Flames assign Granlund to Adirondack

[sureLoss]

http://flames.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=756287

Assuming this means Poirier and Ferland were paper transactions to get them eligible and back with Calgary Flames. Would mean the Flames have used 2 of their 4 recalls.

Flames essentially swap Shore for Granlund

[flamesfan55]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

http://flames.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=756287

Assuming this means Poirier and Ferland were paper transactions to get them eligible and back with Calgary Flames. Would mean the Flames have used 2 of their 4 recalls.

Flames essentially swap Shore for Granlund

Who are the two call ups that we had?

[nik-]

And why exactly is Shore getting the NHL time over Granlund? Granlund has earned it more and should be here. Unless they just don't want to put Granlund in that 4th line center role, which is the only reason this makes sense.

[Wood]

Originally Posted by flamesfan55

Who are the two call ups that we had?

Poirer and Ferland

In order for them to be eligible for the AHL playoffs they needed to be on the Adirondack Flames roster yesterday. They were "sent down" and now back on the NHL roster, using up 2 emergency recalls

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by nik-

And why exactly is Shore getting the NHL time over Granlund? Granlund has earned it more and should be here. Unless they just don't want to put Granlund in that 4th line center role, which is the only reason this makes sense.

Why has Granlund earned it more?

He already has 37 NHL games this year and has tailed off in his play. He will gain from going back to the AHL for a bit now and getting some offensive confidence back.

Drew Shore has been just as good in the AHL, and IMO is better suited for a bottom 6 center role.

[Imported_Aussie]

Originally Posted by nik-

And why exactly is Shore getting the NHL time over Granlund? Granlund has earned it more and should be here. Unless they just don't want to put Granlund in that 4th line center role, which is the only reason this makes sense.

Shore needs a solid run to show what he has. Granlund is a known quantity.
Granlund can help Adirondack make a push for playoffs, and in the worst case, can still be a recall.
Shore reaches waiver eligibility with one more game, but as the roster limit has been lifted, he can stay, even if he rotates in/out of the lineup. Gives the team a good solid window to assess him on the team. Shore is also a big, right-shooting player, an area the Flames lack depth.

[ah123]

Originally Posted by nik-

And why exactly is Shore getting the NHL time over Granlund? Granlund has earned it more and should be here. Unless they just don't want to put Granlund in that 4th line center role, which is the only reason this makes sense.

My guess is that they want to see (at the NHL level) what they have in Shore; they have a good idea what Granlund is capable of. Would not surprise me if they are looking to "replace" Stajan with one of Granlund/Shore for next year

[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by nik-

Granlund has earned it more and should be here.

How has Granlund "earned it more"? By being hemmed in his zone, by losing faceoffs, or by scoring 4 points in his last 27 NHL games?

Can we please stop pretending Granlund is having some kind of spectacular season?

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by nik-

And why exactly is Shore getting the NHL time over Granlund? Granlund has earned it more and should be here. Unless they just don't want to put Granlund in that 4th line center role, which is the only reason this makes sense.

Granlund has had a lot of time in the NHL this year with 37 games played. That's a large enough sample for this year for the evaluation team to view him as a known quantity.

He still has parts of his game to work on, especially face-offs. He's a decent defensive center right now who has some offensive upside that will eventually come, and a little on the small side, but he's not quite ready for full time duty yet.

Shore was viewed by another organization as essentially NHL ready, but they didn't have room for him on the roster and he would have been lost to waivers if they had brought him up. The Flames want to see what Shore can offer at the NHL level, but needed to wait until after the trade deadline to avoid the same waiver situation should they need to send him down. Shore has 68 NHL games to Granlund's 44, and although he doesn't have overwhelming point totals at 20 compared to Granlund's 16, he does have the size and face-off ability to be an effective bottom 6 center while Stajan is out.

But even considering all that, Shore is still an unknown quantity in terms of the Flames team dynamic, and the brass needs to see where he could fit in going into the off-season. Getting 20 games to end the year will give them an idea of that, whereas they already have a good read on Granlund.

We're still building my friend, and thus you have to give players an opportunity.

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by nik-

And why exactly is Shore getting the NHL time over Granlund? Granlund has earned it more and should be here. Unless they just don't want to put Granlund in that 4th line center role, which is the only reason this makes sense.

Shore is playing the 4th line with 2 other big bodies. Probably want to give the team more size which is why I assume the 3 prospects remain with the big club

[GioforPM]

Speaking of Shore playing 4th line C, no news on Stajan?

[868904]

I think Granlund is better suited for the RW. I know he can work on his faceoffs and improve that aspect, but he can't really change his size, which you always want up the middle.

Plus, I think he has greater offensive abilities that can be better utilized on the wing where he would have less defensive responsibilities. The kid has a great shot and a really good one timer from the right wing. With the shortage of RWers on the Flames, I think that really makes sense for both Granlund and the team.

I'd like to see him develop into a Jere Lehtinen type of winger and I think he has the skill set to do that.