Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post - [Trade] Elias Lindholm + Noah Hanifin to Flames for D. Hamilton, Micheal Ferland, & Adam Fox

Calgary4LIfe · 11-05-2018, 12:37 PM

Since everyone is categorizing who they think is core, here is my grouping:

Forwards:
Monahan - unquestionably a 1st line center. Clutch with his game winners to boot.
Gaudreau - most dynamic forward and can generate offence quickly
Lindholm - 200ft player that is great on faceoffs and can generate offence... and who knows what his ceiling REALLY is. I think he finishes a PPG this year with 30 goals.
Backlund - The above 3 players do not get as many points without Backlund playing the tough defensive zone minutes and tough matchups. When your line usually out-scores the opposing teams' best lines, you usually win games. That's what Backlund provides.
Tkachuk - Difficult to play against. Solid playmaker. Solid scorer. Great along the boards. Strong defensively. He is a throw-back to what the NHL used to have as 'complete players'. Nobody has as high of a compete level as Tkachuk, and he often pushes the team.

Defencemen:
Giordano - perhaps the NHL's consistently most underrated defencemen. Sets the tone at every practice. Provides the Flames with elite-level play in every zone. Never takes a single night off. NOT A SINGLE NIGHT OFF.
Brodie - Sure, his popularity has suffered on these boards the last couple of seasons, but that's Gulutzan hockey. Gulutzan's system did not make use of any of Brodie's strengths - namely his skating and playmaking ability. I said it before the Hamilton trade - if you have to choose between the two, you keep Brodie. Brodie makes the players around him better and the team more dangerous overall. He is also deadly in OT. Under Peters, you are starting to see the way he can dominate at both ends of the ice. Put him in a system where he is allowed to skate, and he responds.
Hanifin - I think he is a lot like Brodie, and I am glad that he is on the team. I still think Brodie has better playmaking ability and defensive ability, but Hanifin is also really young and is a solid bet to at the very least catch-up. Great skater, solid passer. I want the puck on Hanifin's stick when the Flames are exiting their zone, right after Brodie anyway.

Strong complimentary players:
Bennett - I am still of the opinion that Bennett suffered a regression under Gulutzan. Gulutzan saw how good he was along the boards and in puck-battles, and utilized him more as a checker. As Bingo has pointed out numerous times, there is NOBODY on the team that generates as many high danger chances as Bennett does per 60 minutes. Few will include him in the core right now, but I bet that when the season (and Playoffs!) are over, most will have added Bennett to their list (including myself). There is NOBODY better in the corners and along the boards, Tkachuk included in my opinion (and I think Tkachuk is damn near elite in those areas - it is just crazy how many puck battles Bennett wins).
Frolik - What the? Really? Frolik provides this team with a heavy defensive presence. Put him on any line, and I bet that line is able to hold its' own defensively. He provides solid depth scoring on top of this. He isn't a very good playmaker. He doesn't have a fantastic shot. What he gives you is a relentless attack of the puck. The most fit Flame on the team shows it every game.
Hamonic - Great team mate. Solid defensively. Great skater. Hard hitter. Will fight to stick up for his team. Moves the puck extremely well for a physical defensive defencemen.

Everyone else is a bit young and/or replaceable. Valimaki and Andersson have a legitimate shot at pushing up right now of course. Jankowski has that ability to become better, and I bet he finishes the year off with better numbers than last year as well, even though he has had a slower start to the season. He is a smart player with a lot of tools - shot, playmaking ability, skating ability, and a reach that makes Jagr smile. He needs to remember some of the Jagr's lessons and start utilizing his body more effectively. He will be a much more difficult player to play against.

I had Ferland in the 'strong complimentary player' category, and I bet that the Flames actually do really miss him. Hamilton had to be in my 'core' group, but as many here felt, was always missing 'something'. I didn't like his compete level in the defensive zone. Maybe it was an awareness thing. It wasn't because he didn't use his size like others wanted him to - I knew he just wasn't a physical player. I just felt he didn't compete hard enough for pucks at times, and though he does have an elite-level wrist shot from the point, he used it WAY too often rather than trying to make a better play. I like how Brodie, Giordano and Hanifin are better able to create offence much more dynamically. At any rate, I think Hanifin's compete level is much higher, his skating even more dynamic, his vision much higher, and is an all-around better and more 'stable' defencemen than Hamilton, even with 'only' a decent shot (rather than an elite one like Hamilton's).

I do think that Ferland is going to have a fantastic year, and think he would have had a great year in Calgary with how the system has changed. Ferland had wheels, had impressive playmaking ability, was solid defensively, a beast in the corners and perhaps the best shot on the team. He was improving every year, and I am sure Treliving was being honest with his remarks about Ferland post-trade. You still have to give to get, and that is a trade you have to make every time.

In 5 years, it will be interesting to see what the core is. I would bet that it will be considerably different. However, the existing core now is, IMO, good enough to win a cup with. Maybe a bit of tinkering is needed around this core, but this is a solid core. Backlund absolutely has to be part of this core, and IMO, Brodie as well.

11-05-2018, 12:37 PM	#3190
Calgary4LIfe Franchise Player Join Date: Jun 2010 Exp:	Since everyone is categorizing who they think is core, here is my grouping: Forwards: Monahan - unquestionably a 1st line center. Clutch with his game winners to boot. Gaudreau - most dynamic forward and can generate offence quickly Lindholm - 200ft player that is great on faceoffs and can generate offence... and who knows what his ceiling REALLY is. I think he finishes a PPG this year with 30 goals. Backlund - The above 3 players do not get as many points without Backlund playing the tough defensive zone minutes and tough matchups. When your line usually out-scores the opposing teams' best lines, you usually win games. That's what Backlund provides. Tkachuk - Difficult to play against. Solid playmaker. Solid scorer. Great along the boards. Strong defensively. He is a throw-back to what the NHL used to have as 'complete players'. Nobody has as high of a compete level as Tkachuk, and he often pushes the team. Defencemen: Giordano - perhaps the NHL's consistently most underrated defencemen. Sets the tone at every practice. Provides the Flames with elite-level play in every zone. Never takes a single night off. NOT A SINGLE NIGHT OFF. Brodie - Sure, his popularity has suffered on these boards the last couple of seasons, but that's Gulutzan hockey. Gulutzan's system did not make use of any of Brodie's strengths - namely his skating and playmaking ability. I said it before the Hamilton trade - if you have to choose between the two, you keep Brodie. Brodie makes the players around him better and the team more dangerous overall. He is also deadly in OT. Under Peters, you are starting to see the way he can dominate at both ends of the ice. Put him in a system where he is allowed to skate, and he responds. Hanifin - I think he is a lot like Brodie, and I am glad that he is on the team. I still think Brodie has better playmaking ability and defensive ability, but Hanifin is also really young and is a solid bet to at the very least catch-up. Great skater, solid passer. I want the puck on Hanifin's stick when the Flames are exiting their zone, right after Brodie anyway. Strong complimentary players: Bennett - I am still of the opinion that Bennett suffered a regression under Gulutzan. Gulutzan saw how good he was along the boards and in puck-battles, and utilized him more as a checker. As Bingo has pointed out numerous times, there is NOBODY on the team that generates as many high danger chances as Bennett does per 60 minutes. Few will include him in the core right now, but I bet that when the season (and Playoffs!) are over, most will have added Bennett to their list (including myself). There is NOBODY better in the corners and along the boards, Tkachuk included in my opinion (and I think Tkachuk is damn near elite in those areas - it is just crazy how many puck battles Bennett wins). Frolik - What the? Really? Frolik provides this team with a heavy defensive presence. Put him on any line, and I bet that line is able to hold its' own defensively. He provides solid depth scoring on top of this. He isn't a very good playmaker. He doesn't have a fantastic shot. What he gives you is a relentless attack of the puck. The most fit Flame on the team shows it every game. Hamonic - Great team mate. Solid defensively. Great skater. Hard hitter. Will fight to stick up for his team. Moves the puck extremely well for a physical defensive defencemen. Everyone else is a bit young and/or replaceable. Valimaki and Andersson have a legitimate shot at pushing up right now of course. Jankowski has that ability to become better, and I bet he finishes the year off with better numbers than last year as well, even though he has had a slower start to the season. He is a smart player with a lot of tools - shot, playmaking ability, skating ability, and a reach that makes Jagr smile. He needs to remember some of the Jagr's lessons and start utilizing his body more effectively. He will be a much more difficult player to play against. I had Ferland in the 'strong complimentary player' category, and I bet that the Flames actually do really miss him. Hamilton had to be in my 'core' group, but as many here felt, was always missing 'something'. I didn't like his compete level in the defensive zone. Maybe it was an awareness thing. It wasn't because he didn't use his size like others wanted him to - I knew he just wasn't a physical player. I just felt he didn't compete hard enough for pucks at times, and though he does have an elite-level wrist shot from the point, he used it WAY too often rather than trying to make a better play. I like how Brodie, Giordano and Hanifin are better able to create offence much more dynamically. At any rate, I think Hanifin's compete level is much higher, his skating even more dynamic, his vision much higher, and is an all-around better and more 'stable' defencemen than Hamilton, even with 'only' a decent shot (rather than an elite one like Hamilton's). I do think that Ferland is going to have a fantastic year, and think he would have had a great year in Calgary with how the system has changed. Ferland had wheels, had impressive playmaking ability, was solid defensively, a beast in the corners and perhaps the best shot on the team. He was improving every year, and I am sure Treliving was being honest with his remarks about Ferland post-trade. You still have to give to get, and that is a trade you have to make every time. In 5 years, it will be interesting to see what the core is. I would bet that it will be considerably different. However, the existing core now is, IMO, good enough to win a cup with. Maybe a bit of tinkering is needed around this core, but this is a solid core. Backlund absolutely has to be part of this core, and IMO, Brodie as well.