Quote:
Originally Posted by Erick Estrada
I said it before and I will say it again. If you are never leaving open 6/7 spots on your roster for your drafted/developed guys this is the kind of stuff that's going to happen when players have a way to get out from under the organization. This organization has to do a better job at filling the roster from within as Treliving is heading down the route of Darryl Sutter tracking away too many draft picks to fill out the roster. There's simply no reason Bartkowski should be occupying a roster spot over the top defenseman in Stockton.
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While I understand the philosophy of leaving the 6/7 defence spots open for prospects, I am curious who all these Flames defence prospects are who should have made the team over the years? The only example I can think of is Giordano when Sutter offered him a 2 way and he left for Russia.
The fact is the Flames haven't had many good defencemen in the system who earned NHL spots. Ramholt never belonged in the NHL and more recently Kulak and Wotherspoon couldn't beat out Wideman for a job. I suppose you can say Andersson should have been on the team at the end of last season, but he didn't earn a spot out of camp and I understand the argument of not bringing a rookie into the lineup for the playoffs. The only NHL defencemen the Flames have drafted and developed since Sutter are Phaneuf and Brodie. Phanuef was given a spot before turning pro and Brodie was a call up who earned a spot the next season.
The Flames defence prospects are in a much better place now however and I fully expect Andersson and possibly Kulak, Wotherspoon, or Kylington are on the opening day roster.