The Toffoli Acquisition: We are Going for It!

The Flames are making a statement. They are on a six-game winning streak, and Sutter has been yelling his order for a top-6 forward. To state the obvious, the reason they are winning is the first line. 

In the Calgary Flames' eyes, they have acquired the best top-six forward in the market in Tyler Toffoli. That leads to the entire reasoning behind the trade: the Flames need scoring support. Before the game last night, I could see Tyler playing the second or third line. Toffoli fit perfectly with Monahan and Dube. Monahan and Dube looked like brand new players. What Toffoli does for the Flames is give them three scoring lines.  

The Flames are running on all cylinders right now. The forwards are flying; the speed on this team is incredible. Every forward is contributing on the offensive side of the game. One source said, "This move gives the Flames four offensive lines."  Yes, the offensive play is at an all-time high, but their never-say-die attitude is what makes this team so effective.  

It is crazy how they work this board game; they hit you until they take away the puck from you. "If you get caught playing their game, you will be sore all over and on the wrong side of the scorecard." 

One more quote I hear all that time from several fans is "we finally have a defense that can score." The team is working as one, and there is no I in the word team. Every player is on board and involved in all aspects of the game. In other words, these players are now working as teammates, not as individuals. 

#13 is Going to Get Paid

Gaudreau showed how good he was last night. Everyone is talking about Johnny about how the Flames need to sign him. I have never heard so many people tweeting "pay the man." The only question is how much. 

The true leader of the Flames this season, Johnny is on pace for a career season. Johnny is on pace for 106 points and 35 goals, both career highs. Johnny is on pace for 22 power-play goals, the second-best in his career. How the Flames go depends on how Johnny goes.

Johnny is on pace on career highs in everything except in power-play goals. Upon writing this blog, Johnny leads the Flames in points and assists. 

I don't think I have seen Johnny this focused in his career. He is undoubtedly one of the best Flames players ever. 

Here is a collection of how good he is. 

The biggest obstacle is, of course, the team's salary cap. To make things worse, the cap is not going up significantly in the next three years. Johnny is worth north of 8 million dollars. Both sides know that. Both parties also know the Flames can't go much higher than 8 million. Gaudreau will give in his demands a little more than the Flames. Last I heard, they are about 2 million apart. I expect the Flames to go as high as 8.25 million. Whether Johnny will stay for that is anyone's guess. 

Randy

Crossroads

Crossroad #1 Johnny Gaudreau

The Flames are coming to crossroads; the Gaudreau contract expires at the end of this season. The major roadblock is that Gaudreau does not want contracts negotiations to continue during the season. If that persists, there has to be a point where the Flames have to address the Gaudreau contract talks. 

The way I see it, they have three options. 

(1) Keep Gaudreau and have a chance to lose him for nothing. 

(2) Trade Gaudreau for a rebuild and collect as many assets as you can get.  

(3) Ask Gaudreau to reopen the negotiations and pay the man.  

I have changed my opinion on the Gaudreau situation. Previously, I was all for a Gaudreau trade. But with the way he has been playing, I would love the Flames to re-sign him. 

So, I choose number three. But I am not sure Gaudreau wants to discuss the contract until the off-season. If he refuses, then the Flames have to use one of the first two options. Whether the Flames are close to a playoff or fading will shape which option the Flames will take.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Crossroad #2 Oliver Kylington

Oliver has been on a roll of late. Oliver is on a career year right in time for his RFA. Oliver has been the story of the year so far. I love the way he plays. He is becoming a very good young dman. He picks the right times to pitch in and speed to the offence. If he continues to play as he has, the Flames may have to shed some coin to re-sign the soon-to-be RFA.

Crossroad #3 Juuso Välimäki

Juuso came out with some not-so-complimentary comments about not playing lately. Jusso has been in out for ten games in a row. Either he is not very good, or he is stubborn and is unwilling to change his play. Or maybe the coaches have not been clear enough about what is expected of him.  

What is clear is that the Juuso situation has come to a head. How will the Flames handle it? I predict his days are numbered.

Crossroad #4 Darth Vladar

Vladar has proven his worth as an NHL-caliber goalie. His play of late has been outstanding. In the game in Toronto, Vladar stole the point, making save after save. Russ Cohen @sportsology on Twitter said something along the lines of, "The Flames don't drop a beat with Vladar in the net." Strong praise considering how well Markstrom has played this season.

The Flames are coming to several crossroads. It will be interesting to watch which forks in the road they will take.

Randy

Ugly

Sean Monahan has been struggling; that is an understatement. But before we all jump all over Monahan, realize he has lost a long-time buddy  Gaudreau as a linemate. Monahan needs a playmaker to feed him. 

The Flames feel that Monahan needs to step it up.  But when you lose a top linemate like Gaudreau, it is hard to adjust. For Monahan to succeed, he has to dig in the corner, fight for the puck, and be a leader. Sutter seems to think Monahan is just going through the motions. A direct quote from my source: he "Did not notice Monahan once in the game against the Oilers."  What does Monahan need to do to get noticed?  He needs to get more involved offensively. The Flames are not an offensive powerhouse. The top six have to contribute, as the Flames' secondary scoring is not good enough to bail them out. 

Monahan has not been alone in his lacklustre performance. The Flames have been sloppy through the first few games. My number one concern is that they have been outworked for the puck. The Sutter influence has been missing with this team. They are going through the motions, playing not to lose instead of playing to win. The Flames are not the most talented team in the league; they have succeeded with hard work, doing what it takes. The Flames have to score the garbage goals. What I mean by garbage goals is going to the net looking for the puck. They make too many clear shots, making it too easy for goalies to see the puck. The forwards must get in front of the nets to make it hard for the opposing goalie to see the puck. 

The Flames also have to be better defensively. There are too many scoring chances. I know it is easy to pick on the defence, but the forwards have to do their part. It is common knowledge that the Flames have a slow defence; the forward has to pitch in with defensive coverage. There will be defensive gaps. Someone has to be there to bail them out. So far, the forwards have not. 

NHL Legend Hakan Loob

 

Legend week continues. I hope you have enjoyed reading about these legends (On Flamestr's Thoughts) as much as I have enjoyed writing them. This week's nominee is Hakan Loob of the Stanley Cup champions Calgary Flames. Hakan Loob is my favourite Flames player of all time. 

I love his speed as he created havoc in the offensive zone. Defencemen would be intimidated by his speed, automatically backing up as he entered the zone. His stickhandling was immaculate, along with his passing, which was among the league's best. He was in on the last goal of Lanny Mcdonald's career.

Hakan was the kind of player who goes about his game without anyone noticing him. Hakan played in all aspects of the Flames game, especially the penalty kill because of his speed. He took pride in his defensive game and was an all-around solid player for the Flames. 

Hakan Loob Scores 50

Hakan Loob was the first Swede to score 50 goals in a season. In the 1987-88 season, Loob led the Flames with 106 points, including 50 goals. He would end his career with style as a Stanley Cup Champion. Hakan had a shortened NHL career, as he chose to finish his career playing at home in Sweden. 

Originally blogged at Flamestr's Thoughts

Flames speculation: looking forward

When I asked about the numbers on Johnny's new contract, the only reply I got back was speculative. $8-8.5 million is the best guess at the number Johnny started with. The speculation of the Flames' number is suspected to be around $7.5 million. I suspect Gaudreau will settle for a little under $8 million. But this is only speculation. 

Pros: Why the Flames should pay the coin 

Johnny has been the man for years. He is vital to the team's powerplay. He is by far the best playmaker. The Flames can make changes without trading Gaudreau. Keeping the franchise player is essential to a team's success.

Cons: Why not to pay the piper

The Calgary Flames have been stagnant for what seems to be 25 years. They have threatened to make changes year after year, yet have done nothing. What is the definition of insanity? Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results!

Maybe the team has begun to make changes with the hiring of Mr. Sutter as head coach. That tells the team there is no more standing around. It is time for hard work. Daryl will get rid of all freeloaders.  

What the Flames want

Here is a hint. As a GM, it is your job to listen to all options. The Flames are denying that they have Gaudreau on the market. So he may not be on the market, but the Flames have a package they would consider. They need a forward who can perform in the playoffs. Someone with a Stanley Cup ring on his finger. They will probably get a pick and maybe even a prospect in the package. The Flames might try to work out a sign and a trade to get a better package. 

Flames shore up the Defence

 

The Flames avoided arbitration with Nikita Zadorov, signing him to a one-year contract of $3.75 million for one year.

They also signed Jusso Valimaki to a two-year deal. $1.55 million AAV.

Randy.

Calgary Flames draft day

Well, it is that time of the year. Time to make a fool of myself. It seems to happen every year, yet here I am doing it again. This year's draft is a total craps shoot because of the pandemic. It's hard to find info on the players. So here is my guess. I am going on the positions they need to fill, not personalities. 

First Round 

Fabian Lysell - Right Wing

Fabien is a highly-skilled forward who can skate through a phone booth. His puck-handling skills are amazing. He is a game-changer. He is a playmaker who can score goals at will. The Flames badly need a top-six right winger for years; he is the answer to Flames fans' prayers.

Second Round

45 Samuel Helenius - Centre

Samuel is a big centre who loves getting his nose dirty. He loves the rough game and is willing to fight for the puck around the boards to get his garbage share. Samuel also has an excellent wrist shot. Flames could use his size at centre, as we lack size in the pivotal centre spot.

For the next picks, I am just going to list the names of the players.

Third Round

77 Kirill Kirsanov - Defence

Fourth Round

84 Aleksi Heimosalmi - Defence 

Fifth Round

141 Marc Lajoie - Defence

Sixth Round

173 Zack Stringer - Left Wing

Seventh Round 

205 Paul Davy - Centre