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GranteedEV · 01-11-2015, 01:14 AM

I'm not saying he's not an NHL-calibre player - I think he is and someday he'll be sinking 15-25 goals a year and plenty of assists to go with that. But it's safe to say that at center, we're pretty deep. Backlund, Monahan, Bennett, Colborne, Stajan, Granlund, Jooris.

The first three of those are pretty untouchable for now, and Colborne is one of our few larger players who's looked comfortable enough on the right wing. Jooris has been an amazing energy guy with great skating and a lot more offensive ability than another of one of our energy guys *cough*.

So at first glance, Stajan is the one that "needs to be moved" - he's the veteran whose reputation has dropped from being a Top 6 Offensive Playmaker and the key piece in the Phaneuf trade to... essentially a 4th liner who gets a pretty nice paycheck.

But I find that I like Matt Stajan in that bottom line role more than I ever liked him in all these years pidgeonholed into scoring lines. His offensive skills seems so much more valuable and suited to setting up less skilled guys just crashing the net like Bouma than they ever were to opening up Iggy et al. He's a heady player, and to me feels like a calming influence when he's out there with four other guys stuck in their own zone. He's the kind of veteran that helps young teams grow, and he's versatile enough that you can slot him in on the wings, not just center.

On the other hand, Markus Granlund is only 21 and he has a ton of potential especially with an off-season to work on his strength. He's skilled, he's smart, and he's already contributing. It wouldn't be absurd to slot him in on a wing and see how he does - It's really tough to even talk about trading away this guy. But I feel like he's just.. redundant on this team and he's an awesome asset that could get help at the positions the Flames need to fill. In the long term, we obviously need to get quality D-men to relieve the awesome Gio/Brodie/Russell and you don't usually get good pieces trading away extras.

Is Granlund a core piece, or an excellent asset to help get that core piece?

01-11-2015, 01:14 AM	#1
GranteedEV Franchise Player Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Calgary Exp:	Granlund the odd man out? I'm not saying he's not an NHL-calibre player - I think he is and someday he'll be sinking 15-25 goals a year and plenty of assists to go with that. But it's safe to say that at center, we're pretty deep. Backlund, Monahan, Bennett, Colborne, Stajan, Granlund, Jooris. The first three of those are pretty untouchable for now, and Colborne is one of our few larger players who's looked comfortable enough on the right wing. Jooris has been an amazing energy guy with great skating and a lot more offensive ability than another of one of our energy guys cough. So at first glance, Stajan is the one that "needs to be moved" - he's the veteran whose reputation has dropped from being a Top 6 Offensive Playmaker and the key piece in the Phaneuf trade to... essentially a 4th liner who gets a pretty nice paycheck. But I find that I like Matt Stajan in that bottom line role more than I ever liked him in all these years pidgeonholed into scoring lines. His offensive skills seems so much more valuable and suited to setting up less skilled guys just crashing the net like Bouma than they ever were to opening up Iggy et al. He's a heady player, and to me feels like a calming influence when he's out there with four other guys stuck in their own zone. He's the kind of veteran that helps young teams grow, and he's versatile enough that you can slot him in on the wings, not just center. On the other hand, Markus Granlund is only 21 and he has a ton of potential especially with an off-season to work on his strength. He's skilled, he's smart, and he's already contributing. It wouldn't be absurd to slot him in on a wing and see how he does - It's really tough to even talk about trading away this guy. But I feel like he's just.. redundant on this team and he's an awesome asset that could get help at the positions the Flames need to fill. In the long term, we obviously need to get quality D-men to relieve the awesome Gio/Brodie/Russell and you don't usually get good pieces trading away extras. Is Granlund a core piece, or an excellent asset to help get that core piece? __________________ "May those who accept their fate find happiness. May those who defy it find glory."