Post by Calgary Flames on Oct 23, 2021 15:21:55 GMT -6
Whelp the frist three picks for the Flames went as scripted with two stud D and a franchise centre (Dahlin, Heiskenen, Lindholm). Then what happened? The Flames picked another centre in Monahan. Ok? Lindholm you will play right wing on Monahan's line. Then oddly ther team took another defenseman in Ryan Lindgren who is a solid player but they had half their D before they had a full line of forwards. Next came TJ Oshie....finally a top line but the 34 year old is certainly not what GM McAndrews normally drafts. WIth the next pick the Flames took the much maligned Evander Kane. Good talent. Unlikely to gamble in the sim but suddenly the Flames 3rd pick in Lindholm sees himself on the 2nd line. Weird.
Next a goalie. Mike Smith. 39 year old Mike Smith. Coming up next was Alex Nylander. He actually lived next to GM Sean McAndrews when his dad played for the Flames. True story. Bunch of weird blond kids in that household. He's a reasonable forward and slots into the middle six. Next pick, a virtual prospect in Filip Zadina who will likely lineup on the 4th line. Next up? Another old guy in THomas Tatar....not MCAndrews style but the top 6 is formed (we think) with Oshie/Monahan/Kane and Tatar/Lindholm/Nylander. That seems pretty solid and there is some versatility with Lindholm potentially being able to move up to centre or wing on the top line depending how things go.
Next the Flames chose Victor Soderstrom and Gregori Denisenko. Two highly regarded prospects who are both expected to secure signifcant NHL time this year. The most recent pick was Connor Timmins. Similar to Zadina, he is expected to play a depth role to start the season but could move up the line up in future years as he meets his potential.
When asked if he was happy with the draft to date McAndrews had this to say, "I dunno? I think so? We have two cornerstone defenseman and are very comfortable with our top two centres. We were very happy to land Oshie and Kane but flanking Monahan may not work as all 3 are finishers. Might have to juggle there. Tatar and Nylander are fine wingers but we might be more comfortable adding another 2nd line forward but we will see how things go. We also still need a solid 2nd pairing dman. Prerably a veteran as we have a lot of youth back there. Oh yeah and Smith is great.....just super old. I hope he doesn't retire or die before the season starts."
Here is how the roster is currently constructed:
Line 1: Oshie / Monahan / Kane
Line 2: Tatar / Lindholm / Nylander
Line 3:
Line 4: Zadina
D Pairing 1: Dahlin / Heiskenen
D Pairing 2: Lindgren
D Pairing 3: Timmins
Starting Goalie: Smith
Backup Goalie:
Still some holes to fill but I'd imagine most rosters look similar. Of note, proven prospect hound McAndrews has only selected a couple of prospects so far. With a decent amount of cap left it will be interesting to see if McAndrews focussed on the future or the now with the Flames upcoming picks.
Next a goalie. Mike Smith. 39 year old Mike Smith. Coming up next was Alex Nylander. He actually lived next to GM Sean McAndrews when his dad played for the Flames. True story. Bunch of weird blond kids in that household. He's a reasonable forward and slots into the middle six. Next pick, a virtual prospect in Filip Zadina who will likely lineup on the 4th line. Next up? Another old guy in THomas Tatar....not MCAndrews style but the top 6 is formed (we think) with Oshie/Monahan/Kane and Tatar/Lindholm/Nylander. That seems pretty solid and there is some versatility with Lindholm potentially being able to move up to centre or wing on the top line depending how things go.
Next the Flames chose Victor Soderstrom and Gregori Denisenko. Two highly regarded prospects who are both expected to secure signifcant NHL time this year. The most recent pick was Connor Timmins. Similar to Zadina, he is expected to play a depth role to start the season but could move up the line up in future years as he meets his potential.
When asked if he was happy with the draft to date McAndrews had this to say, "I dunno? I think so? We have two cornerstone defenseman and are very comfortable with our top two centres. We were very happy to land Oshie and Kane but flanking Monahan may not work as all 3 are finishers. Might have to juggle there. Tatar and Nylander are fine wingers but we might be more comfortable adding another 2nd line forward but we will see how things go. We also still need a solid 2nd pairing dman. Prerably a veteran as we have a lot of youth back there. Oh yeah and Smith is great.....just super old. I hope he doesn't retire or die before the season starts."
Here is how the roster is currently constructed:
Line 1: Oshie / Monahan / Kane
Line 2: Tatar / Lindholm / Nylander
Line 3:
Line 4: Zadina
D Pairing 1: Dahlin / Heiskenen
D Pairing 2: Lindgren
D Pairing 3: Timmins
Starting Goalie: Smith
Backup Goalie:
Still some holes to fill but I'd imagine most rosters look similar. Of note, proven prospect hound McAndrews has only selected a couple of prospects so far. With a decent amount of cap left it will be interesting to see if McAndrews focussed on the future or the now with the Flames upcoming picks.
