Quote:
Originally Posted by New Era
This season has been over for almost a month now. The only thing preventing people from seeing that around Halloween was denial. This team is a mess, and it shouldn't be. There are to many good pieces and building blocks on it to be the mess it is. The problem is there are too many vets that can't deal with the pace and intensity of the game any more, and it shows. The sad thing is that many of these guys are the ones management and the coaches like so it is unlikely they are going to be moved any time soon, and we'll watch another year of development for our young players wasted. For this team to really get better in the long term management has to get their heads out of their asses and start clearing the roster.
Wideman needs to go, like yesterday. He should have been moved in the off-season while his big number season was in the minds of other GMs. Now the real Dennis Wideman is on display and we'll be lucky not to have to add an asset for someone to take that salary off our hands. This is a guy where we get better just by not having him on the roster. Treliving needs to move him, even if it means contracting with NASA to use the new Orion platform to fire Wideman into the sun.
Russell needs to be moved immediately as well. Hartley just loves to rely on Russell for some reason, but he's just gawd awful out there. The reason he blocks so many shots is he gives away the puck in his own zone so often and feels obligated to get in the way! He's another guy that is just horrible out there and looks to be getting worse. Hopefully Treliving can rally that blocked shots stat into a 4th round pick or something. The most important thing Treliving can do here is to get Russell off the roster so Hartley can't rely on him any more.
As much as I want to see Bolig, Raymond and Jones moved, the first forward I want traded is Backlund. I am quickly believing he is the poster-boy for the 2015-16 Flames; not good and over-used in every situation. I don't understand why he's eating up any time at center when he sucks so bad at the position. Hartley is playing Bennett out of position in favor of Backlund? WTF??? The highest drafted player in team history, with the highest pedigree at that position, is being played out of position in favor of Mikael Backlund? Again, Treliving needs to take Hartley's toys away from him and give him only the assets he needs. Keep doing this until he starts to ice the team that has a future in this league. If Hartley doesn't want to play the future, then make a smart move and put Hartley on that same Orion booster you've got Wideman on.
While Treliving is at it, please make sure Hudler is moved for something and don't follow the Burke mindset of I'd-rather-get-nothing-than-take-less-than-I-want. We need to get assets to use to move our unmovable assets. You're going to need another draft pick to entice someone to eat Wideman or Stajan's contract, so make sure you get something for every player possible!
I still contend the thing missing the most from last year to this year is the youthful enthusiasm. The Flames need an injection of youth every single year. This year it should have been from the likes of Arnold, Agostino and Poirier. Those guys should have been taking the places of Raymond, Bolig, and Stajan/Backlund. You could add Kulak and Nakladal to the mix on the blueline as well. These guys would be giving it their all just because it is the NHL and they want to stay. Instead we have a bunch of slugs who are at the end of their string and struggling to hold on. Think that might be why the team sucks?
Our playoff hopes are done, but that doesn't mean the season is done. We still have 58 games to bring up the kids and see what they have to offer, whether they are NHL players or whether we need to find other talent in the off-season. Get the damn trades done and get on with getting the youth in the line up and seeing where we stand. We have nothing else to lose at this point.
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i don't think it was over a month ago, it is now though.
Wideman gets you nothing substantial, maybe a 2nd, and he has to approve the trade.
Russell also gets you nothing substantial, maybe a 4th.
Backlund might get a 2nd and a prospect.
Bollig, Raymond, Stajan don't get you anything substantial, more 4th round picks?
Most of these will have to be depth moves at the deadline, for teams that are making a run. None of these guys is likely in demand.
With all of these guys I think the benefit is, as you say, getting them off the roster to make spots for development players.
IMO the Flames will have to make moves of substance to fix some of the issues on this team and that might involve moving guys that we like a lot.