[Signing] Flames sign Zadorov to 1 year deal worth $3.75 mil

[TheScorpion]

I don't hate Tanev at all, nor do I hate his "type" of player. He was amazing last season, exactly what the Flames needed.

I'm a little skeptical he can repeat that performance. I'm very skeptical Zadorov can reach that level.

[Flamesfan05]

Originally Posted by 868904

Hard to hate this deal.

If he excels under Sutter, I don't see why Zadarov wouldn't want to sign long term. The guy has bounced around a bit and if he's comfortable with a coach, system and team, there is no reason for him to bolt.

As for signing a guy like Vatanen for the powerplay or to increase the skill. The guy had 6 points last year. He had 23 and 17 points the two previous seasons before. How is he going to bring offense to this team? I feel like many posters just work off of their past old memories of players and never look at what they've done lately.

Just money if he has a good year, it’s going to cost more

But I have no problem with the gamble , imo, his chance as bottom 6 and top 4 is about the same

[Icantwhisper]

Originally Posted by dino7c

Long term would have cost over 4 for sure... Harmonic cost 3M

I think some of you underestimate this player, reminds me of the Tanev talk last year.

Well if he's as good as you think he is, we'll lose him next year as a UFA

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by TheIronMaiden

Andersson regressed, but he is 24 coming to next season, there is room for him to grow.


Valimaki has been a skilled offensive D man in every other league, I'm not going to pigeon hole him after his first NHL season.


That said, im not going to pretend the Flames have an offensive weapon like Makar or Fox ( that piece of ####) at their disposal. But I'm also not going to pretend the Flames D being butter soft is one of the reasons the Flames struggle against big Centers. The likes of Benn, MacKinnon and Draisaitl make small D men their bitch, the only way to stop them down low is to paste them against the boards.

Agreed, plus despite having a pretty bad year, Rasmus was second on the team in points, only 5 behind Gio.

The Calgary D is 22, 24, 24, 24, 26, and 31. That's a young group with room for improvement, plus a grizzled high IQ vet.

[TheIronMaiden]

Scorp is a has a lot of great insights, but I don't trust his player evaluations. Or really anyone on this site, including my own. Everyone has blind spots, especially when it comes to players around the league.



That said, I have watched well over 100 games of Zadorov, and I can tell you two things, his shot selection sucks, and he loves to smear players in the d zone corner.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

I don't hate Tanev at all, nor do I hate his "type" of player. He was amazing last season, exactly what the Flames needed.

I'm a little skeptical he can repeat that performance. I'm very skeptical Zadorov can reach that level.

You crapped all over the signing, and I can't remember support for any tough or physical player, whereas you have gone to great lengths to promote Phillips, etc.

No one expects Zadorov to reach Tanev levels of defensive play, since IMO Tanev is top 5 in the league for defensive defencemen.

[TheIronMaiden]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

You crapped all over the signing, and I can't remember support for any tough or physical player, whereas you have gone to great lengths to promote Phillips, etc.

No one expects Zadorov to reach Tanev levels of defensive play, since IMO Tanev is top 5 in the league for defensive defencemen.

Scorp loves Lucic, he is the president of the super secret fan group.


But for real, his type is underdogs, which is cool, because who doesnt want an underdog to succeed.

[Sylvanfan]

I don't understand why people are so concerned with a one year contract being a bad contract. I'd far rather pay guys like Zadorov on one year deals than lock into term, where injury and decline can cause him to become a liability if the contract carries too much term. There's a limit as to how much he's worth, so why lock into a higher value for multiple years if you don't need to. I don't see how on a one year deal as a UFA how he'd top a number like 4.5. Players like Zadorov on an expiring contract are a lot easier to move at the Deadline if you need to than guys who have term left.

I'd argue that a term contract here would be worse.

[djsFlames]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

I don't hate Tanev at all, nor do I hate his "type" of player. He was amazing last season, exactly what the Flames needed.

I'm a little skeptical he can repeat that performance. I'm very skeptical Zadorov can reach that level.

Your lack of faith is disturbing.

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

You crapped all over the signing, and I can't remember support for any tough or physical player, whereas you have gone to great lengths to promote Phillips, etc.

No one expects Zadorov to reach Tanev levels of defensive play, since IMO Tanev is top 5 in the league for defensive defencemen.

I am a huge believer in Martin Pospisil, who is arguably the Flames' most physical prospect. I like Lucic, even though he's overpaid. (I started his fan club!)

I don't like those guys just because they're physical, though. I like them because they can play. And they make legitimate impacts on the ice while also being dominant physical forces.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by TheIronMaiden

Scorp loves Lucic, he is the president of the super secret fan group.


But for real, his type is underdogs, which is cool, because who doesnt want an underdog to succeed.

Fair enough. But then, who doesn't love Lucic (not his contract, the man). I imagine he also love Ern because who didn't. I'm happy to be proven wrong.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

I am a huge believer in Martin Pospisil, who is arguably the Flames' most physical prospect. I like Lucic, even though he's overpaid. (I started his fan club!)

I don't like those guys just because they're physical, though. I like them because they can play. And they make legitimate impacts on the ice while also being dominant physical forces.

Well, Tanev was arguably the most impactful Flame last year, and I see no reason why he will decline suddenly.

And Zadorov will make an impact. On opposing players mostly.

[united]

LOVE the one-year term. This is what we need more of. Not only is term a form of handcuffs when things don't work out, players in contract years - especially UFA years - are fully self-motivated to excel to maximize their long-term compensation. So while the money is arguably a bit high, I don't mind it at all in this case.

One thing of note is that in the JFresh/TopDownHockey chart, a significant portion of Zadorov's low WAR is from his deservedly horrendous penalty differential. For a depth player, if you assume every 4th or 5th net penalty results in a goal against, that adds up quickly. And while 3 or 4 goals may not seem like much, those are margins that matter in a high-parity salary cap league especially for depth players competing against others. However, when you break his penalty differential down by year, he appears to be on the right track:

2018-19: -1.05/60
2019-20: -0.95/60
2020-21: -0.45/60

For that reason, I think the JFresh/TopDownHockey chart, which uses a weighted three-year age-adjusted average, is potentially underselling Zadorov.

For context, the worst Flames defenceman last year was Valimaki at -0.63/60 followed by Hanifin at -0.19/60.

Don't get me wrong: I'm not saying Zadorov should completely overhaul a playing style that has got him this far in his career, just that there is diminishing returns to taking that many penalties relative to intimidation, and cleaning that up a bit makes a big difference. Thankfully, he appears to be doing that on his own accord already. Then when the playoffs roll around, unleash the beast.

I am reminded of the Lucic-Neal trade where I said the trade was pretty even on the surface, but would shift heavily in the Flames' favour should Lucic play a bit smarter. Lucic has done exactly that, and his improved penalty differential has played a big part in the trade being a big win for the Flames.

Penalty numbers from Evolving-Hockey.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by united

LOVE the one-year term. This is what we need more of. Not only is term a form of handcuffs when things don't work out, players in contract years - especially UFA years - are fully self-motivated to excel to maximize their long-term compensation. So while the money is arguably a bit high, I don't mind it at all in this case.

.

Just wanted to highlight the bolded part, which gets criminally underrated as a factor in contracts.

I really don't love the player but excited to be proved wrong. And not the kind of player to have the kind of results that would yield a huge contract after this anyway. Some people consider Tanev one of the best defensemen in the league and he's not making a whole lot more.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Sylvanfan

I don't understand why people are so concerned with a one year contract being a bad contract. I'd far rather pay guys like Zadorov on one year deals than lock into term, where injury and decline can cause him to become a liability if the contract carries too much term. There's a limit as to how much he's worth, so why lock into a higher value for multiple years if you don't need to. I don't see how on a one year deal as a UFA how he'd top a number like 4.5. Players like Zadorov on an expiring contract are a lot easier to move at the Deadline if you need to than guys who have term left.

I'd argue that a term contract here would be worse.

The other thing is that this is a show me year for the whole team. If it goes badly again they may decide to burn it down and if so, he can be rented at the TDL for whatever return is possible, along with a bunch of other guys.

[stemit14]

I think the defence this year could surprise. They all have potential to grow/improve (except for tanev who is already a solid veteran presence) so given the opportunity, I would not be surprised to see at least one of hanifin/Andersson/Valimaki/Kylington taking a big step this year offensively.


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[TheIronMaiden]

Originally Posted by stemit14

I think the defence this year could surprise. They all have potential to grow/improve (except for tanev who is already a solid veteran presence) so given the opportunity, I would not be surprised to see at least one of hanifin/Andersson/Valimaki/Kylington taking a big step this year offensively.

Kinnvall is my dark horse, he is the pure offensive weapon the Flames D doesnt have. Right shot too.

[ricardodw]

The Flames are betting on Valimaki.

Either he steps up or they go looking for Duncan Keith's 2nd year from Edmonton, just in case Gio is having more fun in Seattle and does not want to come back.

[EVERLAST]

For those worried about discipline.
Darryl to be quite honest Sutter will Nail his Ass to the bench or make him eat popcorn in the pressbox if he doesn't pull his weight!!!
How soon we forget what Darryl is capable of doing.
We are about to have a great season.....BOOK IT!!!!

[Icantwhisper]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Well, Tanev was arguably the most impactful Flame last year, and I see no reason why he will decline suddenly.

And Zadorov will make an impact. On opposing players mostly.

I don't think Tanev's play will suddenly drop off but last year was his first full season without getting hurt. Tanev plays a hard game and gets injured, most games he's played in a season is 70 and averages less than 60. Asking for two seasons in row with no injuries might be a little much. I think you have to assume he'll miss at least 10 games this year