Coughing Up The Puck!

Taking a look at the "D"

It's no secret that the Flames defense needs some serious work.
There's no sign of the incredible defense that took us to the
Stanley cup finals when Sutter was GM. The Defense that could
Hang onto a one goal lead with seeming ease at times.
Instead...we're giving up leads, and sometimes BIG leads after
Being up 3 or 4 goals on the opposing team.
Allot of difficulty clearing the puck out of our end, giving up
Great scoring chances, and far too many shots on goal.
It's no wonder Kippers averages for the year are way down in
Comparison to the last few seasons.
Even a great goalie will look bad in front of a constantly
Shoddy defense.
Personally, I am in HUGE favor of some defensive trades at or by
The trade deadline, and truthfully..would be rather upset if there
Were none.

Adrian Aucoin
7 goals, 15 assists, 22 pts and a +9.
Offensively Adrian's been a good acquisition for the team.
Even defensively I think he's done a decent job.
I don't often see *glaring* mistakes from him that cost
Us goals.

Robin Regehr
4 goals, 8 assists, 12 pts, and a +9.
Robin is a defensive defenseman, and is never really going
To add allot of offense to the team. However as a defenseman
He's one of the Elite, he does his job and then some.
He's had a few tough games this season, then again..so has
Every player in the league, overall..he's got far more good
Days on the ice than bad ones, great at throwing his weight
Around, doesn't take bad penalties, and is reliable game in
and game out.

Dion Phaneuf
6 goals, 23 assists, 29 pts and a +1.
I have to admit..I've got mixed feelings on this...
He started out the season on a great foot, skating, scoring,
Making great plays etc. It's crossed my mind if he wouldn't be
A better power forward than a defenseman at times.
Too many times in the defensive zone he's just not skating, and
He has made his share of glaring mistakes while covering in the
D zone.
I've always said about Phaneuf, he's either REALLY good or really
Bad. When he comes to play..he's great, he'll do everything.
But on an off night..you'll really notice what he's NOT doing.
Seeing as how his contract is coming due..if he truly wants
To remain a flame, he'll play like he's worth the huge $$$ Increase
He's going after.(then he'll take a home team cut like Iggy, Kipper
And Regehr)
It's rumored he's turned down a 6 mill/yr contract.
And with how the season has progressed for him, though I'm sure
Many teams would give him that and more gladly, if I were Sutter
I wouldn't give him more than 3.
Yes, I'm being critical..because I know what he *can* do every night,
But he hasn't brought that kind of play every night.


Anders Eriksson:
1 goal, 10 assists, 11 points and a -5.
hmmm, I can't say I'm thrilled about him, he's made some great
Plays, but more times than not..he's either unnoticeable,
Or noticeable in a not good way.

Corey Sarich
2 goals, 2 assists, 4 points and a +2
Again..a defensive defenseman, never really gonna put out allot
Offensively, on average I'd say he's done his job, sure he's
Made a couple of glaring mistakes..but again, everyone has.
I'd say he's more dependable than not on any given night.

Rhett Warrener
0 goals, 3 assists, 3 pts and a +4
Rhett has been out with injury for a while, so I can't asses his play
Of late really, but...with Rhett..he's never gonna be an Elite
Player, he is going to come, and do his job night after night.
He'll give what he's capable of giving, and plays with heart.

David Hale
0 goals, 1 assist, 1 points and +3
More nights than not I wanna smack him upside the head for something
Stupid, and more nights than not..it's more than one stupid mistake.
Replace him with a young guy from Quad city please.


At the moment...I'd say our top Dman is Regehr as far as current play
Not NHL status goes.
And we do have a couple of really good defenseman besides Regehr, but most
I'd say are average, or a little below at this point in the season.
Regehr, Aucoin and Corey get my vote for most consistent play.
I know Phaneuffan is going to disagree with me on Phaneuf lol, but
Inconsistency is a big thing with him. I don't consider him an
Elite player yet..he needs to be much better in the D zone for that.
He's young..and got time, and likely IN time will be one, but not yet.
Yes..he's the biggest hitter in the NHL, but that will only get you
So far.
I just want him to be as good as I know he can be every night.

I guess too, With Iginla having a great season, the Offensive
Power we do have, and Kippers play much better now than at
The beginning of the season, I truly believe we could have
A serious shot at the cup...but ONLY..ONLY with much better
D zone coverage, so it's extremely frustrating to watch at
Times.
Yes, there are offensive players at fault too, who screw up
More often than not in our own zone, but this was a specific
Look at the Defenseman.

This in the middle of a great run for the Flames...who are
12-1-4 since Dec 1st.
It's simple, the offense isn't always going to be able to score
Us out of trouble, there are times the Defense is going to
Have to hang onto a 1 goal lead, or times Kipper is going to
Have to steal a game. That's just how it works.

Anyway.. Just my thoughts, my opinions on it all lol.