Quote:
Originally Posted by Strange Brew
I take this is as tongue in cheek.
But the NHL is a competitive league and you have to be better than other teams at some things to be a consistent winner. Scouting US college players is likely something most teams do well and Flames have no distinct advantage in attracting such players.
Is it possible they could actually build a European scouting department that is better than most other teams and give them a leg up in identifying talent? Seems like that could be worth some andditional investment, it would be a pittance compared to what this organization has thrown away on bad UFA contracts and coaching hires over the years.
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Exactly - you get it.
I’m not suggesting for a second that scouting secondary euro leagues is going to produce an Avalanche of star players.
However, as a source of organizational depth, it’s a better way to supplement your group. I think it’s far more likely to get even half a season out of Euro league pro.
Let’s take some of our own more noteworthy Euro additions from the last decade or so.
Nakladal - 27 GP, 5 Points, -5. Solid enough for a bottom pair D, and better than every college UFA they’ve signed since Feaster took over.
Cervenka - 39 GP, 17 points, -13. The “best player not in the NHL” may not have actually been that, but his 17 points are more than any 4-year NCAA UDFA the Flames have signed except Jooris, and I’m inclined to put Jooris in a different category since he won a contract on the back of his work at development camp.
Berra - 29 GP 2.95 GAA .897 save %, traded for a 2nd round pick. The “best goalie in the draft” (JFC, Feaster…) returned surplus value, even if we did waste the pick on Hunter Smith.
College players are soft. They don’t play very many games. They don’t get punched in the mouth. They wear full cages, so they’ve all got all their teeth.
A guy who plays four years in that environment and still can’t get drafted is no prize. He’s not going to play.
Draft NCAA guys, by all means (though be careful, and vet them properly) - just don’t give away contract slots to a bunch of dudes who are, at least statistically, guaranteed to never impact your fortunes at the NHL level.
Because it’s not just “free assets” - you can take a player in the draft and do nothing with him for two years. Signing a college free agent takes up one of the 50 contracts and prevents you from making other moves.