Keep in Touch

Originally blogged on Flamesjambalaya

The Flames are sure taking their time with the coaching, aren't they? Mike Yeo, Travis Green, Randy Carlyle, and Glen Gulutzand are all getting second interviews. Also, Kirk Muller has been rumoured to be in the running. According to Elliot Friedman of HNIC, Muller has told the Blues he won't be returning. I am still hoping the Flames are waiting for the Boogie man (Bob Boughner.)

As far as we know, the Flames are going with a new goalie. The new name in the game being Elliot out of St Louis. I still like Michal Neuvirth; my contact still likes Bishop. I am worried about the cost. 

The Defense still might be hard to fix. The Flames really have to get it done when it comes to Jakub Nakladal. You have to think he has earned a contract, In fact, I would go as far as to say he has earned a one-way contract. I dare not miss the steal the Flames got out of Jyrki Jokipakka. He was outstanding. Which leads me to wonder if we can find a new home for Dennis Wideman.

My next blog will be the Draft blog! I can't wait. If there are any updates, I will pop in for that.

Leafs Talk

Everyone knows how good the Leafs could be with prospects Nylander, Matthews, and Marner leading the way. Now the question is, who do keep to lead the young guns?

Do we continue to rebuild and deal JVR or Bozak? We gave Kadri a new contract; is he our new number two Centre now? Does that make Bozak expendable?

The problem with Bozak is what kind of value can we get for him. He has plenty of skill; I am just not sure teams will be willing to pay 4.2 million dollars for a third-line Centre. I know how most people respond. But they would pay that for a second-line Centre. Can the Leafs sell him as a second-line Centre when he can't be a second Centre on one of the worst teams?

The next question I have is what do we do with Leo Komarov? Was he a one-year wonder? Or can he back that up next season? I would keep him if I knew he could keep it up. But I have my doubts. Can his value be any higher than it is now?

Obviously, there is no doubt we have to keep JVR. That is a no brainer. Having him with Matthews will be a great first line combo for years to come.

Question for the fans:

I will close out this blog by asking: Would you spend the money on Kyle Okposo? On the last blog, I told everyone not to sign Stamkos.  But everyone knows the Leafs will throw the bank at him. But let me ask the fans: Do we spend the cash to get Okposo?

Reviews of Two More Books by P.D. Workman

By-Pass, Breaking the Pattern #3

When you have been in foster homes your whole short life, you become, well, kind of guarded. Then you come to a new home that looks like a garden of Eden with a perfect family. You finally begin to think your life is turning around. Has Bobby finally hit the jackpot? Or are looks deceiving?

Bobby is placed in a new home again and forced to meet new friends. At least he has a wonderful mother in Katya and little sister who adores him in Zane.

Katya looks like the mother that any boy would love to have. A home to live for, and all the food that could want. For the first time, he has a room all to himself. And a sister that he grows to love.

When Katya starts turning crazy, she turns his life upside down. All of a sudden, Bobby has to make decisions that a geeky teen should never have to make. When Katya starts questioning everything he does, it all of a sudden becomes too real. He has to start thinking of his himself, and for the first time in his life, he has to look out for a sibling.

Gracie and her parents Peter and Sandy turn out to be real friends. But Gracie lets slip Katya's history. Can he trust Gracie, or is she a busybody who spend too much time putting her nose in where it is not wanted?

Every decision Bobby makes affects him and Zane. What is he going to do? When it comes down to it, will he report Katya? Will he decide to put up with an inconvenience to keep all the good stuff? But that inconvenience has turned into Hurricane Katya, who is out to destroy everything in her path. And that path heads right toward Zane and Bobby. What can Bobby do to save Zane? Will he be able to be strong enough to do the right thing? Will he risk losing his family, the mother, and sister that he always wanted?

By-Pass is a terrific, horrifying story that could be too real for many foster kids. Bobby will pull you in, and he will tear your heart out. He will bring you in with his boyish charm, and keep you there with his bravery.

A terrific novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Link to By-Pass 

Intersexion

Being rejected by your family is bad enough, but not knowing if you're a girl makes it that much worse. Taylor finds himself, or herself, getting dropped off at a shelter. Scared and alone, Taylor has no idea what is going to happen next.

At the shelter, Taylor meets a counselor named Roz, a Christian wife and mother who has some problems of her own. She is overwhelmed; how is she suppose to help a child when she can't even help her own kids?

Read this inspiring story about a Christian who can accept a child who people thought was a boy, then a girl.

Watch Taylor as he struggles for the acceptance of Razor and the other teens. Watch as Roz struggles to touch and connect with Taylor.

Can Roz help Taylor learn to love and forgive her parents? Can Roz love her kids despite the decisions they have made? Does she have the strength to help them come to grips with all that has happened?

As a parent, you will feel for Roz. Can Roz overcome the doubts she has a mother? We have all been there, wondering what we did wrong. As a parent, you will applaud her and be angry at Taylor parents. How could they treat their own child the way they did?

A riveting book that pulls you in and has you crying for Taylor's trials and celebrating every achievement.

Link to Intersexion

Find P.D. Workman's books over at http://pdworkman.com or at any major online retailer. 

Flames offseason goalie addition

Originally posted at Flames Jambalaya


If there was on the glaring eyesore of the Flames above anything else, it was the goaltending. Even though Treliving never came out and said so, you know this was a huge disappointment. No matter how many times Burke and Treliving came to the goalies' defense, you know they were thinking the same thing.

Game after game, there was at least one goalie blunder, if not more. It became a running joke, how many stinker goals would be scored in the game. It was not a matter of if, but how many. It was a huge distraction to the team, especially the defense, who had to walk on eggshells. The defencemen must have felt like they were in the Twilight Zone. Consider this: they were pretty much the last defense because the goalies were like a sieve.

So what is the solution? We could consider using Ortio and Gillies. Uh, let's pretend I didn't just say that. Instead, let's go ahead and do some goalie shopping.

The three I expect to be contacted:

1. Michal Neuvirth

If the Flyers do not sign him, the Flames have to consider it. He was fantastic in the Caps series. He was the player of the game in the last three games. He is a consistent goalie who keeps the angles. I love his positional play.

2. James Reimer

Reimer had three shutouts with the Sharks during the regular season. He proved how good he was with a solid defense in front of him. I suspect the Flames to contact James this offseason.

3. Frederik Andersen

Probably the best goalie available in market next season. I am just not sure if the Flames would be willing to pay the price to obtain him. I suspect that they will go another route.

Final Word

A little birdie told me the Flames will talk to the Bolts about Bishop. The price will be high, but the Flames might be willing to pay that price. Burke feels this team is very close to being a contender, and Bishop might be the chip that will make us a contender. Two more names: Cam Ward and Darcy Kuemper.

What do you think?

Leafs Offseason Notes

This offseason for the Leafs is going to be an interesting one, to say the least. Management has some major choices this days ahead.

The first one is obviously whether or not to sign Steven Stamkos.  On one hand, he is a superstar who can make average players look good.  His 36 goals would go a long way to making the Leafs a better team. But could he make us a playoff team?  I have heard that you do not want to speed up a rebuilding process. You need to be patient when in the process.  So here comes the golden question: Do the Leafs want to be a playoff team, or do they want to fill up the prospect cupboard?

I love the signing of Morgan Rielly. Morgan is fantastic young defencemen.  He is a great centerpiece to build a team around.  He is a fast puck-moving defenceman who is a good two-way defender.   We will have him for the next six years to build this team around.

I question the decision, however, to extend Nazem Kadri.  I understand his season warranted it.  But I am worried about his decisions on the ice.   Going off for no particular reason; I worry that he will be a distraction on the team.

Final word

I am interested to see what the Leafs want to do this offseason.  Will they spend the coin on Stamkos or will they be quiet?  I am hoping for the latter.

Offseason Questions

Reblogged from http://www.flamesjambalaya.com/2016/05/offseason-questions.html

GENERAL MANAGER COACHING OF THE FLAMES

So who replaces Bob Hartley? First of all, we have to try to figure out what direction this team wants to go in. Do we want another disciplinarian? Maybe a people's coach, one who a little easier on his players' work. Or in others words, a player's coach. We know Hartley was... well... a grumpy Coach (cannot say hard***, a family blog site, you know.) The Flames might not want to go that route again. So let's play General Manager, shall we?

There are plenty of names our there who would make excellent candidates. Here are some names, not in any particular order.

BOB BOUGHNER

Bob is my pick. I wanted him before Hartley. Bob is a solid hockey mind. He is a no-nonsense guy. He is a reliable communicator with young players.

KEVIN DINEEN

Kevin a was a solid two-way player. He played in all aspects of the game. He would be an asset in the special teams game. Particularly with the woeful penalty killing the Flames had last year.

PAUL MACLEAN

Paul had some success in Ottawa. He would be able to help right away with the Flames' powerplay. He is a people's coach, loves talking to the media and fans, and would be a solid choice for the position. I hope the Flames contact him.

TODD RICHARDS

Todd Richards is a logical choice for two reasons. One, he can relate to the players. Todd will make the players more accountable for their play in the defensive zone. There will be more of a system. Defense first, and the scoring will take care of itself. He did a solid job in his first stint; no reason why he cannot succeed in his second stint with the Flames.

DAVIS PAYNE

Payne has had four years as an assistant coach in LA. If you like how the Kings play, you have to consider Davis. Burke has said that the Flames have to get bigger and faster. Davis knows how to coach that type of player. Coach Sutter uses his assistant coaches in the practices; Davis was seriously utilized in the Kings system.

This Concerns Me

Originally blogged at Flames Jambalaya

As a Calgary Flames fan, we have to hope to lose every game. Like it or not, the tank nation is in full bloom. And as a fan, that makes common sense. But what concerns me is if the players start believing losing is acceptable.

I once talked to a source who told me this can be a major problem. The players start getting used to losing and lose their desire to do what it takes.

My source described how the process begins. Believe or not, it starts with the coaches. They get frustrated with the players, and they give up on them. They start doubting the players' ability, so they start accepting the players' failures. They start making strange coaching decisions and start second-guessing themselves.

The second problem that goes with this acceptance of failure is the superstars thinking they are better than the third and fourth line grinders.  This leads to them not working as hard in practice. The coaches have to stop this before it starts. If the coaching staff let it go, they give players the wrong message. What is the message, you ask? It's only practice. That didn't work so well for a particular basketball player.

So as a Flames fan, I understand tank nation. But I hate to say this. I do have some major concerns with tank nation. So I just want them to lose every game as long as it's not acceptable to lose.

THIS AND THAT

This
Apparently, the Flames' priority is getting a number one goalie. Of course, that is obvious. Breaking news from Sportsnet is that the Flames are trying to sign Yale goalie Alex Lyon. It is nice to see them being aggressive. Now for a little tidbit for the draft blog the Flames might seek to acquire another first rounder. They would like to draft another goalie in the draft.

That
How about how well the Flames did with the Russell trade? A solid dman, with a solid prospect and second rounder. No offense to Russell, no way did I think they could have gotten that kind of return for him.

Until next time.

Randy