The Big Monday Thing - Tyler Toffoli Stands Like A Teapot
Someone should incorporate that into a nickname, if that's even possible
It was but one mere Monday prior that I pressed an inked pen to paper, previewing the week ahead for your Calgary Flames, before some unknown process occurs in the background that renders the entire thing into a digital facsimile, publishing The Big Monday Thing, an indispensable triomphe de la force of literature you simply cannot launch your week off without consuming. It was Valentine’s Day - which I did not mention at all - and love was in the air, with everyone's hearts ablaze with the knowledge that the Flames had not lost a game since January 27th.
Then the Flames traded for Tyler Toffoli and the entire piece was rendered irrelevant.
And I couldn’t be happier about it.
The Week of: February 14th-20th
Results From Past Week: Well,
If you remember, the week before last the Flames earned some richly deserved victories over some pretty strong teams in Vegas and Toronto, and with the competition over the last seven days being weaker but still pretty good for the most part, you’d have maybe not been surprised if the team took their foot off the pedal and dropped a decision or two.
Not so. The Flames slapped matching 6-2 victories over the Blue Jackets and the Ducks in back to back nights, before making Mark Giordano wish he had never been born in a 2-1 victory over the Seattle Kraken, a matchup where the score did not reflect the overall quality of the two teams playing it. I’m just kidding Gio, we still love you and hope to see you replace Nikita Zadorov for a lengthy playoff run.
Not losing games ever is pretty fun!
Flames Overall Record: 29-13-6, 64 pts
Standings: 1st place in the Pacific Division, 3rd in the Western Conference. Oh yes. Oh yes.
Soundtrack: One Great City! - The Weakerthans
The Flames take on the Winnipeg Jets shortly after this comes out, so if ever there were a time…
What We Liked:
While I don’t care about NHL awards at all, what was once a quiet discussion about Elias Lindholm being a candidate for the Selke Trophy has amplified in short order, and that’s a good thing. The trio of Tkachuk - Lindholm - Gaudreau has been considered one of, if not the best line all year, with a lot of the credit going to the offensive tears that both Tkachuk and Gaudreau have been on, which is highly deserved to be sure.
Meanwhile, Lindholm has been there this whole time, plugging away, and while everyone is aware of the excellent play he’s been providing, a seven-game goal streak was required for him to get his due along with his high profile linemates. His streak (somehow not the most in franchise history…yet) has rocketed him back into the discussion with his wingers, and his scoring prowess and 200-foot game are being put into sharp focus because of it.
Here’s the thing: the Selke is by definition awarded to the player who excels at the defensive side of the game, but traditionally seems to be awarded to the player who puts points on the board as well. This is why I submit to you that Matthew Tkachuk should also be in the running for this:
I generally don’t care for it when people post a chart and don’t really provide any actual context to go along with it, which is certainly what I’m doing here. This ignores that Tkachuk doesn’t play on the penalty kill, which is certainly a large determining factor in traditional defensive play, and it doesn’t attribute playing with three defensive pairings that are in the Top 10 for goal differential this season. Whether it’s Elias Lindholm, or Mikael Backlund and Andrew Mangiapane/Michael Frolik before him, Tkachuk has always played on a line with some very responsible players, but the evidence has been clear year over year that Tkachuk belongs in that category himself. I mean look at it. That’s a lot of blue.
Lindholm is very deserving of his Selke praise as well, but Tkachuk should be in the conversation. Excluding the few members of the PHWA I actually do respect, the NHL awards are typically voted on by the dumbest people you will ever encounter, so you shouldn’t worry too much about the results, but it’s a nice demonstration in seeing how dominant the top line has been. They’re really special together.
What We Would Prefer Not To See:
While it’s great that the aftermath of the Tyler Toffoli trade has once again sent Brett Ritchie to the shadow realm - and Tyler Pitlick somewhere even worse: The Montreal Canadiens - it’s maddening that this team still refuses to ice the best possible lineup it can. Trevor Lewis doesn’t provide anything to the Flames. Dillon Dubé has struggled. Toffoli clears up a lot of problems in terms of depth and secondary scoring, but there are still some holes that need to be patched up.
Matthew Phillips is 9th in the AHL in scoring right now. He’s a speedy, dynamic playmaker who has had his professional game polished in the minor leagues. He already has experience and chemistry playing with a surprisingly effective Adam Ružička, or he could be moved up the lineup with Monahan and Toffoli if they’ve decided Dubé is just not going to work out.
All it would cost is having to expose Trevor Lewis or Brad Richardson to waivers. What are we doing here?
Enemy of the Week:
When you’ve won nine in a row (and 11 of 12 overall), all you have are enemies. Trust no one. Not even me.
What Comes Next:
By the time you’ve read this, hopefully, the Flames have already beat the Jets. Beyond that, the Flames travel to Vancouver for who cares, but then have another real test on the weekend against the very, very impressive Minnesota Wild. The Colorado Avalanche are indeed the class of the Central Division (and very likely the entire NHL), but my goodness it’s a fool’s errand to sleep on the Wild. That should both be a great game and a real barometer check for the Flames.
Mike Smith Statline of the Week:
I was hoping that tweet would format better. Ah.
That’s better. We’ve seen some Mike Smith performances that make us smile, but this one from last night against the Vegas Golden Knights is probably my favourite one. Sure, you’d prefer not to see a division rival challenge Calgary at the top of the mountain, but in this case, who cares? You have to consider the context.
The Oilers are only a few points back of the Flames themselves and had won five in a row since promoting Jay Woodcroft to head coach. Things seemed great in Edmonton, but it only takes one Mike Smith start to bring everyone back to earth. I love him so much.
Unrelated Fact:
Today is Family Day, a day for you to, presumably, find a way to ignore your families without having to go to work as an excuse. Did you know that the holiday in Alberta exists because one time a Premier’s son was caught dealing coke?
Simpler times. Enjoy the day everyone!
See You Next Week:
Calle Järnkrok. Fun name to say. No idea why I’d bring that up.