Todd Cordell: The Calgary Flames are going to the (actual) playoffs

Thanks Todd.

Post season. They are they under dogs. No pressure. If the first line can find some mojo they might turn some heads.

Makes a lot of sense to complain about the top line when they combined for 6 goals, 12 points, and +8 in four games. Yeah, they were awful.

Valid point about the top line, but that's why its vital to have depth this time of year. With the recent emergence of being able to roll 3-4 capable lines I'm not too worried. Each line will have their ups and downs, but hopefully picked up by the other lines.

Makes a lot of sense to complain about the top line when they combined for 6 goals, 12 points, and +8 in four games. Yeah, they were awful.
- Hunkulese

Lots of PP success, but it's true that they were pretty much invisible at 5v5 for the whole series. Only Lindholm was somewhat useful for his 200ft play.

Valid point about the top line, but that's why its vital to have depth this time of year. With the recent emergence of being able to roll 3-4 capable lines I'm not too worried. Each line will have their ups and downs, but hopefully picked up by the other lines.
- Pat6l6

I wouldn't even consider the Mony line the top line anymore. At best they are the second line and PP specialists. They havent been consistent enough to be the top line and really the only reason they are all still together is because the chemistry among the other lines is good. At this point, even with their higher salaries, they are support players. They don't drive the ship but they don't necessarily sink it either.

Sam Bennett shows up in the post season again!

Sam Bennett shows up in the post season again!
- DEDDIE

Going to lose him to Seattle for sure.

Man I hope not

Going to lose him to Seattle for sure.

- DuranDuran

Tre should be fired if he allowed that. We got off cheap with Vegas in that expansion draft. This time Tre may be one of the teams to have to make a deal, along the lines of Kyllington & a 2nd to pick someone like Ryan. Sounds ridiculous but we cant protect all the players we want to keep. Dube, Magpie & Bennett are all 23 & under. Chucky, Monahan, & Gaudreau & Lindholm have to be protected as well & Im assuming Lucic will agree to allow Tre to expose him in the expansion draft. You have to make a deal!!!! I wont be happy about losing Backlund either, he's been key to that 2nd line. But in all honesty, I see Bennett transitioning to being the Centre between Magpie & Chucky. So no you do not lose Bennett to expansion draft. After this playoff performance already, Bennetts stock is rising like Shopify.

With the flat cap and expansion in mind, some teams might be willing to overpay for top players on reasonable contracts like Gaudreau. I'd look into it and act a quick rebuild in order to be seriously contending in 2022-2023 when we can spend again.

Tre should be fired if he allowed that. We got off cheap with Vegas in that expansion draft. This time Tre may be one of the teams to have to make a deal, along the lines of Kyllington & a 2nd to pick someone like Ryan. Sounds ridiculous but we cant protect all the players we want to keep. Dube, Magpie & Bennett are all 23 & under. Chucky, Monahan, & Gaudreau & Lindholm have to be protected as well & Im assuming Lucic will agree to allow Tre to expose him in the expansion draft. You have to make a deal!!!! I wont be happy about losing Backlund either, he's been key to that 2nd line. But in all honesty, I see Bennett transitioning to being the Centre between Magpie & Chucky. So no you do not lose Bennett to expansion draft. After this playoff performance already, Bennetts stock is rising like Shopify.
- Kevin R

Love the Shopify comparison and 100% agree with it.

Tre should be fired if he allowed that. We got off cheap with Vegas in that expansion draft. This time Tre may be one of the teams to have to make a deal, along the lines of Kyllington & a 2nd to pick someone like Ryan. Sounds ridiculous but we cant protect all the players we want to keep. Dube, Magpie & Bennett are all 23 & under. Chucky, Monahan, & Gaudreau & Lindholm have to be protected as well & Im assuming Lucic will agree to allow Tre to expose him in the expansion draft. You have to make a deal!!!! I wont be happy about losing Backlund either, he's been key to that 2nd line. But in all honesty, I see Bennett transitioning to being the Centre between Magpie & Chucky. So no you do not lose Bennett to expansion draft. After this playoff performance already, Bennetts stock is rising like Shopify.
- Kevin R

It all depends on what version of Bennett we see next regular season. You can't just keep holding out hope for him or protect a guy that only has success in the playoffs. If Bennett brings back a player like Montour, then we make that deal. Or if he brought back a top 6 RW, you have to look at it. As you say, his stock is rising. He isn't trending towards being a replacement for Backlund, so you have to make a choice. Trade him, protect him, or expose him.

The D is one area where I have more concerns about protection. Ras and Hanifin are likely, but if we managed to get another RD, I would expose Gio. Nothing personal, but he would either be claimed as a leader or passed over for younger prospects like Phillips or Gawdin or even Kylington. None of that will really hurt us.

With the flat cap and expansion in mind, some teams might be willing to overpay for top players on reasonable contracts like Gaudreau. I'd look into it and act a quick rebuild in order to be seriously contending in 2022-2023 when we can spend again.
- redseerpf

Why would the Flames ever consider a rebuild when their core is all young and they have at least 2 more years of Tkachuk and Gaudreau. Do the rebuild in two years if Gaudreau and Tkachuk don't want to stay.

The way Tkachuk's contract is set up, he may as well be a UFA in 2 years. He has that much control.

Makes a lot of sense to complain about the top line when they combined for 6 goals, 12 points, and +8 in four games. Yeah, they were awful.
- Hunkulese

Seems to be an ongoing opinion of Todd’s. This is why fancy stats don’t always show the real story, sometimes the eye test has to be included.

With the flat cap and expansion in mind, some teams might be willing to overpay for top players on reasonable contracts like Gaudreau. I'd look into it and act a quick rebuild in order to be seriously contending in 2022-2023 when we can spend again.
- redseerpf

Rebuild? I don’t think so. That would be dumb.

Rebuild? I don’t think so. That would be dumb.
- K-man25

People are high right now because we just dominated a severely depleted Jets team, but let's have the discussion again after we get trashed by Colorado.

Seems to be an ongoing opinion of Todd’s. This is why fancy stats don’t always show the real story, sometimes the eye test has to be included.
- K-man25

Eye test confirms that except on the PP, the first line sucked during the play-in round.

GLM line gets crushed 5 on 5 regardless which line they face (1st, 2d 3d or 4th line). Worth a look to try Gaudreau, Bennet, Lindholm

With the western conference qualifying round over , does anyone now how the 5-8 seeding is supposed to go?

With the western conference qualifying round over , does anyone now how the 5-8 seeding is supposed to go?
- BluesDroogie

We play either St Lou or Dallas depending on the outcome of your game.

We play either St Lou or Dallas depending on the outcome of your game.
- Kevin R

So Is it final standings

5. Vancouver (7)
6. Calgary (8)
7. Arizona (11)
8. Chicago (12)

If so I was hoping that’s how they would be. Not the teams but the way they were seeded

Oh yeah. Congrats on beating the Jets!!!

Eye test confirms that except on the PP, the first line sucked during the play-in round.
- redseerpf

Real goals are always better than hypothetical goals. They were all plus players in the series and Monahan was plus four. Real goals are also better than imagined shots. The Jets focusing on shutting them down also opens things up for everyone else. PP goals also count the same as any other goal, and the confidence is going to be high leading to more success.

If the top nine play the exact same way in the next series, they probably win again.

How do you complain about Monahan when he's tied in points with Draisaitl, Matthews, and Kubalik?

Real goals are always better than hypothetical goals. They were all plus players in the series and Monahan was plus four. Real goals are also better than imagined shots. The Jets focusing on shutting them down also opens things up for everyone else. PP goals also count the same as any other goal, and the confidence is going to be high leading to more success.

If the top nine play the exact same way in the next series, they probably win again.

How do you complain about Monahan when he's tied in points with Draisaitl, Matthews, and Kubalik?
- Hunkulese

I'm far from being an advocate of advanced stats, so I don't care about hypothetical goals and imagined shots and all that jazz.

What I saw (eye test) what that L1 (especially Gaudreau and Monahan) spent a LOT of time (read : way too much time) chasing the puck in their own zone, and were saved because Scheifele/Laine were injured, Connor/Ehlers/Wheeler couldn't buy a goal, the Jets were undisciplined, Talbot was at the top of his game and the D in general did a good job.

If they play the same way against a real top team (I'm talking about L1) with real forward and defensive depth able to suppress L2 and L3, not only will they likely not win the series, but they'll probably get humiliated.

Just a quick reminder that we were playing against a team that had Andrew Copp or Adam Lowry as its #1 center since Game 1 and was running Dmitry Kulikov, Tucker Poolman and Nathan Beaulieu on D.