Savvy management is really important. I think of some of the hate Detroit gets this off season about aging and how the need to rebuild.

They have solid drafting that yields not only solid replacement players but tradeable assets.

Think Detroit has the assets that they could've made a move for Bobby Ryan or Jay Bouwmeester. Combine that with lots of lower level depth and you can practically stay competitive indefinitely.

In a cap world star players become available. Detroit just missed out on Parise. These are core players that can be had. As long as there is a cap young cheap top 9 or top 6 D players will carry value.

In Torontos case people critique the prospect pool for lacking high end talent which is completely fair but to write off solid role players is silly. Matt Frattin was nothing too special but with a second brought in a goalie drafted top 10.

There are many ways to acquire core talent.
- Blazed

Agreed, and why would Feaster tip his hand. Cammy is gone for the right price early in the season. By trade deadline he goes to the highest bidder. If Feaster comes out and says yes we would like to move Cammy, what kind of offers do you think he will see?

Agreed, and why would Feaster tip his hand. Cammy is gone for the right price early in the season. By trade deadline he goes to the highest bidder. If Feaster comes out and says yes we would like to move Cammy, what kind of offers do you think he will see?
- Baxman

Cammy for Rene Bourque and a 2nd.

And who the hell are you??!?!?

OH WAIT?

Is that Flaming ice?!?!






- The-O-G

Thought id switch it up for abit

You're right, once you actually break down the rosters Ottawa is right in there. Probably more balanced as well, however Spezza was hurt last year, Ryan is wasn't there, Karlson hurt etc.

Anyways, at the end of the day my point was not to compare the talent on each team but to point out the on ice success is way more than merely talent. 2 years ago everyone picked the Sens to be in the dumpster of the eastern conference.

Like I said before, I think Cammy has gotten a bit of an unfair ride the past few months. Lots of rumours, he said/she said etc. I do agree though he probably will be gone by the TDL
- The-O-G

Oh well in that case, I totally agree with you. Look sens were missing talent with all injuries last year, but still beat the second seed in the Eastern Conference. Clagary players will need to have the will and if they do, they will be a major pain for anyone playing them. They need simple hockey and aim to reduce errors on ice. That is a winning formula for any team with any type of talent!

Cheers!

Hey Colin, do you think a guy like Stajan is considered in this category of 'right' veterans to keep around?

Hey Colin, do you think a guy like Stajan is considered in this category of 'right' veterans to keep around?
- B_def

Only by default as he cant be moved anyways

Only by default as he cant be moved anyways
- Colin Dambrauskas

Hahaha.....well done.....

Seriously though...I love Matty Ice (that was a lie), but I'm just sick of seeing on the ice!

Only by default as he cant be moved anyways
- Colin Dambrauskas

Well I'm projecting a good year for him, especially with almost guaranteed 1st/2nd line time for most of the year.

Well I'm projecting a good year for him, especially with almost guaranteed 1st/2nd line time for most of the year.
- B_def

define a bad year... actually define a good one...

Also a key point to feasters comment was "his discussion with wisebrod..." its a real change from the tyrant we had b4 but what feaster said is spot on and exactly waht Ive been saying forever as well tjat said I don't see the flames as having the right core quite yet. Their vets are sub par. Also to o-g on you referencing the sens and how they turned it around quick, thus the fllames can as well....

Lemme first say generally I agree with a lot you say butn this I can't. the flames are in a whole different world than the sens. The last say 7-8 years the flames have been in limbo. Their mantra of squeeking ininto the playoffs ( or attempting to) and their bandaid approach for many a moon has hurt the foundation. The flames have no core really and to be honest I'm not convinced they have the right development staff in place yet. The sens on the other hand have had an excellent development staff. Theybalso have an amazing core of vets and new commers. Thats why theybare finding sucess. There is no quick wau of doing this rebuild, compounded by the fact the flmaes have been doing it terribly for years. Bandaid after bandaid after bandaid always hoping fordifferent results but using the same mold. If for some mmiraculous reason the do become competitive then that will be something, but I think as fan we have to expect this will take a while.

What nyi are a prime example of is of what not to do. They have an incredible team but have been mismanaged and the owner sucks. Remember these are peiple and if their qork environment sucks well theybwill too. If you had the redwings development staff and coaching staff with the islanders roster, they would finish far higher!!! We are also seeing this with the oilers, and now were finally seeing so quality coming in to help mold that exvellent crop of players into hopefully a contender. Hey the habs can be a prime example of what good coaching and development can do for a team as well

Also a key point to feasters comment was "his discussion with wisebrod..." its a real change from the tyrant we had b4 but what feaster said is spot on and exactly waht Ive been saying forever as well tjat said I don't see the flames as having the right core quite yet. Their vets are sub par. Also to o-g on you referencing the sens and how they turned it around quick, thus the fllames can as well....

Lemme first say generally I agree with a lot you say butn this I can't. the flames are in a whole different world than the sens. The last say 7-8 years the flames have been in limbo. Their mantra of squeeking ininto the playoffs ( or attempting to) and their bandaid approach for many a moon has hurt the foundation. The flames have no core really and to be honest I'm not convinced they have the right development staff in place yet. The sens on the other hand have had an excellent development staff. Theybalso have an amazing core of vets and new commers. Thats why theybare finding sucess. There is no quick wau of doing this rebuild, compounded by the fact the flmaes have been doing it terribly for years. Bandaid after bandaid after bandaid always hoping fordifferent results but using the same mold. If for some mmiraculous reason the do become competitive then that will be something, but I think as fan we have to expect this will take a while.

What nyi are a prime example of is of what not to do. They have an incredible team but have been mismanaged and the owner sucks. Remember these are peiple and if their qork environment sucks well theybwill too. If you had the redwings development staff and coaching staff with the islanders roster, they would finish far higher!!! We are also seeing this with the oilers, and now were finally seeing so quality coming in to help mold that exvellent crop of players into hopefully a contender. Hey the habs can be a prime example of what good coaching and development can do for a team as well
- munky123

Please explain that statement and please, for the love of god, preview before you post...

define a bad year... actually define a good one...
- geta02it

Good year on this team, if Cammi sticks around and is on his line for most of the season = 50 to 60 point range.

Hey Colin, do you think a guy like Stajan is considered in this category of 'right' veterans to keep around?
- B_def

I doubt it. Feaster has been wanting to get rid of Stajan ever since he took over. Even after last season, which was Stajan's best in Calgary, Feaster said that they see him as a 3rd line center. Not sure if Monahan, Knight or Reinhart will be full time this year, but i am pretty sure all 3 will be full time for the 2014/2015 season. Add Backlund on a 2 year contract and there is no room for Stajan. This will be his last year no matter what on the flames. If he plays great he raises his stock at the deadline. If he plays piss poor they will let him walk as a UFA.

Good year on this team, if Cammi sticks around and is on his line for most of the season = 50 to 60 point range.
- B_def

Wow, thats not good, its a small miracle...

Please explain that statement and please, for the love of god, preview before you post...
- geta02it

Hahaha me and my fat fingers on a cell phone! What I mean by that is the habs went from dead last to tops of the div in one season with more or less the same crop of players.

The feeling in the dressing room changed, bergy hired a bunch of vets and new staff for player development, brand new coaching staff as well. The system in place as well complements the players they have. Something jacques martin didn't do his defense first aporoach was not a good fit. For example cammi was playing pk for a month or 2... a pure scorer on the pk??? Don't have to agree with anything I say ever and most people probably don't, I just think a lot of focus is not on how much the coaching and development does for a team and to much focus is spent on the players themselves. Herb brooks is a prime example of what a good coach can do

Also a key point to feasters comment was "his discussion with wisebrod..." its a real change from the tyrant we had b4 but what feaster said is spot on and exactly waht Ive been saying forever as well tjat said I don't see the flames as having the right core quite yet. Their vets are sub par. Also to o-g on you referencing the sens and how they turned it around quick, thus the fllames can as well....

Lemme first say generally I agree with a lot you say butn this I can't. the flames are in a whole different world than the sens. The last say 7-8 years the flames have been in limbo. Their mantra of squeeking ininto the playoffs ( or attempting to) and their bandaid approach for many a moon has hurt the foundation. The flames have no core really and to be honest I'm not convinced they have the right development staff in place yet. The sens on the other hand have had an excellent development staff. Theybalso have an amazing core of vets and new commers. Thats why theybare finding sucess. There is no quick wau of doing this rebuild, compounded by the fact the flmaes have been doing it terribly for years. Bandaid after bandaid after bandaid always hoping fordifferent results but using the same mold. If for some mmiraculous reason the do become competitive then that will be something, but I think as fan we have to expect this will take a while.

What nyi are a prime example of is of what not to do. They have an incredible team but have been mismanaged and the owner sucks. Remember these are peiple and if their qork environment sucks well theybwill too. If you had the redwings development staff and coaching staff with the islanders roster, they would finish far higher!!! We are also seeing this with the oilers, and now were finally seeing so quality coming in to help mold that exvellent crop of players into hopefully a contender. Hey the habs can be a prime example of what good coaching and development can do for a team as well
- munky123

Ok dude, 1st off, please slow down when typing because you are all over the place.

2nd, PLEASE stop commenting on how bad our development staff is. This is all you've said in the last, like, 10 Flames blogs. Give Feaster's team a chance. Development doesn't happen over night or 1 season. New management, new era.

Ok dude, 1st off, please slow down when typing because you are all over the place.

2nd, PLEASE stop commenting on how bad our development staff is. This is all you've said in the last, like, 10 Flames blogs. Give Feaster's team a chance. Development doesn't happen over night or 1 season. New management, new era.
- TandA4Flames

Ya man I agree. I'm my own broken record haha! I'm all for giving him a chance, I'm more worried that the thigs that should be done right away haven't yet. That's just my view, but I promise no more of the same poop from here on thru. Its time to play the waiting game that another issue ibhave I think about 500× faster than I can type let alone properly formulate a sentence. My appologies

Hahaha me and my fat fingers on a cell phone! What I mean by that is the habs went from dead last to tops of the div in one season with more or less the same crop of players.

The feeling in the dressing room changed, bergy hired a bunch of vets and new staff for player development, brand new coaching staff as well. The system in place as well complements the players they have. Something jacques martin didn't do his defense first aporoach was not a good fit. For example cammi was playing pk for a month or 2... a pure scorer on the pk??? Don't have to agree with anything I say ever and most people probably don't, I just think a lot of focus is not on how much the coaching and development does for a team and to much focus is spent on the players themselves. Herb brooks is a prime example of what a good coach can do
- munky123

Ok, so that explains better coaching but nothing here proves a proper development team. Not that it's been terrible in MON but the 1year turn over proves nothing on the development.

Ya man I agree. I'm my own broken record haha! I'm all for giving him a chance, I'm more worried that the thigs that should be done right away haven't yet. That's just my view, but I promise no more of the same poop from here on thru. Its time to play the waiting game that another issue ibhave I think about 500× faster than I can type let alone properly formulate a sentence. My appologies
- munky123

just cut back a tad on the paint chips, and all will be good

Ok, so that explains better coaching but nothing here proves a proper development team. Not that it's been terrible in MON but the 1year turn over proves nothing on the development.
- TandA4Flames

The kids comming up have acess to a solid dev staff in order to stay focused and to take on the pressure of playing for a team in transition/ that finished last. Also as you know its tough tonplay here so extra attention needs to be made to develop the rooks. We were lucky to have a mini habs 24/7 in which could see the behind the scenes qorkings of the team all season. Was cool to see the development staff take their time helping the kids growoff the ice as well as on. Kept a positive attitude and took some of the pressureoff the coaching staff when it came to off ice or on ice issues.. All the cogs at work if you will. Team success I belive is fully achieved when the staff is adequate and experienced, look at the last cup winners. They have winners and an incredible staff working behimd the scsens.

I also grew up with a dad who was a reputable cosch in calgary and teacher for hockey canada. Been hearing coachin stuff for years, but in no way am i an expert of have all the knowlege, its just my observation of the flames thus far. Anyways He'd been saying for years the habs have decent players just no staff to manage them properly. Sure the habs have work to do, but the pride is back in the organization. it wasn't, "well change coaching staff only", it was wholesale change minus admin and some drafting. It seems really robotic and saying all the rigt things from the flames camp. That's the way I see it, but again only time will tell and I'm stoked that at least something is happening in calgary. Also again apologies for all the redundancy and repetitive posts.

Change of topic.. any of you have season tixs?

just cut back a tad on the paint chips, and all will be good
- numbear

Haha ya man. I'm a jman sparky, I think its a few to many pokes. Hehe. That said its a chore actually trying to convey a point on forums. Its like texting lacks tone and imotion. Also I ALWAYS come across as dimwitted and well ,silly. But hey I'm anonymous so I've got that going for me hahaaaa I can say what I want online and sound like an idiot but keep my higher lvl of thought for the bar and good company!! That said most of you would probabky make for some good company and hockey talk over a beer

Haha ya man. I'm a jman sparky, I think its a few to many pokes. Hehe. That said its a chore actually trying to convey a point on forums. Its like texting lacks tone and imotion. Also I ALWAYS come across as dimwitted and well ,silly. But hey I'm anonymous so I've got that going for me hahaaaa I can say what I want online and sound like an idiot but keep my higher lvl of thought for the bar and good company!! That said most of you would probabky make for some good company and hockey talk over a beer
- munky123

Too bad.........we drink CRB in this comment section.

I think Dallas is an example of rebuilding right. Accumulating top young players (Seguin, Benn, Nichushkin, Dillon) without being the laughing stock of the league.

Although it takes a little good fortune (Dillon turning out as good as he is/will be, Nichushkin dropping to 10, stealing Benn in the 5th round) and some assets to get you there (Eriksson).

A little defensive help and they'll get to being a contender. Oleksiak, Connauton, Dillon are a great start. Not to mention some of the F and G prospects making their way up (Faksa, Ritchie, Campbell, Richardinson)

EDIT: Really? You can't say Dickinson?^

You have to keep some veterans around but keeping the right ones is the key!!

Vets who want to be around to help out the younger players & guide them down the right path is so important & i'm not picking on the Oilers however they're veteran core over the last 3yrs is something you don't want to have happen.

The Oilers have tremendous young talent but cancer from some of the veterans spreads like wildfire which only sets things back even further. Surrounding young studs with good guys is crucial so whoever the Flames keep around(likely Gio & Glencross to name two) is important.

We'll see!!

I think Dallas is an example of rebuilding right. Accumulating top young players (Seguin, Benn, Nichushkin, Dillon) without being the laughing stock of the league.

Although it takes a little good fortune (Dillon turning out as good as he is/will be, Nichushkin dropping to 10, stealing Benn in the 5th round) and some assets to get you there (Eriksson).

A little defensive help and they'll get to being a contender. Oleksiak, Connauton, Dillon are a great start. Not to mention some of the F and G prospects making their way up (Faksa, Ritchie, Campbell, Richardinson)

EDIT: Really? You can't say Dickinson?^
- TheNugeIsHuge

Dallas is almost on the right path.....but they kind of went sideways signing Jagr and Whitney last year, made some weird moves the past few years as well. Also I'm not sold on their goaltending either. I agree they do have some pieces. Jury still out on them for me.