2012 NHL Offseason Thread: ROCK OUT WITH YOUR LOCKOUT

[Vaspinne]

The anti-Calgary hate in this thread is a lot stronger then usual. Jokinen is a huge joke, and then he signs with the Peg and suddenly he's a great signing (considering the Flames had him the last 2 years for $1.5mil less then he's gonna get now and he got 61 and 54 points those last 2 years).

And are you guys retarded? Why would Hudler be playing as the #1 center? If and when Mikael Backlund signs his RFA contract, we'll have 4 centers in Cervenka, Cammalleri, Backlund and Stajan. Tangs-Cammi-Iggy is or most likely will be our #1 line. And if Cervenka ends up playing well, he'll probably end up taking the position himself. I don't doubt Hudler will play center at times, and there may even be patches where he's on the first line and even as center on that line, but fuck, he's not gonna start there or be there consistently unless he's actually producing there. That's just stupid.

/sigh. I guess every year you need a team to be the target of ridicule. This year's the Flames year I suppose.

[Richybear]

My anti-Calgary sentiment is obvious.
But that being said, the Flames never change much. Every year they'll ditch one or 2 players, then sign players to play similar roles, then wonder why they're in the same position as years before.
Everyone knows that come the regular season, Iginla will have 6 points at the end of October, then pick it up by getting 10 in November, 15 in December and be around a point per game by the All Star Break. Around that time, the talk will heat up again about a potential deal involving him to a contender, and how maybe this is the year Kipper is suffering burnout from playing 75 of 82 games every year. February and March they'll make things interesting, and pull within a few points of the playoff race. Using the tight race as an excuse, Feaster will hang onto Jarome for yet another year.
Next summer you'll unload Alex Tanguay, and sign someone like Andy MacDonald.

Granted it's not like the Oilers are making moves, but this is year 3 of Hall/Ebs and the season to see if RNH has a sophomore slump. Add Nail Yakupov into the mix to see how he steps up at the next level. They'll be better than last year, but no real shot at making the post-season. And even if they did, their average size of 4'2" - 170 lbs would get rag dolled.

[Vaspinne]

Richybear, your points are incredibly valid. That's how it has been for a while. There are a few key things I would point out though, Iggy's contract is done at the end of this year. If the Flames miss the playoffs again, our core is gonna be blown to smithereens because of that. He and Kipper are the pillars of that core, and I really doubt Iggy will sign a contract extension. If anything, if things look bad by the trade deadline, I can see him being traded for a couple draft picks and some prospects.

I really think the signings we've made, and the players we have/will sign/will trade for by the start of the season will either turn out really well, or really badly. I don't see us being a team on the verge of 8th again. It's gonna be either really good or really bad. Most people will be inclined to say really bad obviously. But we have a couple unknown, young players that are gonna make a big impact I think. And not just Roman Cervenka like I've been spamming in my last 3 or 4 posts.

[bluefan]

The Devil in me:

I hope they miss the playoffs again so we can make a run at Iginla if he doesn't sign an extension throughout the year.

The Angel in me:

Need more Canadian teams in the play offs.

[Vaspinne]

Playoffs or not, I don't think he'll be on our team next year unless we win the cup, lol. That being said, with the parity in the league, even if he leaves the Flames, it's not like he's guaranteed a cup if he goes somewhere specific.

[Brill Weave]

It's not that we hate the Flames. It's that we hate Feaster.

[Ishido]

It's not that we hate Feaster. It's that Feaster is a very fat, incompetent man.

[Ratatapa]

I feel bad for Bob Heartley, he's such a good coach and a good man to be stuck there -,-

[Brill Weave]

And yet Feaster is still a better GM than Howson lol.

[Callisto]

Steve Ott out of the Western Conference woooo

fucking amen

It's not that we hate the Flames. It's that we hate Feaster.

No I actually like Feaster and hate the Flames

[Brill Weave]

Off the Feaster topic but I didn't realize Chicago had the cap space to make a run at Parise. Was surprised to hear they are in the running yesterday.

[Callisto]

I'd prefer them to be headlining the Suter race, we already have to many left wings, we need C/D/RW, in that order.

[Bregor]

Jack Hillen to the Caps. Wulfy, scouting report?

Now I'll need to do an ASCII drawing of a crab on a hill.

[Ratatapa]

Callisto like Feaster for one reason.

If he fails, the flames fails. Flame fails chicago got 1 more chance to make the playoffs, so that Kaner don't make revenge on more taxi drivers

[Brill Weave]

Hillen was fairly decent when he played for the Isles. Not a great defenseman but not a liability either.

[Callisto]

For awhile I thought that it was just the Sutters holding back the Flames, but it looks like that wasn't the case. I dislike them for pretty much exactly what Richybear posted, that they seem content just being a middling franchise that refuses to either rebuild or improve, and every year they spend almost making the playoffs instead of mercy-trading Iggy and starting over is another year of a great player's career that is wasted.

[Brill Weave]

If Iggy really wanted out, he would be gone by now.

[Brill Weave]

Avalanche re-sign Erik Johnson to a four year deal.

[BadKarma]

This just in, Carl Hagelin's sisters are super fucking hot

[NynJa]

The one in the pink dress looks 16...perfectly legal in canada, lemme at her!