[News] With the 21st overall pick Flames select C Mark Jankowski

[agulati]

How about that Jankowski kid?

Great rookie year for a player who many wanted us to move away from. Hopefully he has an excellent off-season and comes back stronger to compete for an NHL spot.

Monahan
Backlund
Jankowski

That looks like a solid centre group.

[devo22]

Originally Posted by agulati

How about that Jankowski kid?

Great rookie year for a player who many wanted us to move away from. Hopefully he has an excellent off-season and comes back stronger to compete for an NHL spot.

Monahan
Backlund
Jankowski

That looks like a solid centre group.

I hope he wins a spot this fall and never looks back. Would allow them to move Bennett to the wing and roll three lines with a good mix of skill, speed, size and grit.

Gaudreau - Monahan - Ferland/Tkachuk
Bennett - Backlund - Frolik
Ferland/Tkachuk - Jankowski - Lazar

[Monahan For Mayor]

Originally Posted by devo22

Gaudreau - Monahan - Ferland/Tkachuk
Bennett - Backlund - Frolik
Ferland/Tkachuk - Jankowski - Lazar

I was thinking about this yesterday. As good as the 3M line is if we are playing Bennett on the the wing it should be on backlunds wing, and Tkachuk should be on the first line.

[devo22]

Originally Posted by Monahan For Mayor

I was thinking about this yesterday. As good as the 3M line is if we are playing Bennett on the the wing it should be on backlunds wing, and Tkachuk should be on the first line.

yeah I think it'd work well. It's obviously depending on Tkachuk earning the 1st line spot and being a fit there, Jankowski winning an NHL spot and the Flames moving Bennett to the wing for good, but I believe none of this is a reach. On paper, that team looks fantastic and ready to do some serious damage.

As for Janko, you couldn't have asked for a better rookie season. I brought up the Alex Killorn comparison numerous times over the last few years and their careers still resemble each other a lot. Killorn had 44 points in 54 AHL games after going pro, Janko has 48 in 56 this year. Now all he has left to do is becoming a 15/40 scorer in the NHL like Killorn and all is well

[Monahan For Mayor]

I wonder if Tkachuk would bring some grit out of Monahan, like he's done with backs and fro.

[PeteMoss]

I wonder how much Bennett gets in a contract this off-season. Flames probably saved themselves a few buck by having his contract burn a year in the playoffs.

[Justin]

Originally Posted by PeteMoss

I wonder how much Bennett gets in a contract this off-season. Flames probably saved themselves a few buck by having his contract burn a year in the playoffs.

It'll be a bridge contract for sure. I'm still not sold on the kid as being a former 1st overall pick as he was so highly touted as being.

[MacFlame]

Originally Posted by Justin

It'll be a bridge contract for sure. I'm still not sold on the kid as being a former 1st overall pick as he was so highly touted as being.

The team is winning. He is the Flames 3rd/4th line centre. He's 20 years old. He plays the penalty kill and does a good job. He doesn't take as many stupid penalties as he once did.

He's learning and learning well.

People get enamoured with point totals, but the reality is, which centre would he displace right now in the top 6? Monahan? Backlund? He's going to be a 3rd/4th line centre on the Flames for the next few years and so, naturally, his point totals will not be meeting or exceeding the expectations of many.

The fact that the Flames have solidified their top two line centres, pushing Bennett down the depth chart is a good thing. The Flames are winning with him in the lineup....there's no reason to be disappointed with him at all.

[Macho0978]

Originally Posted by devo22

Backlund is 2nd in goals, 3rd in assists, 3rd in points and 3rd in TOI among Flames forwards. Still calling him a 3rd line center and a "lower half of the lineup player" is an insult to his abilities and his impact on this hockey team.

Potential Selke candidate too. I'd give him 5 - 5.5 million for 6 years.

Timing is good too as Bouma and Stajan's contracts are up too

IMO Bennett and Jankowski can play 3rd and 4th line or the wing for a few years. Similar to what Backlund did when he was their age

Today's NHL has coaches rolling 4 lines and with no change on icings you need a 4th line that can play. 3rd line players usually get around 15 mins a game. Nothing wrong with that for guys like Bennett or Jankowski. If they can play their way on too the PP or PK they will get more ice

[Cortez]

Originally Posted by New Era

You're supposedly a hockey guy. How do you fit Backlund into the budget? Be serious about this. Put your budget hat on. Where does he fit? Monahan is your number one. Bennett is the guy you hope steps up to be your number two at worst. If you sign Backlund to a long term contract at $5.5M, you can kiss Bennett goodbye. Plain and simple. Run the numbers. I've posted this numerous times, and it is highly accurate.

Every dollar overpaid to one player has to come out of the budget elsewhere. You really need to see the numbers in action to get a better understanding of what a few dollars here and there means. Take a $70M budget as an example, which is a fair number to use considering the cap and the space you need for call-ups for injuries and such. I would think a healthy budget breakdown is going to look like $40M on forwards, $24M on defense, and $6M on goaltending. So something like this, taking names out the mix.

$7M-$7M-$5M
$3M-$5M-$3M
$2M-$3M-$2M
$1M-$1M-$1M
$.75M-$.75M

$7M-$5M
$4M-$3M
$2M-$1.5M
.75M

$5M
$1M


Where does Backlund fit without screwing the team over when Bennett steps up?

hahaha. Had to log in just to laugh at this in particular. There is nothing accurate about that statement at all. You are assuming our top line winger will cost 5 mil. Currently we are paying one $825,000. Backlund can easily fit in to our team without "screwing it over"
Also, Backlund is not a player you make "fit in", he is a player you make everyone else fit in around him.

[Monahan For Mayor]

I would try Bennett at 2x2 or 2.75x3, obviously it will be a bridge.

[GGG]

You don't worry about resigning Backlund until you see what you have in Jankowski and Bennett. Lots of time to decide.

Backlands last year of his contract is probably the best shot at the cup.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by GGG

Backlands last year of his contract is probably the best shot at the cup.

Next year?

[Gaskal]

No, you absolutely do not let Backlund get to free agency unless one of Bennett/Jankowski blows your socks off next season, and even then you STILL don't really have a strong case to let him walk or even trade him.

Flames would be foolish to let Backlund get to the open market at this point - particularly when he's playing like this and still on the right side of 30. And we'd basically just be giving him a minor raise that could be covered merely with the departure of Bouma/Stajan.

[Alberta_Beef]

Originally Posted by getbak

Next year?

I'm still trying to figure out when we signed someone named Backland.

[Cecil Terwilliger]

Backlund for Jankowski + ?

Only makes sense if flames pull the trigger this offseason. Can't afford to wait too long.

[Steve Bozek]

Isn't it odd how Jankowski threads always seem to end up not so much about Jankowski?

[Husky]

Regardless if bscklund declines in 3 or so years. A flames team Backlund now and in the short term is a better team then no Backlund and Jankowski forved to fill that spot.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

Backlund for Jankowski + ?

Only makes sense if flames pull the trigger this offseason. Can't afford to wait too long.

It has to happen now to make sense.

[Plett25]

Originally Posted by Steve Bozek

Isn't it odd how Jankowski threads always seem to end up not so much about Jankowski?

The Jankowski paradox