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Nelson · 07-05-2018, 08:51 AM

If I was Flames GM, this would be my to do list for the rest of summer.

-Trade Michael Stone because Stone is easily replaceable by Andersson and ~$2.7M in cap space could allow the Flames to sign Lindholm and Hanifin long-term, acquire a reliable backup (on the cheap), and sign Nick Shore.

-Sign Matt Galajda (assuming eligibility...he is 20 years old and undrafted) because we didn’t draft a goalie this year or last and his numbers look fantastic.

-Sign the RFAs including Hanifin and Lindholm. I would want Hanifin and Lindholm signed to 6 plus year deals. This will only be possible if Stone is traded (or Brouwer is bought out). Everyone else except Hathaway should be signed for 1 or 2 years. The one player I wouldn’t resign is Hathaway because, in my opinion, he is not as good as Shore.

-Sign Nick Shore because he is a centre, would be cheap, is 25, could be a hidden gem (Athletic article), is really good at defence and is just plain better than Hathaway, Lazar, Brouwer, Stajan, etc. I see him as an extra forward that could play capable minutes if there is an injury.

-Resign Tkachuk because circumstances have currently conspired to keep his point totals lower than they should be. Try not to wait until after next season when he scores over 60 points. The Tkachuk camp may want to wait but I think resigning Tkachuk should happen ASAP.

-Address the backup goalie position. Mike Smith has been injured and missed time each of the last 5 seasons and is now 36. It seems inevitable that the backups will have to carry the mail at some point. That said, I’m not sure how to address this issue because Kari Lehtonen is probably the best UFA. He has a career .912 save percentage and has played 60+ games in the past while posting .919, .912 and .914 save percentages. In his best season, he played 59 and had a .922 save percentage. However, more recently he has had 3/4 years as a sub .910 save % goalie. Last season he had a .912 in 37 games played. This would mean he would come cheap but also that good goaltending would not be guaranteed. Another option would be trading Stone for a goalie but what kind of goalie would you get back? Finally, you could trust Rittich and/or Gillies. This feels risky but if it worked, it would be awesome. Rittich had a .904 last season and Gillies had a .896.

07-05-2018, 08:51 AM	#1143
Nelson First Line Centre Join Date: Jul 2016 Exp:	If I was Flames GM, this would be my to do list for the rest of summer. -Trade Michael Stone because Stone is easily replaceable by Andersson and ~$2.7M in cap space could allow the Flames to sign Lindholm and Hanifin long-term, acquire a reliable backup (on the cheap), and sign Nick Shore. -Sign Matt Galajda (assuming eligibility...he is 20 years old and undrafted) because we didn’t draft a goalie this year or last and his numbers look fantastic. -Sign the RFAs including Hanifin and Lindholm. I would want Hanifin and Lindholm signed to 6 plus year deals. This will only be possible if Stone is traded (or Brouwer is bought out). Everyone else except Hathaway should be signed for 1 or 2 years. The one player I wouldn’t resign is Hathaway because, in my opinion, he is not as good as Shore. -Sign Nick Shore because he is a centre, would be cheap, is 25, could be a hidden gem (Athletic article), is really good at defence and is just plain better than Hathaway, Lazar, Brouwer, Stajan, etc. I see him as an extra forward that could play capable minutes if there is an injury. -Resign Tkachuk because circumstances have currently conspired to keep his point totals lower than they should be. Try not to wait until after next season when he scores over 60 points. The Tkachuk camp may want to wait but I think resigning Tkachuk should happen ASAP. -Address the backup goalie position. Mike Smith has been injured and missed time each of the last 5 seasons and is now 36. It seems inevitable that the backups will have to carry the mail at some point. That said, I’m not sure how to address this issue because Kari Lehtonen is probably the best UFA. He has a career .912 save percentage and has played 60+ games in the past while posting .919, .912 and .914 save percentages. In his best season, he played 59 and had a .922 save percentage. However, more recently he has had 3/4 years as a sub .910 save % goalie. Last season he had a .912 in 37 games played. This would mean he would come cheap but also that good goaltending would not be guaranteed. Another option would be trading Stone for a goalie but what kind of goalie would you get back? Finally, you could trust Rittich and/or Gillies. This feels risky but if it worked, it would be awesome. Rittich had a .904 last season and Gillies had a .896.