindholm. Last years Mantha was a much, much better producer (pre-trade) than Mangiapane, and in theory Coronato has more offensive potential than Pospisil. Zary’s a year older, and in 2024 Kadri was point per game + and Huberdeau started to regain some of his offense. It’s stopping goals that will be the problem, which is where those aforementioned 3 come in.
Miromanov gets slept on a lot here. He, like Kylington, missed over a year of hockey before coming back, and his first game with us was his 10th in any league since coming back. The Miromanov we saw last year likely wasn’t the Miromanov we see this year, and he wasn’t bad at all last year.
Bahl is interesting, because he has stretches where he would be a force but he struggled putting it all together. He’s still young for a defenseman, and players with his size profile usually take longer to develop. Our organization and especially Huska excel at developing defenseman, so I have high hopes for him.
Wolf needs no introduction. A typical season for a goalie his age would be stretches where he flashes his potential, but also stretches where he’s very beatable. Nothing is typical though about the level of dominance he’s showed in every other league up to the NHL, so who knows what he shows next season.
If those 3 take steps forward, I think we won’t be nearly as bad as people are hoping for. Not a playoff team, but we’d have to sell a lot of players if we don’t want our pick transferring. If they don’t step up at all from their play last year, we may legitimately be #1 in GA.
The offense year over in theory should be much better. Last years Kuzmenko was a better producer than last years Lindholm. Last years Mantha was a much, much better producer (pre-trade) than Mangiapane, and in theory Coronato has more offensive potential than Pospisil. Zary’s a year older, and in 2024 Kadri was point per game + and Huberdeau started to regain some of his offense. It’s stopping goals that will be the problem, which is where those aforementioned 3 come in.
Miromanov gets slept on a lot here. He, like Kylington, missed over a year of hockey before coming back, and his first game with us was his 10th in any league since coming back. The Miromanov we saw last year likely wasn’t the Miromanov we see this year, and he wasn’t bad at all last year.
Bahl is interesting, because he has stretches where he would be a force but he struggled putting it all together. He’s still young for a defenseman, and players with his size profile usually take longer to develop. Our organization and especially Huska excel at developing defenseman, so I have high hopes for him.
Wolf needs no introduction. A typical season for a goalie his age would be stretches where he flashes his potential, but also stretches where he’s very beatable. Nothing is typical though about the level of dominance he’s showed in every other league up to the NHL, so who knows what he shows next season.
If those 3 take steps forward, I think we won’t be nearly as bad as people are hoping for. Not a playoff team, but we’d have to sell a lot of players if we don’t want our pick transferring. If they don’t step up at all from their play last year, we may legitimately be #1 in GA.
Boomstick
Registered User
I definitely don't have high expectations, but we do have some hockey players out there, and I'll be watching every game, whether we're good, or not so good.
I'm sure we'll be drafting Top 10 again, wouldn't mind winning a lottery though.
Looking forward to our future core in a few years.
I'm sure we'll be drafting Top 10 again, wouldn't mind winning a lottery though.
Looking forward to our future core in a few years.
I mean, I don't cheer for losses, but I'm not mad at them if the team actually tries/plays like they give a shit. Win or lose, I care more about the work ethic, especially going into a rebuild.
- Oct 12, 2012
- 56,654
- 8,792
- Oct 12, 2012
- 56,654
- 8,792
this. we get that wins will be more rare, so it's more about effort. the team was organically bad and have only moved 2 guys with any term... Mangiapane was moved from a position of strength, and Markstrom was a really good return that would have been foolish to decline.
as for what I predict...
Our goal prevention is gonna be really bad. We were tied for 10th worst in the league last year and that was with Markstrom plaing well and 50-ish games of Tanev, Hanifin and Lindholm; our best D pair and best defensive foryward.... it might get ugly, really ugly
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InfinityIggy
Zagidulin's Dad
A year to cheer for individual successes rather than team ones, I imagine.
Stay the course Conroy.
Stay the course Conroy.
Bounces R Way
Registered User
BobColesNasalCavity
Registered User
Continue the disappointment by surprising everyone by their compete and then of course barely miss the playoffs for a 10-15 draft pick.
- Oct 12, 2012
- 56,654
- 8,792
I'm pretty confident we will finish bottom 5. I look at it like this...
We finished tied for 8th-10th worst in 2023-24, that was with a full season of Markstrom and Mangiapane, 50-60 games of Lindholm, Tanev & Hanifin; as well as Kylington and Zadorov combined.
We're replacing Tanev w/ Bahl... Hanifin w/ Miromanov... Kylington/Zadorov w/ Bean... Mangiapane w/ Mantha... Lindholm w/ Kuzmenko... Markstrom w/ Wold and more games from Vladar...
Then I look at the teams that finished around us and below us in the standings...
Buffalo hs Byram for a full season while adding Zucker and McLeod... but their season depends more on Cozens and Thompson bouncing back and internal growth of Power... are they still a bad team? or was 2023-24 a down year after being close to a playoff spot in 2022-23? I personally think they will be better.
New Jersey.... healthy Hamilton, addressed goaltending by adding Markstrom and Allen... they also added Pesce... like Buffalo was 2023-24 a blip on the radar after a much better 2022-23 where they were one of the better teams in the league? I think the reality is somewhere in teh middle, but I think they are a playoff team.
Seattle... another team in the same boat as Buffalo and New Jersey, bad 2023-24 after a good 2022-23... are the additions of Stephenson & Montour going to be enough to get Seattle back into the playoff race? I don't know, but I think at worst they'll maintain their level of play.
Ottawa... Chychrun, Tarasenko and the terrible Korpisalo out... Ullmark, Jensen & Perron in... Pinto will be around the full season... it's hard to imagine they will be worse simply via goaltending alone.
Utah... it's hard to believe they won't improve after adding Sergachev & Marino to their blueline and only subtracting Moser from the 2023-24 roster in teh deals. Thy should challenge for a playoff spot.
Montreal... they be bad, but I don't think they got worse.
Columbus... their "big" adds were Severson & Monahan... but their season depends more on the growth if their kids.... I think they improve slightly due to internal growth.
Anaheim.... I have the pegged as the worst team in the NHL this season. Not necessarily worse than 2023-24, but certainly not improved, while San Jose and Chicago took strides to improve.
Chicago... a healthy Hall and adding Bertuzzi and TT upfront will help Bedard take a step forward... adding Brodie and Martinez n the blueline will add some stability so it's not just on Jones and Murphy.... and Brossoit should be a decent improvement on Soderblom who will get to start in Rockford where he should have been last year. They will definitely be improved, maybe enough that with our step back that they could pass us.
San Jose.... they added some experience in Toffoli, Wennberg and Goodrow to help insulate Celebrini... they're still not going to be good. Probably only better than Anaheim.
Looking at those teams, as well as Philly, Minnesota, Pittsburgh, Washington and St. Louis... I legitimately think we could very easily finish bottom
We've seen less talented teams get close to the playoffs, so I wouldn't be surprised if we over achieve.
A couple key injuries though, and I could see us close to bottom 5.
A couple key injuries though, and I could see us close to bottom 5.
Bounces R Way
Registered User
You make some very good points. There is quite a few bottom half teams that should be better, even if only marginally.
Maybe it's the trauma talking but I could see a future where the Flames are hovering around a playoff spot into February. There are some proud vets on this team, and plenty of younger guys with something to prove. Losing Lindholm, Hanifin, Zadorov(miss you 4eva Zaddy), Markstrom and Tanev definitely makes us worse on paper but we weren't really anything special with them either. Will they stay or will they go was a big distraction for the team during the first half of the season. I don't see any more such situations looming for the locker room.
I also feel our offense goes a little under the radar, Kuzmenko really helped the PP click into gear when he came over. Huberdeau I'm not sure what we're going to see but wouldn't surprise me to see him show up motivated and focused having watched his former team and the guy he was traded for lift the Cup this summer. Our blueline and goaltending is getting a lot younger so there's going to be some shootout games.
Don't get me wrong, I'm hoping for a top 5 pick because a franchise 1C is a must for this rebuild to have legs and the 2025 draft looks like it might have a couple of em. Just don't think it's a given at all.
- Oct 12, 2012
- 56,654
- 8,792
Simply put, I don't think we have the horses on the back end to insulate Wolf and Vladar. We're looking at some combination of Bahl, Bean and Miro in our top 4. Offense is the least of my concerns. I think we could finish in the 13-17 range in GF, but I'm expecting us to be one of, if not the worst defensive team in the league, we were already tied for 10th worst in GA last year, I fully expect our GA/GP to rise by about half a goal a game, to the 3.75 range.
Volica
Papa Shango
- May 15, 2012
- 21,641
- 11,329
Just a note, rarely have one-way offensive wingers ever been the difference between playoffs and not on bad teams.
Our defence is going to be atrocious this year. Really there are two top 4 guys on the entire roster and a bunch of question marks. Would it be awesome if Bahl and Bean turn into something good? Absolutely, is it likely? Probably not.
I like to do an if's game. General rule is the more if's the less likely a team is to be good.
So for the Flames to make the playoffs it would require:
If Huberdeau has a recovered/motivated season.
If Kuzy plays at the same level from the end of last year, through the whole year.
If Shango can replicate last year
If Coleman can replicate last season.
If Mantha finds chemistry with Huberdeau or on the roster.
If Wolf gives us essentially a Vezina caliber season.
If there's no drop off to Kadri's game.
If there's no sophomore slump for any of the returning rookies.
If Bean can be a dependable bottom pair guy.
If Bahl can develop into a good middle pair guy.
If Miramanov ends up being an offensive catalyst on the PP.
You compare that to like the Avs, and it's like:
If the team stays healthy.
If goaltending doesn't fall apart.
I don't think they'll be record-low bad. But I could see them winning 4/10 games; 65/66 point pace. They won 7 games of their last 18 after all their trades last year. That's 46 point pace. I think it'll be better than that, but not much.
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