Quote:
Originally Posted by Phanuthier
John Ramage - did he show no progress this year? kind of surprised everyone is writing him off to saying outright releasing him.
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He might have shown progress, but there're only so many contracts and AHL minutes. I personally feel like Dustin Stevenson, Kenney Morrison, Keegan Kanzig, and Sena Acolatse probably make a stronger case at this point, especially if we wanna open up max minutes for our three studs Kulak, Culkin, and Wotherspoon. (Jason Fram? Oleg Yevenko?)
Patrick Sieloff is only going into the second year of his ELC too. That leaves Cundari and Ramage. Cundari has shown enough that he probably deserves a spot but even that is a questionable decision considering.
Best case scenario for development AND probably for the NHL Flames is for at least two of the #5 thru #7 roster spots to be open next season for the taking, and for Wotherspoon and Morrison to graduate. And considering their handling of Wotherspoon this year I see that as optimistic, they're too in love with mediocre vet blueliners (Smid ain't bad, when paired with a puck mover. If we have to start next season with Smid-Engelland again I will go crazy.)
So anyways i'd argue one of Ramage, Acolatse or Stevenson end up being the last cut. Acolatse is the most useful offensively as well as a Hartley-type who will lay his body on the line no questions asked, and Stevenson is pretty much the same player as Ramage, except notably bigger.