That is an expensive acquisition, but what do you expect for a franchise-level type of player in his prime?
I absolutely LOVE Kylington - always have, and I think he will easily be a top 4 defensmen in this league who puts up points. Those are expensive to acquire. IMO, he is more valuable than the Flames' first round pick. I think Dube is more valuable than the Flames' 1st round pick too. Is Stone actually worth all 4 assets?
That's a tough trade. That's a lot of futures - including 2 'can't miss' prospects with upside and NHL experience. I am literally on the fence. If the Flames don't meet that price and walk away, I can live with not getting Stone. If the Flames end up meeting the price and the trade goes through, I can also live with it as I know it puts the Flames THAT much closer to winning a cup starting now and continuing for the next 4 years.
If Calgary acquires Stone, he becomes the 2nd best forward on this team - MAYBE the best. I look at how Lindholm has blown-up this year, and I think that Stone will also have that big of an impact in the line-up. Is that worth the futures? Is the need that large to give up those futures, or is this just loading up just to load up?
I think there is a need at RW. I think it makes the Flames a harder team to match-up against with Stone in the lineup. The depth scoring is fantastic right now, but you can't always count on it either - sometimes you need your 'game-breakers' to actually break the game. Having two lines that can do this should really help.
That's a big price-tag, but one that I can live with. Hopefully Dorion blinks first and hopefully Kylington isn't included. 1st, 1st, Dube - Dorian can rationalize it by saying Dube is a much better prospect than the two they acquired from Columbus. Getting 2 firsts and a quality prospect that can play right now is nothing to sneeze at. I don't even want to unload Frolik right now either - trade him in the off-season after the playoffs, as I think he is a very effective defensive forward, and can probably help the Flames win. Frolik and Ryan on the 4th line should be a fairly decent shut-down line/possession line.
I hope it isn't Kylington going (and I assume Valimaki is off the table).
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