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The Calgary Flames held their annual season ticket holder session on Wednesday night and there were plenty of interesting tidbits being shared from those at the event.
There's a lot to get to so I'm going to post the notable quotes and give brief thoughts on each.
I know Brian Burke likes rough and tumble hockey but this makes no sense to me. Brandon Bollig has tallied 10 goals and 23 points in 241 NHL games. His teams have been significantly out chanced, out shot and out scored with him on the ice, too. Beyond the occasional big hit I'm not really sure what he brings to the table.
I don't think this is a surprise to anyone. Oliver Kylington has always been an excellent skater and ultra talented player. In terms of pure skill he was probably a top-10 player in the 2015 draft. Most people will tell you his fall had as much to do with 'work ethic' and 'off-ice issues' as much as anything else. It's almost as if prioritizing talent is the way to go.
Kylington has still has some work to do, obviously, but it looks like he's going to be very good, which is great news for the Flames considering they moved a few picks to acquire Dougie Hamilton. When trading a bunch of picks hitting on the ones kept becomes that much more important. It looks like the Flames did that here.
Besides being Swedish I'm not really sure how Andersson and Murray compare and this is coming from someone who has scouted Andersson live at least 60-70 times over the last couple years.
It's nice to see Burke praising his game, though. As many of you recall I was very high on Andersson entering the draft and
thought he was a steal where the Flames drafted him.
His skating stride isn't the best to look at but he gets around the ice effectively and his puck skills are excellent. He's confident carrying it up ice, he is an exceptional puck distributor and his shot is very good, too. He's going to be a good one.
I don't really think that's a valid argument against Boudreau. Sure, the Ducks had a lot of established veterans on their team but there were no shortage of kids that emerged as high-end players under Boudreau. Look at Hampus Lindholm, Sami Vatanen and Rickard Rakell, among others, as a few examples of that.
The Flames may have other reasons for not seriously pursuing Boudreau but I don't buy for a second that he can't coach young players. This is the same guy that spent years cutting his teeth in the AHL and, last time I checked, that's a developmental hockey league.
This quote is kind of funny considering the Ducks had the NHL's top power play and penalty kill during the regular season.
In all seriousness, though, I think those are all valid reasons to relieve Bob Hartley of his duties.
I've touched on Geoff Ward a few times but he's one guy I think makes sense. He coached a Devils team very short on talent to a top-10(!) power play last season.
Sure seems like the Flames are set on trading for a goaltender as opposed to chasing one in free agency. There should be some bigger names available on the trade market but
I still think signing someone like Reimer and retaining all assets would be a good way to go. In saying that, if the Flames can get a legitimate starter on the trade market without parting with the house I don't think too many people will be upset.
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