Quote:
Originally Posted by ricardodw
Will the Flames be the best team for him to break in with?
Baertschi basically lost a year because he was in the Flames organization and there were small players already on the roster that were locked into NHL contracts Hudler, Cammalleri, Cervenka,Tanguay (I know he is average sized but plays really small) along with Brodie, Butler and Smith as small d-men.
This year the Flames have made room for Baertschi by getting rid of Tanguay and Cervenka. Next year .... when it is Gaudreau's time to sign there still will be Baertschi and Hudler.
There is no NHL team that has 3 guys in their top 6 that are 5-9/ 5-10 160-180
Cammalleri wants out... of course he does..... and gets it at the the end of this season at the latest. He understands that he has virtually no chance for personal or team success with him, Hudler and Baertschi in the top 6.
Even the tiny Oilers that are dramatically under performing due to lack of size/grit are not as small as the Flames tiny 3.
This time next year Gaudreau will have a choice to either to try out for Cammalleri's spot and likely getting the Baertschi treatment with 4th line time and AHL OR he can play for one more season at BU and pick the best team that gets him in the NHL.
The Flames made a choice and they got Hudler signed long term and now have no room for another small player.
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I agree with you that you can have only so many small players in your lineup. You cannot be parking a couple of small players on one line and think they are going to be successful. After that, your post goes completely off the rails.
The Flames could exist with three small players in the lineup. It means they have to play on different lines, but it can be done, and with success, as long as the players are skilled and can play at a high level. This same expectation extends to larger players as well. You can't have a good team with nine guys who are 6'2 and 220 pounds if they can't skate or have no talent with the puck. You need talent, first and foremost, or you run into a problem regardless of the size of players.
On your Cammalleri point, the guy wants out because he wants to play on a winner. Size of his team mates has little to do with that. What he sees right now is a team filled with players short on talent, and those with talent, short on experience. Cammalleri wants to go to a team where he isn't playing wet nurse to a bunch of developing players. Their size is irrelevant in his desires.
On your Bartschi point, you have an active imagination. The Flames did not make a decision based on his size, but instead made a decision based on the desires of Jarome Iginla and wanting to make one more push for the post-season. Having Bartschi on the roster, in a position where he could have really contributed, would have raised too much risk for the team wanting to compete for the post-season with a compressed schedule. They went with a veteran lineup and crapped the bed. As soon as it appeared they were done, and Iginla was on his way out of town, Bartschi was brought back up and started to play a more central role where you would expect a player of his skills to be. His size was again irrelevant.
In the future Gaudreau's size will be just as irrelevant. If he has the skill to play, there will be a position open for him. The Flames will make the moves required to make room for him if he is as good as he has shown to date. Even if the Flames keep Gaudreau, Bartschi and Hudler on the roster, they will be just fine. Gaudreau and Bartschi will play on the first two lines and Hudler will patrol one of the wings on the third line, like he did so effectively for the Red Wings all those years. There is plenty of room for all of them on the roster. If the team decides otherwise, they will move Hudler in a trade. He's on a good contract and is very versatile. He'll be a good asset to move when the time comes. Relax and watch it all unfold. It's going to be a beautiful thing.