[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

So I think you are basically saying that guys like Shinkaruk and Poirier have one more year to prove they can be a top 6 scoring forward in the NHL, because by that point, many had concluded that Granlund would not be.

I'm not keen on arbitrarily fixing these numbers to every player, but I would say that Shinkaruk and Poirier most definitely have more time to prove that they can possibly become top-six scoring forwards than does Granlund. That much, I think, is beyond dispute. I would also point out that the likelihood of Granlund becoming anything more than a utility 3/4 line forward are very slim at this juncture in his development. Like I said: he pretty much is what he is and will be in the future.

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

Since I would argue that Granlund was further along than either player at their current age, both players are much longer shots than he was.

And I would counter by pointing out that whatever Granlund did at the same age as Poirer and Shinkaruk is pretty much irrelevant. At that time, many Flames fans and hockey observers a like were justifiably fairly bullish on his ability to translate his game as a scoring forward to the NHL level—much like many are about Poirier and Shinkaruk. In the course of the past two years, he has been unable to do so.

What does this mean for Poirier and Shinkaruk? Practically nothing, since there is still a lot more time for them to develop, and to assess whether or not they will make the transition that Granlund was unable to. In other words, the opportunity is still realistically there for them, while the same window has likely closed for Granlund.

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

IMO Granlund's value to this team was to make other more expensive players expendable in other deals.

That value was about to evaporate with the looming change to his waiver status. And besides, because this deal was made with an eye set on the team in 2–3 years time, and beyond the term of these expensive players of which you speak, Granlund's value is pretty fleeting, and arguably not as important as Shinkaruk's. Shinkaruk could in the course of the next calendar year set himself into the future plans of the Flames in a way that Granlund could not, because they have the time to be more patient with his development.

The gamble here is on Shinkaruk becoming at least as effective a NHL player as Granlund has become—a pretty reasonable bet, I would think. BUT, there is also the chance that he could be better—a better chance, I would say, than that Granlund will now suddenly experience a spike in his development to become a top-six scoring forward.