Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post - [Signing] Stajan signs 4yrs $3.125Mil AAV contract extension (limited NTC)

Calgary4LIfe · 01-21-2014, 10:36 PM

I don't hate this deal at all. Stajan does shoulder the burden for the Flames. He isn't keeping anyone from getting on this team.

Stajan allowed a rookie in the past (Horak) to take his job away. He had a tough season and was called out by Feaster for some defeatist comments he made. I hate him, and wanted him banished from this team.

What we have seen is a complete turnaround in Stajan's game. I thought I was being fooled in the last half of the last season Sutter was coaching. Thought that things were just going insanely right for him, and that he was maybe a product of the line, rather than a catalyst.

Well, since then, he has been everything that the Flames 'needed' in that spot - though I would prefer of course some size too.

This is a good signing. He can play against the team's top 2 lines (off-setting with Backlund), can take key draws, good on the PK, and a decent all-round player that is well liked and thought of in the dressing room, and who seems to 'get it' and follow what Hartley is demanding.

So 4 years. "He is keeping other guys from getting NHL playing time", "Knight and Granlund deserve to be here", "Colborne needs to be a center on this team", etc. Sorry, they will have to beat Stajan for this. Stajan lost his spot to Horak one season. He will lose it again at some point to another kid who PROVES he deserves it, and takes it away. At that point, you trade Stajan.

The last thing I want to personally see on this hockey club is a huge sense of entitlement issues. Monahan trained like a fiend with Cammalleri, studied NHL centers' tendencies on the faceoff dot, and has worked hard at being a very good 200ft player. Came in to camp with a great attitude. Baertschi didn't do many of those things, and now he is plying his trade on the Heat after Feaster got let go (who was apparently forcing Baertschi on the team). Had he continued to play, maybe you would have a sense of entitlement issue with this kid.

Make this team hard to make. Players develop at the NHL level, but there should be a minimum-entrance competency that must be achieved first. If they don't have that, it is called "rushing your prospects", and it can lead to them being ruined.

Guys like Stajan can not only provide invaluable leadership and allow for the team to more easily shelter players (for their own good in terms of development), but also allows the team to ensure only players that are ready to step into the NHL actually do. It is one thing for players to get called up for a cup of coffee for their development/encouragement, but it is another to place them on the team permanently.

All players have to EARN it, and Stajan will be a good jumping stone for everyone on the team to try and hurdle over - Backlund included (who is close I think to jump him).

01-21-2014, 10:36 PM	#597
Calgary4LIfe Franchise Player Join Date: Jun 2010 Exp:	I don't hate this deal at all. Stajan does shoulder the burden for the Flames. He isn't keeping anyone from getting on this team. Stajan allowed a rookie in the past (Horak) to take his job away. He had a tough season and was called out by Feaster for some defeatist comments he made. I hate him, and wanted him banished from this team. What we have seen is a complete turnaround in Stajan's game. I thought I was being fooled in the last half of the last season Sutter was coaching. Thought that things were just going insanely right for him, and that he was maybe a product of the line, rather than a catalyst. Well, since then, he has been everything that the Flames 'needed' in that spot - though I would prefer of course some size too. This is a good signing. He can play against the team's top 2 lines (off-setting with Backlund), can take key draws, good on the PK, and a decent all-round player that is well liked and thought of in the dressing room, and who seems to 'get it' and follow what Hartley is demanding. So 4 years. "He is keeping other guys from getting NHL playing time", "Knight and Granlund deserve to be here", "Colborne needs to be a center on this team", etc. Sorry, they will have to beat Stajan for this. Stajan lost his spot to Horak one season. He will lose it again at some point to another kid who PROVES he deserves it, and takes it away. At that point, you trade Stajan. The last thing I want to personally see on this hockey club is a huge sense of entitlement issues. Monahan trained like a fiend with Cammalleri, studied NHL centers' tendencies on the faceoff dot, and has worked hard at being a very good 200ft player. Came in to camp with a great attitude. Baertschi didn't do many of those things, and now he is plying his trade on the Heat after Feaster got let go (who was apparently forcing Baertschi on the team). Had he continued to play, maybe you would have a sense of entitlement issue with this kid. Make this team hard to make. Players develop at the NHL level, but there should be a minimum-entrance competency that must be achieved first. If they don't have that, it is called "rushing your prospects", and it can lead to them being ruined. Guys like Stajan can not only provide invaluable leadership and allow for the team to more easily shelter players (for their own good in terms of development), but also allows the team to ensure only players that are ready to step into the NHL actually do. It is one thing for players to get called up for a cup of coffee for their development/encouragement, but it is another to place them on the team permanently. All players have to EARN it, and Stajan will be a good jumping stone for everyone on the team to try and hurdle over - Backlund included (who is close I think to jump him).