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Thoughts on Iginla and the Flames Top Line

Put out an all-points bulletin for Jarome Iginla. Through two games, Iginla has yet to score a single goal. So Flames fans want desperately to know what's happened to their beloved Iggy.

"It’s two games," said centre Eric Nystrom, looking over at the massive media scrum surrounding the captain. "People are seriously worried about this guy?" Well, yes they are.

Via Flames Insider.

I feel I should qualify my criticism of the Iginla and the first line because I've heard a lot of the above retort from players, coaches and the media. It's two games, Iginla's great, no need to worry.

It's a valid claim on it's face. Two games is a miniscule sample. A two game trend isn't really a trend at all.

Here's where I'm coming from, however:

Star-divide

1.) The points don't matter

I'm necessarily not worried that Iginla and Jokinen aren't scoring. I'm worried that they aren't driving possession or generating scoring chances in the offensive zone when they're on the ice. Through two games, each guy's corsi is bottom of the barrel on the team. If the pair was getting 7 shots a game and spending half the night at the good end of the rink, I'd be singing their praises and cursing their bad luck. That isn't happening. They've pretty much been the worst forwards on the ice at ES thus far.

2.) This isn't a merely a two game trend

During the summer, I theorized that a Jokinen-Iginla pairing wouldn't work. I based my theory on what I know about Jokinen as a player and what I saw from that combination at the end of the previous season. To see my fears so completely realized is disconcerting to say the least. On top of all that, we have Iginla coming off of one of his most ineffective seasons to date in terms of contributions relative to the rest of the team and his salary.

In short, if Jokinen+Jarome had ripped it up last year and/or if Iginla was still the guy who could beat up tough opponents single-handedly, I would probably be equally as dismissive as Nystrom above. Neither is true. The Flames two biggest guns have all season to turn things around, obviously, but one wonders how long this experiment will have to fail before another one is tried. Calgary is 2-0 right now, but the results are deceptive - things will get a lot uglier very quickly if Calgary's primary scoring unit continues to be it's worst.

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I’m personally worried about Iggy. I find it extremely frustrating that the Flames, over the last season and a half, and continuing into this one, seem to never be able to get all the big guns going together.

Is this because there are too many big guns? Is it the Rangers syndrome from years past? I dunno.

I, personally, cannot remember a game within recent years where all of Iggy, Phaneuf, Kipper, Reggie and Langkow have been going. Now we seem to have added Jokinen and Jbo.

Currently, Jbo and Kipper are flying. Tomorrow will it be Langkow and Phaneuf? Then who?

I’ve watched a lot of hockey and I can’t get my head around it. How did Gretzky, Yzerman, Messier, and Sakic make the transition that Iggy isn’t? Is he just not ready to find a new and valuable role? To adapt? I think the days of Iginla scoring 50 goals are behind him, but I still believe he can effectively lead the Flames for years to come.

Why with Iginla is it Jarome some days, and then Jarmoe the next? Was there an equally similar Flunkzky? Suckic? Tryzerman? and….. ugh I got nothing for Mark (let’s just say the ‘Vancouver days’)

I think one of the big problems with the Jokinen + Iginla = Fail coupling is that everyone still assumes Jarome is the guy – the #1. I think Jokinen plays to that idea. My question is: Is he? I don’t think so anymore. So then what is Jarome Iginla to the Calgary Flames?

D for 3 and now goal for 21 years, of course I'm a goaltender apologist.

by LawrenceS on Oct 6, 2009 9:39 AM PDT reply actions  

Maybe I should add, that Iginla may still be the #1 guy, but I just don’t think he is the same #1 guy – the #1 guy who could single-handily carry the Flames for weeks at a time, scoring, fighting, hitting and leading the whole way along.

D for 3 and now goal for 21 years, of course I'm a goaltender apologist.

by LawrenceS on Oct 6, 2009 9:43 AM PDT up reply actions  

i’ve only seen the vancouver game buti think he’s suffering from not having a good es center.
say what you want about old man conroy, but he’s been a good es center all these years with iggy. jokinen is not.

langkow would be ideal i think.

by shep_ on Oct 6, 2009 10:24 AM PDT reply actions  

I fully agree that Langkow-Iggy-Moss? would be a better 1 line with Olli-Dawes-Bourque (or something like that) would fit better as a 2 line, or 1A if you will.

by Subversive on Oct 6, 2009 10:55 AM PDT reply actions  

I like the sound of this.

-Colin

by Colin S on Oct 6, 2009 1:13 PM PDT up reply actions  

If you’ve got a different guy “going” every night … as long as you’re finding a way to win, that’s what good teams do on a consistent basis. I don’t have a problem with that.

The makeup of the team has changed over the past five years – as LawrenceS stated in regards to Iginla. It’s like everyone (myself incl), is still expecting Jarome to take over and do it all. But I cannot tell you what he is right now. ?

by Calgarian in SJ on Oct 6, 2009 3:07 PM PDT reply actions  

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