Quote:
Originally Posted by gvitaly
All the players you listed including Miromanov, and Kylington will be fighting for the 4-8 spots. With Miromanov and Kylington as the favorites for the 4-5 spots. I don't see how putting Kylington/Miromanov/Grushnikov/Solovyov with Andersson is going to help their development instead of hindering it. Miromanov - Weegar seems like a decent pairing.
As for losing a player on waivers, I don't think the Flames will be too upset to lose Hanley, Okhotiuk, Solovyov, or Pachal on waivers if they end up as the 9th best D.
Jurmo, Morin, and Brzustewicz will all play some AHL games before joining the Flames.
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I think Miromanov and Kylington will be top 4 players next season. I am not even as high on Miromanov as some posters are, but I can't deny he has looked mostly competent thus far. It is actually quite surprising to me that both Kylington and Miromanov have looked this competent. That's why I think that the Flames should NOT go out and sign a better top 4 defencemen to put ahead of these two. i think the increased playing time will benefit both Kylington and Miromanov. Plus, what is the goal here? I think the Flames should be icing a team that is defensively decent enough to provide a good enough development environment for Wolf, as well as any other prospect in any other position. I think they are doing that. It is definitely below average, but it isn't awful either to the point that something must be done.
Yes, I agree that Hanley isn't something to worry about. However, Conroy just sent a 5th for Okhotiuk - I don't think he would be happy in losing him to waivers so soon. In a few years when we know how good he is (and how good he is relative to everyone else in the organization at the time) then you would be right. I just think it is too early to say that these are your 8th or 9th best guys, when they are all 24 and under (Pachal, Okhotiuk and Solovyov).
Yes, I also think that Brzustewicz would probably be in the AHL all season as well. I am merely pointing out that there COULD be a surprise there - especially considering that Morin did look practically NHL ready at the last camp. If he took another big step forward with his off-season, he may make the team. However, I would agree that this would be a long-shot (and he goes back to the CHL, not AHL, but the difference is the same where it relates to the point). Jurmo is a bit more of a wildcard in that he has been playing against men since he was 18 and is physically ready for the NHL, so IF (big if) he has a great first half to his AHL season, then he should be called up and start getting him some familiarity with the NHL as part of his development. That's the advantage of a rebuilding team - you can (and should) get some NHL development time for your prospects.
There are still more options - Grushnikov was the target, and if you believe what Conroy said about him being further ahead in development, then he will need some NHL time next season. Poirier will undoubtedly be spending some time in the NHL as well.
That's already a lot of bodies. Nobody on this list is a player that I would say could be on any contending team's top 4, but the Flames are not that team anyway. Their focus should be on development. Is Calgary a strong defensive team? Absolutely not. I just don't think that there at the level where you NEED to do something to address a glaring issue. They are competent enough defensively and on the transition to provide a good enough development environment for all their prospects - including Wolf.
The only way it makes sense for me is to go out and over-pay for a top 4 defencemen on the UFA market, and then flip that player with retention for an asset. Ok, that's fine. However, I would prefer either:
1) Grab a cap-dump with a sweetener, and then flip that cap dump at the deadline
2) Grabbing a good young defencemen off the waiver wire from a team that has a very good defensive corps
3) Look for other opportunities from anywhere for young defencemen with upside - European UFAs, College UFAs, guys who didn't receive qualifying offers for fear of arbitration cases, guys who had their team walk away due to a high return on a player-elected arbitration case, etc. Whatever it may be, a long-term solution with upside.
I think from the list you provided, the Flames could potentially snag a better defencemen (if they overpay - but doesn't really matter with the cap space). I just don't think that it helps the team more than other options could - not long term anyway. As long as the defence isn't an utter mess of a group being so inept that the environment becomes toxic, I say go with what you have and see if players can grow into their roles, and if good opportunities end up at their feet.
Maybe we just disagree on how bad the Flames are defensively (I think they are below average, but not bad enough that they NEED to make a change). Or maybe we differ on where we see the Flames being in the standings next season. I also do think that there are a lot of bodies already, and adding any more may prevent the Flames from being able to capitalize on an opportunity.
I think if you are a good team, you can't leave a hole open for long into the UFA season. You have to make sure that you fill all the holes before the start of the season. I think rebuilding teams can - and probably should leave a hole open - in order to take advantage of any opportunity that may come their way, as long as it isn't detrimental to the development or culture of the team. I don't see the Flames' having a very big hole in that stance - it is a hole only if the team is supposed to be a playoff team, but it isn't a hole from the standpoint of having a glaring issue that needs to be addressed for a rebuilding team.