Quote:
Originally Posted by thethumwood
They check size box too... Reinhart is same size as Monahan when he was drafted. As I previously stated, too early to trade Brodie as he is just stepping into his game. This trade is way over priced.
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My post made no reference to the Brodie deal thrown out on 960. I think the Flames will try to move up to grab Ekblad. I don't know what they'll offer.
Quote:
Originally Posted by theoforever
I would agree that Burke may want to make this move.
However, to expect Ekblad to make an impact in NHL in his first year in any other form than a huge minus and liability on backend is a joke.
Forwards develop faster than d-men, so not sure how that speeds up anything unless speeding up means having a first or second paring dman in 3 to 4 years.
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I doubt he'll be an impact player next season, but he'll probably play. And I'm willing to bet his second season he'll be a top-4 guy. That helps the team more than Reinhart, who will probably take 3 or more years just to surpass Backlund's overall game. The Flames have a lot more depth at centre than at defence. And the real notable quality about Ekblad is how NHL ready he appears to be.
Or to look at it another way, let's say we don't draft that stud d-man until next year. Or the season after. And let's say, unlike Ekblad, they're projected to take the more typical 3-5 seasons to develop. How does that affect the timing of the rebuild? Monahan is already on his second contract and hitting his prime when the new core d-men are just stepping up to the plate. I think you gotta take d-men earlier in the rebuild so your core grows together. And if you can find a blue-chipper who is more NHL ready than most, that has to be a plus.