The Continuing Chronicles Of Jay Feaster's Incompetence

[Gabriel]

Looking at where the Flames are set to draft and who should be available around that point, I would hazard a guess that Barkov and Monahan are the top two guys that we will be watching. Both are sizeable centermen, which is our number one need in the organization. I can see Barkov slipping because of the needs of the teams ahead of us, but I don't expect it. It would be nice, because he could step in and play right away, but Monahan is a good fallback plan. He's a couple years away from pushing for a spot on the team, but he has a better two-way game than Barkov.

For the Flames, Barkov has to be looked at as a guy who can be the best centerman that we've ever had. His low projection would probably be somewhere around Olli Jokinen in his first Calgary stint - productive, but hardly a number one guy, and not defensively aware.

Sean Monahan on the other hand, I would say is a safer bet. I'd say that you can expect a Matt Stajan-type player out of him. Defensively responsible with good offensive instincts. Stajan is a guy who I believe can be a number one center in the NHL, but hasn't reached his potential. He floundered during the last days of his Leafs run and early as a Flame, but he's really coming into his own now. Stajan has been everywhere from undeserving of being an NHL player, all the way up to challenging for a number one position. He'll find a consistency eventually and settle into a role. Monahan has a step up on him in that I believe he won't have those same consistency and confidence issues that have plagued Stajan.

That being said, Jay Feaster's orders from ownership are to make the playoffs next year, so it isn't out of the realm of possibility that he moves this pick in order to try and save his job past next season. With the salary cap coming down and some teams already over or very close to being over, I expect that there will be a good amount of talented players available via trade, but if Feaster can't get a top line player, top pairing defenseman or star-calibre goalie, I would hope that he would have the balls to go into next season with a good amount of our younger guys on the roster.

They may not be NHL calibre players in some cases, but they showed down the stretch that a team of AHL players with good work ethic is better than a team of NHL players who don't have the drive to compete for 60 minutes a night.

[Plubby]

*mouths wordlessly*

[Toe]

If Calgary trades away their first round pick, they better absolutely rob another team. If they trade and get some more mediocre players, then whats the point?

Feaster should be gone now. Get a new GM and give him some space to rebuild.

[Ruki]

Bozak and Orr for Calgary's 1st. We'll even throw in a 5th.

But congrats to Colorado! Seth Jones has to be going 1st now (apparently Jay-Z's label wants to represent him or something?).

[Gabriel]

If Calgary trades away their first round pick, they better absolutely rob another team. If they trade and get some more mediocre players, then whats the point?

Feaster should be gone now. Get a new GM and give him some space to rebuild.

Feaster isn't the problem. Any GM that comes to Calgary is going to have the same issues to deal with, because ownership refuses to hit the reset button and try developing players.

Ideally, we use all three of our first round picks. 2nd round and later can be had for guys who can fill specific roles for the team in the upcoming seasons. Guys who have played in Calgary and become stagnant need to go. Alex Tanguay, specifically, I'm looking at. He can still contribute in the NHL, but he's part of the losing culture that the Flames developed over the past half decade.

But it is what it is in Calgary. Jay Feaster has been told that the team needs to make the playoffs next year. That wasn't something he decided on, that was something that his bosses told him. Since arriving in Calgary, Feaster has been vocal about the need for the team to develop its' own players. Ownership doesn't want to wait for that to happen, and so they have said that the team needs to make the playoffs.

In regards to the moves that he did make this year, he did what he could. Iginla should have been moved last year, and ultimately decided where he went. I'm certain that the list of four teams he gave to the club was specifically so that they could "maximize" their return. The fact is, Ray Shero isn't a desperate GM, and he's not an idiot. He made his offer, and he waited, because he felt that Jarome wanted to go to Pittsburgh, and he felt that the Flames weren't in a position to not make the deal. He was right. That wasn't Feaster's fault.

The Bouwmeester deal is a bit iffy. On paper, it looked like we got robbed a little bit, but again, Jay Bouwmeester controlled his destination, and Feaster got what he could. We got a first round pick this year (giving us three), Mark Cundari who looked great in his audition with the team and should factor into the top six next year, and Reto Berra, who while we can say is an unknown commodity to some extent, Bob Hartley coached against him. Hartley absolutely raved about the kid, and he's our coach going forward. He knows what he saw from Berra during his time in the Swiss National League, and that's more than most scouts and hockey fans know about him. Time will tell on Berra, but for right now, I'm comfortable with that asset.

Comeau to Columbus was a bit unnecessary, given the return and how he was playing for us. That said, I think that Feaster had an idea of how many spots he wanted to open up, and he couldn't get rid of other pieces at the deadline, which is why Comeau was moved in that deal. Strictly to make space for auditions down the stretch.

So, Hanowski looked good out of College. He should be able to challenge for a roster spot.

Kenny Agostino is staying in College next season, but he's looking like a good prospect.

Mark Cundari was very reminiscent of early Mark Giordano. As long as he doesn't fly to Russia for a couple of years, we've got a winner on our hands with him.

Reto Berra is at the top of Bob Hartley's list of goaltending prospects, and according to reports, has been watched all season by Flames management before acquiring him.

What did we lose? Iginla, who probably would have walked in the summer anyways. Jay Bouwmeester, who despite his talents, was really only eating up minutes during his tenure with the club. The emergence of TJ Brodie as a similar type player made him and his salary expendable. Very similar to the Giordano/Phaneuf situation from a couple years ago. THAT was a trade that didn't work out for us. And Blake Comeau, who despite playing well, is an easily replaceable third line guy.

Given the situation, I'd give Feaster a passing grade on the season. The real test though, is to see what changes get made in the off-season. If he succumbs to the pressure and mortgages our future for a shot at the post-season (as do all Flames GM's, as per ownership), then I and many other fans will be upset. If he sticks to his guns though, and gives the young guys the time to develop, and if he can make additions to the roster based on the needs that we have, without giving away our future, then times in Calgary will turn around quickly.

Everyone thinks that you need to contend or rebuild, be great or terrible, but there is a middle ground. We can develop our youngsters and still push for the post-season. If the post-deadline Flames proved anything, it's that we have the tools to ice a competitive team. A couple key additions can push us into contending for the playoffs next year without being stupid about it.

What it comes down to though, is how much pressure ownership is putting on Jay Feaster, and whether or not he can shoulder the load of it and stand by a young team.

[Plubby]

Given the situation, I'd give Feaster a passing grade on the season.

You have absolutely got to be fucking joking me. Were you on holiday on the moon during the Ryan O'Reilly saga?

[Toe]

Given the situation, I'd give Feaster a passing grade on the season.

You have absolutely got to be fucking joking me. Were you on holiday on the moon during the Ryan O'Reilly saga?

That was baaaaaaaad. Feaster is so lucky Colorado matched the offer sheet.

[caucasianheat]

The fates have epicly trolled a random few...

[Pizza]

Dude, he just said 30 year old Matt Stajan has the potential to one day be a number 1 center. Not to mention his "Couturier, Simmonds and a pick for Jaybo!" thing. Gabe is silly.

[Ruki]

The fates have epicly trolled a random few...

.....you gave me Boston.

You sick fuck.

[TGWL]

Dude, he just said 30 year old Matt Stajan has the potential to one day be a number 1 center. Not to mention his "Couturier, Simmonds and a pick for Jaybo!" thing. Gabe is silly.

In all fairness, JayBo is doing great for the Blues. But yeah, there's no way he's worth that.

LA? I guess they could do deep.

[Gabriel]

Dude, he just said 30 year old Matt Stajan has the potential to one day be a number 1 center. Not to mention his "Couturier, Simmonds and a pick for Jaybo!" thing. Gabe is silly.

I said that Stajan's ceiling was there, but that his inconsistencies and issues over the years have had him in a position where he maybe didn't even deserve to be on an NHL squad. I also said that he seems to be settling into a good spot with the Flames now, which has him as a low 2nd line center, good 3rd centerman to have, and he's defensively very responsible.

I also said that those deals I was proposing were what Feaster should have been going after, Not once did I say "THIS IS WHAT WILL HAPPEN". I said that Feaster should take advantage of a team that was going to have to shed salary before next season, and gave an example of what he should have been hunting for. It's like nobody reads anymore, sees a few things in a post and assumes they understand the whole thing.

On the O'Reilly front, that was most definitely a debacle. I'm still not happy about it, and it's something we narrowly avoided. That being said, Jay Feaster wasn't the only GM in the league who wasn't aware of the new rule, and the Flames weren't the only management team in the league that wasn't aware either. Again, that was ownership telling him to do something, which he did, and is now bearing the full brunt of the blame for.

The problem in Calgary lies with the owners. The only thing that's going to save the team in the long term is if they shift their philosophy of having to contend every single year, because as the Flames have shown, forcing that contendership does nothing but hold a team back and force stupid decisions.

[Hewey]

Glad to get the Red Wings, they're always my team in the West, so hopefully they don't go out in the first. BTW, how do you pick the teams Cauc? Just randomly, or is there any particular way?

Also, no news on Crosby's status for game 1, but seriously, if Pittsburgh needs Crosby to beat the Islanders, then we're in deep trouble. I see this going to five, tops. Going to watch the Ducks/Wings game tonight, and maybe Chiacago/Wild, but the series I'm really looking forward to other than the Pittsburgh one is Washington/New York, I got New York winning it, but it's the one I'm least sure on.

[SeanDMan]

*waves flag dejectedly*

[Cactus Drags]

Ooh, and I own a Rangers jersey as well. Nice one.

[Gabriel]

The Blues looked fantastic in the first period against the defending Champs.

Bad news for Minnesota, as Backstrom had to leave during the warm-up. Josh Harding is a good goalie, but he's barely played this year due to his MS issues, and I'm not sure if the Wild will be able to do much without Backstrom.

EDIT: The Kings got away with three very blatant non-calls in the first period, otherwise it may have been 2 or 3 to nothing heading into the second. Two tripping calls where the LA player's stick was stuck in the skate of the St. Louis player, and a holding call right in front of the official, behind the Los Angeles net.

This is going to be an interesting series.

[munky]

The fates have epicly trolled a random few...

Sweet, I got my Habs.

[Plubby]

Oh, we can't have that. Redraw - swap him with Ruki. MAXIMUM TROLL VALUE! Habs fan gets Bruins, Leafs fan gets Habs.

[Ruki]

You are tge worst!

[TGWL]

Well, hawks/Wild are going to kill my nhl playoff predictions is just about every category.

LA just tied it.

My OT predictions are going to be extremely low if this is any indication on how the series are going to go.