Calgary Flames GM Brad Treliving recently did a Q&A with Sportsnet.
He talked about a wide array of topics including the playoffs, Matthew Tkachuk's contract status, and David Rittich, among others.
While Treliving understandably didn't offer much new and exciting insight into the team's off-season plans – it wouldn't be smart to broadcast those – there were some excerpts worth touching on.
I'm going to do just that, although I'd also recommend reading the Q&A in full..
Was lack of size or pushback an issue in the playoffs? No. What were the hits in the games? You’ve got to have a blend in the league.To me, to have success you have to be able to play the game all the different ways it is played. So we’ve got to make sure our team is as diverse as it can be.
The Flames out-hit the Avalanche 181-146. They have plenty of players willing to embrace a physical style on the roster (Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, Travis Hamonic, Garnet Hathaway, etc.) and I think they did just that.
Colorado didn't breeze past Calgary because they were physically dominant. Led by Nathan MacKinnon, who did whatever he wanted, the Avalanche simply skated the Flames into the ground. They were flying through the neutral zone every time up the ice.
If anything, the Flames needed to find a way to play with more speed and control. They weren't sharp, and I don't think having an extra player willing to go out of his way to finish checks would have made any difference.
In your eyes, what happened to Johnny Gaudreau in the playoffs? After tying for seventh in regular season scoring he had just one playoff assist? To me it wasn’t a question of, ‘what happened in the playoffs?’ He’s going to get paid attention to because he’s a top player.He had lots of chances but the puck didn’t go in for him. He’s not the first player that’s going to happen to.
Once again, I agree with Treliving. Everyone jumped on Gaudreau because the points weren't there for him, while they were for the opponent's top player, but it wasn't due to a lack of opportunities.
Despite Sean Monahan creating little offense, or space to work, Gaudreau actually recorded 5v5 shots, chances, and expected goals at a higher clip in the playoffs than he did in the regular season. This while drawing extra attention and being slashed on the hands every two seconds. He just couldn't get anything to go.
What would you categorize as your top priority this summer in terms of addressing team needs? Obviously, our top priority is getting our guys signed.We’ve got Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett and David Rittich to sign. Matthew is obviously a very important part of our team. Getting this looked after is at the top of our to-do list.
It's no surprise Tkachuk is the top priority. He should be. Not only is he one of the team's top three players, but the Flames need him locked up sooner than later so they know exactly how much money they have to spend elsewhere and can adjust accordingly. When all is said and done, I expect Tkachuk to sign for ~$8 million annually.
I think Bennett will cost $2.6-3 million per, while I could see Rittich coming in at ~$4 million per on a two or three-year deal.
Is David Rittich ready to be an everyday starter? I think he took a real big step this year. We were confident in him last year and we have been for a while....
Look around the league and it’s interesting if you do a study on how many guys play 60 or more games. It’s becoming more and more a shared position — you need two guys.
It sure sounds like the Flames want Rittich back. It also sounds like they don't plan on giving him the workload, or money, that historically comes with being the No. 1 guy. They want a solid platoon option – say, Curtis McElhinney – to go with him. Getting one will make the tandem more costly, but also (likely) more effective.
I think this year's Bruins team is the perfect example of how to handle goaltenders in today's NHL. They brought in a proven 1B-type in Jaroslav Halak and ensured the team *always* had a quality, rested goaltender between the pipes during the regular season. Doing so took a ton off the shoulders of Tuukka Rask, to the point where we're almost in June and he's made 64 appearances. That's fewer than in the 2014-15, 2015-16, or 2016-17 regular season alone.
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