Slept over it, and the more I think about the deal, the more I like it. Not going into the alleged off-the-ice stuff, I'm not really interested in those rumours and speculation and personally always feel it's petty when that stuff comes up after a trade (see Hamilton trade 2015). My initial thought was that we certainly overpaid, but I'm not so sure anymore. Adding a 21-year-old defenseman with elite potential and a 23-year-old top 6 center will always cost you an arm and a leg ... heck, to say that getting two former top 5 picks who have done well at the NHL level in a trade is rare would be an understatement. Most importantly, I think the Flames today are a more balanced team than they were yesterday.
Right now, it's a downgrade defensively in my opinion. Hanifin has elite potential, but he isn't there yet and right now he's probably not a top-pairing defenseman just yet. But that's okay, he'll get there and be Giordanos heir in a couple of years. One key for me is Brodie going back to play with Giordano ... if that change gets Brodie back to where he was pre-Gulutzan, then I think we look at a very balanced and talented blueline. Knowing that we have Gio-Brodie and Hanifin-Hamonic as the top 4 with guys like Valimaki, Andersson and Kylington knocking at the door is exciting.
Up front, I firmly believe that it's going to be a massive upgrade. And to be clear, I like Ferland a lot. But to me, he is not a top line winger and will never be. In a perfect world, he's a 3rd line winger that can play up the lineup when necessary. Lindholm is a completely different beast in my opinion, regardless of whether they stick him on the right wing or play him at center. And again, I wouldn't be surprised if took the next step soon. Looking back at the 2013 draft thread, CP was completely torn between him and Monahan - having them both in the fold long-term is exciting too.
Losing Fox hurts, even after learning that he didn't want to sign. I think he's going to be a really solid NHLer and having to include him in the deal sucks. But having Valimaki, Andersson and Kylington in the fold certainly softens the blow a bit for me ... Flames dealt from a position of strength here.
Hopefully both Hanifin and Lindholm are re-signed ASAP, and hopefully Tre can work some magic here. In any case, there should be money left for a good UFA winger ... a Neal or JVR would be a great help to the offense, but that's what I thought when we got Brouwer too ...
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