[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by GranteedEV

Power play production is important. But you need to fit a role on the power play. You don't just throw four guys out there and expect them to produce. You need guys in the right positions, ice time, etc. A power play with four Sean Monahans, four Johnny Gaudreaus, or four Matthew Tkachuks might not have the same effectiveness as a power play with one of each plus one Ilya Kovalchuk.

ROR fits like a glove on Buffalo's underrated (when healthy) PP setup, with Eichel alternating between the point and the left circle, the very underrated Sam Reinhart playing the net-front-ish role, and Rasmus Ristolainen being an excellent PPQB. It's a perfect situation for him, and he deserves credit for his production in that situation.

But if you don't have that spot available, you either put have to put him on PP2 (and cut his PP ice time by half with a big chunk of that being zone entries after PP1 screws up) or move him to whatever spot remains. Do you move him to the right circle? Okay, but then you're doing that stupid Gulutzan thing of keeping Gaudreau on the left circle. Who knows if it works?

It's not plug-and-play.

Guys like Crosby(/Malkin/Kessel) and Wheeler(/Laine) are different because you actually construct your power play around them. You're not building your PP around Patric Hornqvist, even if he had 22 power play points last year. He fit that PP, but that doesn't mean he'd fit our PP where he'd just be taking icetime away from Matthew Tkachuk.

You can't have multiple guys filling the same niche on the power play. At 5v5, yes you can because the ice time is more distributed and less at the mercy of role.

ROR is a 60 point player in his role in Buffalo. Fact.
Would ROR be a 60 point player in his role in Calgary, considering his PP skillset overlaps Monahan and his 5v5 production, as I've shown, actually trails Backlund? And if so, is that just adding 60 points, or are you taking points away from Monahan and ending up barely improving?

Maybe. But what cost are you willing to pay to find out? And if so, is that just adding 60 points, or are you taking points away from Monahan and ending up barely improving? What is the value-added here given the fact that there is no hole on our play that ROR specifically addresses?

If ROR produced like Monahan at 5v5, that's an automatic +20-ish points (in the previous sample size) you're adding over Backlund. That'd be a lot easier to see.

And does ROR play too much at 5v5 anyways? Would his ES icetime be reduced here?

ROR is an upgrade on Backlund and there's no doubt in my mind he would make the Flames better. I have no idea what the Sabres would expect in return but if there's a deal to be made I would be all for investigating it. If you have it in your mind he's not worth it well that's your opinion but I'm not buying it. I'm positive Backlund is not good enough as a 2nd line center and it's a big part of the reason this team missed the playoffs this season and this team badly needs to upgrade the 2nd line. ROR does that.