[MrMike]

Originally Posted by blankall

I really like what Lucic is bringing into the bottom six. He leads the team in hits. I think a lot of people really underestimate the physical sacrifice it takes to play that kind of game.

Rieder, on the other hand, is pretty meh. I see the Flames ideal bottom six as some kind of combination of these 6 players:

Ryan, Lucic, Bennett, Czarnik, Dube, and Mangiapane.

All six of these guys (well maybe Czarnik is somewhat debatable) are clearly of a higher class than the other options. Backlund and Frolik will also go up and down the lineup as players get hot. Players like Rieder are of NHL calibre and when the Flames are short-handed can definitely fill in as depth, especially on the PK. However, they aren't ideal, and the Flames can't lean on them to provide consistent play.

I agree except one of those two are destined to lock down a top 6 spot.