IMO Russell has played well as a Flame but he's the easiest to replace of the top 5 defenseman. He blocks a lot of shots because he often finds himself hemmed in the Flames end. I'm not a Corsi guy but I'm pretty sure he was amongst the Flames worst defensemen last year in advanced stats. IMO Wideman is a better overall defenseman and if one has to go I would hope it be Russell. That said if he would accept a fair deal in the range of $3 million a season I would be all for keeping him but it's important to keep an eye on cap room as some of the young forwards are going to be in for raises in the coming seasons and in a few seasons there's no reason this team can't find a replacement for Russell in the system as one of the young guys you would hope will pan out.
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