The Flames Fifteen: #3 - Johnny Gaudreau
Arik
June 22 2012 06:11AM
SVEN notwithstanding, Flames fans have had few high skill prospects to get excited about in the last decade. There have been plenty of “Coke Machine” prospects (big, strong, and zero skill) and a few all-around players (Erixon, Brodie, and Reinhart come to mind), but players whose raw offensive skill just dazzles you? They have been far and few between...which is what makes Johnny “Pocket” Gaudreau so special.
Flames 2012 First Round Targets: Derrick Pouliot
Arik
June 21 2012 04:09AM
The Flames have plenty of positional and skill needs that have been discussed in regards to the draft: big centers, skill wingers, and so on. So how does a silky, offensive defenseman sound?
With 59 points in 72 games (11-48-59), Pouliot was potent from the blueline for SVEN's Portland Winterhawks. He has a reputation for having an excellent stride, good puck moving and possession skills, and being offensively adept.
UFA Profiles: Tom Kostopolous
Arik
June 08 2012 05:22PM
Image from Wikimedia Commons, taken by Resolute
Is there a more quintessential fourth liner than Tom Kostopoulos?
Tim Jackman is something of a fan favorite, Matt Stajan earns far more than a fourth liner should, but Kostopoulos is forgettable, average, yet not a team liability.
In fact, the only interesting things I can think of about Kostopoulos are that his name is Greek, he has zero understanding of what's suspendable in the NHL, and his Wikipedia page has a creepy amount of irrelevant personal information.
Flames 2012 First Round Targets: Zemgus Girgensons
Arik
June 08 2012 09:02AM
Zemgus Girgensons. The very name brings to mind Superman villains and 1940's Red Scare films. But does the player match the name?
Simply put, yes (except the evil part): Girgensons is aggressive, hard working, and skilled enough that his upside is top six, instead of "energy forward".
The Blame Game
Arik
May 30 2012 08:57AM
Until recently, I was a card carrying member of the "Blame Ken King" camp. I was thoroughly invested in the idea that the reason the Flames consistently failed to build a good team was team president Ken King and owner Murray Edwards interfering too much with the administration of the team. The idea that King and Edwards were basically doing the job of the GMs and both Sutter and Feaster with left with less capabilities because of it.
How accurate is that assumption though? How fair is it?
