Calgary Puck

Last week I published a story looking at Manny Perry’s WAR model, the Flames recent blockbuster with Carolina and the potential signing of Derek Ryan.

It was an interesting exercise to bring an subjectively weighted model into the analysis in an objective player to player standpoint. The basic summary was the Flames took a step forward in the Carolina transaction at least when it came to current NHLers (Adam Fox issue to be debated), and that adding Derek Ryan would further bolster the lineup.

Now with the Ryan signing official, we look again at said model, the new Flames roster with the surprising add of James Neal, and how the WAR model correlates with the standings from last year.

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Social media can be a cavernous and spooky place, chalk filled with great hockey minds, fringe opinions and a lot of extremes. Often these extremes can manifest around the same topic, with fans changing sides in minutes based on a fringe statistic or analysis.

When Bill Peters was on Calgary radio earlier this week he was asked about Derek Ryan, to which he admitted they’d like to bring him to Calgary. The comments set off a backlash from many about bringing his own people in. How many terrible Hurricane players do you need in Calgary? Not another fourth line player in his 30s. What are the Flames doing?

Derek Ryan is the current lightning rod, and acts as a pretty interesting study into statistics and how they could be or are being used to weed out signing and trade targets in the National Hockey League.

Who is Derek Ryan?

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The Flames need to score more goals.

That statement won’t come as a shock to anyone.

When Bob McKenzie sat Brad Treliving and the other GMs down in Penticton before last season, one of his standard questions going in the campaign was what kept each manager up at night.

Treliving didn’t pause a moment before suggesting goal scoring was his biggest fear. Where would they come from? Would they score enough?

He was right. They didn’t score enough, and when they did it was concentrated on too few players. Injuries finally crumbled the foundation sending the team from a playoff club in late February to a meek squad playing out the squad until the end.

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What a night for Mark Jankowski!

From a late camp cut to an early season call up, the lankly center has had a productive but quiet first NHL season, one that ultimately ended disappointingly with the Flames missing the playoffs.

Tonight he filled the net however, treating the playoff bound Vegas Knights to a 7-1 beat down with a four goal burst to close out the season.

One of the most key off season assessments done by the Flames will be their projection of Jankowski and how they see his impact next season.

Key top nine guy is a building piece. Periphery player is a different model altogether.

Such an off season.

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Glen Gulutzan was quite unimpressed with the effort the Flames put in on home ice in their most recent game, a 4-1 home loss to the Arizona Coyotes. He muttered that they worked hard to score, but didn’t work hard enough in playing defense on the night.

Tonight the depleted team moved to within one step of putting a bullet in the season, playing their final road game of the campaign, a 2-1 loss that featured a club that has trouble scoring, can’t find a powerplay goal, and can prove any shot clock meaningless.

The club plays their final game of the season on Saturday night, a home date against the Vegas Golden Knights.
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