Quote:
Originally Posted by CliffFletcher
I'll cheerfully speculate about trading any player in a Flames uniform. Doesn't mean I'm impatient or dislike the player. If a trade improves the team - and yes, big trades involving star players sometimes improve a team - I'm all for it.
I don't see linemates as big issue with Gaudreau. He has one of the better triggermen in the league in Monahan. And these days most teams spread out their top 6 forwards on three lines, with two skilled guys and a supplementary player on each line.
Gaudreau got 30 points in his last 30 games. Not too worried about his production. He'll always look better on the big ice, but that's to be expected for a player of his style.
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The problem is that Chiasson and Ferland are not top line players on any team in the league outside of the Flames (and maybe Canucks). Name teams that have a "supplementary" player on their top line that's on the level with Chiasson. People always talk about the substandard wingers Crosby has had to work with over his career but at least Kunitz was a 20 goal, 50 point forward with the Ducks prior to playing with Crosby. Chiasson was a waiver wire player and I'm not slagging Ferland but he's nowhere near a gifted offensive player. Monahan is a great trigger man but he's not quick in transition or a gifted passer and every team knows that line goes through Gaudreau for possession and they can place their best checking forwards on him as well as a defender knowing that the other two players on the line do not drive the play. Of course the bigger international ice provides him more room but the only way he's going to get more room in the NHL is to have a winger on the other side that demands some attention and right now teams have little regard for the player on the other side of that line. The fact that Chiasson played close to 1/2 the season on the top line and only got 24 points proves he was barely a participant on that line in the offensive zone. That makes it far too easy for teams to take away Gaudreau.