Mike Smith
Mike Smith must have taken some ugly pills, to put it mildly. Mike Smith's confidence level is at an all-time low. His positioning is struggling, getting caught out the net. He is having trouble controlling the rebounds. Generally, he lets the weak shots handcuff him. But the biggest fear is his teammates losing confidence in him, which leads to more mistakes and players overcompensating in their defensive zone.
The Power Play (the joke of the League)
This powerplay is awful, lethargic at best. No energy to the puck, no imagination in the execution of the powerplay. Everyone knows what the Flames are going to do. The players are acting like they're on a picnic and have all the time in the world to get the puck in the corners. They are getting outmuscled and outskated for the puck. They are not getting the loose pucks, which is extremely embarrassing when they have the extra man.
Lazy Play
The Flames continue to try to take the easy way out in their zone. They seem to spend to much time holding and slashing, instead of getting in front of the opposition. If they do not put in the work, this team will be a lottery pick contender instead of a playoff contender. You notice I did not say cup contender, because even at their best, they are not a cup contender.
Flames and Jackets have had discussions
The Flames have contacted the Jackets about the availability of Bobrovsky, the Jacket goalie. The Flames have been told that Bobrovsky is not on the market at this time, but the Flames have an interest in making this happen. The problem is the Russian goalie is going to test the market for making a player rental. How much do they pay for a player who is going to stay for one year? Are they willing to give up on Smith? Have they given Smith enough time to turn this around? How many assets will they have to give up? Is it worth the price? Even with a goalie, is this team close to being a contender?
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