[devo22]

ESPN graded it an A-.

Where does he fit? The Flames make a very interesting signing here because Blake Coleman was one of the most interesting names available on the unrestricted free-agent market. Along with Barclay Goodrow and Yanni Gourde, he created a checking line in Tampa that helped the Lightning win two Stanley Cups in a row. And by "helped" we mean "was arguably the fifth-most important on-ice factor in those championship runs behind Andrei Vasilevskiy, Victor Hedman, Nikita Kucherov and Brayden Point."

But one of the reasons Coleman was so effective in that role is that he was a top-six talent cast on the checking line. Coleman was playing over 17 minutes per game in New Jersey before joining the Lightning, scoring at a 20 goals-per-season clip.

That's where one assumes the Flames will cast him: on the wing in their top six. He can play both wings. On a team with Johnny Gaudreau at left wing, that could mean Coleman slots in on the second line and Andrew Mangiapane slides down the lineup. More logically, it would be Coleman on right wing, where the next player on the depth chart behind Matthew Tkachuk is Dillon Dube. But Coleman also saw time at center for the Devils. He's a versatile player.

Does it make sense? For the majority of this contract, absolutely.

Coleman is a dynamic offensive player who generates goal-scoring chances at a high rate, even when cast in a more defensive role. But he's also an elite defender and one of the best penalty killers in the NHL -- his 10 short-handed goals since 2016-17 were tied for fourth most among all players, as many as Patrice Bergeron scored. He joins a team that was 15th in the NHL on the penalty kill (80.2%).

This is a Darryl Sutter team. It's going to defend well. It's essential to have players who do it well and know how to generate offense from good defense. That's Coleman's forte.

Grade: A-minus. The AAV on this contract is actually pretty stunning. It's just under what many felt was going to be market value for Coleman, given the totality of his game and the two Stanley Cup rings he's collected in the past two years. The term on this contract is how they likely arrived at this AAV, and that's the trade-off. Coleman's best attribute is his speed. He turns 30 in November. Unless a player is a genetic marvel like Patrick Marleau, the legs are going to go at some point. But for now, it's a very solid addition to a team that was 20th in the NHL in goals per game (2.77) last season.

https://www.espn.com/nhl/insider/sto...ry-big-signing