Re: Calgary Flames
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I tweeted this at Haynes last night, but should have posted here. It's obvious Tkachuk is going to play the season in Calgary. The full season. Gulutzan tipped his hand a while ago, and the reasoning is simple. It's been made pretty clear that Gaudreau-Monahan, Backlund-Frolik, and Bennett-Brouwer are "pairs". Everyone from the manager to the coaching staff have said that's what they like. Now we haven't seen much of Gaudreau and Monahan (obviously), but what we have seen is a bunch of different line combinations in both practices and games. We've seen a few different options at LW when Backlund and Frolik have played. There is one single constant we have seen since camp opened, at that constant is Tkachuk-Bennett-Brouwer, with the exception of one preseason game where Brouwer didn't play and they put Chaisson there.
Now maybe I'm reading too much into it, but preseason, training camp, practices etc. are the time to try things out, find line combos, build chemistry. They have not tried a single LW other than Tkachuk with Bennett and Brouwer to see what other players might gel and mesh with that pairing other than Tkachuk. Not for a game, not for a practice, not for a pregame skate. That doesn't make any sense, unless they're expecting Tkachuk to be on that line all season and they just want the line to start building chemistry right away (which they clearly are).
Optics and such they'll call it a "9 game tryout". But unless he falls flat on his face, Tkachuk is in Calgary this season.
Originally Posted by loco man
