It occurs to me that we've been neglecting this space, particularly me, after I told you all how verbose I was. Oops. Suffice to say, the Flames have been playing rather boring hockey, and doing a decidedly mediocre job of it, as of late. I've actually started knitting my way through most of the games. True story. And if that's not an indication of how boring a game is--driving me to knit--I don't know what is.
But there was news worth writing about for the Flames today, as the team waived Niklas Hagman and put Anton Babchuk and Brendan Morrison both on IR. The trio will be replaced by Mikael Backlund (activated from IR), TJ Brodie and Paul Byron (called up from the AHL's Abbotsford Heat). Three vets coming out of the lineup and three young guys going in? I'm a fan.
It's not that I think Byron and Brodie are better than Morrison and Babchuk respectively--though it's hard to imagine them being worse--but that it was time for a change. The Flames, as they are constructed now, are not going to be winning much of anything. Even most games are a stretch. So they might as well let the kids have a chance to learn on the job. If you're going to dress a mediocre roster and lose 30 or 40 games this season, at least give someone with potential a chance.
Which is to say, I hope Flames fans show some patience over the next few games, when Brodie can't hold the line and Byron loses his man in the defensive zone. Just remember, it could be worse. It could be an overpaid veteran making us scream, instead of a fresh face still trying to find his way.
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