By Derrick Newman
After starting the season with one win over the first four games, should Calgary Flames fans be worried?
Well, truth be told you probably should’ve been worried before the season even started, or perhaps should have just lowered your expectations.
I know what people are going to say now, “Here comes Newman with another cynical look at the Flames,” but really what’s there to be happy about?
Let’s find some positives, shall we?
The Habs game. The Flames looked great and took advantage of an injury riddled defence and scored on opportune chances. They looked well rested and Kipper played great. The powerplay went 2-for-4 and even Niklas Hagman got in on the fun.
The power play in general has looked decent rolling at a 23% clip and ranks in the top ten in the league. Needless to say if it stays this way, the Flames should have no trouble scoring goals, but then again, over the last year that’s never been the problem.
The play of Curtis Glencross and Rene Bourque has been outstanding. Both players have tallied three goals in the first four games. Olli Jokinen can’t be overlooked either with his four in four games, and much maligned Niklas Hagman has looked good in tallying a goal and two assists and a plus two rating so far.
Mark Giordano has also looked good, especially on the point of the powerplay. Go back to the home opener where he set up Glencross with a nice move around a sprawling penalty killer. He also leads the team with 14 blocked shots.
The goaltending has been hit and miss. Kipper was great against Montreal but has looked average in the Pittsburgh and Toronto games. Karlsson, in his one appearance against the Blues, started strong but ended up letting five past him.
Now, the shot discrepancy has be addressed in the team’s opening four contests. Outshot by 17, 18, and 15 in their first three games, including getting outshot 12-1 in the third by the Habs. Now, you can argue quality versus quantity, but these are fairly distinct differences and eventually the numbers will catch up to you.
The three losses have all had an eerily similar feel to them. The Flames scored first in every one, then fell behind and failed to fully recover. Consistency is a major issue with this hockey team and for some reason they have a tough time playing a full 60 minute hockey game.
It’s grossly familiar to last season’s struggles where the Flames would be fighting from behind in a majority of their games, only to come up tragically short in the end – kind of like their fruitless playoff spot charge.
The Flames don’t like playing with the lead – or maybe, better yet, they simply don’t know how to play with a lead. Their game plan seems to change when they get ahead and they forget what got them there in the first place.
It’s frustrating to watch as a fan and I’m sure it’s frustrating for the coaches and players to go through it.
But what is wrong and how do you fix this problem, and should fans be worried?
Well I’m not a hockey coach. I’m just some “IDIOT,” as a loyal reader so eloquently put it, who knows less about hockey then his daughter, who apparently isn't a fan of the game.
So don’t come to me if you are looking for answers as to why the Flames aren’t a very good hockey team. The numbers speak for themselves.
Check a couple great new Jersey Fouls that were spotted in NHL arenas!
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17 comments:
I watched the game as a Leaf fan (incidentally, I don't the Flames) and I have to say that your team looked an awful lot like mine has the last few years. To not hold that lead ...its tough to swallow. What all hockey fans have to remind themselves is that their love is for their team, not their player. So Iggy and Kipper could and should be dealt at deadline (if you are out of it)
Hey Norte, that's an asinine comment. Trade away your best players (the ones that are hard to replace) for prospects/draft picks that you don't even know if they will play at the pro level. if the Leafs aren't in the playoffs by the deadline, they should trade Reimer because his value will never be higher. How much sense does that make to you?
Norte, that debate has been bandied about a lot in Calgary. The thing to realize though is the Flames are stuck in a bad situation "Cap" wise until the end of this year. Once this year is up, you can get rid a lot of the dead weight on this team and move forward. I dont think trading both the Flames superstars is the answer, as I rarely think the team dealing the star receives fair value in return. Like "Anonymous" said, the prospects/draft picks are a risk as they might not even play where as the superstar you know is already good.
Trading reimer doesnt make sense because hes younger, iginla and kipper are veterans that have a ton of value, thats the difference. norte's point is right your team is not a cup contender you need to start thinking of the future, if you have some potential prospects your excited about and can help the team then maybe you can make a push, if not you need to start building up the farm.
And there are a lot of debates about that very issue. You could wind up like the Chicago's and Pittsburghs of the world with world class players and a Stanley cup. Or you could end up like Florida or Columbus and perpetually be fighting for 10th place. The Flames are in a unique position in that that they refuse to totally blow it all up. Trading Iginla is not as easy as trading a simple role player. He IS the Flames, much like Smyth was the Oilers...and you've seen how well that turned out for them.
I would never consider Reimer on the same par with Iggy or Kipper. Asinine, in my opinion, is being satisfied finishing eighth year in, year out. Consider what the Leafs received for Kaberle. Real building blocks. I just think its time to realize the shark has been jumped.
Trading Iggy isn't that much of a stretch. Calgary must at least listen to offers for the Captain if it includes an NHL ready top six forward prospect, a #1 pick, and a roster player. This move will create cap room, and give the Flames flexibility in the FA market, while restocking a depleted farm system. A similar scenario happened years back, when Dallas was one player away from a cup run. Calgary traded Nieuwendyke to Dallas and received Iginla in return. That worked out pretty good, heh?
Trading for the future is an interesting debate. At ages 34-35, with Iggy having 1 year after this left on the contract, what do you do? If we want to keep them, then this team desperately needs a #1 centre, then why arent we trading for a Spezza & offering up Backlund/Bourque & a 1st rounder to get that. Too much future being given up? The contracts dropping off are not the be all end all solutions to our problems. So what do Flames fans want Feaster to do, go for a last swing at the bats with Iggy & Kipper or move a major asset or two, be sure to get an overpayment and go youth movement next year with Reinhart, Baerschte, Holland, Leiland, Brodie +++ what ever Feaster can parlay. Should we be worried? I'll give you my answer in March.
And it's funny, Flames fans have had this debate for what, the last three years now? Iginla isnt over the hill. Just look at last season. He can still bring back a lot. Now, is that the best option? I have a tough time thinking it is. At the same time being content with finishing in 8th every year is "asinine" as Norte said. And that's exactly truth. Being content to just sneak into the playoffs every year is ridiculous, but I think that is a lot of the Sutter thinking and not so much Feaster. I really think we have to wait till this summer to really see Feaster's master plan. The moves he has made so far (Regehr, Langkow, etc.) have been decent attempt to clean up a mess left by Darryl. The return for Reggie can be debated, but something had to be done and Reggie was the guinea pig unfortunately. Getting Stempniak for Langkow was great. I'm not sure you will see this thing get blown up mid season, because really what's the difference in trading Iggy mid season vs in the off season? You probably get better value in the off-season as you are rushed but he clock of the deadline and other mid-season factors. It's a interesting debate, that's for sure and it will be one until Iggy either retires a Flame or is moved elsewhere.
Ok. If anyone knew anything about how the organization has stated the future. Jerome will not be moved. Kipper is up for debate but his contract is diminishing so as an organization he is nice to have around, especially seeing the progress Joni Ortio makes in a year.
The big factor is Calgary only has 6 forwards under contract after this year. Iggy, Tanguay, Stajan, Bourque, Glencross, Horak.
This leaves Jokinen, Hagman, Stempniak, Moss, Backlund, Kostopoulos, Jackman, Pierre LLL.
If any of those players are playing well, they can help a team looking for a playoff push. It would make WAY more sense to trade one of them since they are low risk for other teams in long term. Same goes for a guy like Sarich.
Kipper and Iggy will not be moved.
Just a thought Newman: if we were to trade Iginla now and built a contender over the course of his remaining 1.5 years of contract, do you think he would re-sign with us for the re-tooled team?
Any GM would hate the idea of giving up a franchise player; just because we do not have a lot of assets to sell it does not mean you look at moving an Iginla. Overall, it is better from a franchise-stability perspective to move him at the deadline next year (if he wants out) or keep paying the man that carried your franchise for as long as he wants to stay. If, Iggy wants to stay, then Flames fans would have to be happy middling in the middle because we still get to watch one of the best people in sports do his thing.
Also, if Iginla "demands a trade" you are totally screwed and won't get a Schenn-quality building piece anyways. So keep him happy with moves like signing Tanguay even if conventional "build for a championship" thinking wouldn't promote that signing.
But, if Iginla wanted a shot at a cup and went to management saying, "see what Washington, Pittsburgh, Philly, Detroit and San Jose would pay for me" and Washington came back with "Semin, Colorado's first, our first and Cody Eakin". What do you do if you are Flames Ownership? Do you gamble on getting your guy back and continuing to keep him happy?
Iginla goes to Washington and competes for a cup for two years, then agrees to come back to Calgary?! In the meantime we get a couple or three nice young pieces and use that cap space with the long-term view in mind. That would be an incredible rebuild.
And I agree with that point that if iginla wants to stay he has that right more than anyone else. I think your value of what you're getting in return is a tad skewed and I'm not sure why people want a lazy player like semin on this team. If he barely wants to play in washington I doubt that he wants to play in Calgary.
But getting back to iggy. Feaster will be very methodical if he decides to make that move. As you said it's not a simple move and iggy will have the final say in the end. I'm really not sure what they do but I just like hearing other people's thinking on it.
Hey Newman! I'm a longtime hard core fan, Season Ticket holder of 15 years. Went thru the horrendous Young Gun era. This is a cap league now, so rebuilds should be quicker & $64m payroll should buy you a pretty competitive team. I am a huge Iggy & Kipper fan & would like nothing better than to see both finish their careers as Flames. They are star players but they are no longer elite players. Joel is right, do you trade Iggy or Kipper if you get a return that can reboot a rebuild, giving us a high draft pick(s) & NHL top tier prospects. The time is coming, especially when we start to open up talks with Jerome regarding a contract extension & if we're keeping him, I would rather extend his contract next summer than wait until he's a UFA & we get nothing.
Jerome is the character kind of guy who will sign for less in the future simply to make a couple of key free agent signings. That's something to consider too.
Yeah, Jarome (c'mon people know how to spell his name) is that kind of guy, which is yet another reason why is so well liked. I would love to see him retire a Flame, but I also want to see him win a cup...im not sure you can have both.
"I am a huge Iggy & Kipper fan & would like nothing better than to see both finish their careers as Flames. They are star players but they are no longer elite players"
How can you possibly justify your comment? I agree Kipper is on the decline but Jarome finished 6th over all, higher then 7 Alex Ovechkin, 8 Teemu Selanne, 9 Henrik Zetterberg and 10 Brad Richards.
If that isn't Elite then what does he have to do? Be 1st in the league? Steven Stamkos was only 5 points ahead of him and hes a highly touted young stud.
And to further that, I heard a Toronto fan talking %^&* about Alex Tanguay... He was 25th in the league! your top league leader was Phil Kessel he was 36th in the league give me a break!
Well said Vowswithin! I don't understand why people say Jarome is in the twilight of his career, or he's not the player he used to be, etc.
He's still one of the top scorers in the league. If that isn't elite, I don't know what is.
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