[darthma]

Originally Posted by Caged Great

Glo Boyz is actually partially correct in that both Russell Wideman are not good #3/4 defensemen, although they were awesome this season, especially when Gio went down.

If you look at the advanced stats, they have significant deficiencies in their own zone. (shots allowed, shot attempts, possession)

While both of them contributed significantly on the offensive side of things, they were not very good on the defensive side for a team that is trying to become a cup contender. I would not rush either of them out the door, but I would also try very hard to find an upgrade somewhere for each of them.

If you look at Tampa, their defense in 2013-14 was

Hedman-Carle
Gudas-Salo
Brewer-Sustr
5 different players

This year it's

Hedman-Stralman
Garrison-Carle
Sustr-Nesterov/Coburn/Barbeiro

If the Flames can find players that are better overall players than Russell and Wideman, they should.

Wow. Stralman on the top pairing. He really turned it around. In my mind, he's similar to Russell, though I'm not sure that's a perfect comparison. We got a 3rd round pick for him.