Flames assign Sven Baertschi to the Heat

[Reign of Fire]

Probably better for Sven to get minutes under Troy then have his development stunted by Hartley...pretty sure Hartley will not be here next year

[Reign of Fire]

Sven might be on similar path as Kadri, as I remember he kept getting sent down as well

[StrykerSteve]

This is terrific news. The Heat are a better team/environment for Baertschi to develop on.

[BigFlameDog]

Originally Posted by Young-Sneezy

http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthread.php?t=132992

What are you trying to show me here? It just takes me to the top of the thread.

[heep223]

Originally Posted by 1_Flames_Fan

He needs to work hard and get his complete game in order. Follow the example Blair Jones set and he will be back someday and be a much better player when it happens.

This. I thought we had heard the last of Blair Jones when I heard an interview with him at the beginning of the year. He's back better than ever!

[puckluck2]

I'm actually happy with this move. He needs some time in the AHL and that's not a slight to Baertschi. Plenty of good young players were sent down early in their career.

[foshizzle11]

Has Burke talked about this yet today?

[liamenator]

Originally Posted by Phanuthier

I mean the "hill we will die on" ..... sound familiar but I can't pinpoint the reference......

Ah, gotcha. No single quote, just a common expression.

[btimbit]

I'm also a fan of this move. What can Sven really learn when he's just getting pushed off the puck when an opposing player so much as breathes on him? Let him battle with guys his own size, get the confidence back up, be among a winning team and come back next year better than ever.

[St. Pats]

I don't get the Hartley bashers on Sven. Guy has been brutal since training camp. Simply not giving it the effort required to be an NHLer. He should have to earn his way back up to the Flames. Wouldn't guarantee him icetime even with the Heat. They are playing very well and he needs to prove his worth there as well.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Abbottsford is a great place for Sven. They are doing well and he can develop with some of our other young talent.

I think he wasn't showing enough. He wasn't looking like the NHLer he should be when fully developed. I think he could develop at the NHL level but I think he'll develop faster in the AHL with more ice time, a bigger role and playing in a winning environment.

[CaptainCrunch]

I think this is the best move for the kid. Lets be honest the kid oozes talent but sometimes he plays that he thinks that his talent will get him by in the NHL

1) He's been physically unimpressive this year, I think this is a step back from his previous stints. He's just not strong enough in board battles and gets outworked. The NHL isn't a rushing league it hasn't been in a long time, if you can't win battles on the board your not going to be successful. There were too many nights that I didn't see enough hard battle in him

2) His consistency, he's been better, but from one shift to the next you don't know what your going to get, and he has to learn that if he's not scoring he needs to come back hard. He needs to work hard in every shift, again, his talent is only going to take him so far. Look at Monahan, he's just if not more talented, but the guy works like a demon on every shift, all over the ice.

3) His confidence, half the time Sven has looked entirely unsure of himself when the puck hits his stick, going down and dominating down in Abbotsford is good for him.

4) I think with his success early in his career he became a bit cocky about it, and because of that he wasn't playing desperate, getting demoted shouldn't be devestating for him if he has a good head on his shoulders, but it should make him realize that its tough to stay in the NHL and you have to perform every night even if your not scoring.

This is a good move, probably one that Feaster didn't want to do. But the kid is only 21, this is a speeding ticket in the grand scheme of things.

.

[DazzlinDino]

While I agree with some that this may be a good move for Sven Baertschi to be sent down, I am also concerned that Burke my also see fit to trade him.

[red sky]

I'm not so sure Sven will be dominating the AHL the way he is playing. In fact (or opinion I suppose) I'm not sure he was ever dominate while playing there.

[CaptainCrunch]

Originally Posted by DazzlinDino

While I agree with some that this may be a good move for Sven Baertschi to be sent down, I am also concerned that Burke my also see fit to trade him.

And maybe he does. But I don't think its an automatic thing. I''m sure that Hartley is probably sick of having to continually hammer on the kid to work harder and play all three zones, at some point you have to give him a solid and painful kick in the butt.

This is up to Sven to decide to clean up his game and find his work ethic and work on his strength.

[FlameZilla]

Originally Posted by DazzlinDino

While I agree with some that this may be a good move for Sven Baertschi to be sent down, I am also concerned that Burke my also see fit to trade him.

If he wanted to trade him he'd trade him. Demoting might reduce his value. Sven is a big part of the future of this team.

[Psytic]

[Calgary4LIfe]

Best move for Baertschi. He simply is not ready for the NHL - whether that is physically or mentally, it just isn't there yet, and he just starts looking like a kid that is being 'rushed' at times. Abby will be a great place for him to develop.

The ONLY thing negative about this revolves around who's ice-time is going to get cut on the Heat. Nobody there is undeserving of their ice it seems, and you already have a few guys playing less than adequate minutes. I remember Ward talking about how he has to find a way to get Granlund more ice. Really adds to what is a top 3 team in the AHL (being 1st in points notwithstanding).

Really interesting if true that Hartley was forced to keep him up on the team. Wasn't that something that Feaster stated was NOT happening with Brent? Why make it happen with Hartley? Let's see how Hartley does without any constraints (if this was indeed true that Burke somewhat was alluding to). Burke seems to like Hartley - but he seemed to also have liked Feaster. You have to figure that the Hartley watch is on, and the new GM will probably be encouraged to explore options at hiring his own coaching staff (though I like Hartley, and think he has done a fine job thus far, though it seems fairly mixed on this forum).

[CaptainCrunch]

[Psytic]

Originally Posted by DazzlinDino

While I agree with some that this may be a good move for Sven Baertschi to be sent down, I am also concerned that Burke my also see fit to trade him.

What happens if he does trade him in a package and we get a bigger more physical skilled player? Its not necessarily a bad thing or a downgrade if Sven gets moved.