Quote:
Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy
Good grief I hope Treliving can find some sucker to take Stajan from us.
I mean, by all accounts he's a great guy but that contract is T-E-R-R-I-B-L-E for this team moving forward. I get that when it was signed the Flames center depth was non-existent but now? Yikes.
With Monahan's (21) extension this year, then Bennett (19) next year, plus having Backlund (26)...
Having over $3 million tied up in a soft, 30+ year old 4th line center who isn't very good at face-offs for two more seasons after this one is a real clusterf***.
They actually might have to just buy him out to be honest.
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I totally disagree. I think Stajan's value to this team is almost entirely in an off-ice leadership role. We are a young team and we're not going to get a lot older in the near future.
Listen to a guy like Jalen Rose talk about the importance of having guys on the team who can teach players how to be Pros. How to do the little things, look after themselves, manage press and fans, put in the work to have a long career.
Stajan has dealt with a lot. He's been a 1st line center and a 4th liner, played in the biggest media market in hockey, been part of a blockbuster trade. There is huge value in having guys like him and Giordano, who came back from the KHL to become a Captain, on the roster for their off-ice accomplishments. (Obviously, Gio has value as one of the best defensemen in the league too).
Take a look at who's playing for us now and how many guys do we have who are even 26 with 250+ games? Gio, Wideman, Stajan, Backlund... Bollig? Engelland?
Keeping a guy like Stajan on the roster is the kind of thing that may not see game-to-game value, but pays off down the road when our current young guys are in their prime, winning playoff series after playoff series and saying things like "you know who taught me how to manage the ups and downs of a season? Matty, Matty taught me that."