November 4, 2025 • 47 mins
Flames Management vs Flames Fanbase – Flames Unfiltered – Episode 263
Hosts- Brad Burud @BradBurud and Kyle Lewis @vanlewis14
--- EPISODE 263 ---
GAME RECAPS – Cgy@Tor | Cgy@Ott | Cgy@Nsh | Cgy@Phi
Flames Management decisions have fanbase enraged.
Zayne Parekh to juniors…No
FLAMES NEWS- Scratches, Kadri deal and Veteran Play
NHL NEWS- Be better NHL players
X-FACTOR- ChatGPT? Sports enjoyer @snapsznn
GAME PREVIEWS – Clb@Cgy | Chi@Cgy | Cgy@Min
Website: Flames Unfiltered
Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts
Watch: YouTUBE
Social Media – X - @FlameUnfiltered |FACEBOOK – Flames Unfiltered |INSTAGRAM – Flames Unfiltered | TikTok – flames.unfiltered
NHL #HockeyX #TalkinHockey #HockeyPodcast #Flames #cofred #nhlflames #calgaryflames #YYC #FireItUp
*Produced by Inside Edge Hockey News Media Group
Hosts- Brad Burud @BradBurud and Kyle Lewis @vanlewis14
--- EPISODE 263 ---
GAME RECAPS – Cgy@Tor | Cgy@Ott | Cgy@Nsh | Cgy@Phi
Flames Management decisions have fanbase enraged.
Zayne Parekh to juniors…No
FLAMES NEWS- Scratches, Kadri deal and Veteran Play
NHL NEWS- Be better NHL players
X-FACTOR- ChatGPT? Sports enjoyer @snapsznn
GAME PREVIEWS – Clb@Cgy | Chi@Cgy | Cgy@Min
Website: Flames Unfiltered
Listen: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts
Watch: YouTUBE
Social Media – X - @FlameUnfiltered |FACEBOOK – Flames Unfiltered |INSTAGRAM – Flames Unfiltered | TikTok – flames.unfiltered
NHL #HockeyX #TalkinHockey #HockeyPodcast #Flames #cofred #nhlflames #calgaryflames #YYC #FireItUp
*Produced by Inside Edge Hockey News Media Group
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:31):
Welcome.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
The Flames Unfilled are hosted by Brad Rude and Kyle Lewis,
and yeah, we're talking Flames hockey every single week. Kyle,
it was another week in Calgary.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Yeah, I'm more of the same pretty well.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
You know we talked about last week the anger level
of the episodes will probably go down because the expectations
have have diminished, right they have.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
They have externally. I'm not so sure about inside the
Flames organization, which is a little bit.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Worries that you nailed it right in the head right there.
I think that's why Calgary Flames fans are mad. I
don't think they're mad because we're losing. I think they're
mad because of the way management is dealing with the losses.
And I know, like you can't have a fire sale
and get your max worth just by bombing everybody out
(01:22):
of here in one week. But but the direction, there's
been a lot of questionable roster decisions affecting the why
why we as a fan base feel this way, And
I think that's going to be the hot topic on
the show this week.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
Yeah, I would, I would say so. I mean, even
every day on Extracity, more and more rumors about what
may happen or what sounds like it's imminent, and I
don't think anything is because I don't think the team
is embraced where they're at as of yet, which is
a little delusional at best. But anyway, I think we
mentioned our prior show that I was able to do
tend more of those games, that being the Flames at Ottawa.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
You were in Ottawa. That was a decent hockey game.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Yeah, it was back and forth. Devin coolly played great,
Nasim Gadri scored. You had another highlight reel goal with
me in attendant, which he seems to do every time
I'm in a game.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Sharon, Golva shouldn't got one, did he because he was
scores when you're there too.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
I don't think he did.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
No, I don't think he did either.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
I had to think about that for a second. It was, Yeah,
it was. It was a good, good, good, back and
forth game, one of the better ones Congress probably played
the season, which isn't saying a lot. But yeah, before
we get into the Flames talk though, because we like
all sports, I should at least mention the incredible amount
of disappointment and depression most of Canada's dealing with with
(02:42):
Toronto pulling something of a leafs impersonation and falling flat
and game game to game seven, not you know, not
quite that bad. They still lot a hell of a run.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Do you think, like, I don't look at it that way.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
Well, there's a lot of boys of looking at it,
and I don't. You know, it's been tough because it
was such an exciting game to watch most and now
there's nothing of the sort right now, at least in
terms of sports that I watched the most of. But
the great, the great thing about it, and I'd be
remiss of it and talk about it a little bit.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
You know.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
When I was in Autawa, I was able to sit
at at a local bar there, which is, you know,
not too too far from Toronto, and all the locals
were singing the national anthem together and chanting, go Jay's
going to bar. It was really fun. And ultimately, you know,
that team accomplished so much. They had tons of solid crowds,
tons of merchandise sales. You saw Jay's merchandise everywhere. So
this run made baseball matter in Canada again and created
(03:35):
a whole generation of new ball fans and Jays fans,
So everything about it was awesome except for the ending,
So that's that's pretty cool.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
I don't think it changed how people feel about baseball
in Canada any more than it did in America. I'll
tell you what. Like, I've always been a baseball fan.
I was a much bigger baseball fan in the eighties.
As the nineties and two thousands went by, I was
less interested in it. I find the game to be
kind of blind in most cases over the last couple
(04:03):
of years, with the pitch count and just this year's playoffs,
the excitement throughout the whole playoffs. This year in baseball,
not just this series, but throughout the playoffs, it was
pretty pretty nice. And I'll tell you what, all of
America was glued to their TVs on Friday and Saturday night,
(04:24):
not watching anything other than baseball, and there was a
lot of disappointment throughout a lot. I mean, but you know,
I look at it a little bit differently With the Jays.
I look at it as not I didn't see them
so alling flat on their face. I just think it
(04:45):
was two really good baseball teams battling a back and
forth and a few breaks go here or there, and
it could have went either way, and I thought it
was a hell of performance by the Blue Jays.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
A lot of people say the best world serious they
ever watched, and I will disagree to the one point
that I do think, you know up here, it changed
the importance of baseball big time. It's the most people
carry about it a long time, and I'm not sure
that it's ever been more popular than was during this run.
But we'll see what happens in the next few years. But
it was fun.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
Yeah, it's uh, it was. It was damn it was
damn good, it was exciting. It was uh. The only
that there is is now maybe the Canadian sports will
talk about hockey again. I feel like well slighted for
the last month. A reason for it, right.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
Yeah, it's not. I mean, the Jays are the biggest reason,
I feel, but it's also that I don't have to
say it in the fact that's kind of given us
a distraction from how much the flames of struggle. But
also other markets to Toronto's had a really poor start
to the season. Vancouver has lost six to seven, Winnipeg's
still really strong, Ottawa, assuming we find in their footing,
(05:55):
Montreal has been damn good and I think they're Canada's
best team probably by the time the playoffs stroll around,
although the Jets are going to be right there too.
The Haves have a really really good team anyway. All
that to say, the Jays were a healthy distraction for
me and probably many other Flames fans from witnessing a
Calgary which has been tough to say the least.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
You want to know good news. I like Sam Honzik's goal,
and uh, yeah, what the young players brought, and I
was super excited to see him to pot his first
and uh I think I think there's gonna be more
where that came from.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
Yeah, he looks like an NHL player now, which he
certainly didn't drink his addition last year. As the season
goes on, you know, obviously he's going to pot a
few more goals and probably have a bit more of
an elevated role, especially as we expect the team that's
going to have to embrace trading certain players in the
months ahead. I don't think there's any disputing that at
this point.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
But see, that's what you talked about in the intro
and that and that's what's got me kind of wound
up this week and let's dive into that because there's
there's so many facets to that that we need to
talk about. And the first part is is I feel like, Okay,
I think there was a percentage of the fan base
that was pro tank from day one. I think there
was a lot of us that are like, hey, if
(07:07):
it happens, it happens. But if we theres a chance
to make the playoffs, that's great, But it was doubtful
because we were all living and looking at this roster
going you know, it's okay, but it's not high end
by any means. And I think you know, you look
at where we're at right now through fourteen games, and
(07:29):
the original playoff expectation was ninety seven. We talked, we
was talked about prior to the season, Hey, one more
the next year, and we're in one more the next year,
then we're in. With the way the West has started,
that projections almost dropped by many media sources down to
like ninety four. The Flames have played fourteen games. Listen
to these numbers, and I'm not giving you any more
(07:50):
numbers the rest of the night.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
Okay, right, hold you to that.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
I had more, but I'm not, I'm not. But we're
three nine and two after guess today's win eight points.
That's an average clip of point five seven points per game.
That projects out at the end of the season to
be forty seven points for the Calgary Flames. That is
five lower than last year's San Jose Sharks that were
(08:14):
dead last. There are sixty eight games remaining for the
Flames to meet the expectation of ninety four, we would
need eighty six points in the final sixty eight games.
That's a clip of one point twenty six points per game,
which is, in terms of putting this in reality, one
(08:35):
hundred and three point pace. Yeah, there is no way
on Earth this team gets one hundred and three point
pace through the rest of the year. Now, I'm the
biggest Flames Faniel talk to, But that's reality. It's reality,
and if management isn't grasping that yet, then we have
a much bigger problem than we find it.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
Yeah, And it's interesting to me because I saw and
usually I love this guy's post game, but McKenzie Wieger
talking about like Flames hockey and what that meant after
the winning Philly on Sunday, and it really concerned me
because I understand where he's coming from in terms of,
you know, blue collar, gritty, everybody buying in type of
a game. But if that's Flames hockey, which is hang
(09:21):
on for dear life, and you know, defensively, actually played
pretty decent, but to expect to win a game two
one Dustin Wolf didn't have a lot of work, which
was a nice change for him in a good confidence
building game. But I almost feel like this team is
a brace or identity as a completely inept defensive squad
to a fault, Right that makes any sense to you?
Speaker 2 (09:41):
Yeah? And I and I I'll take that step further,
and I'm gonna expand on something I saw that you
post on X about about is this lack of offense?
I can't remember exactly how you worded it, but it
basically it was, is it is it HUSS's Huskers system? Yes, yeah,
(10:03):
and it is. I believe, I believe it is. I
believe and he has said it, and I believe it
was in his postgame press or last night that he's
not worried about the offense. He's worried about the defense.
And don't get me wrong about the defense too, because
it is bad, but fixing the defense right now doesn't
fix this team. Would you?
Speaker 1 (10:24):
Is there a part of this team you're not worried
about goaltending? Yeah, yeah, anything else at all.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
It hasn't been great this year, and Dustin Wolf hasn't
been Dustin Wolf. But how can Dustin Wolf be Dustin
Wolf when we have the highest percentage of shots from
the slot that there is in the league. Yeah, it's
it's pretty tough to have the expectations of him being,
you know, asn't a type goalie in situation in the
situations and now I'm not letting him off the hook.
(10:54):
I've disliked a few things this year from Dustin Wolf.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
Sure we all have, but I'm sure he has to.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
Yeah, but but those are those are so low on
my priority of problems right now. You know what, Honestly,
I hate to say this, My biggest problem right now
isn't even the lack of offense or the horrendous defense.
It's the lack of continuity that our coaching staff is
is is giving the players. I mean, you know, you've
(11:22):
got to give the players the tools, and then they
got to take that and make something of it. And
and and we harped on this for you know, ten
episodes in a row. Now you're if you're shuffling lines
every single night, it's it's it's pretty hard. And and
this will probably take us to our X factor right
(11:43):
away to hit off the show tonight. But when you're
questioning the coaching style and questioning so much that's happening
in that, it makes a fan base wonder. And I
saw this and it really really really made me wonder.
And it says here And this is of a two
part because Zeke posted this first he said, look at
my coach, Dog and boys and Sports Enjoyers said, no bullshit.
(12:08):
Any coach that's using chat GPT for game strategy actually
should be fired on the spot. And this is a
video and it's out there on X that Ryan Husk
is stating that he used chat GPT to figure out
things that he said he went down that hole.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
Yeah, it's funny because I flought out refused to use
chat GPT. I wrote my own emails. I don't need
anyone to do it for me, and actually concerns me
how overly reliant people are on that. But especially into
context like this, I'm.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
Not going to say I've never used it.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
A lot of people do, and it's definitely a tool.
I just I'm stubbering that way.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
Right, I've used it, but I've used it for finding
something out that I didn't know on how to handle it. Right,
But if I got a coach, then he obviously doesn't
know what to do if he's using chat GPT. Well,
the thing that concerned me more than that, that's more
(13:01):
of a comical thing though, I mean.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
Well it is. But ultimately what scared me more was
I never really looked at this because I never felt
the need to, I guess, which you know, shame on me,
but seeing Ryan Hesk's coaching record at every level and
how bad it is.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
And it was pointed out and I did not realize
it either.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
Well, and I think the reason we never really looked
at it was, you know, at the time, everybody saw
a need to move on from Daryl Sutter for you know,
different reasons, and they just went with a young coach
who I don't think any of us thought was gonna
be around for too too long. So we didn't look
too much into him, and I'm sure some people did.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
But when many of the fan base was upset though,
remember cow everybody wanted Mitch Love.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
Well, it's a good thing that didn't happen.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
Yeah, they did, but they did. Much of the fan
base was upset with a hiring and Ryan Husk because
they wanted Mitch Love. Now I think, I mean, it
is probably a horse of peace with either one of them, right,
I think what people in this fan base and tell
me if I'm wrong here, because I think me and
you find a fall into this too. Was like, hey,
we got conray Or is our GM. I trust his decision.
(14:05):
If he thinks that this is the guy, then this
is the guy.
Speaker 1 (14:09):
Yeah, I mean I was. I'm always a little skeptical
with a coach like that. I'm also skeptical when you're
bringing a little dinosaur allot Daryl Sutter and Mike Keenan.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
Et cetera.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
But I really didn't expect his track record to be
as abysmal as it is. The guys won nothing like nothing,
So that's a little bit of a concern to me.
The other thing that I thought was interesting, and I
don't want to draw parallels where they don't exist, but this,
this is worth pointing out in a sense. Now, granted
we're talking about two very different sports in baseball, and
(14:38):
in hockey. But one of the things that's made the
Jays losing the World Series in such fashion so emotional
for everybody is that the group loves each other so much.
You know, er Ernie Clement talking about, you know, crying
over not going to the field every day and how
you take a bullet for the guys and a Max Schurzer,
you know, the wily Vett of the team, like all
these guys just love each other. But we talked about
(15:02):
a country club atmosphere potentially in Calgary. The difference in
the Jay's case apart from again it's a different sport
these guys, it's a really, really, really good baseball team.
You know, They've got several guys who make a case
of the MVP. They have a Golden Glove Winard winner
excuse me, and ty France. Like, there's a lot of
talent in the Jays. So the fact that they get
(15:23):
along so well is probably a big reason why they
got so far. But also their skill levels off the charts.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
How many winning teams do you know they hate each other?
Speaker 1 (15:32):
Well, yeah, true right.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
I coached a girls hockey team last year and I'm
doing it again this year. My little girl my youngest
daughters plays, so it's ten year old girls hockey team.
And with ten year old girls, you know what happens.
You get the vickery and the fighting and the behind
your back stuff. Right. Well, we rattled off with thirty
three and one record last year, right got along pretty good? Yep,
(15:58):
it's funny. It's funny. And I'm not discounting that the
Jays don't get along good and that they wouldn't well.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
I think when you when you get a good mix
of players, though, and you have a lot of skilled players,
and the more they gel, the better it gets. Right
when you have when you have a team that gels,
but they're just not that good of the coaching system
is just not effective. I really don't care. As you
said in several episodes and most recently on our last one,
I don't I don't care about them getting along. You
just need to perform.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
I want winners. I'm tired of this. Yeah, I'm tired
of the We're not just I'm picking on him, but
I'm tired of anybody on this team saying, well, we
just love each other. We have a great culture. Great culture.
Great culture screws.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
Great great culture leads to bad decisions.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
I want winning culture.
Speaker 1 (16:44):
Yeah, so those types of that culture is what leads
to decisions of let's stress for Ian Lomberg every single
lend yes and Lomberg, to his credit, had a really
good game against Philly, but he's had a lot of
really bad games too.
Speaker 2 (16:59):
I can't even say he's had a lot of bad games.
He just he just doesn't bring anything that we need
to the table right now, Like this isn't a league
where we need. You know, I'm tired of him. I'm
tired of hearing well he he hired a boxer and
he trained all. I don't give a shit. How relevant
is fighting in hockey right now? And ain't know what
(17:19):
if we had to fight right now, I know Brayden
Pahaul would hold his own against ninety eight percent of
the league. Adam Klapka would hold his own against eighty
five percent of the league. We got guys that will fight, like,
come on, like, I.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
Don't all it's not Yeah. So so my buddy Josh
actually pointed this out because he's a huge Sens fan.
He pointed out to me the game and again on
Saturday when he's over how bad McDermott is the Senators.
I think it's Curtis MC. I want to say Lane,
but that was yeah, so saying say basically exact same
type of player, like just a tough guy. He said,
(17:53):
I honestly not kidding a side Josh that I think
I can skate out of this guy, and he could
be right. The guy's a terrible skater and doesn't fulfill
much of a role. Now, Lomberg's got a great motor.
He's good on the bench with the top of that
one hundred times. But again, I was really careful wh
we talked about players, because it's not too I mean,
the guys to stay in the Cup winner. He plays
away like Oliver Hockey than I ever have. But they
(18:14):
don't need to be in the lineup every single night.
And when you think that they do, that's part of
your problem.
Speaker 2 (18:19):
He's a thirty game guy, right, he plays You need
him for those key games. You need him for those
key games.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
He can make an argument to start him in the
playoffs too, and the games are a lot tighter, more physical, yep.
Speaker 2 (18:29):
But he didn't play in the playoffs for Florida.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
Well that's yeah, right, cruche So man.
Speaker 2 (18:37):
I'm just saying the truth. I'm not trying to be mean.
I'm just saying the truth. You know what I mean?
Speaker 1 (18:41):
Yeah, No, and same here. But this is what's happening,
and it happens every single day that passes. Teams figure
out more and more what they have and who they are.
And those teams, fortunately for us, because we're gonna try
to be a little positive here, those teams will start
to look more and more at what they need. And
this is why you're hearing so much about the Montreal Conadian.
It's looking Nazim kadri for example, who I think kadriy
(19:02):
would be a perfect fit in Montreal based on how
their team's currently constructed. Blake Coleman's another one, Rasmus Anderson.
They looked today and it was a couples flying early.
He might get moved to Dallas from the letter. But
all these guys become more coveted in the eyes of teams.
Were like, you know what, we're gonna make a run
this year.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
But it was. But here's the bart. What has so
many of us upset. It doesn't sound like from insiders
that I really trust, it doesn't sound like the Flames
are interested at all. And I also am smart enough
to know that if the Flames are really actively wanting
to move Kaudrey, they're probably not going to advertise it
(19:40):
out to us, right, That's probably not the path you take, right.
But everything we're hearing is that they're not interested in
anything at all, and they're worried about is this better
themselves for next season? Oh my goodness, gracious, did I
hear those words? We don't need Nasen Kadriy at forty
years old in this team, thirty eight years old or
(20:00):
whatever it would be at thirty thirty seven next year.
But we just don't need that, right. That's not the
direction of the team. It's counteractive to what this team
is going. So when I hear those things, I worry
because I believe there is some truth to that. I
believe that the team is very hesitant on moving him,
and then I hear that to follow that up, that
(20:23):
a move from with Cadrey would only happen if they've
talked and conversed with Codriy time out. No, no, no, no,
I'm tired of being this nice organization. We don't owe
Codrey anything. Every one of his checks have cashed at
the bank, they've cashed. He's got a thirteen team, no trade,
(20:45):
Well let's move, Yeah, get the very deal. I don't
care what it's I don't care anymore about being mister
nice organization.
Speaker 1 (20:53):
Well, hey, look what happened. And both trades, the one
that happened and the one that didn't, we're terrible. And
I'm kind of reaching here, but go back to Drumagumla
being traded to Boston and then to Pittsburgh. Went up
signing of Boston anyway. But there were terrible trades where
in the player had way too much of a say,
and that guy was, you know, the franchise icon per Se,
(21:14):
so you can made the America. I'd be doing it for him.
But the fact we do it for everybody is or
at least, you know, players that don't mean that much
of the team.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
I remember hearing this a few years ago. It was
probably around the Goodrowchuk fiasco when they left, and it
was like, well, we need to make sure that we're
good to everybody we have so that people want to
play in Calgary. Guess what do you think? You think
Edmonton is a freaking great place to go play right now?
Speaker 1 (21:40):
Well?
Speaker 2 (21:41):
Why not? Because the city is beautiful because they're winning.
Not so much, but they're winning.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
Well let's let's let's talk about the hypocracy of that though,
in terms of the Flames, because the Flames one of
the biggest reason, arguably the biggest reason they lost both
Kachuk and Gudrou was because they bridge them and they
insulted both players in their camps by basically saying, we
don't have enough faith in you to pay you now,
we're gonna bridge you. You can get your money later.
And both those players never forget that. So there's that again,
(22:12):
that's a bit of hypocrisy of we're gonna be super
nice for our guys, but when we get in the
negotiating room in some cases and you know, we're going
back a few years now, but no, we're only gonna
do this because we don't believe enough in you. And
at least I'm not saying that's necessarily the truth, but
that's how the players took it, and they've ever right
to feel that way. So at the end of the day,
like everything else, and I talked about this in a
meeting in my own occupation today, it's a business. It's
(22:35):
a business. It has to make money, and the way
to make money is to perform. That's what I'm saying.
You know, Toronto Blue Jays having forty four thousand people
in the Rogers Center and every second person on the
street where in.
Speaker 2 (22:43):
A j sat.
Speaker 1 (22:43):
That is money. That is how you continue to win.
That is how you build a winning brand. And the
Flames don't have them quite figured out. Now. I will
give them credit as you and I both have for
drafting a lot better, for developing a lot better. We
have a lot of great players in the pipeline and
things look forward to, but we've got to cash into
these pieces. Our cash is over.
Speaker 2 (23:02):
Well here's another problem that we're having this here too.
Speaker 1 (23:06):
That's all we're having this year. Problems.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
Yeah, well we were worried about well, you know, the
young young players having rough goes. But I mean you
just look at the other night. It's like goal number
two was a terrible turnover from back backland. You know,
Anderson was the result of goal three. Goal four was
was weaker turnover. And it's just been veteran problem after
(23:28):
veteran problem after veteran problem. And I don't know what
changes that well, I know what change is it?
Speaker 1 (23:39):
Moving them out?
Speaker 2 (23:41):
Well that too but maybe even shuffling them out of
the lineup. We're quick to leave the Coronado, the Sharon Govic,
and we're quick to leave Perrec and we're quick to
leave all these guys out of the lineup with healthy scratches.
And I'm not saying that as an organization. I think
it's healthy to go out and you know, maybe scratch
your captain or something like that. But you surely shouldn't
(24:04):
be given extra ice time to Wiger and Anderson right now.
I mean, Anderson is like a shell of himself.
Speaker 1 (24:11):
Yeah, he's he's been quite bad. Wiger had his best
game of.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
The year against Philly. He was good, was really.
Speaker 1 (24:18):
Hopefully that's the sign of things to come. Oh man, Yeah,
it's it's a really, really tough spot to be in.
Speaker 2 (24:25):
But talk to me about this scratch controversy. I know,
the Coronado thing got you riled. The Csari thing got
you riled. Let's hear it. I gotta hear, I gotta
hear what you think. Like, why is it.
Speaker 1 (24:35):
We talked about the Coronado one of the previous show.
It's just it's just stupid. It's just bad coaching. There's
no other word for it the PreK one. I'll back
off a little bit of that because men are saying
he's pretty banged up, which you could see from some
of the enormity of the hits he was taking. Right
PreK is in that weird middle ground of he should
probably be in the HL but can't be apart from
a loophole where and he can have a conditioning stint
under certain circumstances. But the other guys, Coronado Nzari like,
(24:59):
they just they gotta play through it. That's what players
need to learn how to do. Scratching them does not
send the right message. Especially we're not like either one
of those guys, well, both those guys really are going
to play a key part of this team breaking into
the slump because they're not going to finish the season
with forty seven points. They're going to finish the season
with probably seventy five, right, like they're gonna get a
little better.
Speaker 2 (25:20):
I'm not condoning those two being scratched at all because
I agree with everything you just said, but I do
need to get an honest opinion on something. Are you
worried about those two, because here's what I see. I
see Coronado with the NHL worst minus thirteen mm. And
I see Connor Zaria looking at like he's half the
speed as he was last year. Are you worried all
(25:42):
those things?
Speaker 1 (25:43):
I'm worried about Zari. I'm not worried about Coronado, Okay.
I think Coronado's trying to play up to his contract.
Zari has a contract play too as well, but he
was bridged and it's a lot less money. I'm concerned
because of, you know, some knee injuries and a little
bit hesitance on his part. From what I'm seeing anyway,
Coronado is just a rough start, sophomore slump of source.
Speaker 2 (26:01):
He'll be okay, Okay, I tend to agree with that
a little bit more. But I'm I'm starting to worry
a little bit about Connor's area. I am, I'm I'm
starting to worry. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
And it's the hard thing now is for him to
find opportunity. Because Morgan Cross and Joel Ferbey, for example,
both moved up the lineup played quite well. I'm sorry,
is better suited to an offensive role and it may
take some time before he gets a chance in that role. Again,
He's not a fourth flying guy, and if you're going
to be a fourth foining guy doesn't help him skating
with you know, a guy like Lomburger has you know,
about the same offensive skill that I do. So I
(26:36):
don't know. It's gonna be interesting. The next few weeks
will be very telling in terms of how this shakes out,
and I do expect if the losing continues as often
as it as, there will be at least one trade
in that time, at least I hope so, because you
just have to embrace this eventually, there's no other choice.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
So Saturday, was it Saturday or Friday? I can't remember.
All hell kind of loose with the uh it was Saturday,
with Zane Perrek being a healthy scratch and the timing
of it with his ninth game, and I know he
was banged up and everything, But I think there was
(27:11):
more to it, and I think there was a lot
of talk amongst this organization about sending him back to juniors.
As much as we think that's crazy, I do believe
there was a lot of talk about that.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
Well. I think that's one of the reasons they held
him out when they did. What concerns me, I guess
you know by the eye test, Perek has been pushed
around a fair bit, you know, in his first go
around in the NHL. Not a big man could definitely
stand upront of some muscle, which he will. But the
fact he's gotten beaten up a little bit by the
(27:45):
eye test, and the fact that flames Brass don't see
me paying attention to the fact that when he's on
the ice, the puck is generally going the way it's
supposed to be going, which is towards the opposition.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
Net.
Speaker 1 (27:53):
He's still doing over a lot of really good things,
and his struggles have been immensely overstated.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
So yeah, and you know, and I gotta admit, like,
going into this season, I was probably one of his
biggest critics because I really, really, really have worried about
his defense, and as a whole, I've been pretty pleased
with what I've seen this year. Yes, he's made mistakes,
but you know what, I see every guy on the
team making these same mistakes, but they're not getting pointed
(28:22):
out because they're a proven veteran. And yeah, I think
he's been his feet had been held to the fire.
And you know what, something happened last night in the game,
and I don't know if you caught it. I saw
some mention of it on X but he turned one
over pretty blatantly and it was a breakaway that I
(28:43):
can't remember who had it, but they didn't they didn't score. Yeah,
a pretty egregious turnover. He gets back to the bench,
he breaks the stick, which is whatever. I probably somebody
should probably tell him to knock that off. But anyways,
he gets into the bench and he and he sits
down and he buries his head down and the players
sitting next to him, it's Braden Pahol, the guy that
(29:06):
me and you are probably band club members, or at
least not maybe presidents of it, I don't know. He
grabs him by the collar and lifts him back up,
and you can tell he's giving him a word of
encouragement there. Yeah, you're a young player. You're gonna make mistakes.
You pull your head up, you forget about it, and
(29:26):
you get your ass back out there for the next shift.
Yeah that's a player we need. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:33):
Well, he's one that I hopes at the top of
this before but hopefully the all sticks around, you know,
till the flames have the new building, because he uh,
he's very very serviceable and actually, as you probably saw
an X site was intensely trying to get lots of
pictures in for Uncle Kurt.
Speaker 2 (29:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
Yeah, that's exactly what a player should do in that situation.
And the whole thing with Breck and you know, those
types of reactions to bad players or bad giveaways. You know, again,
it's going to happen generally. He can skate his way
out of trouble. He is going to continue to struggle
on board battles, I feel. But he's still smart with
a stick. Yeah, he's been fine. He's certainly not you know,
(30:08):
going to be in the call to running of this continues.
But I mean he's he'll get he'll get there.
Speaker 2 (30:14):
We knew what we were getting and as much as
some of his defensive gaffes drive me crazy, it is
part of a process. And right now, with the way
the CBA is, we don't have much of a choice
other than to go the path of working him into this.
And if he maybe plays four on and one off,
(30:34):
I can live with that. Yeah, but you know what
I don't. We're not winning the games with the veterans
in the lineup. What the hell does it matter. Let's
worry about what's the future.
Speaker 1 (30:47):
Yeah, And he's certainly that, and I mean other guys
that are the future we should talk about. I mean,
Griddin's been tearing up the AHL, so we know he'll
be back pretty soon, I would think with the big club.
Speaker 2 (30:56):
So let me ask you, you want him to come
back right now? Because I don't know that I do.
Speaker 1 (31:00):
No, not right now, but he's going to I'd like
to see him after Christmas, probably let him tear it
up for a while longer.
Speaker 2 (31:06):
Whose spot does he take this lineup?
Speaker 1 (31:10):
Somebody that we trade hopefully hopefully? Yeah, hopefully, And that's
that's where my head's at. But you know, we'll see
what happens. She had mentioned too, Uh, it's really unfortunate
as first Flames prospects go. But Henry mus season is done.
Did the video is not great? Looks to me like
he's knee or something like that.
Speaker 2 (31:27):
Yeah, he looks like a kne thigh type situation.
Speaker 1 (31:31):
He's a stud, So that's a yeah, And that's a
huge blow to I mean, never mind, you know, the
Flames fortunes, because clearly the guys are ways away from
being an impact player for Calgary. But that's a huge,
huge hurdle to climb, as a young player trying to
develop and hone your game. It's just, you know, like
what happened us to Alamaki fe years ago, right, it's
(31:51):
you pretty much lose. You lose a year your development
with that type of injury. So wish him all the
best at his recovery.
Speaker 2 (31:56):
A key years so huge, huge, huge, huge. Yeah, one
of their guys speaking of injuries. That that got me thinking, right,
Martin Paspaso, we haven't heard from him. He's been day
to day for weeks now.
Speaker 1 (32:11):
Yeah, a month.
Speaker 2 (32:12):
Really, when he comes back, it's gonna even shake the
lineup more. And I don't know this team, the numbers
don't lie, and Trevor Nufeld put out a tweet about
it not too long ago about since Possible has been
with this team, there's seventy five, fifty two and eight
(32:33):
without him there six twenty two and one.
Speaker 1 (32:36):
Crazy, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (32:38):
It's remarkable. Yeah, it's remarkable.
Speaker 1 (32:42):
Yeah, he's I don't know. His status has been really vague,
which is a been concerned to me because of his
his concussion history. But the hope is that you know,
he's back soon and takes the spot of one of
those other guys. In the love bottom part of the lineup,
you know.
Speaker 2 (32:56):
We have. Somebody asked me the other day, what do
you think of this Flames team? I said, well, we
got three middle six players and I'm on twelve bottom
six players.
Speaker 1 (33:11):
Yeah, well we've We've got more second and third liners
in any of the team in the league and no,
no top liners. Is how it feels right now, and
which is not too far off of what you're saying
for sure.
Speaker 2 (33:19):
And it's like, well, we can't find spots for everybody, Well,
we can't because they all feel the same style of
person like they're all the same player.
Speaker 1 (33:29):
Yeah, they're all pretty damn similar.
Speaker 2 (33:31):
It's kind of maddening.
Speaker 1 (33:33):
Well, the hope is that some of those guys, like
in Coronado had done it last year's you know, a
pure sniper type. You hope that some guys separate themselves
in the pack. That's the case for Cornado, for Frost,
for Sorry, there hasn't been. There's been flashes of it,
but I mean generally everybody has been projecting and playing
like a middle six forward, which is not good when
(33:54):
every successful team in the league has Keels, McKinnon's, Crosby's,
Matthews you know, just so many guys that can consistently
score and consistently set people up. I mean, Jonathan Hubert
Ellis was said by several people on X yesterday, is
the flames best.
Speaker 2 (34:09):
Forward and hands down.
Speaker 1 (34:13):
That's a little concerning, right because despite what his salary
may tell you, he probably shouldn't be at this point
in his career, but he is.
Speaker 2 (34:20):
Who do you think our best defenseman's been.
Speaker 1 (34:27):
I want to say Kevin Ball and even then he
has been great. But I do think that's a good
contract that's going to age well. Pahl has been and
out too much. It certainly hasn't been been. It's absolutely not.
Anderson Wiger has been all over the place for Rex,
a rookie who's a little banged up.
Speaker 2 (34:43):
I haven't hated Hamley.
Speaker 1 (34:46):
I haven't either are my.
Speaker 2 (34:48):
Guys that I've been like, okay, I can live with that.
Speaker 1 (34:51):
What is with Joel Hanley's luck? Though? He gets like
hitting numbers and I sticked all the time, Like.
Speaker 2 (34:56):
That guy got ran so bad last night and I
and last year like he just multiple times, right, multiple times.
Speaker 1 (35:04):
The only un't likable the Handley deal was, you know
he was such a late bloomer and was elevated I
think by playing with Wiger, although he did very well himself.
I didn't like giving me to your deal because that
guy is a total stop gap for this organization. But
ultimately other teams are absolutely offering him to your deal.
Speaker 2 (35:21):
You know we needed to though, because we're probably gonna
need him as a stop gap for two years. Though, seriously,
like this isn't fixing next year. You guys like this,
This team's not this, This problem doesn't go away in
a year.
Speaker 1 (35:36):
The only way that this problem could go away or
be better, I won't say go it could be better
in a year. I think it's with the new coaching
staff and a few of these young guys really start
to assert themselves.
Speaker 2 (35:45):
I would tell you this, there is an under one
percent chance that we get a new coaching staff.
Speaker 1 (35:52):
Yeah, the only way we do. The only way we do,
I think, because they're gonna blame this on Wolf or
Noto and others having sophomore slumps, the blivement injuries. Maybe
the only way we get a coaching staff sooner, because
I don't believe Ryan Husk is making a lot of
money in terms of NHL coaching dollars, is if this
team goes in like a ten game losing streak, like
(36:13):
ten twelve, fifteen games, if they really really fall apart,
I think Connor's gonna have no choice because it's easy
to see the change.
Speaker 2 (36:18):
As we've often said, right, well, then we're gonna need
a new GM too, because he's not gonna get renewed
because Conor is in his last year.
Speaker 1 (36:27):
Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (36:30):
I think they both go if that happens.
Speaker 1 (36:34):
You know, And it's a shame to think that way,
because Connor has been such a loyal soldier for the
Flame since he retired as a player. I mean, how
many how many Native you know, New Yorkers go on
to live in the city of Calgary and basically Planner
retiring there because they just become so ingrained in the
community with their with their occupation. And he's done a lot,
you know, he has done a lot of good things.
Cordaonno deal made sense. The ball Mill deal made sense.
(36:57):
His trades have generally been quite good, probably, but a
couple of his more egregious mistakes. And again in Flames
Nation had a fantastic, fantastic article this that I retweeted.
There was no need whatsoever to give Ryan Husk an
extend to this past summer. It was an incredibly stupid move,
was incredibly short sighted, and it really showed to me that,
(37:18):
you know, Conroy put way too much faith in this
culture we keep talking about and not enough in results,
in tangible, high test type things that would have told
anyone who's anybody the dustinal facillly reason this team was competitive.
It's literally that simple. Yeah and now, And I'm happy
for these guys because they're kind of castaways in a sense.
Anthony Mantha was tearing it up in Pittsburgh. I was
(37:40):
at the game when he towards ACL Montreal and it sucked.
His whole family was in the bowl just below me.
Danielada has been fantastic in Philly, and I know people
are saying it's Huska's fault. Valeria was always great goalie.
I don't necessarily believe that.
Speaker 2 (37:52):
He had eight teams that were going to give him
good money, eight teams, like we lost Danilo at R
because Dan Vladar helped us immensely last year.
Speaker 1 (38:03):
Yeah, he helped us.
Speaker 2 (38:05):
We tried, we tried to sign Dan Vladaar. We did
everything we could. Like this is not a. This is
this one thing I'll defend the organization on. And you
know what, I'm happy as hell for Dan Vadar, happy
as hell.
Speaker 1 (38:16):
Yeah, same as the said Fromanthet's guys. Those guys wive
on have success elsewhere.
Speaker 2 (38:22):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (38:22):
Hit back to the point about Husk and Conray, I
don't I don't know. I don't know that the ness
will go down together. I think Conrad could be given
a mulligan on on the coach. But ultimately, when you
look at all the longest tenured coaches in the NHL,
pretty well every one of them has a damn good
team in front of them.
Speaker 2 (38:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (38:40):
What I mean, like like Bruce Cassidy was around Boston
forever untill he got let go, moved on to Vegas.
Now he's got a great team there. I mean, we've
never had a really elite team that would you know,
participitate having a coach have a long tenure.
Speaker 2 (38:51):
Let me ask you this, though, Why hasn't they Why
haven't the Flames resigned.
Speaker 1 (38:54):
It we sent you Conroy? Yeah, I don't really know.
I think because a lot of what he's done isn't
really something we can evaluate or couldn't have evaluated. To
this point. Now, as we get into you know, the
meat of the season and into the spring, it's entirely
(39:15):
possible that they'll have enough daut of the field they
can make a decision. But I think everything he's done
has been so future oriented. I mean, how many of
his draft picks can we say have emphatically panned out?
How many of his trades do we know we're fantastic trades.
I mean, it's it's a hard body work to judge
at this point. He has been around, It's been what, yeah,
two years.
Speaker 2 (39:32):
Right, I would say it'd be slightly unfair at this point.
Speaker 1 (39:36):
But that said, I wish Conroy had taken the same
approach to Huska that ownership has taken to Conray. Don
Maloney in this case has taken a cone where like,
you don't have to rush to do this. I agree,
you know, and then you know, in my occupation right now,
our sales manager is retiring, and a bunch of us
in the group have kind of discussed, like, replacing the
sales manager is probably the least important thing to do
(39:58):
right now, because as our sales team is busy and
generally self sufficient anyway, we know we have to do it.
But there's no rush to go out higher. So we
want to make sure it's the right fit long term, right,
somebody that fits the culture, so that brings new ideas
and experience in this case again, and I want to
give full Marx to the Flama Nation for articulating this
so well, there's just there's no good reason to extend SCA.
(40:19):
And I think Ryan Haskuld understood that. Listen, he had
one outlying season, it was very successful. You need to
do it again and show us it wasn't a fluke.
And guess what, so far it was a fluke. And
that fluke's name is dust A Wolf. Yep, not the
Wolf is a fluke, but that that season's success was
a fluke.
Speaker 2 (40:34):
Yes, yes, along with kind of career not career years,
but exceptionally good years out of some players.
Speaker 1 (40:44):
Oh a lot of them, Yeah, a lot.
Speaker 2 (40:47):
I got one more negative thing, and then we're gonna
end with a positive thing, and I'm relying on you
to come up with a positive thing. No precice shit. Okay.
So I I pull up the what on Saturday morning
and I click on the NHL and there's six headlines.
Three of the headlines are horrible negative things number one,
(41:12):
this being the least of them. Barzel late for the team,
Buss doesn't make the game, Mitch Love suspended for the
season due to domestic violence, and Ryan Tessler charged with
fourth degree criminal sexual conduct.
Speaker 1 (41:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (41:28):
I have always bragged to friends, colleagues, whoever, that the
NHL is different. We are not the NFL or the NBA.
We are different, different people, different players, be better NHL.
I don't want these headlines anymore.
Speaker 1 (41:51):
Yeah, I think, and we learned a lot from the
World Junior scandal in Canada in that I think the
the NHL has and of course to Chicago Blackhawks scandal
as well with Kyle Beach. The NHL has been far
more I'm not gonna say they cover things up at
some cass you know they did, but eventually they've been
(42:12):
a lot more complicit in things than they should be.
And I hear stories, you know something I'm not gonna
repeat in the show because I don't want to out
anybody or become the source of rumors. But I mean
I hear stories all the time for people playing in
the league, people that live in big NHL cities, to
talk about the conduct of certain players, of certain coaches,
(42:33):
and it's deplorable. There's absolutely a culture problem in hockey
that is not being addressed as much as it should be,
and those stories will eventually find their way to light.
So I appreciate what you're saying because I agree with
you for the longest time that you know, we wouldn't
have all the headlines of the NFL and NBA would
be grabbing, didn't have the big steroid scandal and MLB had,
you know, twenty five years ago.
Speaker 2 (42:54):
But yes, it rubbed me wrong Saturday and I was like,
all right, we need some positivity, we need something good, right, Yeah,
So now would you got anything good to end with?
Speaker 1 (43:06):
Uh? Well, you know, after again enjoying that Blue Jays
run and now settling into you know, the hockey season more,
that's got my full attention. We're still on the right
path as a team. And the good news about being
this bad is that we don't have to worry about
another season of pot clock and dust the wolf saving
(43:29):
our ass all the time to delude management ownership into
thinking if they're okay with what they're doing, I think
this is an important lesson this season to tell them, hey,
you still need to move some veterans this team is
not as good as you thought it was. And you
see the course of developing your prospects properly and you know,
signing appropriate contracts and looking for talent and drafting the
right way and all the things we haven't tically done well.
(43:50):
So as much as it sucks to go through, this
is necessary because if the team brass believed that this
team is good when the rest of us are waiting
for the bottom to fall out, this could be a
lot worse. We could We could be you know, going
all day. And remember the you know Feasters saying we're
going forward when he traded for Mike Camilaria. It's like, no,
what are you doing? This team sucks, like stop.
Speaker 2 (44:11):
It's forcing the issue down a positive path.
Speaker 1 (44:15):
Yeah, and it's gonna be painful. And it does suck
because we're gonna see a lot of the media availabilities
that we can't stand with Huskar, with certain players. We're
gonna see a lot of nice struggles. We're gonna have
a terrible power play until prect really gets is you know,
his it's his talents into it. So to speak. The
wolf is having some growing pains because he can't be
the savior every single night. But that's also gonna mean
(44:36):
we're gonna have a lot young players, hopefully in the
line up throughout the season. They're gonna, you know, be
eager to show their stuff. That'll include guys like Griden
coming back and Rory Karens hopefully Carter King and Morton
still rid out of my mouth vers Davitch, who's been
really good to start the season. There's a lot of
things look forward to. It's just it's gonna be really
(44:57):
tough to get to those points.
Speaker 2 (45:00):
All right, Flames fans of the crazy month of November
fifteen games thirty days continues Wednesday night Columbus in Town
at the Saddle Home, Friday night Chicago Games the Town,
and on Sunday the Flames head off to Minnesota for
a Sunday Night battle with the Minnesota Wild. Thank you
to all who entered our contest. Jared Grayba you are
(45:20):
the winner and your gift card should have arrived last night.
Nice and a new contest will drop hopefully later this week.
We do have one morals a bit of good news.
Next week's show will be a little bit different as
Flames are filtered teams up with the Red Mile Podcast
and yeah, there's gonna be four of us a little
(45:42):
bit of Flames Hockey Talk as the two podcasts collide
for one big episode, and we're excited for that next week.
Speaker 1 (45:50):
Yeah, it should be a lot of fun. Looking forward
to that as well. Format wise, it could be an
absolute disaster, but it's gonna be a lot of fun.
Speaker 2 (45:56):
It's gonna be, but it's gonna be a lot I
think of really really good Flames Talk and yeah, both
good podcasts, and we welcome them to the show, and
we're happy to be part of their their project and
it'll be a good collaboration and I'm really looking forward to.
Speaker 1 (46:14):
Absolutely can't wait.
Speaker 2 (46:16):
All right, Kyle, you get your butt out to the
hockey rink. You got a game tonight, and I'm gonna
relax and I'm actually gonna watch a hockey game between
two teams not involving the Flames. I don't know which
one yet, but I'm gonna watch that.
Speaker 1 (46:28):
Yeah, all the this your late game outside, I'll mean something.
I can't sleep that the.
Speaker 2 (46:31):
Happy I don't know. I haven't even looked at the schedule,
so I know there's four games I heard, so I'm
I'm gonna be watching something, but yeah.
Speaker 1 (46:39):
It should be a good time perfect enjoy all.
Speaker 2 (46:42):
Right, film Spence, have a good week. We're back next
week special episode and uh yeah, hopefully we get some
more wins to talk about. Thanks for listening to Flames
(47:16):
Unfiltered with Brad Burud and Kyle Lewis your source for
unfiltered Calgary Flames hockey talk. Keep it locked on Flames
Unfiltered dot ca, a subscribe where you get all your
podcasts to never miss an episode. Flames Hockey Talk every week,
presented by Inside Edge Hockey media Group
Welcome.
Speaker 2 (00:31):
The Flames Unfilled are hosted by Brad Rude and Kyle Lewis,
and yeah, we're talking Flames hockey every single week. Kyle,
it was another week in Calgary.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Yeah, I'm more of the same pretty well.
Speaker 2 (00:47):
You know we talked about last week the anger level
of the episodes will probably go down because the expectations
have have diminished, right they have.
Speaker 1 (00:56):
They have externally. I'm not so sure about inside the
Flames organization, which is a little bit.
Speaker 2 (01:00):
Worries that you nailed it right in the head right there.
I think that's why Calgary Flames fans are mad. I
don't think they're mad because we're losing. I think they're
mad because of the way management is dealing with the losses.
And I know, like you can't have a fire sale
and get your max worth just by bombing everybody out
(01:22):
of here in one week. But but the direction, there's
been a lot of questionable roster decisions affecting the why
why we as a fan base feel this way, And
I think that's going to be the hot topic on
the show this week.
Speaker 1 (01:40):
Yeah, I would, I would say so. I mean, even
every day on Extracity, more and more rumors about what
may happen or what sounds like it's imminent, and I
don't think anything is because I don't think the team
is embraced where they're at as of yet, which is
a little delusional at best. But anyway, I think we
mentioned our prior show that I was able to do
tend more of those games, that being the Flames at Ottawa.
Speaker 2 (02:03):
You were in Ottawa. That was a decent hockey game.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
Yeah, it was back and forth. Devin coolly played great,
Nasim Gadri scored. You had another highlight reel goal with
me in attendant, which he seems to do every time
I'm in a game.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
Sharon, Golva shouldn't got one, did he because he was
scores when you're there too.
Speaker 1 (02:19):
I don't think he did.
Speaker 2 (02:20):
No, I don't think he did either.
Speaker 1 (02:22):
I had to think about that for a second. It was, Yeah,
it was. It was a good, good, good, back and
forth game, one of the better ones Congress probably played
the season, which isn't saying a lot. But yeah, before
we get into the Flames talk though, because we like
all sports, I should at least mention the incredible amount
of disappointment and depression most of Canada's dealing with with
(02:42):
Toronto pulling something of a leafs impersonation and falling flat
and game game to game seven, not you know, not
quite that bad. They still lot a hell of a run.
Speaker 2 (02:50):
Do you think, like, I don't look at it that way.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
Well, there's a lot of boys of looking at it,
and I don't. You know, it's been tough because it
was such an exciting game to watch most and now
there's nothing of the sort right now, at least in
terms of sports that I watched the most of. But
the great, the great thing about it, and I'd be
remiss of it and talk about it a little bit.
Speaker 2 (03:12):
You know.
Speaker 1 (03:13):
When I was in Autawa, I was able to sit
at at a local bar there, which is, you know,
not too too far from Toronto, and all the locals
were singing the national anthem together and chanting, go Jay's
going to bar. It was really fun. And ultimately, you know,
that team accomplished so much. They had tons of solid crowds,
tons of merchandise sales. You saw Jay's merchandise everywhere. So
this run made baseball matter in Canada again and created
(03:35):
a whole generation of new ball fans and Jays fans,
So everything about it was awesome except for the ending,
So that's that's pretty cool.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
I don't think it changed how people feel about baseball
in Canada any more than it did in America. I'll
tell you what. Like, I've always been a baseball fan.
I was a much bigger baseball fan in the eighties.
As the nineties and two thousands went by, I was
less interested in it. I find the game to be
kind of blind in most cases over the last couple
(04:03):
of years, with the pitch count and just this year's playoffs,
the excitement throughout the whole playoffs. This year in baseball,
not just this series, but throughout the playoffs, it was
pretty pretty nice. And I'll tell you what, all of
America was glued to their TVs on Friday and Saturday night,
(04:24):
not watching anything other than baseball, and there was a
lot of disappointment throughout a lot. I mean, but you know,
I look at it a little bit differently With the Jays.
I look at it as not I didn't see them
so alling flat on their face. I just think it
(04:45):
was two really good baseball teams battling a back and
forth and a few breaks go here or there, and
it could have went either way, and I thought it
was a hell of performance by the Blue Jays.
Speaker 1 (04:56):
A lot of people say the best world serious they
ever watched, and I will disagree to the one point
that I do think, you know up here, it changed
the importance of baseball big time. It's the most people
carry about it a long time, and I'm not sure
that it's ever been more popular than was during this run.
But we'll see what happens in the next few years. But
it was fun.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
Yeah, it's uh, it was. It was damn it was
damn good, it was exciting. It was uh. The only
that there is is now maybe the Canadian sports will
talk about hockey again. I feel like well slighted for
the last month. A reason for it, right.
Speaker 1 (05:31):
Yeah, it's not. I mean, the Jays are the biggest reason,
I feel, but it's also that I don't have to
say it in the fact that's kind of given us
a distraction from how much the flames of struggle. But
also other markets to Toronto's had a really poor start
to the season. Vancouver has lost six to seven, Winnipeg's
still really strong, Ottawa, assuming we find in their footing,
(05:55):
Montreal has been damn good and I think they're Canada's
best team probably by the time the playoffs stroll around,
although the Jets are going to be right there too.
The Haves have a really really good team anyway. All
that to say, the Jays were a healthy distraction for
me and probably many other Flames fans from witnessing a
Calgary which has been tough to say the least.
Speaker 2 (06:15):
You want to know good news. I like Sam Honzik's goal,
and uh, yeah, what the young players brought, and I
was super excited to see him to pot his first
and uh I think I think there's gonna be more
where that came from.
Speaker 1 (06:29):
Yeah, he looks like an NHL player now, which he
certainly didn't drink his addition last year. As the season
goes on, you know, obviously he's going to pot a
few more goals and probably have a bit more of
an elevated role, especially as we expect the team that's
going to have to embrace trading certain players in the
months ahead. I don't think there's any disputing that at
this point.
Speaker 2 (06:46):
But see, that's what you talked about in the intro
and that and that's what's got me kind of wound
up this week and let's dive into that because there's
there's so many facets to that that we need to
talk about. And the first part is is I feel like, Okay,
I think there was a percentage of the fan base
that was pro tank from day one. I think there
was a lot of us that are like, hey, if
(07:07):
it happens, it happens. But if we theres a chance
to make the playoffs, that's great, But it was doubtful
because we were all living and looking at this roster
going you know, it's okay, but it's not high end
by any means. And I think you know, you look
at where we're at right now through fourteen games, and
(07:29):
the original playoff expectation was ninety seven. We talked, we
was talked about prior to the season, Hey, one more
the next year, and we're in one more the next year,
then we're in. With the way the West has started,
that projections almost dropped by many media sources down to
like ninety four. The Flames have played fourteen games. Listen
to these numbers, and I'm not giving you any more
(07:50):
numbers the rest of the night.
Speaker 1 (07:51):
Okay, right, hold you to that.
Speaker 2 (07:54):
I had more, but I'm not, I'm not. But we're
three nine and two after guess today's win eight points.
That's an average clip of point five seven points per game.
That projects out at the end of the season to
be forty seven points for the Calgary Flames. That is
five lower than last year's San Jose Sharks that were
(08:14):
dead last. There are sixty eight games remaining for the
Flames to meet the expectation of ninety four, we would
need eighty six points in the final sixty eight games.
That's a clip of one point twenty six points per game,
which is, in terms of putting this in reality, one
(08:35):
hundred and three point pace. Yeah, there is no way
on Earth this team gets one hundred and three point
pace through the rest of the year. Now, I'm the
biggest Flames Faniel talk to, But that's reality. It's reality,
and if management isn't grasping that yet, then we have
a much bigger problem than we find it.
Speaker 1 (08:58):
Yeah, And it's interesting to me because I saw and
usually I love this guy's post game, but McKenzie Wieger
talking about like Flames hockey and what that meant after
the winning Philly on Sunday, and it really concerned me
because I understand where he's coming from in terms of,
you know, blue collar, gritty, everybody buying in type of
a game. But if that's Flames hockey, which is hang
(09:21):
on for dear life, and you know, defensively, actually played
pretty decent, but to expect to win a game two
one Dustin Wolf didn't have a lot of work, which
was a nice change for him in a good confidence
building game. But I almost feel like this team is
a brace or identity as a completely inept defensive squad
to a fault, Right that makes any sense to you?
Speaker 2 (09:41):
Yeah? And I and I I'll take that step further,
and I'm gonna expand on something I saw that you
post on X about about is this lack of offense?
I can't remember exactly how you worded it, but it
basically it was, is it is it HUSS's Huskers system? Yes, yeah,
(10:03):
and it is. I believe, I believe it is. I
believe and he has said it, and I believe it
was in his postgame press or last night that he's
not worried about the offense. He's worried about the defense.
And don't get me wrong about the defense too, because
it is bad, but fixing the defense right now doesn't
fix this team. Would you?
Speaker 1 (10:24):
Is there a part of this team you're not worried
about goaltending? Yeah, yeah, anything else at all.
Speaker 2 (10:32):
It hasn't been great this year, and Dustin Wolf hasn't
been Dustin Wolf. But how can Dustin Wolf be Dustin
Wolf when we have the highest percentage of shots from
the slot that there is in the league. Yeah, it's
it's pretty tough to have the expectations of him being,
you know, asn't a type goalie in situation in the
situations and now I'm not letting him off the hook.
(10:54):
I've disliked a few things this year from Dustin Wolf.
Speaker 1 (10:58):
Sure we all have, but I'm sure he has to.
Speaker 2 (11:01):
Yeah, but but those are those are so low on
my priority of problems right now. You know what, Honestly,
I hate to say this, My biggest problem right now
isn't even the lack of offense or the horrendous defense.
It's the lack of continuity that our coaching staff is
is is giving the players. I mean, you know, you've
(11:22):
got to give the players the tools, and then they
got to take that and make something of it. And
and and we harped on this for you know, ten
episodes in a row. Now you're if you're shuffling lines
every single night, it's it's it's pretty hard. And and
this will probably take us to our X factor right
(11:43):
away to hit off the show tonight. But when you're
questioning the coaching style and questioning so much that's happening
in that, it makes a fan base wonder. And I
saw this and it really really really made me wonder.
And it says here And this is of a two
part because Zeke posted this first he said, look at
my coach, Dog and boys and Sports Enjoyers said, no bullshit.
(12:08):
Any coach that's using chat GPT for game strategy actually
should be fired on the spot. And this is a
video and it's out there on X that Ryan Husk
is stating that he used chat GPT to figure out
things that he said he went down that hole.
Speaker 1 (12:26):
Yeah, it's funny because I flought out refused to use
chat GPT. I wrote my own emails. I don't need
anyone to do it for me, and actually concerns me
how overly reliant people are on that. But especially into
context like this, I'm.
Speaker 2 (12:36):
Not going to say I've never used it.
Speaker 1 (12:38):
A lot of people do, and it's definitely a tool.
I just I'm stubbering that way.
Speaker 2 (12:41):
Right, I've used it, but I've used it for finding
something out that I didn't know on how to handle it. Right,
But if I got a coach, then he obviously doesn't
know what to do if he's using chat GPT. Well,
the thing that concerned me more than that, that's more
(13:01):
of a comical thing though, I mean.
Speaker 1 (13:03):
Well it is. But ultimately what scared me more was
I never really looked at this because I never felt
the need to, I guess, which you know, shame on me,
but seeing Ryan Hesk's coaching record at every level and
how bad it is.
Speaker 2 (13:17):
And it was pointed out and I did not realize
it either.
Speaker 1 (13:20):
Well, and I think the reason we never really looked
at it was, you know, at the time, everybody saw
a need to move on from Daryl Sutter for you know,
different reasons, and they just went with a young coach
who I don't think any of us thought was gonna
be around for too too long. So we didn't look
too much into him, and I'm sure some people did.
Speaker 2 (13:35):
But when many of the fan base was upset though,
remember cow everybody wanted Mitch Love.
Speaker 1 (13:41):
Well, it's a good thing that didn't happen.
Speaker 2 (13:43):
Yeah, they did, but they did. Much of the fan
base was upset with a hiring and Ryan Husk because
they wanted Mitch Love. Now I think, I mean, it
is probably a horse of peace with either one of them, right,
I think what people in this fan base and tell
me if I'm wrong here, because I think me and
you find a fall into this too. Was like, hey,
we got conray Or is our GM. I trust his decision.
(14:05):
If he thinks that this is the guy, then this
is the guy.
Speaker 1 (14:09):
Yeah, I mean I was. I'm always a little skeptical
with a coach like that. I'm also skeptical when you're
bringing a little dinosaur allot Daryl Sutter and Mike Keenan.
Speaker 2 (14:16):
Et cetera.
Speaker 1 (14:18):
But I really didn't expect his track record to be
as abysmal as it is. The guys won nothing like nothing,
So that's a little bit of a concern to me.
The other thing that I thought was interesting, and I
don't want to draw parallels where they don't exist, but this,
this is worth pointing out in a sense. Now, granted
we're talking about two very different sports in baseball, and
(14:38):
in hockey. But one of the things that's made the
Jays losing the World Series in such fashion so emotional
for everybody is that the group loves each other so much.
You know, er Ernie Clement talking about, you know, crying
over not going to the field every day and how
you take a bullet for the guys and a Max Schurzer,
you know, the wily Vett of the team, like all
these guys just love each other. But we talked about
(15:02):
a country club atmosphere potentially in Calgary. The difference in
the Jay's case apart from again it's a different sport
these guys, it's a really, really, really good baseball team.
You know, They've got several guys who make a case
of the MVP. They have a Golden Glove Winard winner
excuse me, and ty France. Like, there's a lot of
talent in the Jays. So the fact that they get
(15:23):
along so well is probably a big reason why they
got so far. But also their skill levels off the charts.
Speaker 2 (15:29):
How many winning teams do you know they hate each other?
Speaker 1 (15:32):
Well, yeah, true right.
Speaker 2 (15:34):
I coached a girls hockey team last year and I'm
doing it again this year. My little girl my youngest
daughters plays, so it's ten year old girls hockey team.
And with ten year old girls, you know what happens.
You get the vickery and the fighting and the behind
your back stuff. Right. Well, we rattled off with thirty
three and one record last year, right got along pretty good? Yep,
(15:58):
it's funny. It's funny. And I'm not discounting that the
Jays don't get along good and that they wouldn't well.
Speaker 1 (16:05):
I think when you when you get a good mix
of players, though, and you have a lot of skilled players,
and the more they gel, the better it gets. Right
when you have when you have a team that gels,
but they're just not that good of the coaching system
is just not effective. I really don't care. As you
said in several episodes and most recently on our last one,
I don't I don't care about them getting along. You
just need to perform.
Speaker 2 (16:26):
I want winners. I'm tired of this. Yeah, I'm tired
of the We're not just I'm picking on him, but
I'm tired of anybody on this team saying, well, we
just love each other. We have a great culture. Great culture.
Great culture screws.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
Great great culture leads to bad decisions.
Speaker 2 (16:42):
I want winning culture.
Speaker 1 (16:44):
Yeah, so those types of that culture is what leads
to decisions of let's stress for Ian Lomberg every single
lend yes and Lomberg, to his credit, had a really
good game against Philly, but he's had a lot of
really bad games too.
Speaker 2 (16:59):
I can't even say he's had a lot of bad games.
He just he just doesn't bring anything that we need
to the table right now, Like this isn't a league
where we need. You know, I'm tired of him. I'm
tired of hearing well he he hired a boxer and
he trained all. I don't give a shit. How relevant
is fighting in hockey right now? And ain't know what
(17:19):
if we had to fight right now, I know Brayden
Pahaul would hold his own against ninety eight percent of
the league. Adam Klapka would hold his own against eighty
five percent of the league. We got guys that will fight, like,
come on, like, I.
Speaker 1 (17:33):
Don't all it's not Yeah. So so my buddy Josh
actually pointed this out because he's a huge Sens fan.
He pointed out to me the game and again on
Saturday when he's over how bad McDermott is the Senators.
I think it's Curtis MC. I want to say Lane,
but that was yeah, so saying say basically exact same
type of player, like just a tough guy. He said,
(17:53):
I honestly not kidding a side Josh that I think
I can skate out of this guy, and he could
be right. The guy's a terrible skater and doesn't fulfill
much of a role. Now, Lomberg's got a great motor.
He's good on the bench with the top of that
one hundred times. But again, I was really careful wh
we talked about players, because it's not too I mean,
the guys to stay in the Cup winner. He plays
away like Oliver Hockey than I ever have. But they
(18:14):
don't need to be in the lineup every single night.
And when you think that they do, that's part of
your problem.
Speaker 2 (18:19):
He's a thirty game guy, right, he plays You need
him for those key games. You need him for those
key games.
Speaker 1 (18:25):
He can make an argument to start him in the
playoffs too, and the games are a lot tighter, more physical, yep.
Speaker 2 (18:29):
But he didn't play in the playoffs for Florida.
Speaker 1 (18:32):
Well that's yeah, right, cruche So man.
Speaker 2 (18:37):
I'm just saying the truth. I'm not trying to be mean.
I'm just saying the truth. You know what I mean?
Speaker 1 (18:41):
Yeah, No, and same here. But this is what's happening,
and it happens every single day that passes. Teams figure
out more and more what they have and who they are.
And those teams, fortunately for us, because we're gonna try
to be a little positive here, those teams will start
to look more and more at what they need. And
this is why you're hearing so much about the Montreal Conadian.
It's looking Nazim kadri for example, who I think kadriy
(19:02):
would be a perfect fit in Montreal based on how
their team's currently constructed. Blake Coleman's another one, Rasmus Anderson.
They looked today and it was a couples flying early.
He might get moved to Dallas from the letter. But
all these guys become more coveted in the eyes of teams.
Were like, you know what, we're gonna make a run
this year.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
But it was. But here's the bart. What has so
many of us upset. It doesn't sound like from insiders
that I really trust, it doesn't sound like the Flames
are interested at all. And I also am smart enough
to know that if the Flames are really actively wanting
to move Kaudrey, they're probably not going to advertise it
(19:40):
out to us, right, That's probably not the path you take, right.
But everything we're hearing is that they're not interested in
anything at all, and they're worried about is this better
themselves for next season? Oh my goodness, gracious, did I
hear those words? We don't need Nasen Kadriy at forty
years old in this team, thirty eight years old or
(20:00):
whatever it would be at thirty thirty seven next year.
But we just don't need that, right. That's not the
direction of the team. It's counteractive to what this team
is going. So when I hear those things, I worry
because I believe there is some truth to that. I
believe that the team is very hesitant on moving him,
and then I hear that to follow that up, that
(20:23):
a move from with Cadrey would only happen if they've
talked and conversed with Codriy time out. No, no, no, no,
I'm tired of being this nice organization. We don't owe
Codrey anything. Every one of his checks have cashed at
the bank, they've cashed. He's got a thirteen team, no trade,
(20:45):
Well let's move, Yeah, get the very deal. I don't
care what it's I don't care anymore about being mister
nice organization.
Speaker 1 (20:53):
Well, hey, look what happened. And both trades, the one
that happened and the one that didn't, we're terrible. And
I'm kind of reaching here, but go back to Drumagumla
being traded to Boston and then to Pittsburgh. Went up
signing of Boston anyway. But there were terrible trades where
in the player had way too much of a say,
and that guy was, you know, the franchise icon per Se,
(21:14):
so you can made the America. I'd be doing it for him.
But the fact we do it for everybody is or
at least, you know, players that don't mean that much
of the team.
Speaker 2 (21:22):
I remember hearing this a few years ago. It was
probably around the Goodrowchuk fiasco when they left, and it
was like, well, we need to make sure that we're
good to everybody we have so that people want to
play in Calgary. Guess what do you think? You think
Edmonton is a freaking great place to go play right now?
Speaker 1 (21:40):
Well?
Speaker 2 (21:41):
Why not? Because the city is beautiful because they're winning.
Not so much, but they're winning.
Speaker 1 (21:49):
Well let's let's let's talk about the hypocracy of that though,
in terms of the Flames, because the Flames one of
the biggest reason, arguably the biggest reason they lost both
Kachuk and Gudrou was because they bridge them and they
insulted both players in their camps by basically saying, we
don't have enough faith in you to pay you now,
we're gonna bridge you. You can get your money later.
And both those players never forget that. So there's that again,
(22:12):
that's a bit of hypocrisy of we're gonna be super
nice for our guys, but when we get in the
negotiating room in some cases and you know, we're going
back a few years now, but no, we're only gonna
do this because we don't believe enough in you. And
at least I'm not saying that's necessarily the truth, but
that's how the players took it, and they've ever right
to feel that way. So at the end of the day,
like everything else, and I talked about this in a
meeting in my own occupation today, it's a business. It's
(22:35):
a business. It has to make money, and the way
to make money is to perform. That's what I'm saying.
You know, Toronto Blue Jays having forty four thousand people
in the Rogers Center and every second person on the
street where in.
Speaker 2 (22:43):
A j sat.
Speaker 1 (22:43):
That is money. That is how you continue to win.
That is how you build a winning brand. And the
Flames don't have them quite figured out. Now. I will
give them credit as you and I both have for
drafting a lot better, for developing a lot better. We
have a lot of great players in the pipeline and
things look forward to, but we've got to cash into
these pieces. Our cash is over.
Speaker 2 (23:02):
Well here's another problem that we're having this here too.
Speaker 1 (23:06):
That's all we're having this year. Problems.
Speaker 2 (23:07):
Yeah, well we were worried about well, you know, the
young young players having rough goes. But I mean you
just look at the other night. It's like goal number
two was a terrible turnover from back backland. You know,
Anderson was the result of goal three. Goal four was
was weaker turnover. And it's just been veteran problem after
(23:28):
veteran problem after veteran problem. And I don't know what
changes that well, I know what change is it?
Speaker 1 (23:39):
Moving them out?
Speaker 2 (23:41):
Well that too but maybe even shuffling them out of
the lineup. We're quick to leave the Coronado, the Sharon Govic,
and we're quick to leave Perrec and we're quick to
leave all these guys out of the lineup with healthy scratches.
And I'm not saying that as an organization. I think
it's healthy to go out and you know, maybe scratch
your captain or something like that. But you surely shouldn't
(24:04):
be given extra ice time to Wiger and Anderson right now.
I mean, Anderson is like a shell of himself.
Speaker 1 (24:11):
Yeah, he's he's been quite bad. Wiger had his best
game of.
Speaker 2 (24:14):
The year against Philly. He was good, was really.
Speaker 1 (24:18):
Hopefully that's the sign of things to come. Oh man, Yeah,
it's it's a really, really tough spot to be in.
Speaker 2 (24:25):
But talk to me about this scratch controversy. I know,
the Coronado thing got you riled. The Csari thing got
you riled. Let's hear it. I gotta hear, I gotta
hear what you think. Like, why is it.
Speaker 1 (24:35):
We talked about the Coronado one of the previous show.
It's just it's just stupid. It's just bad coaching. There's
no other word for it the PreK one. I'll back
off a little bit of that because men are saying
he's pretty banged up, which you could see from some
of the enormity of the hits he was taking. Right
PreK is in that weird middle ground of he should
probably be in the HL but can't be apart from
a loophole where and he can have a conditioning stint
under certain circumstances. But the other guys, Coronado Nzari like,
(24:59):
they just they gotta play through it. That's what players
need to learn how to do. Scratching them does not
send the right message. Especially we're not like either one
of those guys, well, both those guys really are going
to play a key part of this team breaking into
the slump because they're not going to finish the season
with forty seven points. They're going to finish the season
with probably seventy five, right, like they're gonna get a
little better.
Speaker 2 (25:20):
I'm not condoning those two being scratched at all because
I agree with everything you just said, but I do
need to get an honest opinion on something. Are you
worried about those two, because here's what I see. I
see Coronado with the NHL worst minus thirteen mm. And
I see Connor Zaria looking at like he's half the
speed as he was last year. Are you worried all
(25:42):
those things?
Speaker 1 (25:43):
I'm worried about Zari. I'm not worried about Coronado, Okay.
I think Coronado's trying to play up to his contract.
Zari has a contract play too as well, but he
was bridged and it's a lot less money. I'm concerned
because of, you know, some knee injuries and a little
bit hesitance on his part. From what I'm seeing anyway,
Coronado is just a rough start, sophomore slump of source.
Speaker 2 (26:01):
He'll be okay, Okay, I tend to agree with that
a little bit more. But I'm I'm starting to worry
a little bit about Connor's area. I am, I'm I'm
starting to worry. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (26:12):
And it's the hard thing now is for him to
find opportunity. Because Morgan Cross and Joel Ferbey, for example,
both moved up the lineup played quite well. I'm sorry,
is better suited to an offensive role and it may
take some time before he gets a chance in that role. Again,
He's not a fourth flying guy, and if you're going
to be a fourth foining guy doesn't help him skating
with you know, a guy like Lomburger has you know,
about the same offensive skill that I do. So I
(26:36):
don't know. It's gonna be interesting. The next few weeks
will be very telling in terms of how this shakes out,
and I do expect if the losing continues as often
as it as, there will be at least one trade
in that time, at least I hope so, because you
just have to embrace this eventually, there's no other choice.
Speaker 2 (26:50):
So Saturday, was it Saturday or Friday? I can't remember.
All hell kind of loose with the uh it was Saturday,
with Zane Perrek being a healthy scratch and the timing
of it with his ninth game, and I know he
was banged up and everything, But I think there was
(27:11):
more to it, and I think there was a lot
of talk amongst this organization about sending him back to juniors.
As much as we think that's crazy, I do believe
there was a lot of talk about that.
Speaker 1 (27:23):
Well. I think that's one of the reasons they held
him out when they did. What concerns me, I guess
you know by the eye test, Perek has been pushed
around a fair bit, you know, in his first go
around in the NHL. Not a big man could definitely
stand upront of some muscle, which he will. But the
fact he's gotten beaten up a little bit by the
(27:45):
eye test, and the fact that flames Brass don't see
me paying attention to the fact that when he's on
the ice, the puck is generally going the way it's
supposed to be going, which is towards the opposition.
Speaker 2 (27:53):
Net.
Speaker 1 (27:53):
He's still doing over a lot of really good things,
and his struggles have been immensely overstated.
Speaker 2 (28:00):
So yeah, and you know, and I gotta admit, like,
going into this season, I was probably one of his
biggest critics because I really, really, really have worried about
his defense, and as a whole, I've been pretty pleased
with what I've seen this year. Yes, he's made mistakes,
but you know what, I see every guy on the
team making these same mistakes, but they're not getting pointed
(28:22):
out because they're a proven veteran. And yeah, I think
he's been his feet had been held to the fire.
And you know what, something happened last night in the game,
and I don't know if you caught it. I saw
some mention of it on X but he turned one
over pretty blatantly and it was a breakaway that I
(28:43):
can't remember who had it, but they didn't they didn't score. Yeah,
a pretty egregious turnover. He gets back to the bench,
he breaks the stick, which is whatever. I probably somebody
should probably tell him to knock that off. But anyways,
he gets into the bench and he and he sits
down and he buries his head down and the players
sitting next to him, it's Braden Pahol, the guy that
(29:06):
me and you are probably band club members, or at
least not maybe presidents of it, I don't know. He
grabs him by the collar and lifts him back up,
and you can tell he's giving him a word of
encouragement there. Yeah, you're a young player. You're gonna make mistakes.
You pull your head up, you forget about it, and
(29:26):
you get your ass back out there for the next shift.
Yeah that's a player we need. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:33):
Well, he's one that I hopes at the top of
this before but hopefully the all sticks around, you know,
till the flames have the new building, because he uh,
he's very very serviceable and actually, as you probably saw
an X site was intensely trying to get lots of
pictures in for Uncle Kurt.
Speaker 2 (29:47):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (29:48):
Yeah, that's exactly what a player should do in that situation.
And the whole thing with Breck and you know, those
types of reactions to bad players or bad giveaways. You know, again,
it's going to happen generally. He can skate his way
out of trouble. He is going to continue to struggle
on board battles, I feel. But he's still smart with
a stick. Yeah, he's been fine. He's certainly not you know,
(30:08):
going to be in the call to running of this continues.
But I mean he's he'll get he'll get there.
Speaker 2 (30:14):
We knew what we were getting and as much as
some of his defensive gaffes drive me crazy, it is
part of a process. And right now, with the way
the CBA is, we don't have much of a choice
other than to go the path of working him into this.
And if he maybe plays four on and one off,
(30:34):
I can live with that. Yeah, but you know what
I don't. We're not winning the games with the veterans
in the lineup. What the hell does it matter. Let's
worry about what's the future.
Speaker 1 (30:47):
Yeah, And he's certainly that, and I mean other guys
that are the future we should talk about. I mean,
Griddin's been tearing up the AHL, so we know he'll
be back pretty soon, I would think with the big club.
Speaker 2 (30:56):
So let me ask you, you want him to come
back right now? Because I don't know that I do.
Speaker 1 (31:00):
No, not right now, but he's going to I'd like
to see him after Christmas, probably let him tear it
up for a while longer.
Speaker 2 (31:06):
Whose spot does he take this lineup?
Speaker 1 (31:10):
Somebody that we trade hopefully hopefully? Yeah, hopefully, And that's
that's where my head's at. But you know, we'll see
what happens. She had mentioned too, Uh, it's really unfortunate
as first Flames prospects go. But Henry mus season is done.
Did the video is not great? Looks to me like
he's knee or something like that.
Speaker 2 (31:27):
Yeah, he looks like a kne thigh type situation.
Speaker 1 (31:31):
He's a stud, So that's a yeah, And that's a
huge blow to I mean, never mind, you know, the
Flames fortunes, because clearly the guys are ways away from
being an impact player for Calgary. But that's a huge,
huge hurdle to climb, as a young player trying to
develop and hone your game. It's just, you know, like
what happened us to Alamaki fe years ago, right, it's
(31:51):
you pretty much lose. You lose a year your development
with that type of injury. So wish him all the
best at his recovery.
Speaker 2 (31:56):
A key years so huge, huge, huge, huge. Yeah, one
of their guys speaking of injuries. That that got me thinking, right,
Martin Paspaso, we haven't heard from him. He's been day
to day for weeks now.
Speaker 1 (32:11):
Yeah, a month.
Speaker 2 (32:12):
Really, when he comes back, it's gonna even shake the
lineup more. And I don't know this team, the numbers
don't lie, and Trevor Nufeld put out a tweet about
it not too long ago about since Possible has been
with this team, there's seventy five, fifty two and eight
(32:33):
without him there six twenty two and one.
Speaker 1 (32:36):
Crazy, isn't it.
Speaker 2 (32:38):
It's remarkable. Yeah, it's remarkable.
Speaker 1 (32:42):
Yeah, he's I don't know. His status has been really vague,
which is a been concerned to me because of his
his concussion history. But the hope is that you know,
he's back soon and takes the spot of one of
those other guys. In the love bottom part of the lineup,
you know.
Speaker 2 (32:56):
We have. Somebody asked me the other day, what do
you think of this Flames team? I said, well, we
got three middle six players and I'm on twelve bottom
six players.
Speaker 1 (33:11):
Yeah, well we've We've got more second and third liners
in any of the team in the league and no,
no top liners. Is how it feels right now, and
which is not too far off of what you're saying
for sure.
Speaker 2 (33:19):
And it's like, well, we can't find spots for everybody, Well,
we can't because they all feel the same style of
person like they're all the same player.
Speaker 1 (33:29):
Yeah, they're all pretty damn similar.
Speaker 2 (33:31):
It's kind of maddening.
Speaker 1 (33:33):
Well, the hope is that some of those guys, like
in Coronado had done it last year's you know, a
pure sniper type. You hope that some guys separate themselves
in the pack. That's the case for Cornado, for Frost,
for Sorry, there hasn't been. There's been flashes of it,
but I mean generally everybody has been projecting and playing
like a middle six forward, which is not good when
(33:54):
every successful team in the league has Keels, McKinnon's, Crosby's,
Matthews you know, just so many guys that can consistently
score and consistently set people up. I mean, Jonathan Hubert
Ellis was said by several people on X yesterday, is
the flames best.
Speaker 2 (34:09):
Forward and hands down.
Speaker 1 (34:13):
That's a little concerning, right because despite what his salary
may tell you, he probably shouldn't be at this point
in his career, but he is.
Speaker 2 (34:20):
Who do you think our best defenseman's been.
Speaker 1 (34:27):
I want to say Kevin Ball and even then he
has been great. But I do think that's a good
contract that's going to age well. Pahl has been and
out too much. It certainly hasn't been been. It's absolutely not.
Anderson Wiger has been all over the place for Rex,
a rookie who's a little banged up.
Speaker 2 (34:43):
I haven't hated Hamley.
Speaker 1 (34:46):
I haven't either are my.
Speaker 2 (34:48):
Guys that I've been like, okay, I can live with that.
Speaker 1 (34:51):
What is with Joel Hanley's luck? Though? He gets like
hitting numbers and I sticked all the time, Like.
Speaker 2 (34:56):
That guy got ran so bad last night and I
and last year like he just multiple times, right, multiple times.
Speaker 1 (35:04):
The only un't likable the Handley deal was, you know
he was such a late bloomer and was elevated I
think by playing with Wiger, although he did very well himself.
I didn't like giving me to your deal because that
guy is a total stop gap for this organization. But
ultimately other teams are absolutely offering him to your deal.
Speaker 2 (35:21):
You know we needed to though, because we're probably gonna
need him as a stop gap for two years. Though, seriously,
like this isn't fixing next year. You guys like this,
This team's not this, This problem doesn't go away in
a year.
Speaker 1 (35:36):
The only way that this problem could go away or
be better, I won't say go it could be better
in a year. I think it's with the new coaching
staff and a few of these young guys really start
to assert themselves.
Speaker 2 (35:45):
I would tell you this, there is an under one
percent chance that we get a new coaching staff.
Speaker 1 (35:52):
Yeah, the only way we do. The only way we do,
I think, because they're gonna blame this on Wolf or
Noto and others having sophomore slumps, the blivement injuries. Maybe
the only way we get a coaching staff sooner, because
I don't believe Ryan Husk is making a lot of
money in terms of NHL coaching dollars, is if this
team goes in like a ten game losing streak, like
(36:13):
ten twelve, fifteen games, if they really really fall apart,
I think Connor's gonna have no choice because it's easy
to see the change.
Speaker 2 (36:18):
As we've often said, right, well, then we're gonna need
a new GM too, because he's not gonna get renewed
because Conor is in his last year.
Speaker 1 (36:27):
Yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 2 (36:30):
I think they both go if that happens.
Speaker 1 (36:34):
You know, And it's a shame to think that way,
because Connor has been such a loyal soldier for the
Flame since he retired as a player. I mean, how
many how many Native you know, New Yorkers go on
to live in the city of Calgary and basically Planner
retiring there because they just become so ingrained in the
community with their with their occupation. And he's done a lot,
you know, he has done a lot of good things.
Cordaonno deal made sense. The ball Mill deal made sense.
(36:57):
His trades have generally been quite good, probably, but a
couple of his more egregious mistakes. And again in Flames
Nation had a fantastic, fantastic article this that I retweeted.
There was no need whatsoever to give Ryan Husk an
extend to this past summer. It was an incredibly stupid move,
was incredibly short sighted, and it really showed to me that,
(37:18):
you know, Conroy put way too much faith in this
culture we keep talking about and not enough in results,
in tangible, high test type things that would have told
anyone who's anybody the dustinal facillly reason this team was competitive.
It's literally that simple. Yeah and now, And I'm happy
for these guys because they're kind of castaways in a sense.
Anthony Mantha was tearing it up in Pittsburgh. I was
(37:40):
at the game when he towards ACL Montreal and it sucked.
His whole family was in the bowl just below me.
Danielada has been fantastic in Philly, and I know people
are saying it's Huska's fault. Valeria was always great goalie.
I don't necessarily believe that.
Speaker 2 (37:52):
He had eight teams that were going to give him
good money, eight teams, like we lost Danilo at R
because Dan Vladar helped us immensely last year.
Speaker 1 (38:03):
Yeah, he helped us.
Speaker 2 (38:05):
We tried, we tried to sign Dan Vladaar. We did
everything we could. Like this is not a. This is
this one thing I'll defend the organization on. And you
know what, I'm happy as hell for Dan Vadar, happy
as hell.
Speaker 1 (38:16):
Yeah, same as the said Fromanthet's guys. Those guys wive
on have success elsewhere.
Speaker 2 (38:22):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (38:22):
Hit back to the point about Husk and Conray, I
don't I don't know. I don't know that the ness
will go down together. I think Conrad could be given
a mulligan on on the coach. But ultimately, when you
look at all the longest tenured coaches in the NHL,
pretty well every one of them has a damn good
team in front of them.
Speaker 2 (38:40):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (38:40):
What I mean, like like Bruce Cassidy was around Boston
forever untill he got let go, moved on to Vegas.
Now he's got a great team there. I mean, we've
never had a really elite team that would you know,
participitate having a coach have a long tenure.
Speaker 2 (38:51):
Let me ask you this, though, Why hasn't they Why
haven't the Flames resigned.
Speaker 1 (38:54):
It we sent you Conroy? Yeah, I don't really know.
I think because a lot of what he's done isn't
really something we can evaluate or couldn't have evaluated. To
this point. Now, as we get into you know, the
meat of the season and into the spring, it's entirely
(39:15):
possible that they'll have enough daut of the field they
can make a decision. But I think everything he's done
has been so future oriented. I mean, how many of
his draft picks can we say have emphatically panned out?
How many of his trades do we know we're fantastic trades.
I mean, it's it's a hard body work to judge
at this point. He has been around, It's been what, yeah,
two years.
Speaker 2 (39:32):
Right, I would say it'd be slightly unfair at this point.
Speaker 1 (39:36):
But that said, I wish Conroy had taken the same
approach to Huska that ownership has taken to Conray. Don
Maloney in this case has taken a cone where like,
you don't have to rush to do this. I agree,
you know, and then you know, in my occupation right now,
our sales manager is retiring, and a bunch of us
in the group have kind of discussed, like, replacing the
sales manager is probably the least important thing to do
(39:58):
right now, because as our sales team is busy and
generally self sufficient anyway, we know we have to do it.
But there's no rush to go out higher. So we
want to make sure it's the right fit long term, right,
somebody that fits the culture, so that brings new ideas
and experience in this case again, and I want to
give full Marx to the Flama Nation for articulating this
so well, there's just there's no good reason to extend SCA.
(40:19):
And I think Ryan Haskuld understood that. Listen, he had
one outlying season, it was very successful. You need to
do it again and show us it wasn't a fluke.
And guess what, so far it was a fluke. And
that fluke's name is dust A Wolf. Yep, not the
Wolf is a fluke, but that that season's success was
a fluke.
Speaker 2 (40:34):
Yes, yes, along with kind of career not career years,
but exceptionally good years out of some players.
Speaker 1 (40:44):
Oh a lot of them, Yeah, a lot.
Speaker 2 (40:47):
I got one more negative thing, and then we're gonna
end with a positive thing, and I'm relying on you
to come up with a positive thing. No precice shit. Okay.
So I I pull up the what on Saturday morning
and I click on the NHL and there's six headlines.
Three of the headlines are horrible negative things number one,
(41:12):
this being the least of them. Barzel late for the team,
Buss doesn't make the game, Mitch Love suspended for the
season due to domestic violence, and Ryan Tessler charged with
fourth degree criminal sexual conduct.
Speaker 1 (41:27):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (41:28):
I have always bragged to friends, colleagues, whoever, that the
NHL is different. We are not the NFL or the NBA.
We are different, different people, different players, be better NHL.
I don't want these headlines anymore.
Speaker 1 (41:51):
Yeah, I think, and we learned a lot from the
World Junior scandal in Canada in that I think the
the NHL has and of course to Chicago Blackhawks scandal
as well with Kyle Beach. The NHL has been far
more I'm not gonna say they cover things up at
some cass you know they did, but eventually they've been
(42:12):
a lot more complicit in things than they should be.
And I hear stories, you know something I'm not gonna
repeat in the show because I don't want to out
anybody or become the source of rumors. But I mean
I hear stories all the time for people playing in
the league, people that live in big NHL cities, to
talk about the conduct of certain players, of certain coaches,
(42:33):
and it's deplorable. There's absolutely a culture problem in hockey
that is not being addressed as much as it should be,
and those stories will eventually find their way to light.
So I appreciate what you're saying because I agree with
you for the longest time that you know, we wouldn't
have all the headlines of the NFL and NBA would
be grabbing, didn't have the big steroid scandal and MLB had,
you know, twenty five years ago.
Speaker 2 (42:54):
But yes, it rubbed me wrong Saturday and I was like,
all right, we need some positivity, we need something good, right, Yeah,
So now would you got anything good to end with?
Speaker 1 (43:06):
Uh? Well, you know, after again enjoying that Blue Jays
run and now settling into you know, the hockey season more,
that's got my full attention. We're still on the right
path as a team. And the good news about being
this bad is that we don't have to worry about
another season of pot clock and dust the wolf saving
(43:29):
our ass all the time to delude management ownership into
thinking if they're okay with what they're doing, I think
this is an important lesson this season to tell them, hey,
you still need to move some veterans this team is
not as good as you thought it was. And you
see the course of developing your prospects properly and you know,
signing appropriate contracts and looking for talent and drafting the
right way and all the things we haven't tically done well.
(43:50):
So as much as it sucks to go through, this
is necessary because if the team brass believed that this
team is good when the rest of us are waiting
for the bottom to fall out, this could be a
lot worse. We could We could be you know, going
all day. And remember the you know Feasters saying we're
going forward when he traded for Mike Camilaria. It's like, no,
what are you doing? This team sucks, like stop.
Speaker 2 (44:11):
It's forcing the issue down a positive path.
Speaker 1 (44:15):
Yeah, and it's gonna be painful. And it does suck
because we're gonna see a lot of the media availabilities
that we can't stand with Huskar, with certain players. We're
gonna see a lot of nice struggles. We're gonna have
a terrible power play until prect really gets is you know,
his it's his talents into it. So to speak. The
wolf is having some growing pains because he can't be
the savior every single night. But that's also gonna mean
(44:36):
we're gonna have a lot young players, hopefully in the
line up throughout the season. They're gonna, you know, be
eager to show their stuff. That'll include guys like Griden
coming back and Rory Karens hopefully Carter King and Morton
still rid out of my mouth vers Davitch, who's been
really good to start the season. There's a lot of
things look forward to. It's just it's gonna be really
(44:57):
tough to get to those points.
Speaker 2 (45:00):
All right, Flames fans of the crazy month of November
fifteen games thirty days continues Wednesday night Columbus in Town
at the Saddle Home, Friday night Chicago Games the Town,
and on Sunday the Flames head off to Minnesota for
a Sunday Night battle with the Minnesota Wild. Thank you
to all who entered our contest. Jared Grayba you are
(45:20):
the winner and your gift card should have arrived last night.
Nice and a new contest will drop hopefully later this week.
We do have one morals a bit of good news.
Next week's show will be a little bit different as
Flames are filtered teams up with the Red Mile Podcast
and yeah, there's gonna be four of us a little
(45:42):
bit of Flames Hockey Talk as the two podcasts collide
for one big episode, and we're excited for that next week.
Speaker 1 (45:50):
Yeah, it should be a lot of fun. Looking forward
to that as well. Format wise, it could be an
absolute disaster, but it's gonna be a lot of fun.
Speaker 2 (45:56):
It's gonna be, but it's gonna be a lot I
think of really really good Flames Talk and yeah, both
good podcasts, and we welcome them to the show, and
we're happy to be part of their their project and
it'll be a good collaboration and I'm really looking forward to.
Speaker 1 (46:14):
Absolutely can't wait.
Speaker 2 (46:16):
All right, Kyle, you get your butt out to the
hockey rink. You got a game tonight, and I'm gonna
relax and I'm actually gonna watch a hockey game between
two teams not involving the Flames. I don't know which
one yet, but I'm gonna watch that.
Speaker 1 (46:28):
Yeah, all the this your late game outside, I'll mean something.
I can't sleep that the.
Speaker 2 (46:31):
Happy I don't know. I haven't even looked at the schedule,
so I know there's four games I heard, so I'm
I'm gonna be watching something, but yeah.
Speaker 1 (46:39):
It should be a good time perfect enjoy all.
Speaker 2 (46:42):
Right, film Spence, have a good week. We're back next
week special episode and uh yeah, hopefully we get some
more wins to talk about. Thanks for listening to Flames
(47:16):
Unfiltered with Brad Burud and Kyle Lewis your source for
unfiltered Calgary Flames hockey talk. Keep it locked on Flames
Unfiltered dot ca, a subscribe where you get all your
podcasts to never miss an episode. Flames Hockey Talk every week,
presented by Inside Edge Hockey media Group
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