Quote:
Originally Posted by bigrangy
I'm still not happy with the trade, but it's not worth losing sleep over
Hamilton is elite but doesn't get the respect that he should
Lindholm probably doesn't have another level. If he averages 50 points over the contract he'll outperform my expectations.
Ferland is a unicorn. There is nobody as tough, as disciplined, and as skilled as him in the league. And he's just breaking out. Yeah he was probably going to end up with a silly contract but I think if you give Ferland and Lindholm the same opportunities over the next couple seasons, Ferland will have a bigger impact.
Hanifin should end up elite but Hamilton already is, and it's not like Hanifin's contract is vastly better than Hamilton's during the window that is Johnny's contract imo, especially considering the expected level of performance from each player.
And then there's Fox too. Even if he wasn't going to sign, he still had value.
Maybe Hamilton and Ferland both don't care about winning and if so it's probably good that they were moved. But the Flames got worse on the ice now and for the next couple seasons.
Like a lot of people, I'm not counting on Johnny resigning when he's a UFA and this team will be nothing without him. Tkachuk and Monahan are good, but that's a recipe for another 10 years of mediocrity. I believe you need elite talent to win and that Johnny and Gio are the only two elite talents left here.
The only way the Flames benefit from the trade (at least in terms of talent) is if Hanifin becomes a strong #1 d-man, which isn't unlikely but is no guarantee.
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Ferland is probably underrated by most but you are certainly overrating him here. Nobody as tough/skilled/disciplined? You don’t have to look outside of this team to find a player that has many of the qualities you mentioned. Matthew Tkachuk.
Skilled? Absolutely. Better offense. 0.72 vs. 0.53 PPG. Also bear in mind that Tkachuk was used on the defensive shutdown line with worse linemates and still put up more offense.
Tough? About the same. He may not hit as much as Ferland but no one would mistake Tkachuk for a soft player. Both also had 2 fights last year. (Surprisingly the player with the most was Hamonic).
Disciplined? Yes, Tkachuk definitely toes that line resulting in a couple suspensions and more PIM’s but he is also elite at drawing penalties. He is #1 in the league at penalties drawn per game. I’d gladly trade a player who produces net positive PP’s vs. a player who just doesn’t take a lot of penalties.
I also disagree that Gaudreau is the only elite player. Give Tkachuk maybe another year or two and I highly wager he will be an elite winger as well.