Apparently the Flames have signed ex-Shark Mark Smith. I don't know if he's tabbed to play in QC or compete with Peters, Boyd, Prust, Stevenson, Nystrom et al. for the final roster spot.
Sigh. Mark Smith. Don't know much about the guy besides he's a nominal NHLer. Don't we already have those in spades? I don't get it.
Update - Being reported by TSN now.
Friday, September 28, 2007
Time to Kick it up a Notch
Last season the Flames were unable to consistently put forth a top-notch effort from game to game. They'd look like world beaters in one match only to resemble bottom-feeders in the next. This was especially evident on the road. As a fan, it was a frustrating and baffling habit. A habit who's source could not be pinpointed.
A few games into the pre-season, Mike Keenan seems to have a diagnosis:
"I'm prepared to say that the work ethic of this team can be upgraded considerably [...] We have to change the habits here. During practice, if you shoot the puck at half-speed while skating half-speed, and then you try to skate as fast as you can and shoot as hard as you can during a game, your accuracy is not there because you've never trained to perform that exercise."
Keenan was seen at practice yelling, gesturing and prodding the Flames players with a sort of passionate animation that must be foreign to them after a season under the blandly monotone Jim Playfair.
"If you don't practise how you play, you're not going to have the muscle memory, you're not going to have the instincts, you can't think as quickly as you should, and our team needs to continue to vastly improve their practice habits so that they can execute, so that the decision-making is done without hesitation, and so they can work as a group at that high level. Every team that I've had success with has been able to do that, and this team has to learn how to do that."
Sounds like Keenan is as dissatisfied with the Flames performance in the pre-season as I am. Music to my ears.
A few games into the pre-season, Mike Keenan seems to have a diagnosis:
"I'm prepared to say that the work ethic of this team can be upgraded considerably [...] We have to change the habits here. During practice, if you shoot the puck at half-speed while skating half-speed, and then you try to skate as fast as you can and shoot as hard as you can during a game, your accuracy is not there because you've never trained to perform that exercise."
Keenan was seen at practice yelling, gesturing and prodding the Flames players with a sort of passionate animation that must be foreign to them after a season under the blandly monotone Jim Playfair.
"If you don't practise how you play, you're not going to have the muscle memory, you're not going to have the instincts, you can't think as quickly as you should, and our team needs to continue to vastly improve their practice habits so that they can execute, so that the decision-making is done without hesitation, and so they can work as a group at that high level. Every team that I've had success with has been able to do that, and this team has to learn how to do that."
Sounds like Keenan is as dissatisfied with the Flames performance in the pre-season as I am. Music to my ears.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Almost Schremp-like
Amidst the pre-season suck-fest, Flames fans might be hankering for some good news. Enter Calgary draft pick Jusso Pusstinen:
The goal was scored last week. It was an OT-GWG-OMFG!! type marker to boot.
Found via Calgarypuck.
PS - The second best part of this video is the frenzied fan pounding on the glass at the bottom of the frame.
The goal was scored last week. It was an OT-GWG-OMFG!! type marker to boot.
Found via Calgarypuck.
PS - The second best part of this video is the frenzied fan pounding on the glass at the bottom of the frame.
This Tune Sucks
When Keenan was hired, almost everyone figured this would be a season of extremes for the Calgary Flames - a year marked by rousing success or humiliating failure.
Thus far, the team has populated only one end of that dichotomy. Following a familiar script, the Keenan-helmed Flames have thus far lacked any real urgency or cohesion on the ice. New coach, new players, rookies in the roster, granted - but this is a song I've heard before. After the lock-out, the Flames were mediocre in the pre-season and terrible in October. Last year, the Flames were mediocre in the pre-season and terrible...well, you get the idea.
A 4-7 October isn't a season killer, obviously. But it sure as hell is difficult to watch. I'd prefer to see the Keenan era get off on the right foot, so a reversal of fortunes through these last few exhibition games would be nice.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
I listened to the first couple periods of the game last night. Hard to know what to make of it. But here goes...
Sounded like McElhinney held his own and Hemsky had a field day with the Flames lesser lights on the back-end.
For the second straight game, Huselius was probably the best Calgary forward.
Peters continues to get noticed in his limited role, while guys like Stevenson and Germyn seem to be falling away. I think Boyd could put up better results if he was played a.) with better players or b.) more than 6 minutes a game. He apparently made a gorgeous no-look pass out of the corner that led to a scoring chance last night.
Apparently, Lombardi has an injured wrist and Tanguay "tweaked" his groin. Here's hoping they heal in time for the game opener against Philly.
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I discovered an interesting new website recently: Livescore - by Flashscore. It's basically a collection of sports scores from around the globe. And I mean ALL sports scores. Under the hockey tab, for example, you can find scores from the NHL AND all the notable European leagues: RSL, Swedish Elite, Finnish Elite, etc.
It's an interesting and convenient tool for the "global" hockey fan. Now I can follow the exploits of Dynamo Moscow and Mark Giordano pretty easily (DM beat Lada Togliatti today 2-1 in a shoot-out. Lundmark apparently scored the winner).
Good stuff. Check it out if you get the chance. I've added a link to the "Sports Media" menu at right.
Thus far, the team has populated only one end of that dichotomy. Following a familiar script, the Keenan-helmed Flames have thus far lacked any real urgency or cohesion on the ice. New coach, new players, rookies in the roster, granted - but this is a song I've heard before. After the lock-out, the Flames were mediocre in the pre-season and terrible in October. Last year, the Flames were mediocre in the pre-season and terrible...well, you get the idea.
A 4-7 October isn't a season killer, obviously. But it sure as hell is difficult to watch. I'd prefer to see the Keenan era get off on the right foot, so a reversal of fortunes through these last few exhibition games would be nice.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
I listened to the first couple periods of the game last night. Hard to know what to make of it. But here goes...
Sounded like McElhinney held his own and Hemsky had a field day with the Flames lesser lights on the back-end.
For the second straight game, Huselius was probably the best Calgary forward.
Peters continues to get noticed in his limited role, while guys like Stevenson and Germyn seem to be falling away. I think Boyd could put up better results if he was played a.) with better players or b.) more than 6 minutes a game. He apparently made a gorgeous no-look pass out of the corner that led to a scoring chance last night.
Apparently, Lombardi has an injured wrist and Tanguay "tweaked" his groin. Here's hoping they heal in time for the game opener against Philly.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
I discovered an interesting new website recently: Livescore - by Flashscore. It's basically a collection of sports scores from around the globe. And I mean ALL sports scores. Under the hockey tab, for example, you can find scores from the NHL AND all the notable European leagues: RSL, Swedish Elite, Finnish Elite, etc.
It's an interesting and convenient tool for the "global" hockey fan. Now I can follow the exploits of Dynamo Moscow and Mark Giordano pretty easily (DM beat Lada Togliatti today 2-1 in a shoot-out. Lundmark apparently scored the winner).
Good stuff. Check it out if you get the chance. I've added a link to the "Sports Media" menu at right.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Notes
Didn't see or listen to the game last night so I can't say much about it. All I know is:
The Flames gave up two goals on the fist two shots.
Despite the above, Kiprusoff was much better.
The kids (Boyd, Sutter) didn't have much impact against a more veteran laden roster, and
Huselius was the best forward on the ice for the Flames.
It's good to get that first win out of the way, even if it is a dirty S/O victory. Also nice to see Huselius play well with Keenan on the bench.
Tonight, the Flames roll into Stinksville to take on the Oil. Expect to see Lombardi and Tanguay in the line-up, as well as a couple more kids (Peters, Pardy, Germyn). Even though I've liked what I've seen of Boyd so far, the final roster spot is still up for grabs. None of the hopefuls have made a big enough contribution thus far to be considered locks to make the squad, Boyd included.
---------------------------------------------------------------
A word on the Steve Downie hit from last night: Despicable.
And is there a more unfortunate guy in the league than Dean McAmmond? He's battled chronic back issues his whole career, was part of a voided traded at the deadline that prevented him from playing in the post-season one year and was the unfortunate recipient of that Pronger cheapshot in the finals last year. Now he gets blindsided in a meaningless exhibition game by some asshole punk.
I've always been a Deano fan and watching that replay makes me sick to my stomach. I really hope he pulls through this relatively unscathed.
The Flames gave up two goals on the fist two shots.
Despite the above, Kiprusoff was much better.
The kids (Boyd, Sutter) didn't have much impact against a more veteran laden roster, and
Huselius was the best forward on the ice for the Flames.
It's good to get that first win out of the way, even if it is a dirty S/O victory. Also nice to see Huselius play well with Keenan on the bench.
Tonight, the Flames roll into Stinksville to take on the Oil. Expect to see Lombardi and Tanguay in the line-up, as well as a couple more kids (Peters, Pardy, Germyn). Even though I've liked what I've seen of Boyd so far, the final roster spot is still up for grabs. None of the hopefuls have made a big enough contribution thus far to be considered locks to make the squad, Boyd included.
---------------------------------------------------------------
A word on the Steve Downie hit from last night: Despicable.
And is there a more unfortunate guy in the league than Dean McAmmond? He's battled chronic back issues his whole career, was part of a voided traded at the deadline that prevented him from playing in the post-season one year and was the unfortunate recipient of that Pronger cheapshot in the finals last year. Now he gets blindsided in a meaningless exhibition game by some asshole punk.
I've always been a Deano fan and watching that replay makes me sick to my stomach. I really hope he pulls through this relatively unscathed.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Further Impressions
I was finally treated to some Flames goals on Saturday night, albeit goals mixed with sloppy defensive zone play. Course, a WIN would have been a nice bonus, but you can't always get what you want.
Anyways, without further ado, here's some impressions:
- The Flames overall defensive game is still lacking. They faced a pretty thin Oilers squad that didn't dress 2 of their primary difference makers (Hemsky and Penner) and still gave up 5 goals. The defencemen in particular all seemed pretty out of sync. Also, Kipper looks like his typical, mediocre, pre-season self.
- Calgary iced their top line of Tangs-Langkow-Iginla and they were dominant...whenever they were beyond the Oilers blueline. Otherwise, they mirrored the rest of the clubs defensive struggles. The trio generated numerous chances, popped a couple on the PP, but ended the night a combined -9. Shudder.
- I haven't seen anything impressive out of Adrian Aucoin yet. Adam Pardy looked better than Aucoin on Saturday.
- Dustin Boyd was, again, the best prospect on the ice. His play in OT was intelligent and creative and lead to an Oilers penalty and the Flames best scoring opportunity. He looks NHL ready to me, but might be forced to start the year in QC thanks to the roster already being full to the brim with centermen.
- Sutter, Germyn and Peters were all impressively feisty and physical. Peters in particular was throwing himself at any white jersey he came across.
- Anders Eriksson looked to be having a decent game...until he gave up the puck behind his own net during a PP, leading to the Oilers SH goal. It was the kind of mistake most PeeWee kids won't make. The term "Zyuzinesque" is going to be employed frequently this season, I think.
- Phaneuf is still losing assignments in his own end. Not that he's the only one.
- Owen Nolan has apparently injured his groin already.
Now that the Flames have proved they can score goals, it's time to see if they can prevent them. SJ comes into town tomorrow and will no doubt be a stiff test for the Flames defenders. Wins and losses are immaterial at this time of year, but I will be anxious to see some improvement in those areas that have proven to be "challenges" for the boys thus far.
Anyways, without further ado, here's some impressions:
- The Flames overall defensive game is still lacking. They faced a pretty thin Oilers squad that didn't dress 2 of their primary difference makers (Hemsky and Penner) and still gave up 5 goals. The defencemen in particular all seemed pretty out of sync. Also, Kipper looks like his typical, mediocre, pre-season self.
- Calgary iced their top line of Tangs-Langkow-Iginla and they were dominant...whenever they were beyond the Oilers blueline. Otherwise, they mirrored the rest of the clubs defensive struggles. The trio generated numerous chances, popped a couple on the PP, but ended the night a combined -9. Shudder.
- I haven't seen anything impressive out of Adrian Aucoin yet. Adam Pardy looked better than Aucoin on Saturday.
- Dustin Boyd was, again, the best prospect on the ice. His play in OT was intelligent and creative and lead to an Oilers penalty and the Flames best scoring opportunity. He looks NHL ready to me, but might be forced to start the year in QC thanks to the roster already being full to the brim with centermen.
- Sutter, Germyn and Peters were all impressively feisty and physical. Peters in particular was throwing himself at any white jersey he came across.
- Anders Eriksson looked to be having a decent game...until he gave up the puck behind his own net during a PP, leading to the Oilers SH goal. It was the kind of mistake most PeeWee kids won't make. The term "Zyuzinesque" is going to be employed frequently this season, I think.
- Phaneuf is still losing assignments in his own end. Not that he's the only one.
- Owen Nolan has apparently injured his groin already.
Now that the Flames have proved they can score goals, it's time to see if they can prevent them. SJ comes into town tomorrow and will no doubt be a stiff test for the Flames defenders. Wins and losses are immaterial at this time of year, but I will be anxious to see some improvement in those areas that have proven to be "challenges" for the boys thus far.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Ummm...That's Not Right
I ran into this over at Waiting For Stanley...
Apparently the NHLPA came down on thecommonfan.com, a site running free hockey pools, and insitgated it's closure. According to the NHLPA:
"The use of player's names, images and other identifying characteristics in any manner that is commercially exploited requires a license. Using player's names in a fantasy pool is such an instance. Our standard fantasy licensing contract will require both a minimum guarantee and a royalty (the royalty being a percentage of advertising revenue brought in by the fantasy site as well as a set fee per unique user). Royalties are credited against the minimum guarantee; if you earn over the minimum guarantee you pay those royalties to the NHLPA, if you earn under the minimum guarantee you would just be liable for the minimum guarantee."
The problem is, this isn't entirely true. License fees for players names and stats has been a contentious legal issue since Fantasy Baseball and Football blew up in the States. It eventually culminated in a lawsuit between CDM Sports, an internet pool provider, and the MLB. The MLB claimed the right to impose license fees on any and all fantasy league providers employing player's names and stats for their games. CDM (and the Fantasy Sport Association) rejected that claim, citing the fact that stats have been regularly printed in newspapers for decades as part of "public domain".
And, guess what? MLB lost.
Fantasy baseball leagues are allowed to use player names and statistics without licensing agreements because they are not the intellectual property of Major League Baseball, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.
Baseball and its players have no right to prevent the use of names and playing records, U.S. District Court Judge Mary Ann Medler in St. Louis ruled in a 49-page summary judgment.
Judge Medler's ruling was "no surprise at all," says CBS News legal analyst Andrew Cohen. "We are talking about facts — objective facts that people can see and log for themselves. No one has a proprietary right to those sorts of facts. It's like someone saying they have exclusive rights to reporting the temperature, or the weather, or the time of day. That's why baseball lost."
I'm no lawyer, but am somewhat familiar with the ruling. Not everything falls under the purview of "public domain". For example, using a players name in relation to his stats line requires no licensing fee. Using a players name to explicitly promote your product does. So, based on this precedent, I don't have to pay the NHLPA if I want to use Iginla's results this season to run a pool. I do, however, have to pay a fee to if I plaster his likeness on my pool's page and say "Jarome says this Pool is the Bee's Knees!"
I know there are some lawyers out there in the blogosphere, so if any are visiting, feel free to correct me if Im wrong. However, if I was The Common Fan, I would run my free pools and tell the NHLPA to shove it.
Apparently the NHLPA came down on thecommonfan.com, a site running free hockey pools, and insitgated it's closure. According to the NHLPA:
"The use of player's names, images and other identifying characteristics in any manner that is commercially exploited requires a license. Using player's names in a fantasy pool is such an instance. Our standard fantasy licensing contract will require both a minimum guarantee and a royalty (the royalty being a percentage of advertising revenue brought in by the fantasy site as well as a set fee per unique user). Royalties are credited against the minimum guarantee; if you earn over the minimum guarantee you pay those royalties to the NHLPA, if you earn under the minimum guarantee you would just be liable for the minimum guarantee."
The problem is, this isn't entirely true. License fees for players names and stats has been a contentious legal issue since Fantasy Baseball and Football blew up in the States. It eventually culminated in a lawsuit between CDM Sports, an internet pool provider, and the MLB. The MLB claimed the right to impose license fees on any and all fantasy league providers employing player's names and stats for their games. CDM (and the Fantasy Sport Association) rejected that claim, citing the fact that stats have been regularly printed in newspapers for decades as part of "public domain".
And, guess what? MLB lost.
Fantasy baseball leagues are allowed to use player names and statistics without licensing agreements because they are not the intellectual property of Major League Baseball, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.
Baseball and its players have no right to prevent the use of names and playing records, U.S. District Court Judge Mary Ann Medler in St. Louis ruled in a 49-page summary judgment.
Judge Medler's ruling was "no surprise at all," says CBS News legal analyst Andrew Cohen. "We are talking about facts — objective facts that people can see and log for themselves. No one has a proprietary right to those sorts of facts. It's like someone saying they have exclusive rights to reporting the temperature, or the weather, or the time of day. That's why baseball lost."
I'm no lawyer, but am somewhat familiar with the ruling. Not everything falls under the purview of "public domain". For example, using a players name in relation to his stats line requires no licensing fee. Using a players name to explicitly promote your product does. So, based on this precedent, I don't have to pay the NHLPA if I want to use Iginla's results this season to run a pool. I do, however, have to pay a fee to if I plaster his likeness on my pool's page and say "Jarome says this Pool is the Bee's Knees!"
I know there are some lawyers out there in the blogosphere, so if any are visiting, feel free to correct me if Im wrong. However, if I was The Common Fan, I would run my free pools and tell the NHLPA to shove it.
Alex's Flames 07/08 Wish List
Before the season starts for the Flames I just have a few wishes for the upcoming 07/08 NHL Season.
I wish... (in no particular order)
Edit:
I guess my wish that veteran players Primeau, Nolan and Nilson being injured is a bit harsh. So I'll edit that wish to...
I wish... (in no particular order)
- That the Flames do not suck before Christmas
- That they do not suck after Christmas
- That the Flames attain 1st place in the NWD...and keep it
- That Primeau, Nilson and Nolan sustain a season ending injury early on in the season (at the same time too) as to open up space for youngsters from the Quad Cities.
- That we have a young 4th line with Boyd, Moss and maybe Prust(?).
- That Warrener is traded...for free.
- That the Flames be at least .500 or above when on the road this season
- That Keenan sucks less than Playfair
- That we don't have scoring problems during this season.
- That Lombardi gets to Center the first or second lines.
- if Lombardi does well on the top lines that he is not demoted to the 3rd or 4th lines.
Edit:
I guess my wish that veteran players Primeau, Nolan and Nilson being injured is a bit harsh. So I'll edit that wish to...
- That veteran players who do not perform to the best of their abilities be shipped out to make room for younger players from the Quad Cities.
- That Huselius' play isn't affected under Keenan's rule.
Wake Me Up When Pre-Season's Over - Update
So I got to watch the Flames game last night thanks to the magic of the online Center Ice service.
In retrospect, I probably should have done something more interesting - like clean my kitchen lino with a toothbrush.
I've now seen 6 straight periods of goalless hockey from the Flames. And all this sucking is kinda killing my anticipatory buzz, even if the exhibition record is meaningless in the grand scheme of things. Maybe buying all those pre-season tickets was a mistake...
The team's near complete lack of results is also making it kind of difficult to evaluate the youngsters. Boyd and Stevenson looked alright last night, but they ended up with the same stats line as the guys that seemed to struggle.
Not that that's going to stop me from sharing my subjective impressions anyways:
Dustin Boyd -
Is usually the prospect I notice the most. Fast and shifty, Boyd has also added an element of strength and physicality to his game this year. A much stronger board presence than last pre-season, he's certainly not the punching bag he seemed to be previously.
Eric Nystrom -
Nystrom had a good first period in Vancouver. He generated some chances with Boyd off the rush and was one of the more notable Flames skaters. Then he vanished completely. I have almost no recollection of Nystrom after the first intermission. I assume he was still playing, but if someone told me he was benched or injured, it wouldn't surprise me.
Palin and Pardy -
One was steady if unspectacular and the other was clearly out of his league. Can't honestly remember which was which.
David Van Der Gulik -
Didn't play a lot and wasn't too noticable when he did. Generated a scoring chance and drew a penalty in front of the Canucks net. Penalty killed a bit too.
Warren Peters -
Crash and bang forward got in a fight. Wouldn't have remembered him otherwise.
Grant Stevenson -
Probably the second best bubble guy behind Boyd last night. Also, the only prospect to generate any sort of positive results so far this pre-season (goal in Saskatoon). Has a nose for the net and makes things happen in the offensive zone.
Curtis McElhinney -
Rough night for the young hopeful. Gave up 3 goals on just five shots, including a last minute stomach-punch tally from the top of the circle at the end of the game. Has yet to really impress.
Take my impressions for what they're worth. As mentioned, none of the youngsters are really jumping out and making a rock solid case to land a spot on the big team. I'll leave the vets out for now, since it's probably immaterial how they perform anyways. The next game is on Saturday against the Oil. Here's hoping we score a goal!
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In other news, 13 more kids were culled from the herd yesterday. According to Calgaryflames.com, the list includes:
Gord Baldwin (D)
Kris Chucko (RW) (not surprised)
Brad Cole (D)
Cam Cunning (LW)
Ryan Donally (LW)
Matt Keetley (G) (somewhat surprised)
Krys Kolanos (C) (give it up, Krys. Dan Cleary you ain't.)
Kevin Lalande (G)
Tomi Maki (LW) (not surprised)
Matt Pelech (D)
Tim Ramholt (D) (not surprised)
Dan Ryder (C) (he finally made it to camp)
Aki Seitsonen (RW)
That leaves 4 'tenders (Krahn, McElhinney, Irving and Kipper), 10 defensemen (7 NHL players, plus Palin, Pardy and Negrin) and 20 forwards (the vets and Boyd, Nystrom, Van Der Gulik, Stevenson, Peters, Sutter and Watt).
I don't think Sutter, Watt, Van Der Gulik, Peters, Palin, Negrin or Irving are going to last much longer. Irving, Negrin and Watt will likely go back to Junior while the rest are destined for QC duty.
UPDATE - The Flames have cut 6 more players today. Heading to QC are:
Brett Palin
David Van Der Gulik
Eric Nystrom (is he officially a bust yet?)
And, back to Junior go:
Leland Irving
John Negrin
JD Watt
Surprisingly, Sutter and Peters made the cut. Too bad about Negrin, though. I wanted to see him in action. And is anyone that surprised Nystrom is headed back to the Farm?
In retrospect, I probably should have done something more interesting - like clean my kitchen lino with a toothbrush.
I've now seen 6 straight periods of goalless hockey from the Flames. And all this sucking is kinda killing my anticipatory buzz, even if the exhibition record is meaningless in the grand scheme of things. Maybe buying all those pre-season tickets was a mistake...
The team's near complete lack of results is also making it kind of difficult to evaluate the youngsters. Boyd and Stevenson looked alright last night, but they ended up with the same stats line as the guys that seemed to struggle.
Not that that's going to stop me from sharing my subjective impressions anyways:
Dustin Boyd -
Is usually the prospect I notice the most. Fast and shifty, Boyd has also added an element of strength and physicality to his game this year. A much stronger board presence than last pre-season, he's certainly not the punching bag he seemed to be previously.
Eric Nystrom -
Nystrom had a good first period in Vancouver. He generated some chances with Boyd off the rush and was one of the more notable Flames skaters. Then he vanished completely. I have almost no recollection of Nystrom after the first intermission. I assume he was still playing, but if someone told me he was benched or injured, it wouldn't surprise me.
Palin and Pardy -
One was steady if unspectacular and the other was clearly out of his league. Can't honestly remember which was which.
David Van Der Gulik -
Didn't play a lot and wasn't too noticable when he did. Generated a scoring chance and drew a penalty in front of the Canucks net. Penalty killed a bit too.
Warren Peters -
Crash and bang forward got in a fight. Wouldn't have remembered him otherwise.
Grant Stevenson -
Probably the second best bubble guy behind Boyd last night. Also, the only prospect to generate any sort of positive results so far this pre-season (goal in Saskatoon). Has a nose for the net and makes things happen in the offensive zone.
Curtis McElhinney -
Rough night for the young hopeful. Gave up 3 goals on just five shots, including a last minute stomach-punch tally from the top of the circle at the end of the game. Has yet to really impress.
Take my impressions for what they're worth. As mentioned, none of the youngsters are really jumping out and making a rock solid case to land a spot on the big team. I'll leave the vets out for now, since it's probably immaterial how they perform anyways. The next game is on Saturday against the Oil. Here's hoping we score a goal!
--------------------------------------------------------
In other news, 13 more kids were culled from the herd yesterday. According to Calgaryflames.com, the list includes:
Gord Baldwin (D)
Kris Chucko (RW) (not surprised)
Brad Cole (D)
Cam Cunning (LW)
Ryan Donally (LW)
Matt Keetley (G) (somewhat surprised)
Krys Kolanos (C) (give it up, Krys. Dan Cleary you ain't.)
Kevin Lalande (G)
Tomi Maki (LW) (not surprised)
Matt Pelech (D)
Tim Ramholt (D) (not surprised)
Dan Ryder (C) (he finally made it to camp)
Aki Seitsonen (RW)
That leaves 4 'tenders (Krahn, McElhinney, Irving and Kipper), 10 defensemen (7 NHL players, plus Palin, Pardy and Negrin) and 20 forwards (the vets and Boyd, Nystrom, Van Der Gulik, Stevenson, Peters, Sutter and Watt).
I don't think Sutter, Watt, Van Der Gulik, Peters, Palin, Negrin or Irving are going to last much longer. Irving, Negrin and Watt will likely go back to Junior while the rest are destined for QC duty.
UPDATE - The Flames have cut 6 more players today. Heading to QC are:
Brett Palin
David Van Der Gulik
Eric Nystrom (is he officially a bust yet?)
And, back to Junior go:
Leland Irving
John Negrin
JD Watt
Surprisingly, Sutter and Peters made the cut. Too bad about Negrin, though. I wanted to see him in action. And is anyone that surprised Nystrom is headed back to the Farm?
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Major League
Tom Benjamin has a great post I have listed at right, but it bears further attention.
For those unaware, the Nashville Predators have raised ticket prices for the upcoming season a whopping 25%. On it's face, that makes no sense for a Franchise ostensibly looking to increase demand in a dwindling market. Particularly one that recently sold off it's higher priced pieces and massively reduced it's costs in the off-season.
Of course, as Tom points out, there are other motivations to consider:
The whopping ticket price increase is, to me, another indicator that a deal to relocate the team to the Anschutz Empire in Kansas City is signed, sealed and delivered [...] The explanation offered by the Predators is drawn from the same economics textbook Bettman used when he promised the lockout would lead to lower ticket prices. On the other hand, if the objective is to ensure that the lease is broken, the team would ice an inferior product at much higher prices.
This is all basically a mugs game being played at the loyal Pred's fans expense. This all smacks of seedy, back-door dealings and exploits those aspects of fanship most precious to professional sports leagues: passion and loyalty.
In the meantime, Predator fans - and there are real fans in the area - have to pay a lot more to see a team that will be a lot less competitive. Many of them will pony up because they believe that if they do, they can save their team.
Eye-opening stuff. Make sure to check it out.
For those unaware, the Nashville Predators have raised ticket prices for the upcoming season a whopping 25%. On it's face, that makes no sense for a Franchise ostensibly looking to increase demand in a dwindling market. Particularly one that recently sold off it's higher priced pieces and massively reduced it's costs in the off-season.
Of course, as Tom points out, there are other motivations to consider:
The whopping ticket price increase is, to me, another indicator that a deal to relocate the team to the Anschutz Empire in Kansas City is signed, sealed and delivered [...] The explanation offered by the Predators is drawn from the same economics textbook Bettman used when he promised the lockout would lead to lower ticket prices. On the other hand, if the objective is to ensure that the lease is broken, the team would ice an inferior product at much higher prices.
This is all basically a mugs game being played at the loyal Pred's fans expense. This all smacks of seedy, back-door dealings and exploits those aspects of fanship most precious to professional sports leagues: passion and loyalty.
In the meantime, Predator fans - and there are real fans in the area - have to pay a lot more to see a team that will be a lot less competitive. Many of them will pony up because they believe that if they do, they can save their team.
Eye-opening stuff. Make sure to check it out.
Pre-game and News Round-up
The Flames and Panthers rematch takes place in balmy, glamorous Saskatoon this evening. Florida fell to Kyle Brodziak and the Edmonton Oilers last night and will be playing their 3rd game in three nights.
No rosters have been announced (chiefly so they can sell line-up sheets at the arena for $1.50 a pop like they did at the 'Dome on Sunday...no joke), so I can't say who'll be icing the "stronger" team.
I'm guessing the Flames will swap out a lot of the vets that played the first game. Expect Conroy, Tanguay, Aucoun, Phaneuf, Yelle and Lombardi to be spectators. Also, I think Mc-El will be in net, assuming he has fully recovered from his nut-cracker incident. Bubble guys who are pushing for roster spots like Boyd and Nystrom will likely remain in the line-up.
Other rookies the eager prairies folk will probably see tonight include David Van Der Gulik, Matt Pelech, Brad Cole, Carsen Germyn and Tomi Maki. I'm most interested in the exploits and progress of the first two guys, although any prospect standing out is welcome news.
Jarome Iginla will also be playing tonight, I suspect partially at the polite request of the league. You know, "special circumstances" and all. I personally don't care how he plays, aside from not getting hurt. I'm sure it'll be a rare treat for the native Saskatoonians in attendance anyways, even if he just coasts around and avoids hits all game.
BONUS MSM FILLER - Bruce Dowbiggen wins the "Dennis Miller" award for this line in his recent "All Eyes on Iron Mike" story:
The Mike Watch began that summer day when Darryl Sutter flabbergasted the cognoscenti by naming the spectral Mike Keenan to coach his team.
It's a superfluous fluff piece, but Bruce deserves kudos for that poetic bit of bombast nonetheless.
No rosters have been announced (chiefly so they can sell line-up sheets at the arena for $1.50 a pop like they did at the 'Dome on Sunday...no joke), so I can't say who'll be icing the "stronger" team.
I'm guessing the Flames will swap out a lot of the vets that played the first game. Expect Conroy, Tanguay, Aucoun, Phaneuf, Yelle and Lombardi to be spectators. Also, I think Mc-El will be in net, assuming he has fully recovered from his nut-cracker incident. Bubble guys who are pushing for roster spots like Boyd and Nystrom will likely remain in the line-up.
Other rookies the eager prairies folk will probably see tonight include David Van Der Gulik, Matt Pelech, Brad Cole, Carsen Germyn and Tomi Maki. I'm most interested in the exploits and progress of the first two guys, although any prospect standing out is welcome news.
Jarome Iginla will also be playing tonight, I suspect partially at the polite request of the league. You know, "special circumstances" and all. I personally don't care how he plays, aside from not getting hurt. I'm sure it'll be a rare treat for the native Saskatoonians in attendance anyways, even if he just coasts around and avoids hits all game.
BONUS MSM FILLER - Bruce Dowbiggen wins the "Dennis Miller" award for this line in his recent "All Eyes on Iron Mike" story:
The Mike Watch began that summer day when Darryl Sutter flabbergasted the cognoscenti by naming the spectral Mike Keenan to coach his team.
It's a superfluous fluff piece, but Bruce deserves kudos for that poetic bit of bombast nonetheless.
Monday, September 17, 2007
That Seemed Somehow Familiar
The Flames pre-season began in the same fashion the previous season ended: with a listless, disjointed and ultimately fruitless effort.
I wasn't expecting a virtuoso performance in an exhibition game, but, phew was last night ever a stinker. It didn't help that the evening was dominated by special teams play and that the Flames special teams were..."special" in the helmet wearing, corked-forks sense of the word.
Calgary actually iced more veterans than I was expecting, for what that was worth. Lombardi, Tanguay and Nolan formed the de facto "first line" while Phaneuf, Aucoin, Hale and Regehr were the experienced defenders. Primeau, Yelle, Moss, Conroy and Eric Godard rounded out the established guys up front.
Flames rookies included Sutter, Nystrom, Chukco, Ramholt, Pardy and Boyd. The combinations looked something like this:
Tanguay - Lombardi - Nolan (as mentioned)
Nystrom - Yelle - Godard
Sutter - Boyd - Moss
Primeau - Conroy - Chucko
Aucoin - Regehr
Phaneuf - Ramholt
Hale - Pardy
Keetley
Impressions...
Main Guys:
It's always hard to gauge a vets performance in the pre-season because they tend to be less than motivated to put forth much of an effort. With that in mind:
- Matthew Lombardi
Played a fairly spirited contest. Mixed it up in the corners and was active all over the ice. Clearly trying to establish himself in Keenan's eyes right off the bat.
- Wayne Primeau
Not the fastest skater, but made some decent plays along the boards and a nifty deke that lead to a break-away and the closest the Flames came to scoring.
- Owen Nolan
A little rusty, particularly when it came to finishing offensive opportunities. Displayed his feisty nature by hammering some poor schmo near the end of the game.
- Craig Conroy
Played a 4th liner kind of role. Didn't really notice him.
- Alex Tanguay
Tanguay looked decent, albeit playing at about half speed. Made a couple of pretty passes that were subsequently flubbed.
- Stephane Yelle
Played a Yelle-ish game. One of the better, more consistent players on the team all night. Blocked some shots on the PK.
- Eric Godard
Godard is a great fighter, but a terrible hockey player. Has no idea what to do with the puck when it comes to him. Slow and clumsy.
- David Moss
Moss seemed quicker than I remember. Was a thorn in the side of the Panthers players all night and nearly goaded Jokinen into a fight at the end of the game.
- Phaneuf, Aucoin, Regehr, Hale
All variations of bad. Phaneuf and Aucoin were brutal on the PP together. They hit more glass and shinpads with their shots than the net. Gave up consecutive break-aways on a 5on3 PP in the 2nd period. Phaneuf was rambunctious, but the puck may as well have been a tennis ball on his stick.
Regehr didn't do much that I can recall. Ended the night -2. Hale was the Hale I remember: a quiet defensive presence that makes the odd gaffe. Pretty unimpressive night for this group to say the least.
The Bubble Boys:
- Dustin Boyd
Probably the most noticeable young forward. Used his speed pretty well and was stronger on his skates than last year.
- Eric Nystrom
Smooth skating left-winger played decently on the PK, but didn't get much ice time otherwise. Seemed to be benched for a long stretch in the 2nd period for some reason. Still doesn't seem to get much accomplished beyond his own blueline.
- Kris Chucko
Chucko was better along the boards as compared to last year, but that's about it. Still an awkward skater and still can't really handle the puck.
- Brett Sutter
Sutter had some good shifts forechecking in the offensive zone. Jittery and nervous around the net, though. Keenan played him more than Nystrom and Chucko.
- Adam Pardy
Big body, but didn't notice him otherwise. Didn't play much.
- Tim Ramholt
Worst defender on the ice last night. Made 3 massive, Zyuzin-esque errors, including a pass up the middle to a Panther in his own zone. Extremely nervous and hesitant. I'd be surprised if he makes it through the next batch of cuts.
- Matt Keetley
Best youngster by a mile last night. Ironically, Keetley played only because Curtis MceLhinney was injured by a Nolan shot in the warm-up. Made a number of excellent stops, including a hilight reel pad save on a Jokinen break-away. Had occassional rebound control issues, but was solid nonetheless. Voted first star on the game, Keetley was the main reason the Panthers "only" won by 3.
Besides the goaltending, nothing much else stood out besides the fact the Flames were rusty and out of sync. None of the youngsters made much of a statement and the most of the vets mailed it in to one degree or another. The PP was a train-wreck (partially because every line got a shot at it) and the PK was average.
Bleh. Not the best way to start the year. Hopefully the games get more interesting as the pre-season rolls along.
Official re-cap.
Game-sheet.
I wasn't expecting a virtuoso performance in an exhibition game, but, phew was last night ever a stinker. It didn't help that the evening was dominated by special teams play and that the Flames special teams were..."special" in the helmet wearing, corked-forks sense of the word.
Calgary actually iced more veterans than I was expecting, for what that was worth. Lombardi, Tanguay and Nolan formed the de facto "first line" while Phaneuf, Aucoin, Hale and Regehr were the experienced defenders. Primeau, Yelle, Moss, Conroy and Eric Godard rounded out the established guys up front.
Flames rookies included Sutter, Nystrom, Chukco, Ramholt, Pardy and Boyd. The combinations looked something like this:
Tanguay - Lombardi - Nolan (as mentioned)
Nystrom - Yelle - Godard
Sutter - Boyd - Moss
Primeau - Conroy - Chucko
Aucoin - Regehr
Phaneuf - Ramholt
Hale - Pardy
Keetley
Impressions...
Main Guys:
It's always hard to gauge a vets performance in the pre-season because they tend to be less than motivated to put forth much of an effort. With that in mind:
- Matthew Lombardi
Played a fairly spirited contest. Mixed it up in the corners and was active all over the ice. Clearly trying to establish himself in Keenan's eyes right off the bat.
- Wayne Primeau
Not the fastest skater, but made some decent plays along the boards and a nifty deke that lead to a break-away and the closest the Flames came to scoring.
- Owen Nolan
A little rusty, particularly when it came to finishing offensive opportunities. Displayed his feisty nature by hammering some poor schmo near the end of the game.
- Craig Conroy
Played a 4th liner kind of role. Didn't really notice him.
- Alex Tanguay
Tanguay looked decent, albeit playing at about half speed. Made a couple of pretty passes that were subsequently flubbed.
- Stephane Yelle
Played a Yelle-ish game. One of the better, more consistent players on the team all night. Blocked some shots on the PK.
- Eric Godard
Godard is a great fighter, but a terrible hockey player. Has no idea what to do with the puck when it comes to him. Slow and clumsy.
- David Moss
Moss seemed quicker than I remember. Was a thorn in the side of the Panthers players all night and nearly goaded Jokinen into a fight at the end of the game.
- Phaneuf, Aucoin, Regehr, Hale
All variations of bad. Phaneuf and Aucoin were brutal on the PP together. They hit more glass and shinpads with their shots than the net. Gave up consecutive break-aways on a 5on3 PP in the 2nd period. Phaneuf was rambunctious, but the puck may as well have been a tennis ball on his stick.
Regehr didn't do much that I can recall. Ended the night -2. Hale was the Hale I remember: a quiet defensive presence that makes the odd gaffe. Pretty unimpressive night for this group to say the least.
The Bubble Boys:
- Dustin Boyd
Probably the most noticeable young forward. Used his speed pretty well and was stronger on his skates than last year.
- Eric Nystrom
Smooth skating left-winger played decently on the PK, but didn't get much ice time otherwise. Seemed to be benched for a long stretch in the 2nd period for some reason. Still doesn't seem to get much accomplished beyond his own blueline.
- Kris Chucko
Chucko was better along the boards as compared to last year, but that's about it. Still an awkward skater and still can't really handle the puck.
- Brett Sutter
Sutter had some good shifts forechecking in the offensive zone. Jittery and nervous around the net, though. Keenan played him more than Nystrom and Chucko.
- Adam Pardy
Big body, but didn't notice him otherwise. Didn't play much.
- Tim Ramholt
Worst defender on the ice last night. Made 3 massive, Zyuzin-esque errors, including a pass up the middle to a Panther in his own zone. Extremely nervous and hesitant. I'd be surprised if he makes it through the next batch of cuts.
- Matt Keetley
Best youngster by a mile last night. Ironically, Keetley played only because Curtis MceLhinney was injured by a Nolan shot in the warm-up. Made a number of excellent stops, including a hilight reel pad save on a Jokinen break-away. Had occassional rebound control issues, but was solid nonetheless. Voted first star on the game, Keetley was the main reason the Panthers "only" won by 3.
Besides the goaltending, nothing much else stood out besides the fact the Flames were rusty and out of sync. None of the youngsters made much of a statement and the most of the vets mailed it in to one degree or another. The PP was a train-wreck (partially because every line got a shot at it) and the PK was average.
Bleh. Not the best way to start the year. Hopefully the games get more interesting as the pre-season rolls along.
Official re-cap.
Game-sheet.
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Florida @ Calgary - Pregame
Seeing as this is the first pre-season game between two teams sporting little more than hopefuls on each roster, the analysis is going to be...light (ie; nonexistant).
The outcome is moot, but it'll be interesting to see some of the kids in action. Im hoping the likes of Negrin, Van Der Gulik and Dustin Boyd are playing tonight so I can get a look at them. I assume McElhinney will get a shot in net, so it'll be good to see him in action as well.
Expect a full report and my observations tomorrow.
The outcome is moot, but it'll be interesting to see some of the kids in action. Im hoping the likes of Negrin, Van Der Gulik and Dustin Boyd are playing tonight so I can get a look at them. I assume McElhinney will get a shot in net, so it'll be good to see him in action as well.
Expect a full report and my observations tomorrow.
Friday, September 14, 2007
Good To Hear
"We are talking. My agent (Larry Kelly) and Darryl, they are talking all the time. Hopefully they're gonna get it done," he said. "I will tell you guys if something happens.
"He (Kelly) knows I'd love to stay here and that's the main thing. Now he's talking with Darryl about the numbers and I try to stay away from that and do my job here.
"For sure, he knows this is the number one place where I'd like to stay."
- Miikka Kiprusoff
If there's a balm to ease the sting of the Taratukhin and Giordano defections, it's a Kiprusoff extension.
Git 'er done.
"He (Kelly) knows I'd love to stay here and that's the main thing. Now he's talking with Darryl about the numbers and I try to stay away from that and do my job here.
"For sure, he knows this is the number one place where I'd like to stay."
- Miikka Kiprusoff
If there's a balm to ease the sting of the Taratukhin and Giordano defections, it's a Kiprusoff extension.
Git 'er done.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Camp Cuts
The Flames have made the first round of cuts in camp, sending 13 players down to their respective minor and Junior league teams.
Six guys will be going to Quad Cities (Couture, Cracknell, Donati, Fraser, Hambly and Madill) while 7 others will be going back to Junior (Aulie, Armstrong, Carpentier, Puustinen, Renaud, Didiomete, Backlund), or Sweden.
No big surprises here. Looks like the club may be offering Donati an AHL contract at least. Most of the Junior kids are likely a couple years away from seriously contending for spot on the Flames, while the guys headed to the AHL are probably destined to remain there for the majority of their careers.
Some interesting names made it through the first cut, however:
(D) John Negrin was the Flames 3rd round pick this summer and it looks like he showed enough to stick around, even though he's one of the youngest defenders in camp. That's a good sign.
(D) Brad Cole was an undrafted signee who has also done enough to avoid the first chop. He's a big guy who put up some decent numbers as the captain of the Saskatoon Blades last season, so it'll be interesting to see how far he goes.
Wingers JD Watt and Brett Sutter are both Junior eligible this year, but may be fighting to avoid their final seasons in the WHL and land pro contracts instead. Both are tough, grinding wingers, so they may well end up fighting each other for a position in Quad Cities.
Training camp for the vets starts this Friday.
Six guys will be going to Quad Cities (Couture, Cracknell, Donati, Fraser, Hambly and Madill) while 7 others will be going back to Junior (Aulie, Armstrong, Carpentier, Puustinen, Renaud, Didiomete, Backlund), or Sweden.
No big surprises here. Looks like the club may be offering Donati an AHL contract at least. Most of the Junior kids are likely a couple years away from seriously contending for spot on the Flames, while the guys headed to the AHL are probably destined to remain there for the majority of their careers.
Some interesting names made it through the first cut, however:
(D) John Negrin was the Flames 3rd round pick this summer and it looks like he showed enough to stick around, even though he's one of the youngest defenders in camp. That's a good sign.
(D) Brad Cole was an undrafted signee who has also done enough to avoid the first chop. He's a big guy who put up some decent numbers as the captain of the Saskatoon Blades last season, so it'll be interesting to see how far he goes.
Wingers JD Watt and Brett Sutter are both Junior eligible this year, but may be fighting to avoid their final seasons in the WHL and land pro contracts instead. Both are tough, grinding wingers, so they may well end up fighting each other for a position in Quad Cities.
Training camp for the vets starts this Friday.
Tuesday, September 11, 2007
Training Camp Notes
I haven't been to see the rookies skate yet. That won't stop me from commenting, though, since I can simply pilfer other folk's observations.
Form Mike Board's "official" Flames blog, reporting on yesterday's scrimmage:
From the get-go there were plenty of hits, plenty of runs at the opposition. And two dandy fights in a game that saw Black dominate Red with a 6-0 win...
Mikael Backlund, the Flames first round pick this summer, recorded two assists in the scrimmage. It is the second consecutive game in which he has had two helpers. Backlund broke through the neutral zone and received a pass just inside the blueline and hit a post before Kris Chucko banged home the rebound. Other scorers in the game were John Armstrong, Grant Stevenson (signed as a free agent out of San Jose in the summer and someone who could be on the cusp for a spot on the big team), Tomi Maki, Brett Palin and Aki Seitsonen...
Good to hear Backlund having an impact, albeit against other prospects in a scrimmage. And good to see Maki can score. At least, in training camp he can.
Goalie Brent Krahn, one of the contenders to backup starter Miikka Kiprusoff, missed the scrimmage to rest his knee...
That's right. Krahn has already injured his knee. Again. For the life of me I can't understand this re-signing. Krahn is 25, has been to 7 training camps and has seen precisely 0 NHL games. He was usurped by McL at the AHL level last year and is well-known only for being fragile. Not to mention, the Flames have a ton of viable goaltender prospects behind him (Keetly, Lalande, Irving). Useless.
Hard not to notice Justin Donati out on the ice. He is small but effective. Listed at 5'10" and 165 pounds, Donati buzzes all over and collected an assist in the scrimmage on Monday. He scored a nice goal in a scrimmage on Sunday. He has hands as witnessed by his 91 points in the OHL with Toronto and Sudbury last season.
For those unaware, the Flames invited OHL forward Justin Donati for a try-out. He's relatively diminutive (5 10", 174 lbs.), but did manage to collect 93 goals and 200 points in his last 125 regular season games in the OHL. Might end up being a depth AHL signing.
Nystrom looked strong on his skates but tended to struggle with the puck.
Which is typically how I describe Nystrom whenever I see him play. Looks to have the physical tools, but never puts them together to make any kind of significant contribution.
This is Nystrom's final kick at the cat in the Calgary Flames organization I think. In fact, I was surprised he was re-signed when his entry-level contract expired. He's done little more than get injured as a Flames prospect and has yet to make an impact at the AHL level (90 GP, 17G, 35P). Point production isn't the end-all be-all for so-called "defensive specialists", but one hopes to see some kind of domination from prospects in the minor leagues before they get called up to the bigs.
He's one of the most senior guys at this year's training camp and he'll get a long look thanks to his position in the organization and his pedigree. With Taratukhin bolting, Nystrom is the most logical guy to push for that final roster spot on the Flames. If he doesn't make a good impression this pre-season, it might be fair to declare him a bust, once and for all.
More (second-hand) analysis as camp progresses...
Form Mike Board's "official" Flames blog, reporting on yesterday's scrimmage:
From the get-go there were plenty of hits, plenty of runs at the opposition. And two dandy fights in a game that saw Black dominate Red with a 6-0 win...
Mikael Backlund, the Flames first round pick this summer, recorded two assists in the scrimmage. It is the second consecutive game in which he has had two helpers. Backlund broke through the neutral zone and received a pass just inside the blueline and hit a post before Kris Chucko banged home the rebound. Other scorers in the game were John Armstrong, Grant Stevenson (signed as a free agent out of San Jose in the summer and someone who could be on the cusp for a spot on the big team), Tomi Maki, Brett Palin and Aki Seitsonen...
Good to hear Backlund having an impact, albeit against other prospects in a scrimmage. And good to see Maki can score. At least, in training camp he can.
Goalie Brent Krahn, one of the contenders to backup starter Miikka Kiprusoff, missed the scrimmage to rest his knee...
That's right. Krahn has already injured his knee. Again. For the life of me I can't understand this re-signing. Krahn is 25, has been to 7 training camps and has seen precisely 0 NHL games. He was usurped by McL at the AHL level last year and is well-known only for being fragile. Not to mention, the Flames have a ton of viable goaltender prospects behind him (Keetly, Lalande, Irving). Useless.
Hard not to notice Justin Donati out on the ice. He is small but effective. Listed at 5'10" and 165 pounds, Donati buzzes all over and collected an assist in the scrimmage on Monday. He scored a nice goal in a scrimmage on Sunday. He has hands as witnessed by his 91 points in the OHL with Toronto and Sudbury last season.
For those unaware, the Flames invited OHL forward Justin Donati for a try-out. He's relatively diminutive (5 10", 174 lbs.), but did manage to collect 93 goals and 200 points in his last 125 regular season games in the OHL. Might end up being a depth AHL signing.
Nystrom looked strong on his skates but tended to struggle with the puck.
Which is typically how I describe Nystrom whenever I see him play. Looks to have the physical tools, but never puts them together to make any kind of significant contribution.
This is Nystrom's final kick at the cat in the Calgary Flames organization I think. In fact, I was surprised he was re-signed when his entry-level contract expired. He's done little more than get injured as a Flames prospect and has yet to make an impact at the AHL level (90 GP, 17G, 35P). Point production isn't the end-all be-all for so-called "defensive specialists", but one hopes to see some kind of domination from prospects in the minor leagues before they get called up to the bigs.
He's one of the most senior guys at this year's training camp and he'll get a long look thanks to his position in the organization and his pedigree. With Taratukhin bolting, Nystrom is the most logical guy to push for that final roster spot on the Flames. If he doesn't make a good impression this pre-season, it might be fair to declare him a bust, once and for all.
More (second-hand) analysis as camp progresses...
Monday, September 10, 2007
I Pulled an "Eklund"
To Pull a Homer: to succeed despite idiocy.
Pre-season is almost here and for the life of me I can't think of anything interesting to write about. In the absence of any new analysis, I'll treat this space's few readers to an amusing bout of navel gazing.
Back in July, I wrote a snarky post besmirching the Phoenix Coyotes Franchise, which included this little bit of ironic prescience:
At least Oilers fans will be able to look down their noses at someone this upcoming season. With apologies to Shane Doan, if something quite drastic doesn't happen between now and October, Phoenix will be hard pressed to win 20 games all year. As it stands, they have a 140 goal roster with a sub-0.900SV% goaltender. Not a winning formula. Hell, they need to spend another $10M+ just to get to the salary cap basement...
On that note [...] What other unwanted pariahs will make their way down south this summer? Yashin? Niinimaa? Auld? Stefan?
Little did I know the Coyotes would leap upon my rather snide prophecy as if it were sage advice. Guys, I was kidding! Throwing darts for rhetorical effect! Does ANYONE know what they're doing down there??
Unfortunately for the Coyotes, I don't think they'll be pulling an Eklund of their own this coming season...
Pre-season is almost here and for the life of me I can't think of anything interesting to write about. In the absence of any new analysis, I'll treat this space's few readers to an amusing bout of navel gazing.
Back in July, I wrote a snarky post besmirching the Phoenix Coyotes Franchise, which included this little bit of ironic prescience:
At least Oilers fans will be able to look down their noses at someone this upcoming season. With apologies to Shane Doan, if something quite drastic doesn't happen between now and October, Phoenix will be hard pressed to win 20 games all year. As it stands, they have a 140 goal roster with a sub-0.900SV% goaltender. Not a winning formula. Hell, they need to spend another $10M+ just to get to the salary cap basement...
On that note [...] What other unwanted pariahs will make their way down south this summer? Yashin? Niinimaa? Auld? Stefan?
Little did I know the Coyotes would leap upon my rather snide prophecy as if it were sage advice. Guys, I was kidding! Throwing darts for rhetorical effect! Does ANYONE know what they're doing down there??
Unfortunately for the Coyotes, I don't think they'll be pulling an Eklund of their own this coming season...
Friday, September 07, 2007
Kicked in Virtual Effigy
Thanks to Calgarypuck poster "FooFighter15" for this little "Pictogame". Im sure bitter Oilers fans will appreciate the cathartic excercise.
Wednesday, September 05, 2007
Enter the Fantasy Land of Hubris
It's been a mixed bag for Flames fans this summer. I've already made my cheers and jeers list, but here it is again in short order:
Cheers!
Iginla extension
Regeher extension
Sarich acquisition
Playfair demotion
Zyuzin gone
Jeers!
Aucoin acquisition
Primeau signing
Giordano loss
Taratukhin loss
Warrener remains
I dutifully purchased my pre-season tickets a few days ago with the sting of the Giordano and Taratukhin defections still fresh. As I picture Warrener hobbling around the Dome and Giordano sipping Borscht on some frozen tundra, it got me to wondering - what would I have done differently if I was Sutter this summer?
First off, let's keep all the stuff I like: Regehr/Iginla extended, Sarich nabbed, Playfair dethroned. I'll throw in the Nolan signing as well, since I'm ambivalent about it.
In the next part of the fanatasy, Aucoin is still an overpaid Blackhawk, Primeau bolts for free agency and Giordano get his one way-deal. And I wouldn't sign Eriksson. And let's say I ink Gio for the 800k he got from the Komrades.
First things first: get rid of Andrei Zyuzin and Rhett Warrener. Andrea would probably only command a bag of pucks in return (if you're lucky). In fact, without accepting another team's baggage in the deal, it's unlikely one could move Zyuzin. So, I'd put him on waivers, demote him to the farm, etc. Whatever it took to get his salary off the books
Warrener, as a 3 time Stanely Cup finalist and such and such probably has some value left in the league. I'd trade him to a team lacking depth and looking for salary to make it to the cap floor. Washington or Phoenix for example. Warrener for a 6th rounder sounds right.
The resultant depth chart looks like this:
Tanguay - Langkow - Iginla
Huselius - Lombardi - Nolan
Nilson - Yelle - Moss
Godard - Conroy - ?
Taratukhin (?)
Phaneuf - ?
Regehr - Sarich
Hale - Giordano
?
Kipper
Krahn
Cap hit = 37.251
Lots of question marks, but lots of money to spend too.
I think I'd pursue Danny Markov first off to plug the big hole beside Phaneuf. I'll try to limit my fanatasy signings to somewhat realistic scenarios involving guys who are still available, which will avoid the inevitable question of "would X player have chosen to sign with Calgary over team Y?"
Word is, Markov has been demanding some big dough (thus why he's still available). Would Aucoin's 4M salary be enough to land him? Let's make it 4.5M over two years just to be sure.
Markov has been an able NHL vet for some time now. He can play against decent competition and is known for his physicality on the ice. He doesn't score much and is somewhat injury prone (less so than Aucoin, however). The only contextual complication with picking up Markov is he's a lefty, like Regehr and Phaneuf, but that's a relatively minor quibble I think.
Next, I'd look to shore up that weak RW position. Iginla - Nolan - Moss is a fairly unimpressive collection excluding Jarome.
That's where the underrated Mike Johnson comes in. I did a little piece back in May that detailed why I thought the Flames should pursue Johnson during the off-season:
Mike Johnson is known more for his defensive prowess than his offensive abilities. Keep in mind, however, he did manage 63 points in 02/03 and 54 points in 05/06 on some pretty bad Phoenix squads, so he's not totally devoid of skill in the attacking end. That said, he's only twice been a 20 goal-scorer in his 9+ NHL seasons. His GPG pace of 0.19 isn't terribly below Hartnell's, however. He spent the 2nd most time on PK out of any Montreal forward last year, meaning he would be a welcome addition to the Flames lackluster PK.
From behindthenet.ca, Johnson played the 2nd toughest minutes of any forward on the Canadiens last year at ES behind Bonk, and still managed to be above water in terms of +/-/60 (0.13). That's a significant accomplishment on a club that couldn't score at ES and who's majority of "difference makers" (Koivu, Kovalev, Souray, Ryder) were more than a few ticks to the red by the end of the year. Keep in mind, his 31 points as a Hab aren't terrible, considering he got next to no PP time (43 minutes) and played a majority of the season with guys like Bonk, Perezhogin, Latendresse and Begin. Thirty-one points against tough competition with those kinds of teammates and next to zero PP time is nothing to sneeze at.
(Also, look at the murderer's row Johnson played against last year: 45 minutes against the likes of Heatley, Vanek, Sundin and 30+ minutes against St. Louis, Briere, Alfredsson, Bergeron, Afinogenov, Spezza and Savard. Brutal. And this guy was a plus player!)
Also, keep in mind Johnson managed 54 points and +7 rating on a pretty bad Coyotes team in 05/06. Can we all agree he's a better player than Wayne Primeau now?
I projected Johnson as a 1.5M guy back in May. Let's say that's accurate in light of the fact that he's still looking for work (for some baffling reason).
So we've added Johnson and Markov for a combined 6.0M. Warrener, Zyuzin and Primeau have taken a walk and, presumably, Giordano and Taratukhin stick around because they perceive there's room for them on the roster.
New depth chart:
First Two lines unchanged
Nilson - Yelle - Johnson/Moss
Taratukhin - Conroy - Johnson/Moss
Gordard
and
Phanuef - Markov
Regehr - Sarich
Giordano - Hale
?
Kipper
Krahn
Cap Hit = 44.076
One could probably add a cheap vet to the blueline corps to shore up the depth. Let's say a David Tanabe for .950M. Tanabe has over 400+ GP worth of experience, including 60 games and 1,000 minutes with the Huricanes last season (including 5 goals and 17 points). In fact, one could reasonable swap him with Hale on the depth chart, resulting in a Giordano-Tanabe bottom pairing.
New Cap hit = 45.026
Let's compare the actual bottom six to my fantasy line-up:
Nilson - Yelle - Moss/Conroy
Godard - Primeau - Moss/Conroy
?
versus
Nilson - Yelle - Johnson/Moss
Taratukhin - Conroy - Johnson/Moss
Godard
I don't know about you, but the latter looks like the superior roster to me. It's hard to put a finger on Taratukhin's* contributions, but it's fair to say he'd outscore Godard at least and probably Primeau as well. Ditto Johnson, who would likely be a superior option to Primeau at ES and on the PK.
*(this is all assuming that Taratukhin would have stuck it out with the Flames if Primeau hadn't been re-signed. For all I know, the Russian mafia offered him a dump truck full of money to return to Russia. Or threatened to kill his mother if he didn't. Meaning he wouldn't have stuck around whatever Sutter did. But, that's why this is a fantasy).
And now the defense corps, actual versus fantasy:
Phaneuf - Aucoin
Regehr - Sarich
Warrener - Hale
Eriksson
Vs.
Phaneuf - Markov
Regehr - Sarich
Giordano - Tanabe
Hale
Hard to declare a winner here. Aucoin has a higher ceiling than Markov, but has also been a much worse player the last 2 seasons. Warrener is better against tougher competition than Giordano, but scores MUCH less, costs much more and is more likely to be chronically injured. Tanabe is probably as good or better than Hale or Eriksson. He's cheaper and younger than the latter, and more able offensively than the former. If Aucoin and Warrener remain healthy all year, the actual line-up might be the better one. If not, I believe my fantasy team wins. The Giordano roster is cheaper cap-wise and has more offense as well.
Anyways, that's how I would have gone about things in Sutter's stead this summer. The bottom-six looks much stronger while the defense corps is younger, cheaper, scores more goals and is less apt to get injured. I believe the resultant fantasy team cap hit is actually marginally less than what the real team will cost this year as well.
Cheers!
Iginla extension
Regeher extension
Sarich acquisition
Playfair demotion
Zyuzin gone
Jeers!
Aucoin acquisition
Primeau signing
Giordano loss
Taratukhin loss
Warrener remains
I dutifully purchased my pre-season tickets a few days ago with the sting of the Giordano and Taratukhin defections still fresh. As I picture Warrener hobbling around the Dome and Giordano sipping Borscht on some frozen tundra, it got me to wondering - what would I have done differently if I was Sutter this summer?
First off, let's keep all the stuff I like: Regehr/Iginla extended, Sarich nabbed, Playfair dethroned. I'll throw in the Nolan signing as well, since I'm ambivalent about it.
In the next part of the fanatasy, Aucoin is still an overpaid Blackhawk, Primeau bolts for free agency and Giordano get his one way-deal. And I wouldn't sign Eriksson. And let's say I ink Gio for the 800k he got from the Komrades.
First things first: get rid of Andrei Zyuzin and Rhett Warrener. Andrea would probably only command a bag of pucks in return (if you're lucky). In fact, without accepting another team's baggage in the deal, it's unlikely one could move Zyuzin. So, I'd put him on waivers, demote him to the farm, etc. Whatever it took to get his salary off the books
Warrener, as a 3 time Stanely Cup finalist and such and such probably has some value left in the league. I'd trade him to a team lacking depth and looking for salary to make it to the cap floor. Washington or Phoenix for example. Warrener for a 6th rounder sounds right.
The resultant depth chart looks like this:
Tanguay - Langkow - Iginla
Huselius - Lombardi - Nolan
Nilson - Yelle - Moss
Godard - Conroy - ?
Taratukhin (?)
Phaneuf - ?
Regehr - Sarich
Hale - Giordano
?
Kipper
Krahn
Cap hit = 37.251
Lots of question marks, but lots of money to spend too.
I think I'd pursue Danny Markov first off to plug the big hole beside Phaneuf. I'll try to limit my fanatasy signings to somewhat realistic scenarios involving guys who are still available, which will avoid the inevitable question of "would X player have chosen to sign with Calgary over team Y?"
Word is, Markov has been demanding some big dough (thus why he's still available). Would Aucoin's 4M salary be enough to land him? Let's make it 4.5M over two years just to be sure.
Markov has been an able NHL vet for some time now. He can play against decent competition and is known for his physicality on the ice. He doesn't score much and is somewhat injury prone (less so than Aucoin, however). The only contextual complication with picking up Markov is he's a lefty, like Regehr and Phaneuf, but that's a relatively minor quibble I think.
Next, I'd look to shore up that weak RW position. Iginla - Nolan - Moss is a fairly unimpressive collection excluding Jarome.
That's where the underrated Mike Johnson comes in. I did a little piece back in May that detailed why I thought the Flames should pursue Johnson during the off-season:
Mike Johnson is known more for his defensive prowess than his offensive abilities. Keep in mind, however, he did manage 63 points in 02/03 and 54 points in 05/06 on some pretty bad Phoenix squads, so he's not totally devoid of skill in the attacking end. That said, he's only twice been a 20 goal-scorer in his 9+ NHL seasons. His GPG pace of 0.19 isn't terribly below Hartnell's, however. He spent the 2nd most time on PK out of any Montreal forward last year, meaning he would be a welcome addition to the Flames lackluster PK.
From behindthenet.ca, Johnson played the 2nd toughest minutes of any forward on the Canadiens last year at ES behind Bonk, and still managed to be above water in terms of +/-/60 (0.13). That's a significant accomplishment on a club that couldn't score at ES and who's majority of "difference makers" (Koivu, Kovalev, Souray, Ryder) were more than a few ticks to the red by the end of the year. Keep in mind, his 31 points as a Hab aren't terrible, considering he got next to no PP time (43 minutes) and played a majority of the season with guys like Bonk, Perezhogin, Latendresse and Begin. Thirty-one points against tough competition with those kinds of teammates and next to zero PP time is nothing to sneeze at.
(Also, look at the murderer's row Johnson played against last year: 45 minutes against the likes of Heatley, Vanek, Sundin and 30+ minutes against St. Louis, Briere, Alfredsson, Bergeron, Afinogenov, Spezza and Savard. Brutal. And this guy was a plus player!)
Also, keep in mind Johnson managed 54 points and +7 rating on a pretty bad Coyotes team in 05/06. Can we all agree he's a better player than Wayne Primeau now?
I projected Johnson as a 1.5M guy back in May. Let's say that's accurate in light of the fact that he's still looking for work (for some baffling reason).
So we've added Johnson and Markov for a combined 6.0M. Warrener, Zyuzin and Primeau have taken a walk and, presumably, Giordano and Taratukhin stick around because they perceive there's room for them on the roster.
New depth chart:
First Two lines unchanged
Nilson - Yelle - Johnson/Moss
Taratukhin - Conroy - Johnson/Moss
Gordard
and
Phanuef - Markov
Regehr - Sarich
Giordano - Hale
?
Kipper
Krahn
Cap Hit = 44.076
One could probably add a cheap vet to the blueline corps to shore up the depth. Let's say a David Tanabe for .950M. Tanabe has over 400+ GP worth of experience, including 60 games and 1,000 minutes with the Huricanes last season (including 5 goals and 17 points). In fact, one could reasonable swap him with Hale on the depth chart, resulting in a Giordano-Tanabe bottom pairing.
New Cap hit = 45.026
Let's compare the actual bottom six to my fantasy line-up:
Nilson - Yelle - Moss/Conroy
Godard - Primeau - Moss/Conroy
?
versus
Nilson - Yelle - Johnson/Moss
Taratukhin - Conroy - Johnson/Moss
Godard
I don't know about you, but the latter looks like the superior roster to me. It's hard to put a finger on Taratukhin's* contributions, but it's fair to say he'd outscore Godard at least and probably Primeau as well. Ditto Johnson, who would likely be a superior option to Primeau at ES and on the PK.
*(this is all assuming that Taratukhin would have stuck it out with the Flames if Primeau hadn't been re-signed. For all I know, the Russian mafia offered him a dump truck full of money to return to Russia. Or threatened to kill his mother if he didn't. Meaning he wouldn't have stuck around whatever Sutter did. But, that's why this is a fantasy).
And now the defense corps, actual versus fantasy:
Phaneuf - Aucoin
Regehr - Sarich
Warrener - Hale
Eriksson
Vs.
Phaneuf - Markov
Regehr - Sarich
Giordano - Tanabe
Hale
Hard to declare a winner here. Aucoin has a higher ceiling than Markov, but has also been a much worse player the last 2 seasons. Warrener is better against tougher competition than Giordano, but scores MUCH less, costs much more and is more likely to be chronically injured. Tanabe is probably as good or better than Hale or Eriksson. He's cheaper and younger than the latter, and more able offensively than the former. If Aucoin and Warrener remain healthy all year, the actual line-up might be the better one. If not, I believe my fantasy team wins. The Giordano roster is cheaper cap-wise and has more offense as well.
Anyways, that's how I would have gone about things in Sutter's stead this summer. The bottom-six looks much stronger while the defense corps is younger, cheaper, scores more goals and is less apt to get injured. I believe the resultant fantasy team cap hit is actually marginally less than what the real team will cost this year as well.
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Updated: New Jerseys Revealed
Voila:
My reaction? Not too shabby. No drastic changes and, especially, no big, stupid, useless "CALGARY" monogram across the chest or snot-shooting horse heads. Some people seem to be annoyed by the shoulder patches, but they don't bother me much mainly because they're pretty easy to ignore.
Has the season started yet?
More Photos Added courtesy of 88CRX of www.beyond.ca. Check out those socks...
My reaction? Not too shabby. No drastic changes and, especially, no big, stupid, useless "CALGARY" monogram across the chest or snot-shooting horse heads. Some people seem to be annoyed by the shoulder patches, but they don't bother me much mainly because they're pretty easy to ignore.
Has the season started yet?
More Photos Added courtesy of 88CRX of www.beyond.ca. Check out those socks...
Saturday, September 01, 2007
Awwww Crap - Updated
On the heels of Giordano's defection, there's now word that Andrei Taratukhin has signed with Salavat in Russia. In fact, he's been added to their roster:
Last name on the list, identifiable by his birthday (22/02/83).
Now, this could be a contract that is contigent on Taratukhin not making the big club this fall. However, the Flames now face the possibility of losing another viable, NHL-ready prospect to Russia for no good reason.
Taratukhin's possible flight is apropos to my previous post detailing my annoyance with the Wayne Primeau signing and Matt's recent post on the loss Giordano: Sutter's penchant for filling the roster with veterans over rookies, despite the fact the young players in question are a.) cheaper and b.) likely to outperform (or at least provide greater cap value than) the incumbent vet is proving to be a damaging strategy. The result is the draining of future assets as they bolt due to the perception that there is no room for them on the roster.
This is not an encouraging trend, to say the least.
Update - The Calgary Herald and tsn are now carrying the story. The Flames organization has yet to comment.
Last name on the list, identifiable by his birthday (22/02/83).
Now, this could be a contract that is contigent on Taratukhin not making the big club this fall. However, the Flames now face the possibility of losing another viable, NHL-ready prospect to Russia for no good reason.
Taratukhin's possible flight is apropos to my previous post detailing my annoyance with the Wayne Primeau signing and Matt's recent post on the loss Giordano: Sutter's penchant for filling the roster with veterans over rookies, despite the fact the young players in question are a.) cheaper and b.) likely to outperform (or at least provide greater cap value than) the incumbent vet is proving to be a damaging strategy. The result is the draining of future assets as they bolt due to the perception that there is no room for them on the roster.
This is not an encouraging trend, to say the least.
Update - The Calgary Herald and tsn are now carrying the story. The Flames organization has yet to comment.
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