[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by ricardodw

The point that I am making is that the time is now for the Flames.

Waiting 2 years for Hamilton , Bennett, Tkachuk, Jankowski to shine has it's costs... Frolik and Brouwer and especially Gio ( 3 of the core 7) have probably had their peak seasons.

Listing all the young d-men who outside of Brodie and possibly Hamilton have a very low chance of ever playing at the Gio level, sounds like it comes from the Oiler fan base.

Okay, since reading between the lines was never ricardodw's strong suit, I will spell it out in a more concise manner. And by concise I mean elaborate and TLDR-ey.

In 2 seasons:

Mark Giordano is 35 years old

As a 32 year old he played 82 games, and was able to put up a 21G-35A-56P statline. He was functionally Calgary's second-best defensive defenseman, and our best offensive defenseman. His ability to be patient and precise with the puck in the defensive zone is not going to decline if he loses a step in his skating. His ability to produce offensively is not going to decline, he can get pucks through as well as anyone in the NHL not named Karlsson, this is a skill and what makes him elite. What may decline is his ability to match up individually to the Crosbies and McDavids. Barring a catastrophic injury, which could just as likely happen to a younger player, he will continue to be a very effective top four forward, albeit in an increasingly sheltered role.

TJ Brodie is 28 Years old

He was functionally Calgary's best defensive defenseman, and second-best offensive defenseman. In general his style of play is what most consider to be a "#1 Defenseman". At age 28, he it's not improbable to expect a peak at a level comparable to Duncan Keith at the same age. As a player, he can and already does carry the team on his back.

Dougie Hamilton is 25 years old.

In Boston's system, Dougie was able to be a very effective #3 offensive defenseman as a 20, 21 year old. In Calgary's system Dougie was able to be an effective #3 two-way defenseman. These is room to grow. 25 is often considered the beginning of a defenseman's prime years. A prime Dougie Hamilton could easily replace 90% of what Giordano brings outright on the top pair, but even if he doesn't, we're still talking about a top-shelf, 50 point two-way defenseman who can anchor a pair offensively, or if paired with Brodie, provide our own little version of Keith-Seabrook. Simply improving his own game will reduce the need for Giordano to play at a absolute, elite level because he won't cost the team goals against on as many soft seal-outs. We can expect Dougie to get better. He doesn't need to be a #1, just as Giordano doesn't need to be a #1. We have TJ Brodie for that. Or if you pair Brodie with a defensive defenseman ("Our Hjalmarsson"), you can have Dougie and Giordano as your second pair. This was... our first pair to start this season and while both were struggling individually, they were not completely awful together, particularily in the offensive zone where they were simply suffocating the opposition.

Brett Kulak is 24 years old.

If 25 is prime, then 24 is not far off, either. Here we have a player who plays the style of game that Giordano has most often fit best with, a strong-skating, swift puck mover who can recover from failed pinches and suppress scoring chances with an excellent stick. If Brodie is paired with Hamilton, then Giordano can be placed into a second pair role with Kulak. You're protecting Giordano and Kulak from the Crosby and McDavid type elite players, yet as a pair you've got potential for the same in-game flow we got from Gio-Brodie around 2014, or at least the flow Gio-Bouwmeester used to give us. This is not a poor potential middle pair at all.

Jyrki Jokipakka is 27 years old
He is currently tweening between a #5 and a #4 defenseman. Two more years of NHL experience and development, a new coach with a system better suited to his skill set, and it's not crazy to assume he could improve into an effective player that can compensate portions of Mark Giordano's decline. He can kill penalties in lieu of Gio, and he brings Giordano's physical element in breaking up the cycle and preventing zone entries.

Tyler Wotherspoon is 25 years old
Another player who will be entering the prime years of his career, and as the case was with Jokipakka, can replace the elements of Giordano's game that are most likely to decline. He cannot replace Giordano's offensive contributions - but does that mean he needs to? Giordano's offense is not going to fall off the map, because of the nature of the position.

Oliver Kylington is 21 years old
I alluded to Giordano-Kulak as recreating stylistic elements of Giordano-Brodie in a protected role... well this is the same deal, except on overdrive as Kylington is simply more comparable to Brodie from a raw talent stand point. Kylington even as a 21 year old could very well push Mark Giordano to the #4 spot on our depth chart - and that is a good thing. Heck Kylington could push Hamilton out of our depth chart. Whatever upwards trend he does or doesn't take - even being competent as simply a good partner for Giordano with Giordano's experience and details and Kylington's speed/skill is an enticing middle pair. Brouwer's + Frolik's contracts run out just as Kylington's should, so I don't believe we should anticipate too much difficulty retaining the two of Kylington/Brodie in that off season.

Brandon Hickey is 22 years old.
See Jyrki Jokipakka, except now with Kulak's skating.

Adam Ollas-Mattsson is 22 years old.
See Hamilton, except ignore everything I said in that paragraph except for "Brodie's Hjalmarsson". Well I think AOM could be a Hjalmarsson. Which, btw, is a role that would completely replace Giordano's defensive responsibilities in their entirety. But if not, see Jyrki Jokipakka.

Rasmus Andersson is 22 years old
Between Hickey, AOM, Jokipakka, and Wotherspoon, I've named four naturally defensive defensemen. But guys like that still need a natural puck moving partner, and here we have a guy who can not only be that, but even look to replace what small decline Giordano's offense will experience. Even your bottom pair producing offensively is a positive. Not that Andersson should be limited to a bottom pair role. He could well be... Mark Giordano's partner. That would be a physical, smooth, and very offensively potent pair.

Not all these kids will pan out. But no matter which ones do and which ones don't, Giordano will still be a top-shelf top four defenseman in the NHL for what is likely the entirety of his contract. Finding him a suitable partner internally is not going to be difficult, nor is his decline.

Giordano does not need to be our #1B or #2 defenseman in two years. However that also does not preclude him from still being able to play at that high level.