Turning up the heat - NHL 15 BE A GM

[Dynasty]

Hey all, been a long time since I've been around, I started writing a Dynasty again on another web site so the nostalgia in me decided it would be cool to share it here as well.

I am about 20 games in at the writing of this post and I will be transferring the data here over the next couple days.

As always all questions and comments are wanted and appreciated.

More to follow soon.

[Dynasty]

Re: Turning up the heat - NHL 15 BE A GM

Anyways here is a look at my set up. (this will be adjusted as needed, a change log date will appear at the bottom of this post when i make changes)

Difficulty: Superstar
Game style: Custom
Icing: Hybrid
Injuries: on
Penalties: 4 (max)
Penalty time scaling: 4
Period length: 8 minutes
Trade difficulty: hard

General
Attribute effects: 6
Broken stick frequency: 2
Game speed: 3
Gameplay version: lastest

Fatigue effect:
CPU: 6
Human: 6

Fatigue recovery:
CPU: 0
Human: 0

Injury occurrence:
CPU: 2
Human: 2

Player acceleration:
CPU: 3
Human: 3

Puck control:
CPU: 0
Human: 0

AI
AI learning: 6
BAP strategy adjustment: 0
CPU difficulty adjustment: 3
CPU faceoff difficulty: 3
CPU penalties: 6
CPU strategy adjustment: 6 (was 5)
CPU teammate penalties: 6
Fight difficulty: 3
User strategy adjustment: 0

Passing
Manual passing: on
Pass assist: 2
Pass speed: 3
Saucer pass speed: 3

Pass accuracy:
CPU: 0
Human: 1

Pass interceptions:
CPU: 0
Human: 1

Pass reception ease:
CPU: 0
Human: 1

Shooting:
One timer accuracy:
CPU: 0
Human: 1

Shot accuracy:
CPU: 1 (was 0)
Human: 2 (was 1)

Shot power:
CPU: 2
Human:3

Slap shot accuracy:
CPU: 1
Human: 2

Slap shot power:
CPU: 1
Human: 3

Checking:
Hitting assistance: 1

Aggression:
CPU: 6
Human: 6

Hitting power:
CPU: 2
Human: 2

Poke effectiveness:
CPU: 0
Human: 0

Stick lift effectiveness:
CPU: 0
Human: 0

Goalies:
Goalie cover frequency: 6
Goalie passing: 0

Goalie reaction speed:
CPU: 5 (was 4)
Human: 6

Goalie screen effect:
CPU: 6
Human: 6

Change log:
updated Thursday January 1

[Dynasty]

Re: Turning up the heat - NHL 15 BE A GM

Hello and welcome hockey fans, opening day for the 2014/2015 NHL regular season is only one sleep away and today we are taking a brief look at the Calgary Flames.

The good: The Flames have acquired some solid young talent, with a very strong showing in the pre season (the Flames went 4-2-0 and outscored opponents 12-4) players like Sean Monahan (2013 6th overall), Sam Bennett (2014 4th overall) and Johnny Gudreau (2011 104th overall) have made an early impact and impression on coaching staff and upper management, enough in fact that the Calgary's opening night roster is filled to the brim with young forwards hoping to prove their worth in the regular season, so many that veterans Curtis Glencross and Matt Stajan will be sitting in the press box for opening night against the Vancouver Canucks.

When asked for comment about how long players like Bennett may linger at the NHL level for, head coach Bob Hartley only offered a simple reply "as long as it benefits (his) development and (he) is having a positive impact)


The bad: No one expects Calgary (even after a brilliant pre season) to win the Stanley cup, or even challenge for the playoffs. It's clear that this is a rebuilding team and the decision is being embraced by the local fan base. The ride should be bumpy and most likely filled with many peaks and valleys but there are also many things that will be monitored and watched carefully by the staff here in Calgary.

They don't want a long 82 game season to hamper the development of their young core players, guys like Monahan, Bennet, Gudreau, Granlund, Reinhart, Beartschi and Bouma. Even though some of these guys have already seen NHL action for various lengths it is still very important to make sure that the lessons of this potentially long and painful season are positive to each players growth and each step froward is taken in a positive light regardless of the standings or score board. it is quite possible that the Calgary roster changes completely by next week if the signs are not good or its looking like the young guns are being overwhelmed by the situation.


The ugly: There are rumours of some bad blood stirring between C Mikeal Backlund who had 39 points last season and as most thought, took a step forward in his NHL career. Backlund has been a healthy scratch the past four games, registering a -4 rating, 1 shot, 0 points, 6 face-off wins in both games (both losses Calgary suffered during pre season play) that Backlund looked disinterested in participating.

There has also been rumblings of a dispute between Matt Stajan and head coach Bob Hartley, though this doesn't appear to be the reason Stajan has been scratched for opening night (he was honestly out performed as a result of a strong showing by C Markus Granlund and C Max Reinhart)


Projected starting lines:

These were the lines at Flames practice this morning

Johhny Gudreau - Sean Monahan - Jiri Hudler
Mason Raymond - Sam Bennett - Devin Setoguchi
Sven Baertschi - Markus Granlund - David Jones
Lance Bouma - Max Reinhart - Joe Colborne

Mark Giordano - T.J Brodie
Ladislav Smid - Dennis Wideman
Kris Russell - Tyler Wotherspoon

Jonas Hiller
Karri Ramo

Its hard to say how this will shake out against the reformed Vancouver Canucks, there is a mix of skill, speed and youth here, particularly in the forward group but will they be able to handle the rigours of an NHL season?

Only puck drop will tell.

[Dynasty]

Re: Turning up the heat - NHL 15 BE A GM

Opening night VS the Vancouver Canucks, emotions are high, blood is pumping, the fans are yelling and screaming. It's hard to top these moments as a player. Opening night holds a special place for many that have come and gone and we expect Calgary to be ready to go and get this season on its way.

It looks like Bob Hartley will keep his lines as they were at practice and youth will rule this night in nearly every forward position this evening here at the saddledome. In a pre game interview earlier today Sam Bennett couldn't contain his grin when asked about skating in between Mason Raymond and Devin Setoguchi during his first NHL game and mentioned that pre game nap was out of the question.

It will take time for those nerves to fade and only game time experience will teach these young players how to deal with it.

Lets have a look at the game results.

Vancouver Canucks at Calgary Flames
Jan 1, 1 2 3 F VAN () 1 1 1 3 CGY () 1 0 0 1 Three Stars H. Sedin 2 goals J. Hansen 1 goal R. Miller 1.00 GAA 19 saves .950 SV%	Team Stats Comparison VAN CGY Shots on Goal 18 20 Hits 11 12 Faceoffs Won-Lost 10 15 Penalty Minutes 19:00 19:00 Power Plays Converted 1 0 Power Play Opportunities 3 1 Time on Attack 6:27 6:44
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD CGY 01:34 S. Monahan (1) (J. Gaudreau) VAN 04:12 J. Hansen (1) (A. Burrows, S. Matthias) SECOND PERIOD VAN 18:27 H. Sedin (1) (D. Sedin, R. Vrbata) THIRD PERIOD VAN 04:32 H. Sedin (2) (R. Vrbata, A. Edler)
Vancouver Canucks - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA R. Miller 20 19 95% .950
Vancouver Canucks - Skaters SKATERS TOI G A +/- SOG PIM R. Vrbata 17:48 0 2 0 1 0 H. Sedin 19:54 2 0 0 5 0 A. Burrows 16:10 0 1 1 0 0 D. Sedin 16:38 0 1 0 2 0 S. Matthias 10:36 0 1 1 0 0 J. Hansen 10:25 1 0 1 1 0 A. Edler 20:01 0 1 1 0 2:00
Calgary Flames - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA J. Hiller 18 15 83% .833
Calgary Flames - Skaters SKATERS TOI G A +/- SOG PIM S. Monahan 15:09 1 0 1 2 0 J. Gaudreau 16:39 0 1 1 3 0

Post game with Sean Monahan:

"I think we deserved a better fate tonight really, you know regardless of the outcome there are lessons and things to learn from and video to watch and all of those things but I honestly thought we all played a sharp game tonight and we deserved more than we got but thats how this game flows sometimes and now we look forward."

Honestly Sean has got it right for the most part, the Flames definitely came out hot under the collar and ready to play, it was Monahan who slammed an amazing backhander into the top corner to beat Miller for the first and only time this evening, it was the conclusion to excellent work put up by Johnny Gaudreau who maintained possession of the puck in the end boards from Kevin Bieksa, who then spotted Monahan calling for the puck out front, a simple looking but perfectly placed back handed pass slid out to a wide open Monahan who went left to right on a sliding Miller, roofing the puck to end the play.

The Canucks took it in stride and returned the favour only minutes later but the Flames were all over them in the first, including two fights that broke out one started by Joe Colborne and the other by Lance Bouma. It was a split decision with each team winning one fight each.

The second period seen a lot of north south hockey but not a lot of quality scoring chances, even the goal scored by Vancouver was a power play effort after a David Jones slashing call.

The third period was easily the best period the Flames have had this season (lol) but seriously, they fired shot after shot at Miller, possessed the puck with determination and pushed the Canucks back on their heels including more of the same even after Vancouver got a lucky one past Hiller, with the shot bouncing off a leg in front, slamming to a near stop off the right post then trickling ever so slowly over the goal line.

Don't get me wrong Flames fans, a loss is a loss but this one you can hold your heads high on.

[Dynasty]

Re: Turning up the heat - NHL 15 BE A GM

Reporting here from Bridgestone arena where the Flames are taking on the Nashville Predators, following the stamp that has been Nashville for many years everyone expected a low scoring tightly defended game, imagine our surprise when the final horn blew and the Flames came out on top by a margin of 6-3.

Two hat tricks were scored in this wild affair, and the Flames as a team played extremely well. Coach Bob Hartley joked after the game that he wished some of those goals could be spread over two or three games but it was nice to see some bounces finally go his young squads way.

Calgary Flames at Nashville Predators
Jan 1, 1 2 3 F CGY () 3 1 2 6 NSH () 1 1 1 3 Three Stars J. Neal 3 goals M. Raymond 3 goals S. Bennett 1 goal 2 assists	Team Stats Comparison CGY NSH Shots on Goal 25 17 Hits 8 18 Faceoffs Won-Lost 14 17 Penalty Minutes 0 12:00 Power Plays Converted 2 0 Power Play Opportunities 4 0 Time on Attack 8:24 5:57
Scoring Summary FIRST PERIOD NSH 01:10 J. Neal (1) (M. Fisher, F. Forsberg) CGY 02:19 M. Raymond (1) (S. Bennett, L. Smid) CGY 10:54 D. Setoguchi (1) (S. Bennett) CGY 19:02 M. Raymond (2) (J. Colborne, K. Russell) SECOND PERIOD NSH 00:31 J. Neal (2) (Unassisted) CGY 14:55 S. Benett (2) (D. Jones, T. Brodie) THIRD PERIOD CGY 02:30 M. Raymond (3) (D.Setoguchi, D.Wideman) CGY 03:41 J. Gudreau (2) (S. Monahan, T. Brodie) NSH 15:14 J. Neal (3) (A. Volchenkov, S. Jones)
Calgary Flames - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA J. Hiller 17 14 82% .823
Calgary Flames - Skaters SKATERS TOI G A +/- SOG PIM M. Raymond 14:53 3 0 4 3 0 S. Bennett 16:44 1 2 4 5 0 D. Setoguchi 15:01 1 1 2 3 0 T. Brodie 21:22 0 2 -1 1 0 L. Smid 19:06 0 1 1 0 0 J. Gaudreau 17:59 1 0 -2 4 0 K. Russell 20:56 0 1 2 0 0 D. Wideman 23:13 0 1 1 0 0 D. Jones 14:05 0 1 0 0 0 J. Colborne 12:54 0 1 1 2 0 S. Monahan 15:53 0 1 -2 1 0
Nashville Predators - Goalies GOALIES SHOTS SAVES SV % GAA P. Rinne 25 19 76% .760
Nashville Predators - Skaters SKATERS TOI G A +/- SOG PIM J. Neal 14:05 3 0 1 4 2:00 F. Forsberg 13:01 0 1 0 0 0 S. Jones 22:28 0 1 -1 0 0 M. Fisher 09:39 0 1 -1 2 10:00 A. Volchenkov 23:05 0 1 0 0 0

As you can see it wasn't the greatest night for either goalie here, so far Jonas Hiller has failed to impress, sporting a .829 SV% and 3.02 GAA in 2 games and Rinne has also struggled for Nashville with an .850 SV% and 4.01 GAA in three games so far this season.

Lucky for Hiller the young guys showed up to play tonight and put all six goals past a struggling Rinne.

Sam Bennett on his first multi point game of his NHL career:

"haha yeah, hard not to like that for sure. But its also an easy thing to do when your line mate slams homes three goals in a night, this was all about Mason honestly, it was a night where he had that extra step and wanted the puck every opportunity he could get, it was something special to be apart of honestly, he's just so fast and tonight he used it to his advantage.

Just nice to have things fall in our court, tonight was a good example of perserverence and that good things will come if we stick to the game plan"

Bennett showed why he was a high pick tonight VS the Preds, he had jam in his game, seemed to be in all the right places on both sides of the puck and put in a good night in the circle as well (57%).

So far the Flames sit an even .500 on the season (2-2) and there have been ups and downs as expected but in the end I think the future is bright right now, the kids are full of energy and excitement and it has been a joy to watch Calgary play, even when they do lose.

Hiller on his struggles:

"Im not too concerned about it right now, I've had trouble seeing the puck so far and I'm fighting it too hard, but it will come. I don't think there is one specific part of my game that needs to be worked on anymore than normal its more just sticking with the program and letting the puck come to me.

Of course its pretty nice getting six goals of support, no goalie is going to turn that down"

True to his above statement, Hiller has seemed a little bit behind the play and fighting the puck nearly every time its shot at him. So far he has split the games with Karri Ramo who has out performed Hiller, putting up a .929 SV% and a sparkling 1.48 GAA both goalies are 1-1 and the sample size is very small but if Hiller continues to struggle I would expect Bob Hartley to start leaning on Ramo more if his spectacular play continues.

up next the Flames have the Chicago Blackhawks in this second half of back to back Followed by games at Columbus and Winnipeg before settling in at home for a five game home stand VS Tampa Bay, Carolina, Washington, Montreal and Nashville.

[Dynasty]

Re: Turning up the heat - NHL 15 BE A GM

Line changes have immediate impact:

Bob Hartley wasn't impressed after five games with hudler's in game effort which seen him slide all the way down to the third line, switching spots with Sven Beartschi.

Karri Ramo got his turn in net and the Flames spent the night pushing the Blue Jackets about the ice in a decisive 2-0 shutout victory for the flames, in which Beartschi slid a pass to a trailing Sean Monahan who one timed a shot off Bobrovski's shoulder that ended up rolling on edge into the net.

Ramo on a shutout:

"It's funny how it goes sometimes, as a goalie you can be on top of your game, in position and get a piece of that puck but it still rolls in, or bounces and hits something and it goes in, you know.. thats hockey it's how it goes.

When you get a shutout, at least for me its always something of an appreciation of the effort as a whole. Did I make all the stops? yeah I did, but my defence boxed them out all night, tossed away rebounds I left in bad places, the forwards came back hard and gave me two goals to work with.

win as a team, lose as a team, that's how I've always seen it."

Some news to pass along as well, Matt Stajan, Mikeal Backlund and Curtis Glencross still have not got a sniff of game time action. Word has it Backlund refused to practice with the team and was sent back to Calgary this afternoon by the team, a day ahead of the rest of the squad, he was unavailable for comment but head coach Bob Heartly had the following to say about all three of the healthy scratches.

"They all know this is apart of the game, we endeavour to win here, just like every other team and the line up I have on the ice right now I feel gives us the best chance to do that, all three of these guys are pros and they have all been here before.

They will see the ice soon enough, but up to this point I have been happy with the effort on the ice by everyone dressed, regardless of that though everyone needs to see the ice to stay in the flow of the game.

Mikael went back early because he has not been feeling well and it's been escalating for the past two days so he was sent back for precautionary reasons and to keep everyone healthy"

rumour around the league is that multiple teams have been inquiring about the services of Matt Stajan, though there doesn't seem to be much traction on the Flames sides of things, the offers are there but the word is mum on the subject from the Flames.

Stajan is 31 years old with four years left on his current deal, with a cap hit around 3.1M per season the offers available for Stajan i doubt are in the blockbuster range but perhaps enough for a team in a rebuilding mindset, it may make sense.

[Braeden]

Re: Turning up the heat - NHL 15 BE A GM

Awesome, the Flames are a really interesting team to follow!

[Dynasty]

Re: Turning up the heat - NHL 15 BE A GM

Awesome, the Flames are a really interesting team to follow!

Thanks Braeden, its been pretty fun to play, even through all the losing lol

[Dynasty]

Re: Turning up the heat - NHL 15 BE A GM

Just some line changes to note for tonight's home game VS Carolina.

Curtis Glencross finally draws into the line up, which means David Jones will have a seat in the press box.

Glen cross will see action on the second line with Sam Bennett and Johnny Gaudreau. Gaudreau slips to the second line, switching spots with Mason Raymond who will move up to the top line to play with Sean Monahan and Sven Beartschi.

Devin Setoguchi goes to the third line and will see action along side Markus Granlund and Jiri Hudler.

Karri Ramo was the first goalie off the ice at this mornings skate which gives indication that he will see his second start in as many games.

Tonights forward lines:
Mason Raymond Sean Monahan Sven Beartschi
Johhny Gaudreau Sam Bennett Curtis Gelncross
Jiri Hudler Markus Granlund Devin Setoguchi
Lance Bouma Max Reinhart Joe Colborne

[Dynasty]

Re: Turning up the heat - NHL 15 BE A GM

Ten game update: About as expected

Well folks the 14/15 NHL season is ten games old now, and the Flames are trending as expected with a 3-7-0 record which leaves them in the basement in 22nd place overall.

Stats pack:

18 goals for - 1.8 Goals for per game
26 goals against - 2.6 goals against per game
3 power play goals - 19 total power plays - 15.79 PP%
1 short handed goal against
3 power play goals against - 12 times short handed - 75 PK%
1-3 at home
2-4 away

This is as expected I think, lots of youth and guys moving around my line up trying to find where they belong, I am happy with my power play honestly, I focus on umbrella and moving the puck for set ups and I like the flow of it so far, just haven't been able to beat goalies.

So far its hard to tell with my sliders if I need to up the shooting or its just my guys needing to develop more first, goals have been hard to come by.

Last ten games:

3-1 L VS Vancouver
1-0 L @ Edmonton
3-2 W @ St. Louis
6-3 W @ Nshville
5-0 L @ Chicago
4-2 L @ Columbus
3-2 L @ Winnipeg
1-0 L VS Tampabay
2-1 L VS Carolina
3-2 W VS Washington

The games have been up and down yet fairly consistent, the trend in the past ten games have been take early leads to fall apart in the second and scramble back into the game in the third yet fall short. We have done a fairly good job of keeping high profile players off the board, like Stammer and Ovi but our defence is having issues with positioning in front of the net and it burns me regularly. Not to mention Hiller has been swiss cheese.

Calgary Flames Stats - 14/15
Skaters	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	GW	PIM	SOG	SPCT
D. Setoguchi	10	4	3	7	1	0	4	21	19.05%
M. Raymond	10	4	2	6	4	1	4	20	20%
S. Bennett	10	2	3	5	4	0	0	22	9.09%
T. Brodie	10	1	4	5	3	0	2	7	14.29%
S. Monahan	10	2	3	5	0	0	0	14	14.29%
J. Hudler	10	2	2	4	0	0	0	20	10%
D. Wideman	10	0	3	3	-6	0	0	3	0%
J. Gaudrea	10	2	1	3	0	1	0	25	8%
M. Granlund	10	1	2	3	-5	0	2	10	10%
J. Colborne	10	0	2	2	-5	0	5	14	0%
D. Jones	8	0	2	2	-4	0	4	6	0%
T. Wotherspoon	10	0	1	1	-5	0	5	8	0%
L. Smid	10	0	1	1	-5	0	2	4	0%
K. Russell	10	0	1	1	-5	0	0	9	0%
M. Reinhart	10	0	1	1	-7	0	2	8	0%
M. Giordano	10	0	1	1	2	0	2	7	0%
Goalies	GP	W	L	T	GAA	TOI	SV	SV%	SHO
K. Ramo	5	1	4	0	1.78	301	91	.908	0
J. Hiller	5	2	3	0	3.41	298	82	.828	0

Team stat leaders:
Goals: Setoguchi/Raymond - 4
Assists: Brodie - 4
Points: Setoguchi - 7
PIMS: Bouma/Colborne/Wotherspoon - 5
+/-: Bennett/Ratmond - 4
PPG: Raymond/Setoguchi/Gaudreau - 1
GWG: Raymond/Gaudreau - 1
Shots: Gaudreau - 25
Shooting %: Raymond - 20%
Face off wins: Monahan - 46
Face offs taken: Monahan - 90
Face off %: Granlund - 59%
Hits: Smid - 15
Give aways: Giordano - 14
Take aways: Giordano - 4
Minutes: Wideman - 232

I honestly got to say though, Gaudreau has been snake bitten to a whole new level, he has rung so many off posts and crossbars that its just making me shake my head, he has been a very good player that looks bad statistically because he isn't getting the bounces.

NHL League Leaders - Updated: Oct 25, 2014
Goals		G	Assists		A
	1. T. Seguin	8		1. B. Marchand	11
	2. Z. Chara	7		2. M. Lucic	10
	3. S. Crosby	7		3. J. Thornton	9
	4. J. Benn	6		4. C. Stewart	9
	5. M. Cmmalleri	6		5. P. Kessel	9
Points		PTS	Plus/minus		+/-
	1. B. Marchand	14		1. P. Bergeron	10
	2. M. Lucic	13		2. B. Marchand	9
	3. P. Bergeron	13		3. E. Staal	9
	4. P. Kessel	11		4. M. Lucic	8
	5. Z. Chara	11		5. A. Semin	8
Wins		W	Goals against average		GAA
	1. C. Schneider	6		1. N. Backstrom	1.49
	2. C. Anderson	6		2. C. Ward	1.79
	3. B. Bishop	5		3. K. Ramo	1.78
	4. B. Elliott	5		4. B. Bishop	1.85
	5. J. Halak	5		5. C. Anderson	1.99
Save percentage		SV%	Shutouts		SO
	1. N. Backstrom	.957		1. C. Crawford	2
	2. C. Anderson	.942		2. C. Ward	2
	3. C. Ward	.938		3. C. Schneider	2
	4. B. Bishop	.934		4. B. Bishop	1
	5. B. Elliott	.931		5. N. Backstrom	1

Around the league:

Minnesota trades: LW Matt Cooke

To Tampabay for:
LW Henri Ikonen
D Dylan Blujus

There are also rumours around that the Edmonton Oilers, Columbus blue jackets and Toronto Maple Leafs (lol) have inquired about Matt Stajan, also the New Jersey devils are rumoured to be sniffing around asking about Mikeal Backlund.

[Dynasty]

Re: Turning up the heat - NHL 15 BE A GM

Calgary news and notes:

Calgary trades:
C Matt Stajan (TWF) 30 years old top 9 forward 83 overall 3.125M per season 4 years remaining on contract

To Ottawa for:
2015 2nd round pick (DAL)

Flames GM Brad Treliving on the trade:

"First off I want to thank Matt for his years of service here, he was a consummate teammate and well liked in our locker room.

The facts of it is that we are heading in a different direction and Matt was losing his spot to some younger guys that need to get NHL reps in, it's a tough thing to have to deal with and Bob was having a hard time finding Matt ice time, this move makes sense for Matt as Ottawa was at our door about a month ago asking about Matt and if we wanted to move him.

We wish Matt well in Ottawa"

Stajan on the move:
"Well hopefully they will find some ice time for me"

Analytics on the trade:

This is a pretty simple deal to make I think for the Flames, Stajan was eating cap space and providing little to nothing.

Looking at last year, which was his most productive in that past four seasons he put up 14 goals and 19 assists for 33 points with a -13 rating.

With the kids coming into the NHL and guys like Sam Bennett staying past the nine game mark, Stajan was fighting for a third or fourth line spot, looking at those players (granted they have been moving around) we see in the centre slot:

Markus Granlund 21 years old - 12GP - 1G -3A - 4PTS - -3 - .765M 2 years
Max Reinhart 22 years old - 12GP - 0G - 1A - 1PT - -9 - .620M 1 year

So an argument can be made both ways here. Granlund is roughly the same player as Stajan, just nine years younger and 2.6M cheaper so it makes sense there, Stajan could be used in that fourth hole bumping Reinhart to healthy scratch. The Flames aren't even close to the cap so money isn't an issue this year, and probably not for the next few but having that much more room doesn't hurt.

Stajans contract was the longest on the team payroll believe it or not.

Looking on the wings we find that only:

Jiri Hudler 30 years old - 12GP - 4G - 2A - 6PTS - +2 - 4M 2 years

Was inline to reach or exceed Stajan's last year performance and we could argue that Hudler isn't a bottom six forward, he's just spending time there while the roster figures itself out, so statistically there was room for Stajan to find the ice but perhaps it's time to pass that torch to the younger generation.

If injury strikes there are guys like David Jones and Mikeal Backlund waiting in the press box looking for their chance plus Paul Byron and Corban Knight in Adirondack that could fill a hole or two.

Not much risk on the Flames side, currently Dallas sits 3rd in the Central division and 13th in the NHL, so the Flames dropped some cap, and maybe a rising issue for a potential mid second rounder without removing a guy that was playing minutes for the club.

Not bad.

Other news:

I hate speaking on rumour alone but word out of sources close to the Flames management group is that the Calgary Flames Captain Mark Giordano has quietly let it be known he wouldn't turn down a trade if it were offered to him.

This could be a great boon in an asset sense for the club as Giordano just came off a terrific season where it was mainstream opinion that he was a top contender for the Norris trophy.

Giordano leads the Flames with 280 minutes played this season, 20 more than closest rival Dennis Wideman, the list of suitors could be long for a man of his talents.

Like i said earlier these are just rumours as it stands but it is believed that Giordano enjoys playing for the team and city and really does like it here, but Calgary is obviously a few years out of contending for the playoffs, never mind the cup. and at 31 Giordano isn't getting any younger.

As a side bar, Mikeal Backlund still hasn't seen any playtime so far this season, but with the bottom six in Galgary struggling it is possible he will make an appearance soon.

Bonus

Heres a clip from last night's shootout loss to the Nashville predators



Finally the sound of post won't haunt Johnny hockey

[Dynasty]

Re: Turning up the heat - NHL 15 BE A GM

Hello and welcome all for TSN I am hockey insider Bob McKenzie.

Let it never be said that the power of suggestion is a weak or incapable force. Since last weeks rumour of Mark Giordano suggesting that he wouldn't refuse a trade out of Calgary the hockey media community has been circling the Flames and its captain like vultures over a fresh carcass.

Speculation has run rampant as per usual, varying from Giordano wanting out of Calgary because of the rebuilding team will take too long to give him a shot at post season glory all the way to Giordano offering himself up to advance the rebuild along. Everything from one extreme to the other has been put forth and evaluated by the media.

Giordano and the Calgary Flames have refused to comment on the situation, other than typical standoff answers along the lines of hockey being a business and whatever happens does, to the media will (and has) drummed up any story it feels will draw attention.

The fact of the matter is, regardless if Giordano wants out, or wants to remain he adds value to this organization. If he remains he will continue to add high value to their Defense as he is now (and has in the past) the leadership role that he fits very well into will only benefit those younger players around him and he is capable of leading on and off the ice, via voice or by example.

Is he the consummate captain? Perhaps not, is he a good captain? Yes do they have better? I'd venture to say no, not right now. So his benefit to the club if he remains is a tangible thing, and one we can see plainly before us.

So what if he were to be traded?

Right now Calgary is in a good position and GM Brad Treliving would be dealing from a position of relative strength if this situation remains the same. As it stands he has a high value asset who logs a team high 22-26 minutes a night who is a top pairing two way Defensemen capable in all zones, a capable leader that fits well in a locker room, with some term on his contract (two years) and a manageable cap hit of under 5.3M per season.

In addition to this Treliving doesn't have move Giordano at all, if rumour holds true Giordano doesn't want to move per se, he has offered the idea of a trade if it was deemed beneficial by the powers that be. So if the market isn't receptive or the return isn't as desired then it can be as simple as no thank you, we decided he is more valuable in the organization that he is out of it.

But it is also possible that this goes the way of the Luongo vs Scneider fiasco and the pressure alone results in perhaps an undesired move, or your position of perceived strength is widdled down to one of applied weakness.

So, with all that in mind, what is a player of his calibre worth on open market? Perhaps more than what will be offered but I would think that a first round pick is the base of any deal here, perhaps bundled with a prospect or two, or three may get it done but who fills the number one hole in the Defense? There isn't a lot of up coming defensive talent pushing at the door in Calgary, so do you patch and fill with what's available or does a roster player in return get added to this package?

Currently the Flames sit in 24th position which leaves them in top ten range, so losing a guy like Giordano who eats 22-26 tough minutes a night won't (or definitely shouldn't) provide a statistical boost, one would guess the Flames would sink a little lower without Giordano, which may also impact the weight and value of this trade, thus gaining Calgary a potentially higher pick, Connor McDavid high? That remains to be seen, and honestly could happen regardless of Giordano's presence on the ice.

Regardless of the hype, the media or perhaps even fan expectation I think it's safe to say that Flames GM Brad Treliving won't trade his captain just for the sake of making a deal, it has to have tangible returns that make sense for the long term benefit of this franchise if he's traded, or the short term returns of Giordano's presence and guidance.

For all things Calgary Flames keep your eyes here, for TSN I am hockey insider Bob McKenzie.

Thanks for reading.

[Dynasty]

Re: Turning up the heat - NHL 15 BE A GM

Twenty game update:


Reinheart comes off the bench and finds himself all alone

Through twenty games the Flames are 7-10-3 sitting sixth in the Pacific Devision and tied for 23rd overall with Dallas, Toronto and Detroit with 17 points.

Bob Hartley on the Flames play so far:
"At this point I am happy with some of the steps our guys have taken forward, there are still many things to learn for many of our players but the improvement is there, our numbers are trending in this right direction and the guys are starting to feel more comfortable and are starting to believe in one another.

So much of this game is confidence and that's coming for our guys here, they believe in one another and are coming together as a team"

Line up notes:
C Mikeal Backlund finds himself in the press box again after seeing four games of action. Backlund had no points two PIMS a minus one rating and 42 face-off percentage, once again he looked disinterested in playing the game.

C Bill Arnold (TWF 22 years old high top 6 forward potential 74 overall) was called up from Adirondack and slid into the line up between Max Reinhart and Sven Beartschi on the fourth line. In four games Arnold has surpassed Backlund by putting up 1 goal 1 assist with a +2 rating an 48 face off percentage.


Monahan with an easy backhand after a tip on the power play

Monahan on the goal
"Yeah I watched the replay on that and this was made possible by Johnny, even after he lost the puck there on the left side he never gave up and poked it back and slid a nice little pass to a moving Brodie, I got a tip on it then when I turned around to see where it went it was sitting right there"

Stat pack:
48 goals for
2.4 goals for per game
53 goals against
2.65 goals against per game
5 power play goals
42 total power plays
11.9 power play percentage
1 short handed goal against
7 power play goals against
35 times short handed
80 penalty kill percentage
1 short handed goal for

Last ten games:
3-1 W VS MTL
4-3 SOL VS NSH
3-2 SOL @ MTL
3-1 L @ WSH
3-1 L @ TB
4-3 W @ FLA
6-3 W @ CAR
4-2 W @ ARZ
5-4 L VS OTT
3-2 SOL VS ANA

Calgary Flames Stats - 2014
Skaters	GP	G	A	PTS	+/-	GW	PIM	SOG	SPCT
D. Setoguchi	20	7	7	14	8	0	8	42	16.6%
S. Monahan	20	6	8	14	3	0	2	33	18.8%
S. Bennett	20	6	5	11	5	0	4	43	13.9%
M. Raymond	20	8	3	11	7	1	4	49	16.3%
M. Reinhart	20	5	4	9	-3	0	4	18	27.7%
T. Brodie	20	1	7	8	2	0	6	11	9.9%
J. Gaudreau	20	4	4	8	-3	1	4	55	7.2%
D. Wideman	20	0	6	6	-5	0	10	9	0%
J. Hudler	20	4	2	6	1	1	4	41	9.7%
L. Smid	20	0	5	5	-7	0	2	10	0%
J. Colborne	20	1	4	5	-4	0	7	30	3.3%
M. Giordano	20	0	5	5	1	0	14	14	0%
M. Granlund	20	2	3	5	-3	0	2	26	7.6%
S. Beartschi	20	3	1	4	-5	1	9	19	15.7%
K. Russell	20	0	3	3	3	0	0	16	0%
C. Glencross	12	0	3	3	-1	0	2	18	0%
T. Wotherspoon	20	0	2	2	0	0	5	15	0%
D. Jones	8	0	2	2	-4	0	4	6	0%
B. Arnold	4	1	1	2	2	0	0	3	33.3%
Goalies	GP	W	L	T	GAA	TOI	SV	SV%	SHO
K. Ramo	10	3	6	0	2.38	606	225	.900	0
J. Hiller	10	4	4	0	2.85	607	191	.868	0

Johnny's luck continues but in his defense he needs to mature as well and his effectiveness should increase. even though statistically he doesn't have the hardest shot on my team, when he shoots it seems like its a very heavy shot, can't wait for him to develop.

Im going to be shuffling my bottom six again to some degree. Max Reinhart has thrived on the wing, putting up a lot of points since I moved him over and scoring some pretty nice goals, not just garbage.

Bill Arnold has been good since his call up and easily replaced Backlund, a couple guys I'm not happy with would be Joe Colborne, he's big and slow and not very useful thus far, Ty Wotherspoon has looked lost and may see some press box time shortly. Curtis Glencross has been decent, as I find him contributing to the game as a whole, just not on a score sheet. I think I just need to find the right place for him.

Sven Beartschi is falling out of my good graces, though he has sniped a couple very nice goals the past couple games, he doesn't seem to compete well, He is a smaller guy at 5'11" so I realize he can only do so much but Johnny Gaudreau is even smaller and seems to have more fire in him than Beartschi, Ive moved Sven up and down the line up including power play time but he isn't finding a home yet.

Hudler has been a drag, i'll try shuffling him around again but I dunno about him, not liking what I am seeing.


Beartschi finally does something worthwhile

NHL League Leaders - Updated: Jan 1,
Goals		G	Assists		A
	1. T. Seguin	15		1. B. Marchand	20
	2. J. Skinner	13		2. P. Kane	18
	3. Z. Chara	13		3. J. Thornton	16
	4. M. Hossa	12		4. D. Doughty	15
	5. P. Sharp	11		5. S. Stamkos	15
Points		PTS	Plus/minus		+/-
	1. J. Skinner	27		1. J. Skinner	18
	2. B. Marchand	25		2. J. Williams	15
	3. P. Kane	25		3. E. Staal	15
	4. M. Hossa	25		4. N. Hjalmarsson	14
	5. A. Semin	25		5. S. Voynov	13
Wins		W	Goals against average		GAA
	1. J. Quick	12		1. J. Quick	1.87
	2. C. Anderson	12		2. C. Ward	1.87
	3. C. Price	11		3. B. Bishop	1.91
	4. J. Halak	11		4. C. Crawford	2.13
	5. H. Lundqvist	9		5. C. Schneider	2.27
Save percentage		SV%	shutouts		SO
	1. J. Quick	.971		1. H. Lundqvist	3
	2. C. Ward	.935		2. C. Ward	3
	3. B. Bishop	.933		3. C. Schneider	3
	4. C. Schneider	.921		4. C. Crawford	3
	5. J. Bernier	.921		5. M. Smith	2

Monahan on a solo rush, nice effort and shot

[Dynasty]

Re: Turning up the heat - NHL 15 BE A GM

Okay guys, your all caught up. I know it's a lot of reading for one day but enjoy.

[Braeden]

Re: Turning up the heat - NHL 15 BE A GM

That's not a bad record at all. 7-10-3 is respectable.

Hopefully Johnny Hockey can net some goals for you!

(Also, I'd play grinders/TWF on the 4th line, having guys like Baerstchi there could hurt his development )