Quote:
Originally Posted by Strange Brew
Of course I'm using hindsight to assess the GM's moves. And my point is that Smith really needs to work out because Treliving has given up significant assets in his search for stopgap goalies.
I don't subscribe to the notion that there were no other choices. Treliving has chosen this approach and I'm sure he would agree he will be accountable for its success or failure.
And the Hamilton deal was good but I would take the Talbot deal over it if you want to play what if.
|
I wonder how that would have looked for this past season? The Flames defence would have been extremely thin in Hamilton's absence, and even with excellent individual play from Talbot I don't believe they would have been any further ahead than where they finished this spring. Talbot was excellent in his first year in Edmonton, and they still finished in the bottom-three of the NHL. For the Flames to then shore up their defence would likely cost them an impact roster player—Edmonton traded Taylor Hall for Adam Larsson, whom I do not believe to be as good a player as Dougie Hamilton.
I think the Flames are in a better position today than they would have been with Talbot but
sans Hamilton. Filling a hole on the top defence pairing is a mighty tall order compared to finding a starting goalie, it would seem.