I think Hathaway is a favorite to push a vet off the 4th line. I don't think he is penciled-into the lineup just yet. I do think he plays a lot this year, but he is still very much a bubble player. I really like him and feel he will become a good 4th liner for the next few seasons at least on the Flames, but there are other guys who I still think have a pretty chance of cracking the lineup and being more valuable pieces.
People just vote how they feel is right. I personally can't vote a prospect (even with a good look at the NHL the prior season) who has 4th line upside and say he is definitively better than a prospect who has less of a chance to make the show, but has top 6 or top 4 potential.
I wouldn't trade a Fox (who just broke a points record for defencemen), or any of the goalies who all have shown varying degrees of promise, or even a guy like Tuulola who could very well become a better scoring Hathaway capable of playing 3rd line.
I can understand how some like to rank according to the percentages of a prospect making it, and one bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, but I don't personally subscribe to that notion. I do factor in how likely a prospect is to play in the NHL given what I have seen and know about a prospect, but it means little difference to me if a player is ready this year vs 2 years from now. I am ranking based on who I think will be the most valuable players for the Flames long-term, and though I really love guys like Hathaway (I really do!), I can't say with a straight face that they are not easily replaceable.
Now, if Hathaway had some softer mitts, he would shoot up my rankings so fast, but I just think he is rather easily replaceable. Glad he is in the organization, but wouldn't lose sleep if he wasn't re-signed.
Guys like Ollas-Mattsson, Dube, Fox, Lindstrom, and a few others are all ahead of him for me, as I think that even though they may be slightly longer shots to make the NHL, they will have a much greater impact on helping the Flames win if they do.
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