Quote:
Originally Posted by powderjunkie
Ekblad > Tanev (though a repeat of peak Tanev last year would be close)
Weegar > Hanifin (probably...Weegar's a bit of a wildcard)
Forlsing ~ Andersson (tbd on both sides)
Nutivaara ?? Valimaki
Gudas >= Stone
Stralman > Mackey/Kylington
Markstrom probably has the highest ceiling of the three, but injury prone. I wouldn't want to pay $11M for it, but I'd take Bob+Knight over Markstrom+tbd.
Not much argument on forwards. If you count them down, our 3rd best is better than their 3rd best, but pretty much every other slot they are equal/greater than CGY.
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Just needed to chime in on the defense comparison.
Ekblad >>>>>> Tanev, and I'm a big Tanev fan. Tanev is a bit better defensively, but Ekblad is a MUCH better offensive player, especially when it comes to scoring goals.
Weegar < Hanifin. I say this because I think Hanifin is now a top pairing defenseman and has more room to grow. Weegar is 27 and only broke through last year, and I need to see another strong season before I declare him a top pairing defender.
Forsling >? Andersson. I think Rasmus may never be more than what we see now, which is a solid, but unspectacular, middle pairing defenseman who can do a little on both ends of the ice, but probably won't be a huge difference maker. Forsling has very high IQ and makes excellent zone exits and entries. I just think his skill set makes him a more impactful player overall, but it's not clear if last season is the norm for him, so that's why I put the question mark.
Stralman > Valimaki. For now. I expect Valimaki to grow into a top 4 defenseman and Stralman is getting by on his smarts and experience at this point in his career since most of his physical gifts are diminishing. Talk to me next year and Valimaki is probably way ahead of Stralman.
Gudas > Stone. Only because Gudas has been an NHL regular for the past few years where Stone has not, and also because Gudas is incredibly effective and intimidating in front of the net and in the corners. They're a wash otherwise.
Nutivaara <<< Kylington/Mackey. I don't think much of Nutivaara, but both Kylington and Mackey have untapped potential at the NHL level. I wouldn't be surprised to see either one of them cements a permanent spot in the top 6 this year.
The real difference is losing Giordano. If he's still on the Flames this ranking becomes much different and probably favors Calgary overall. Without that clear #1 d-man on both offense and defense, the Flames group looks a little weak.