Quote:
Originally Posted by GranteedEV
There are the top 3 D on the Blackhawks and Lightning:
Hedman
Stralman
Coburn
Keith
Seabrook
Hjamarsson
The Flames need to add a third top 3D. I think Wideman and Russell can both do fine in the Oduya / Garrison role (with a preference for Russell as he makes less bad pinches). I want to believe somebody in our system, whether that's Kulak, Hickey, Culkin, Wotherspoon, Sieloff, Rafikov, Kanzig, or maybe our draft pick this year, can be that top 3D.
I feel Schlemko-Wideman is an awesome bottom pairing and Gio-Brodie is the best top pairing in the NHL.
All I want is a #3D. From a cost perspective, especially after seeing the sizable Petry contract, I'm not sure we're gonna find that guy in free agency (but I'd still want to take a stab at Franson as he's a statistical possession-driver with size)
Gio-Brodie
Russell-Franson
Wideman-Schlemko
That looks a lot more steady and stable than what we were rolling last year.
One more thing to consider is that Russell is getting a raise in the 2016 season. I really like Kris Russell @ 2.6 AAV right now. I think up to 4.2 mil AAV is fair market value for him. But if you start talking middle pairing money (5.5+) with him, then you have to let him walk. That's doubly so because he's such a poor possession driver that you can only find so many interested buyers. Teams want to acquire solid possession guys like Leddy, Sekera and Coburn in trades, and that's not Russell's game.
So then if you plan to let Russell walk as UFA, that leaves a gap on the middle pairing anyways.
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Are you trying to claim that Coburn is a better defenseman that Wideman? Brayden Coburn? Are you serious?
Just in these playoffs alone, Wideman has 3 more points (In 10 less games!) and played 10 minutes per game more. There is no aspect of the game that Coburn is better than Wideman. Other than size, but Coburn doesn't even play that big.
In his last four regular seasons COMBINED, Coburn had ONE more point than Wideman had this year alone.
What on earth could Wideman have done this year to earn some respect. Russell and Wideman were one of the best FIRST pairings in the league from the time Gio went down until the Flames were knocked out. There is no way any team in the league has Wideman on the 3rd pairing.