Quote:
Originally Posted by GranteedEV
Because your team is better with that "defensive depth" not being a regular, and that contract virtually dictates that player being a regular.
You think ownership is okay with Stone being in the press box for the next two years, even if that's where he ought to be? At 3.5M/2Y, that's not a guy you want eating popcorn.
Not only does his salary force (yet another, as if Raymond/Brouwer/Bouma weren't enough) buyout of year 3 of his deal, it kills any return value Stone might hypothetically have (assuming he has any, which I don't know if he does). No one will trade for Stone if he is a regular healthy scratch. But he's not good enough to make the team better. That cap space could, however, make the team better.
Trading him sooner rather than later is common sense at this point because we've seen how ineffective he is without OEL / Brodie setting him up for a bunch of one-timers, which is his only real NHL-level skill.
|
I’m not saying you don’t move him, but there is no urgency to do so until we get a deal we like (unlikely) or we have use for the cap space. Stone is not Bouma or Brower bad at this point. The Flames are entering win now mode, and as it sits today are better with Stone than without.
It’s still very much in the air if any of the players being mentioned are superior to him as of today. Don’t get me wrong, I hope, and even think it’s possible that Stone is made irrelevant this season by our young D, but I don’t think our GM should be scrambling around trying to dump him for a bag of pucks just so we can say our 3rd pairing is cost effective five. Stone isn’t entering the same territory yet of the 3 players you named and D men are much more often in demand, given it’s a much harder position for young players to step into and be effective.
There is zero rush to move Stone now unless you like the return or you have move B pending. This type of stuff happens every preseason, for some reason some fans get super ancy about who makes the opening night roster and trade proposals to get rid of veteran X for a bag of pucks because rookie X has clearly passed them on the depth chat for 1/4 of the cost because of distant observations during meaningless games just start flying.
Don’t get me wrong, I love optimism about the youngsters, but opening night roster is a false deadline that only matters to the fans.