Quote:
Originally Posted by Fan in Exile
Fair assessment. The reality is that most teams have guys that most of us think are not properly top 4 in their top 4 and we are looking to sign guys like that to equivalent salary - guys like Stone or Franson; dreaming of getting a guy like Hamonic...
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If you are making this evaluation in comparison to the Flames's current situation on defence, then context is important: 1) The fact that the Flames top-three defensemen are all better than every Oilers blue liner makes an important and huge difference. Russell does not look good on the Flames's second pairing, but he arguably does look better there than on the Oilers's. 2) The likely addition of the Flames to their second pairing is very likely to be a better player than Russell. Stone and arguably Franson are both at least viable to adequate options for a second pairing—especially so with a team like the Flames who have three very good top-three defensemen.