Quote:
Originally Posted by Caged Great
Stajan has been acceptable as an NHLer, but not for 3.5 million (that's why he gets a lot less credit in my book)
Sarich has been invisible and slow, with the exception of the one guy he hit in the Stars game.
Jackman has been completely useless. Doesn't hit, doesn't contribute offensively. Waste of a roster spot. Ben Street contributed more and he's not an NHLer either.
Babchuk looked slower than Theo Fleury from his tryout last night. If you can't skate at even a below average NHL level, you're not an NHL player. His speed is terrible.
Butler has been mostly ineffective with little flashes of decent play. Reminds me somewhat of a less skilled version of Anders Eriksson that thinks the game only marginally better.
The rest of the guys are fringy guys that aren't showing that they deserve a job. That can change, but the time to show something is now and none of them have taken advantage of the injury situation.
Byron did look decent in the 3 minutes he played, just bad luck in his case.
I might be being a little harsh and honest, but when you're only better than the Columbus Blue Jackets, you need to evaluate things a little more critically.
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I really can't argue that this team lacks depth, because it does. With only 1 defensive pairing that almost always plays a great game and only one NHL centerman filling his role, there's obviously room for improvement. Babchuk will take a while to get back up to NHL pace but when he does, wouldn't be shocked if his bomb of a shot keeps him in a Flames uni. But we can't argue that the Flames have played a full 60 minutes in the majority of their games, and that goaltending has truly been our main issue.