Have Flames lost their Darryl Sutter-era team toughness?
Fans may have turned on Darryl Sutter’s systems by the time his latest coaching tenure was up, but element the Calgary Flames always had under him was toughness.
That lack of toughness was exposed in last night’s loss to the Colorado Avalanche. Just minutes into the first period, Avalanche forward Ross Colton drilled Chris Tanev into the boards on a questionable hit. There was no penalty on the play, but Tanev was slow to get up and wound up leaving the game.
Another look at Colton’s hit on Tanev#Flames | #GoAvsGo pic.twitter.com/82M6LalJC5
ā Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) December 12, 2023
Immediately after the hit, several Flames skated toward Colton to defend Tanev, with Noah Hanifin shoving him a number of times afterward. While that was a good enough response at that exact second given who the Flames had on the ice, it was extremely disappointing that nothing more was done to Colton afterward.
While not meant as a shot at Ryan Huska, you can bet Sutter would have given his group a loud and clear message after a hit like Colton’s last night, and we would have seen a much better response.
Given how much Tanev sacrifices his body for his team on a nightly basis, you’d like to imagine that someone would have challenged Colton to a fight later in the game, especially after it was learned that the 33-year-old wouldn’t be returning. That failed to happen, however, and may have exposed a flaw with this current Flames group.
One such player who brought toughness to the lineup and could drop the gloves if needed was Nikita Zadorov. The 6-foot-6 defenceman is as intimidating as they come, and stepped up for his teammates on numerous occasions during his time in Calgary. Unfortunately, he was recently dealt to the Vancouver Canucks, which removed that one significant piece of toughness the Flames had.
Going back even further, they had forward Matthew Tkachuk, who is not only one of the game’s best pests but is also more than willing to oblige in a fight. The same can be said for fellow former Flame Erik Gudbranson, who recently took matters into his own hands after he felt he took a cheap shot from Nick Cousins.
Erik Gudbranson AKA The Undertaker š pic.twitter.com/ji7tVUNruY
ā Cabbie Richards (@Cabbie) December 11, 2023
Though the game has changed significantly from the days of enforcers, there is still a need to have toughness in your lineup. It can go a long way in preventing hits like last night’s from happening, as whoever delivers the blow knows they will need to answer for it later. Looking to add a player who can provide some protection may be something worth considering for general manager Craig Conroy.
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