I voted love it.
Lazar has great wheels and a non-stop motor. He is also physical, and has scoring upside. I think going into the draft, he was probably thought of having a ceiling of a 2nd line center. Things haven't worked out for him thus far, but this is a really good gamble to take.
Know what we really miss on this team? Someone like Paul Byron. He was fast and had a non-stop motor, he was physical, and he was a great forechecker/pk'er with scoring upside. Lazar to me is Paul Byron in a bigger package. That's pretty damn good.
I don't care if it is a strong draft or a weak draft - Lazar is a good prospect to bank on for having a turn-around (as long as the Flames work with him on his hygiene - no more eating food found on the floor).
What did this accomplish for the Flames today?
It added speed. That is an area that you can probably point to as having decreased in the last couple of years since the Flames have been trying to get bigger. Lazar has good speed. I really think he will start blossoming on the Flames next season.
As for now - I don't know who you subtract to fit him into the lineup. Rotating with Chiasson and Bouma I guess. He just needs playing time, and that is difficult to find right now on the Flames. That's my only concern with this trade. Really love that the Flames acquired him though - solid win in my books.
As for Jokipakka - meh. All season he has been wildly inconsistent. Maybe he just doesn't fit into the system any longer. I don't know. He just wasn't getting the job done at all. Wideman, Kulak and Wotherspoon should be more than enough depth heading into the playoffs. I am good with that. Kostka adds to that as well I guess, but I don't think we will here about him after today, I am thinking.
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