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Before I get into my post game write up from last night’s game between the Calgary Flames and Minnesota Wild, I have an idea to share which came to me last night in light of all the Trade Deadline Day commotion.
I am going to start a contest called #TradePool where all fans can submit their best guesses (educated guesses of course) of trades they feel will or could go down over the next two days.
Here’s how this is going to work (for those who do not follow me on twitter, I have explained it this morning but I will lay it out in detail here as well):
It’s simple. Tweet me a trade that you feel will or could very well happen before the trade happens or the trade deadline kicks into effect , and whoever is either correct or is the closest to an actual deal(if none are correct), will win a prize! Make sure to include #TradePool within the tweet so I can keep track of them all, as well. Please RT, as the larger this contest gets, the better the prize!
I have made arrangements with @muchMOREdeals who will be donating the prize(s) from their website(see ad above), which the winner will be able to select. If there are multiple similar trades, the first to submit will be that winner, and if there are multiple right trade submissions, there will be multiple prizes!
So either make sure to be quick with your trade proposal, or come up with one that is unique enough to secure you that prize, and fame! I will announce the winning trade(s) over twitter and my first blog to follow the trade deadline day!
Good luck!
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Last night the Calgary Flames took to the ice against the Minnesota Wild, which, despite many incorrect betting sites which I proved wrong, ended rather close.
As alluded to above, most were not expecting that the Flames would offer much of a struggle for the Wild, given the success which Minnesota has had over their recent ten game stretch. That said, it seems rather clear from their pregame write-ups and predictions that most of the sites and pundits have not watched much of the Flames this year.
If the Flames have done anything very well this year, it has been compete. If you recall, I wrote a blog about a month or so ago which went on to explain how the Flames have managed to keep all of their games very close, despite losing a few too many. With that in mind, I established that the Flames have been able to keep most of their games this year within one goal, and last night added to that total – a total which currently sits at 36 of 61 games played.
That deserves a lot of credit. I won’t go and take the time to count all the one goal games this year from all teams in the league, but I’m willing to bet that the Flames are either the only, if not one of the only teams to have kept 60% of their games within one goal. I challenge anyone to count them all up, if they have the time!
That being said, the Flames have been able to produce a very simple and yet effective defensive zone system which has, for the most part, makes it difficult for opposing teams to get too many chances. By outskating and suffocating their opponents in their own end, and by also keeping them to the outside as best they can, it proves a little difficult for players to get too many quality scoring chances.
Last night, the vets who have been important to this team’s success came through as Mike Cammalleri opened the scoring for the Flames, and captain Mark Giordano got his team back into the game late in the third, despite not having enough to tie it up. Trying to raise his value as high as it could be, Cammalleri was really due for a goal last night and the puck would find his stick as if often does for players who are known to score.
The thing is, players like Cammalleri don’t get “lucky… as some may say. While it may be difficult for some to attribute being in the right place at the right time as a “skill…, it is. And guys like Mike often have a knack for being in the right place where the puck just finds itself onto their stick, and consequently in the back of the net. Last night was a good game for the group and Cammalleri, but would it ultimately be strong enough for teams sitting on the fence about picking him up? I guess we will have to see!
With the trade deadline coming into effect tomorrow at 3pm ET., there will be a lot of discussion and names thrown around. What I can offer, at this moment with respect to the Calgary Flames is this – don’t expect guys like Baertschi or Backlund to be moved unless it’s for an equal level of potential in a young player. Burke doesn’t move players who are young and essentially unproven unless they really don’t fit in his plans, he has a problem with them, or has enough people knocking at his door which warrants the move.
With none of the above situations likely existing, I do not feel that any young players will be moved in the next 1.5 days, but rather a move or two for players like Lee Stempniak, maybe Dennis Wideman and perhaps even Kris Russel.
One player who I feel would gain a lot of interest if Burke is able to get teams to bid for his services would be Jiri Hudler, though I tend to feel that he’s one player that the team should keep around to help mold their youth moving forward. An interesting thought, just the same.
Anyways, that’s all for today’s blog. I will keep you all updated with any transactions that come about with respect to the Flames over the next day and a half. For those who take part in the contest, good luck!
Thanks for reading!