Quote:
Originally Posted by Erick Estrada
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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Problem being, Wideman is about Gio's age whereas Russell is 4 years younger. The chances of regression for Wideman are greater than the chances of him repeating his career season. Are you willing to bet that he belts out another 50+ pt performance next season while playing the 2nd pairing?
Russell is basically a perfect #5 who can fit anywhere up and down the lineup when asked should injuries or slumps strike, and plays the game the Flames way.
I agree with 4 years - would mean that Frolik and Russell would come off the books same time, almost 8 mill in cap space.