Lots of back and forth about this relatively insignificant, overpriced but short-term signing. FWIW, my list of 10 reasons why it isn't horrible, stupid and idiotic. Note, I am not saying it is brilliant and wonderful either - just that it fits a need, and the contract is fairly irrelevant.
1) When it is time to renew contracts, UFA signings are NOT looked at in arbitration cases. Sure, an agent can play hardball, but then it goes to arbitration. No rulings include comparison salaries from players signed as a UFA. Those worrying about how it affects salary structure, don't. Especially once they see how hard guys like these work, and how they stuck up for them giving and taking punches to the face so that the kids could be a bit safer out there.
2) If Engelland absolutely bombs, he is the 7th defencemen that sits rather than a rookie that needs playing time to develop. Rotate him in to beat up the Canucks.
3) Does it really matter if he even plays? Flames needed to get to the cap. They can send him down to the minors at the start of the season for all it really matters.
4) Up to and including Engelland's last year, the Flames will not contending, and will more than likely not be a cap team. His salary will not impact this organization negatively - in fact, you can argue it is postive.
5) I am assuming Engelland was looking for 'x' amount of dollars over 'x' amount of years - security. Obviously with these signings, the Flames are anticipating becoming a cap team in year 4, which is why the 2-3 year signings. They paid him what he was looking for in a longer-term contract to avoid having to worry about him impacting the cap at that time.
6) Flames do need to get tougher. I don't know about you guys, but he sure seems like an upgrade on Shane Orr'Brien (spinoramas). Shane was supposed to bring the physicality and intimidation. Many, many posters here defended that asinine trade at the time, and one of the reasons was that the second coming of Bobby Orr needed to clear the crease and punch some faces. He did it ONCE, and was rather useless otherwise. On top of this, he simply wasn't a good character to have (hence the Flames deciding to just buy him out, even though he was on his last year of his contract and the Flames needed his dollars). If Engelland can come in and intimidate a bit more, push guys out of the crease, and punch a few faces, then that is an upgrade as far as I can see. We all heard nothing but good things with regards to his character. We heard nothing but bad things about SOB.
7) Though many guys are anti-fighting in the NHL (and that's fine), I really can't stand the team I cheer for getting pushed around and intimidated. McGrattan helped a lot, and so did Westgarth. This year we are going to have fun watching the other team gets stapled to the boards while we lose. Nothing is worse than having a team lose and look intimidated and demoralized while doing so without any push-back of any kind. It will be nice to see some swagger in the lineup - swagger we didn't have since the Oliwa, Simon, Regehr, etc., days. You are a top team and you want to come into our building and blow us out? Think again.. we will start playing chippy and smash anyone we can through the boards. You take exception until you realize who you are taking exception with. Doesn't seem so fun any longer beating us 5-1 or 9-0.
8) Is Engelland going to come in here and play some first-rate norris-calibre hockey? Of course not. Is he going to be an incompetent idiot out there - the prototypical goon? Highly doubtful too. He is going to come in and be a 5-7th defencemen - just like he was on the Pens. He will make life hard on opposing forwards, especially guys who get too aggressive in front of the net. He will simply do a job on this team, and if he doesn't do a job, once again he gets benched/demoted and his salary is still a positive for the team.
9) Flames did not give up any assets, just cash (which they HAVE to spend) with a shorter term (which will not interfere in the least with the Flames' plans).
10) Let's just wait and see how this team plays now with Bollig, Engelland, McGrattan, and perhaps Wolf. Nobody is thinking playoffs. Everyone knows we are a bottom-5 team. However, I wonder if we can demoralize Vancouver again half-way through the season like last year? We should wait until 3/4 of the season this time around, just to avoid helping them get a high draft pick.
Everyone is entitled to their opinion. Mine is basically "It doesn't hurt short or long term - actually helps the Flames short term in getting to the floor". I also think it could be rather entertaining, and I miss the old Flames teams that had a lot of swagger, and hopefully we will see some of that this year.
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