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Originally Posted by SeanCharles
The best part about this argument is last offseason all anyone could talk about is how bad Hanifin, Gaudreau and Tkachuk were that year.
Now everyone loves Hanifin again and can't fathom trading him.
Not saying Hanifin from two seasons ago is the true Hanifin and this past years one is not but its hilarious how quickly these perceptions of a player change.
As some have pointed out Hanifin is a good dman but IMO he tops out as an ideal #3 because he doesn't have elite offensive or defensive ability. He is above average in those categories but doesn't quite have the skills to reach that next level.
In contrast, I think Kylington has the skills to potentially reach a higher level offensively. I don't want to push him down the depth charts. I want to increase his role and give him a full-time spot on the PP.
Sure we could stay status quo and keep all these dmen in the fold but we have a gapping hole in the top 6 forwards group and have 5 guys who played top 4 D minutes last season. Sure it gives us depth for when injuries arise but I think we already have a number of guys who can fill and play top 6 D mins.
Meloche earned a full-time role last year and projects to be a player in the similar vein to Gudbranson.
A couple reports out there are indicating Valimaki has had an impressive offseason, both mentally and physically, and might finally be ready/mature enough to earn a full-time role.
Stone and Mackey have both proved they can handle top 6 mins, albeit over short periods.
I just think too much depth in one position can be detrimental because you are playing guys lower than their skill level would normally dictate and you can't give younger guys looks when injuries occur because you have too many bodies. Not only that too much cap is allocated to one position it leaves another barren (top 6 RW).
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Why does Kylington have so much room to grow, but Hanifin doesn’t? Hanifin is only 5 months older than Kylington and quite frankly a much better player right now.
A top 6 of Huberdeau, Lindholm, Kadri, Mangiapane, Toffoli, Milano/Dube/Coleman is hardly a gaping hole. That’s still a very capable group.
Meloche is a nice depth option, but he didn’t play a full season last year. Could be a nice option on the bottom pairing, but when the goal is to win the cup I don’t think Sutter will be relying on him as an every day player.
Where are these Valimaki reports? Genuinely curious as I would like to read them, but regardless he has been regressing for the past couple of seasons and wasn’t even really trusted in the AHL last season.
Agree on Stone and Mackey- capable of filling in, but shouldn’t be pencilled in to the opening night line up.
“Giving young guys a look” isn’t and shouldn’t be a concern for the Flames this season. The goal is to win now. What’s wrong with having a great player play a bit lower in the lineup? If anything that should allow them to win even more of their matchups. That’s what good depth does.
As for the cap the Flames are allocating $25,050,000 to their defense this upcoming season. Good for 11th most in the league. They are spending 7th most on forwards as well so too much allocation to D really isn’t an issue.