Kris Frickin Russell

[Grimbl420]

30 games in and this guy has done nothing but impress me this year. I still can't believe we picked him up for a 5th round pick.

He leads the team in +/- @ +5
Tied for second on the team in points @ 15
Second in the league in blocked shots @ 86

Maybe a bit premature, but I think we really need to re-sign this guy sooner rather than later.

[thymebalm]

Kris Russell is the happy surprise of the season so far.

[neo45]

He has been outstanding

[nik-]

Kris Russell is the happy surprise of the season so far.

Other than Monahan being a legitimate gangster, I would agree with this. I love his offensive instincts and his mobility.

[GreenLantern]

Kris Russell is the happy surprise of the season so far.


http://i.cbc.ca/1.2444093.1385665840!/fileImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/16x9_620/monahan-sean-131003-620.jpg


"You kiddin' me?"

[devo22]

the biggest surprise of the year (yeah, I'm aware of Monahan, but seriously - who thought that Russell would be our best defenseman at times?). I honestly didn't expect a lot when they traded for him, but he has been fantastic. I hope they'll re-sign him soon.

[Cheerio]

This thread was fun

http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=128942&highlight=Russel

[MisterJoji]

2014/15
Gio - Brodie
Wideman - Russell
Ekblad - Smid
X: O'Brien, Cundari/Breen/Ramage/Wotherspoon/Sieloff (whoever earns it)
Butler: Anywhere but here

[bubbsy]

This thread was fun

http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=128942&highlight=Russel


i was a huge fan of this deal (see post #25 ;)).

love it. I thought he was great that first year that hitchcock got there.


He was always pretty solid as a blue and was just squeezed out of their top6 with recent acquisitions and player development. He's a smart player, with the only knock on him being his size, as if the game becomes a battle along the boards, he can get into a bit of trouble. Despite that disadvantage, he uses his speed, stick skills and general awareness extremely well which usually bails him out.

[killer_carlson]

I am very impressed with him but want o see a larger sample size before talking contract.

[Rollin22x]

I hope the coaches use the video of him fending off Chara as a teaching tool. Russell is so smart on the ice. I watch him just to see what he'll do next and it's usually impressive.

[dammage79]

Russell has easily been the best acquisition by the Flames this off season. Maybe this year is an anomaly, but you have to re-sign this guy and find out if he can do it year after year.

Two year-4 million dollar deal sounds about right to me. and is likely what they will offer. I'd be fine with two point five a year as well.

Definitely playing like a top three defender this year. Like him a bunch.

[Northendzone]

rock freakin' solid........

[codynw]

I knew he was going to be good because apparently defencemen grow on trees in St. Louis, but I didn't think he would be this good. I'd like to see him signed to a 2 year extension and if he can keep up the solid play through that, they should lock him up long term.

Also, I saw this in the original trade thread. Thought I'd post it here because of how hilarious it is.

Butler > Russel

[the2bears]

Let's start a CP Forever a Frickin' program :)

[Bourque's Twin]

He's fun to watch. His skating ability is world class.
It's a no-brainer to re-sign this guy.

Gio (30) - Brodie (24)
Russell (26) - Wideman (30)
Sieloff/Wotherspoon (19/20) - Smid (27)

Maybe we get our hands on Ekblad too.

[SeanCharles]

I liked this acquisition from the start. He has always reminded me of Brodie so I've always liked him.

I knew he would flourish here. In an interview Hitchcock even said blueliners don't really realize their offensive potential until they are 26-27 and he saw this coming with Russell.

St Louis already having Pietrangelo, Jbouw, Shattenkirk, Polak, Jackman and Leopold pushed him out.

Feaster and co. have been savvy in finding good players to add for cheap.

[Fire]

Sign him to a 2 year extension worth $3 million/yr. Trade Butler at the deadline. Trade O'Brien in the off-season.

Next year:
Wideman
Giordano
Smid
Brodie
Russell
Breen

Injury/Depth call-ups: Billins, Sieloff, Cundari, Wotherspoon.

[Jake]

He's fun to watch. His skating ability is world class.
It's a no-brainer to re-sign this guy.

Gio (30) - Brodie (24)
Russell (26) - Wideman (30)
Sieloff/Wotherspoon (19/20) - Smid (27)

Maybe we get our hands on Ekblad too.

Not a bad D for rebuilding team. The D just needs to stay healthy and hopefully Feaster can find a reliable player for the third pairing/7th D.

[Flaming Lips]

He has performed well, and I hope he keeps it up.

Nonetheless, I thought he was a curious addition to the "On the Bubble" list for the Canadian Olympic Team: http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/10035683/nhl-sochi-hockey-power-rankings

[codynw]

He has performed well, and I hope he keeps it up.

Nonetheless, I thought he was a curious addition to the "On the Bubble" list for the Canadian Olympic Team: http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/10035683/nhl-sochi-hockey-power-rankings

:blink:

I mean, he's been good, but at this point, I'd think Giordano would be "on the bubble" way before Russell would.

[PeteMoss]

He has performed well, and I hope he keeps it up.

Nonetheless, I thought he was a curious addition to the "On the Bubble" list for the Canadian Olympic Team: http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/10035683/nhl-sochi-hockey-power-rankings

Its a really big bubble.

[PeteMoss]

Lots of gems in that signing thread

Awful. Bad player. Not worth a 5th. Wotherspoon, Breen & company apparently going to toil in the minors some more so we can give goofs like SOB and Russel ice time.

[Flaming Lips]

Its a really big bubble.

That seems to be the only explanation.

Got to give credit where it is due. Feaster/Weisbrod did a nice job in identifying and nabbing Russell.

[djsFlames]

Don't forget the possibility of Ekblad.

Buffalo already have themselves pretty well set on defense (for prospects). Currently Edmonton and Florida are only a point behind the Flames, with the Isles only 3 points back (4th, 3th and 2nd last, respectively). So I'd say 28th-29th is a real possibility for the team, unless we get on a hot streak. Not saying I'm pumped about where we are, but Ekblad could really help put this defense on the next level in a couple seasons, as well as likely push Butler out for good. And who doesn't want that?

[SeanCharles]

He will be re-signed but since it was a 1-year deal he can't do so until the offseason.

[getbak]

He will be re-signed but since it was a 1-year deal he can't do so until the offseason.

He can sign an extension after January 1.

[CalgaryFan1988]

This thread was fun

http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=128942&highlight=Russel

Best post IMO was post 172. Kudos to "Hatter".

[devo22]

reading that old thread is fantastic, some real gems there. Not going to quote guys and throw them under the bus, but that goes to show you that you can never predict stuff like that and also hindsight is always 20/20. Pretty sure that many threads about good acquisitions look like that ... maybe I have to dig up the "Flames sign Hudler" thread :D

[Phanuthier]

reading that old thread is fantastic, some real gems there. Not going to quote guys and throw them under the bus, but that goes to show you that you can never predict stuff like that and also hindsight is always 20/20. Pretty sure that many threads about good acquisitions look like that ... maybe I have to dig up the "Flames sign Hudler" thread :D
Please do, I know it'll make me look good. :D

[FlameZilla]

Kris Russell does everything I expected our last #4 to do.

-Excellent speed
-Great first pass
-Leads the rush
-Solid slap shot
-PP QB
-generally great decisions in the D zone

The pro scouts who decided to pick him up deserve a raise.

Judging by his past history I don't think this is an anomaly, either. Squeezed out of St Louis by the Bouwmeester acquisition, he's been good when he plays solid minutes. Russell reminds me a bit of Dan Boyle in size and style, and similarly it wasn't until Boyle's 7th NHL season that he started to play like a true force.

Re-up this man, ASAP! I imagine he'd be quite tempted to test the UFA market, though.

[PeteMoss]

Best post IMO was post 172. Kudos to "Hatter".

yeah.. he nailed it.

[Hatter]

I watched the guy a ton when he was in juniors. He's still my all-time favourite Tiger. Hell of a player.

[playmaker]

2014/15
Gio - Brodie
Wideman - Russell
Ekblad - Smid
X: O'Brien, Cundari/Breen/Ramage/Wotherspoon/Sieloff (whoever earns it)
Butler: Anywhere but here

The problem with that top 4 is they will often get outmuscled when playing teams like LA, Boston or Dallas. Though Gio and Wideman are not soft by any means, their lack of size has been a significant drawback in my opinion.
These pairings for 2014/15 would make more sense to me:

Gio - Smid
Wideman - Russel
Brodie - Breen
+ Wotherspoon/Sieloff/Ramage

As far as I know Brodie and Breen were paired together in Abby. Solid, old-school pairing - offensive dman and big, defensive dman.
I don't think moving Brodie to the 3rd pairing would hurt him, especially if they want
to have more balanced ice time.

[MoreDrank]

Kris Russell does everything I expected our last #4 to do.

-Excellent speed
-Great first pass
-Leads the rush
-Solid slap shot
-PP QB
-generally great decisions in the D zone

The pro scouts who decided to pick him up deserve a raise.

Judging by his past history I don't think this is an anomaly, either. Squeezed out of St Louis by the Bouwmeester acquisition, he's been good when he plays solid minutes. Russell reminds me a bit of Dan Boyle in size and style, and similarly it wasn't until Boyle's 7th NHL season that he started to play like a true force.

Re-up this man, ASAP! I imagine he'd be quite tempted to test the UFA market, though.

The Flames have a giant sack of money and with the cap-floor raising, they need to spend it. They will be able to match or exceed any offer out there. I expect Kris Russell will be a Flame for the next couple years.

[FlameZilla]

The Flames have a giant sack of money and with the cap-floor raising, they need to spend it. They will be able to match or exceed any offer out there. I expect Kris Russell will be a Flame for the next couple years.

He's also getting great playing time here & is an Alberta boy so yeah, I think you're right.

[saillias]

Lots of gems in that signing thread

The thing about having strong opinions about players, teams, prospects is that you often get burned and eat crow. :bag:

Aside from what looked like an outlier season of decent play in St. Louis, Russell had a underwhelming career up to that point. Defenseman don't typically turn it around the way he has at age 26.

[Bourque's Twin]

He has performed well, and I hope he keeps it up.

Nonetheless, I thought he was a curious addition to the "On the Bubble" list for the Canadian Olympic Team: http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/10035683/nhl-sochi-hockey-power-rankings

That is extremely surprising. However, if you think about it he would probably do quite well on the big ice, because he's one of the best skaters in the NHL.
He still has 0 chance of making the team.

[Bourque's Twin]

Russell is 8th in points out of all Canadian defensemen in the NHL!

Duncan Keith - 28
PK Subban - 24
Brent Seabrook - 22
Jay Bouwmeester - 21
Jason Garrison - 19
Alex Pietrangelo - 18
Drew Doughty - 16
Kris Russell - 15

Besides Jason Garrison and Brent Seabrook, the other players on this list are most likely going to play for Team Canada.

[Enoch Root]

and Gio has better PPG than all of them

[codynw]

Re-up this man, ASAP! I imagine he'd be quite tempted to test the UFA market, though.

He was born in Alberta and was a Flames fan growing up. I can't imagine he'll want to leave. He said playing for Calgary was a dream come true, or something like that.

[Street Pharmacist]

He was born in Alberta and was a Flames fan growing up. I can't imagine he'll want to leave. He said playing for Calgary was a dream come true, or something like that.

Plus his opportunity on the Flames would have to be greater than on a contender. Having said that, the temptation for playing for a winning team...

[mikephoen]

That is extremely surprising. However, if you think about it he would probably do quite well on the big ice, because he's one of the best skaters in the NHL.
He still has 0 chance of making the team.

Fun fact:

Kris won two gold medals with Canada at the World Juniors. He played on the top pairing with Cam Barker both years. The most impressive part? He was never on the ice for a goal against!

[hurtin_albertan]

Best post IMO was post 172. Kudos to "Hatter".

x2, and just goes to show what actually having an informed opinion of a player will do for your commenting.

I couldn't get through half of that thread, some of the crap being slung around was ridiculous. "bad player", "goof", "awful", "not worth a 5th round pick", "puke, hope he likes Abbotsford"...etc. Not to mention all the overreaction to losing a draft pick.

Seems like lots of posters will just immediately label a player as garbage if he's not a household name.

[heep223]

Sign him to a 2 year extension worth $3 million/yr. Trade Butler at the deadline. Trade O'Brien in the off-season.

Next year:
Wideman
Giordano
Smid
Brodie
Russell
Breen

Injury/Depth call-ups: Billins, Sieloff, Cundari, Wotherspoon.

Breen has been absolutely terrible when he's played up for us this year. Frankly I'd rather see any of our prospects on the big team over him. Also, semi-related, saw Breen after a game a while back with his parents trying to catch a cab outside of the dome. Dunno what happened but seems pretty bush league by the Flames. Probably more to it.

Also, post #215 :)

http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?p=4390698#post4390698

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Also, post #215 :)

http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?p=4390698#post4390698

http://stream1.gifsoup.com/view/874388/barry-horowitz-o.gif

[KootenayFlamesFan]

Update: looks like Russell will be back in action tomorrow against the Sharks.

Wes Gilbertson ‏@SUNGilbertson
#Flames D Kris Russell will be in lineup against Sharks after missing 13 games with knee injury. RW David Jones (eye) also likely to play.

[JonDuke]

Update: looks like Russell will be back in action tomorrow against the Sharks.

Wes Gilbertson ‏@SUNGilbertson
#Flames D Kris Russell will be in lineup against Sharks after missing 13 games with knee injury. RW David Jones (eye) also likely to play.

Good. I've been holding onto this for too long. I need him to put something on the board so this can be thrown into the PGT

http://i1315.photobucket.com/albums/t596/hz84ms9f/Gif-Kris-Russell_zps7209d50c.gif (http://s1315.photobucket.com/user/hz84ms9f/media/Gif-Kris-Russell_zps7209d50c.gif.html)

[mrdonkey]

Are we seeing Russell emerge as a #3 dman?

0.5 PPG, 2nd in the league in blocked shots, 38th among all players in TOI/G, and now wearing an A. Very reminiscent of Giordano's trajectory.

Hard to believe this guy cleared waivers just a couple years ago as he's been one of the biggest surprises of the season for me.

[Hugh Jahrmes]

Yes

Looks like he comes from some solid stock (dad was a bull fighter)

[AC]

I'm a huge fan of Kris Russell. He is extremely underrated in every aspect of the game.

Very smart defensively both with his positioning and stickwork, and has excellent shot selection. See how often he has the puck at the point and takes a smart wrister right towards Backlund or Glencross for an easy deflection.

[Dion]

I can't believe the Blues let him go for so cheap. His ability to move the puck up the ice and set up plays are valuable asset in todays game. Those are skills you can't teach a defenceman.

It also helps that the coaching staff has full confidence in him and are willing to use him in any situation.

[Huntingwhale]

What a great pickup by Feaster

[Mightyfire89]

Very solid Dman. Nevermind his height. People get too focused in that garbage.

[Itse]

They also pair up nicely with Wideman, which is nice.

[Enoch Root]

He flies under the radar because of Giordano and Brodie, but he is getting better and better. REALLY solid so far this season.

[Arya Stark]

$3.5 million for 3 years would be nice.