I Got a lot of problems with this team!
Yes, Im gonna kick the dog while it's down. I know, I know...I complain a lot ANYWAYS, but on the heels of a terrible stretch of losses against non-play-off opposition, it seems like the best time for a more thorough expulsion of frustration.
- Warrener, Nilson and Primeau were the healthy scratches last night. Pour yourself a stiff drink and then add up their salaries.
- Why is Eric Godard in the line-up? He hasn't fought in over a month. And that's his primary - some would say only - skill. He can't skate, pass or shoot. Can you remember the last time he tallied a single point? Hint: he only has one all year. In fact, the last time he got on the scoresheet at all was against Florida on December 11th. He was assessed a two minute minor. Since then? His stats sheet reads like this...
0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0
0 0 0 0 0
etc.
Pointless. Both literally and figuratively.
- Anders Eriksson.
- In the 2nd intermission last night, Martin Erat was heard to comment that the Flames defense was too slow to keep up with the Predators forwards. Keep in mind that Rhett Warrener wasn't even playing. The Flames blueline costs about 14M under the cap this year, with Dion Phaneuf accounting for just about 800k of that number. With the impending raises for Regehr and (probably?) Phaneuf, the exact same crew could cost upwards of 22M next year.
- Keenan and the Kid Line Fascination. I just don't get it. Matt from Battle of Alberta said yesterday "don't run a kid line against Nashville...Trotz will take advantage", and guess what? With 25 year old rookie Nystrom out, Keenan replaced him 26 year old sophomore David Moss. The predictable result was poor Lombardi and company skating against Arnott, Radulov and Dumont at ES all night. In comments after the game, Radio personality Rob Kerr said something to the effect of "Dustin Boyd really needs to improve his board work, especially when trying to get the puck out in his own zone." My response is...NO FUCKING SHIT. Show me a 21 year old rookie who's been converted form his natural position and playing against the other team's top line that DOESN'T struggle at that. Heck, even with the cards stacked against them, that line had a couple of decent shifts that ended in scoring chances (and Moss shooting them wide).
- Lombardi's struggling right now...but, he's just not being put in a position to succeed (see above). Im all for the "sink or swim" mentality, but it isn't a fair test of abilities when you tie a couple of weights to the guy's ankles. He's starting to look mighty expendable thanks to his performance under these circumstances and someone's going to come along and offer Sutter a potential fix to one of his glaring problems and it'll be tough to resist. I hope he manages to resist the urge and hangs onto Lombardi, but I'm starting to have serious doubts.
As such, does anyone else have the uneasy feeling that Lombardi will be Kobasewed (or Ferenced) out of town near the deadline? I bet the Blue Jackets GM Howson is trying to scheme a way to pry Lombo out of Calgary. Howson no doubt saw a lot of Lombardi when he was with the Oilers and he would probably like re-unite Lombo with Rick Nash (a potent pairing from the World Championships last summer). The BJ's are pretty weak up the middle and stand to lose two of their older centermen to free agency in the off-season. Eklund, you saw that "rumor" here first (E3).
- Flames are nearly half way through the season. Their elite goalie doesn't have a shut-out, they have a negative GD and bad special teams. They are 4th in a 5 team division and 8th in the conference, despite boasting a $50M pay-roll. They have almost no scoring outside of their first line, which is primarily buoyed by one of the best wingers in the league. This is the very face of mediocrity.
- I wondered aloud a few weeks ago if the Flames would become "sellers" at the deadline assuming an 8th or 9th placing in the conference. I think that would be the smart move, given the impending budget crunch and the attractive soon-to-be UFA's on the roster (Huselius, Langkow) the team will be unlikely to afford to re-sign. I think that would be the right move, but I don't think it's one open to Darryl Sutter. He's been given a lot of money and a mandate to "win now" by his superiors. The Stuart/Ference trade, the promotion/demotion of Playfair, the hiring of Keenan, the locking up of key players, the signing of vets to plug roster holes, the spending to the hilt...that all screams "go for it" to me. Therefore, I see the play-offs as a "must" for this management regime and it wouldn't surprise me if Darryl does whatever is necessary to push this team over the hump and into the post season. Even if it means another first round ouster at the hands of the Red Wings and/or hanging onto assets that will bolt for nothing in the summer. I really, REALLY hope I'm wrong on this front, because next year could be a whole lot uglier than this one if not.
