Calgary Flames 5 Game Losing Streak, What Now?
By Len Nunes
Calgary Flames head coach Bob Hartley not Calgary Flames Brad Treliving is the one who has to tinker to get the Flames out of their current slump! Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
If I asked every Flames fan who has heard a comment along the lines of “Calgary crashing back to reality and Bottomsville” to please raise both their hands – – everybody reading this article would be unable to type for that very instant. The Flames losing streak is exactly what most magazine pundits and TV experts were all counting on. Likely even the truest of Calgary Flames didn’t expect our boys to continue competing for 1st overall in the NHL. Of course the difference is that most Calgary Flames fans expect our boys to regain traction and continue to fight for respect. While many “experts” re-visit their early 2015 Draft predictions and back away from the delete button.
I have a feeling that Glenn Healy (I’m not looking up to see if that’s how you correctly spell his name) smiled when he saw Johnny Gaudreau blow a wheel which resulted in the Blackhawks rush up the ice that potted the winning goal. Mr. Healy is well-known for his refusal to call Mr. Gaudreau “Johnny Hockey” but that game belonged to the Chicago Blackhawks. What the Flames and their fans need to do now is think – – what now?
NO simply putting Matt Stajan, Mason Raymond, and Joe Colborne back on the Injured Reserve list is not a viable solution! We’ve talked about this before folks. My serious wonder is did Stajan and Raymond come off the IR too soon?
Minus the season opener, 3 out of 4 of Matt Stajan‘s lowest ice time totals have come since his return from injury. Playing 4th line minutes is not an excuse/reason because for the most part that has been his role this season. Other than face-offs, which he won 3 of 6, I did not notice him in the Blackhawks game. Meanwhile, Joe Colborne has played in three games averaging 16 minutes per game while Mason Raymond is averaging under 13 minutes per game since their respective returns. Something’s not right here.
The line of Johnny Gaudreau–Josh Jooris–Jiri Hudler deserves to stay together but please please please move Curtis Glencross and David Jones away from Sean Monahan. I came into this season lauding Glencross as a potential fantasy NHL sleeper and legitimately wondering if David Jones was worth keeping just because of his contract. We are well into December now, my opinion has changed. I now believe Curtis Glencross needs to be traded somewhere else to earn his contract extension and David Jones has played really well but is still a third line player playing with our first line center.
Joe Colborne has played with Sean Monahan many-a-times but who plays the other wing is the issue. The correct answer is Gaudreau or Hudler but as previously mentioned, they are currently 2/3 of the Flames best line. Bless Paul Byron for being the try-hard player that he is but he is not the right answer. The right answer, as currently situated, is Mason Raymond IF Raymond is completely healthy. NO, the answer to this question does not currently play in Adirondack. I say currently because Sven Baertschi, Micheal Ferland, or Emile Poirer are not ready yet to be handed to Monahan.
I think the Flames should continue to play games with Brandon Bollig and Brian McGrattan as healthy scratches.
My desired lines for our game on Tuesday hosting the New York Rangers:
- Gaudreau-Jooris-Hudler
- Raymond-Monahan-Colborne
- Byron-Granlund-Jones
- Glencross-Stajan-Bouma
Thoughts?