[Rumour] UPD: Friedman: Thinks a deal will get done between Gaudreau and the Flames in the next week

[TheoFleury]

Originally Posted by Toonage

Gaudreau-Monahan-Hudler got it done against the heavyweights and the line I presented is bigger, equally as fast, grittier & can score.

I answered the challenge. I'll take my prize money now!

Sorry, that would be the worst 1st line in the league. No money for you.

[Hot_Flatus]

Originally Posted by Toonage

Gaudreau-Monahan-Hudler got it done against the heavyweights and the line I presented is bigger, equally as fast, grittier & can score.

I answered the challenge. I'll take my prize money now!

Haha Brouwer is easily one of the worst possession players in the league, if you think he's driving the offense you're sadly mistaken. You're also replacing the NHL's 6th leading scorer with a second year pro that put up 36 points last year....size and grit count for about as much as having Bollig on the roster.

[Poe969]

Without Johnny, this team has no real offense. The only reason the Gaudrea-Monahan-Hudler lilne worked is because of Johnny.

This team needs at least one great offensive player and should be looking at having one more if anything.

[PepsiFree]

So funny. The guy provides a 1st line that looks as good as the Gaudreau-Monahan-Chiasson/Shinkaruk/Vey line, and he gets met with a polakism and "but what about our second line!?" which is just moving the goalposts.

Bennett-Monahan-Brouwer would be a HELL of a line. So good.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Hot_Flatus

Let's be somewhat realistic here. The Flames can't even ice an NHL calibre top line without Guadreau. The season starts and ends with him playing at a high level and him missing games, however many that may be is not going to help that situation. How is it you feel the team can not just compete but be a playoff team without one of its only two, proven true top level scorers?

This team is in big trouble if it doesn't have its top offensive threat in the lineup for any length of time. Revisit this argument in a year or two when Bennett/Tkachuk have had time to develop.

The Flames *should* be a much, much better defensive team this year by virtue of the addition of Elliot and Johnson alone. That will go a long way to mitigating the loss of a player of Gaudreau's calibre for any significant length of time. But moreover, the fact that so much of the Flames' offense is generated from the backend also helps to ease some of that pressure.

Look, I am extremely confident that it never gets to this point. I think at worst Gaudreau misses three or four games, and then signs a long term deal—AT WORST. My point here is that this stuff is really an open question, and that there is no reason to expect the worst. Especially given that the Flames play their first four games against Edmonton and Vancouver, and their first six include home-dates with Buffalo and Carolina I think there is plenty of reason to be optimistic about their start with or without Gaudreau in the lineup.

[EldrickOnIce]

Well the good news is that this can't drag on all season

A restricted free agent who does not sign a new contract by December 1 becomes ineligible to play for the rest of the season. It's essentially a deadline for contract negotiations that drag into the new season.

[Hot_Flatus]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

So funny. The guy provides a 1st line that looks as good as the Gaudreau-Monahan-Chiasson/Shinkaruk/Vey line, and he gets met with a polakism and "but what about our second line!?" which is just moving the goalposts.

Bennett-Monahan-Brouwer would be a HELL of a line. So good.

I think you're both overestimating the current capabilities of Sam Bennett for starters. The kid will be good but he's nowhere near there yet. Asking him to drive a team's offense in his second year is beyond unreasonable.

Johnny was ready right away because he's a very rare player.

[Hot_Flatus]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

The Flames *should* be a much, much better defensive team this year by virtue of the addition of Elliot and Johnson alone. That will go a long way to mitigating the loss of a player of Gaudreau's calibre for any significant length of time. But moreover, the fact that so much of the Flames' offense is generated from the backend also helps to ease some of that pressure.

Look, I am extremely confident that it never gets to this point. I think at worst Gaudreau misses three or four games, and then signs a long term deal—AT WORST. My point here is that this stuff is really an open question, and that there is no reason to expect the worst. Especially given that the Flames play their first four games against Edmonton and Vancouver, and their first six include home-dates with Buffalo and Carolina I think there is plenty of reason to be optimistic about their start with or without Gaudreau in the lineup.

Mitigating the loss of him is one thing. Being a playoff team without him is a completely different beast though. Slow starts are killers in this league, especially the western conference. If the Flames had one more legitimate option in the top 6 I would be much more confident but the D can only make up for so much.

[taxbuster]

If Johnny sits for the first couple of games, he'll miss beating the snot out of the Oilers in their new home......there's a good reason to sign right now!!

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by Hot_Flatus

I think you're both overestimating the current capabilities of Sam Bennett for starters. The kid will be good but he's nowhere near there yet. Asking him to drive a team's offense in his second year is beyond unreasonable.

Johnny was ready right away because he's a very rare player.

First of all Monahan was ready right away too, at a much younger age. I wish people would stop talking about Gaudreau like he's this super special snowflake. He's a great young talent. That's where this stuff should stop.

Secondly, if you don't think Sam Bennett is going to have a much bigger impact on the Flames this year, then I invite you to watch him tonight. He's already been carrying around young Tkachuk and the veteran Brouwer in preseason games. He's been dominant every time he's been on the ice. Kid is going to have a breakout year.

[ResAlien]

Without Johnny this team is guaranteed to be picking first overall. He's the straw that stirs the drink, and also the drink, and the cup the drink is in, and the ice cubes keeping the drink cool, and the hand holding the drink. The rest of this roster is beer league at best and Johnny's been carrying these slugs on his back for a couple of years now. If this isn't the time to panic then there's never a good time to panic. If you need me I'll be panicking.

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by TheoFleury

Sorry, that would be the worst 1st line in the league. No money for you.

That was the best first line in the league the last month of 2015 that carried the Flames to the playoffs without Gio

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Hot_Flatus

Mitigating the loss of him is one thing. Being a playoff team without him is a completely different beast though. Slow starts are killers in this league, especially the western conference. If the Flames had one more legitimate option in the top 6 I would be much more confident but the D can only make up for so much.

They won't have to stop-gap for very long, though. That is a very winnable schedule with a Gaudreauless-lineup through six games, and I don't see either side standing pat much beyond this point. On a $5.5 m salary six games is over $400,000 of missed earnings for Gaudreau, and I don't think it is a pressure point that he will manage to offset for that long.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by EldrickOnIce

Well the good news is that this can't drag on all season

I wouldn't write off him going to the KHL for a year if it doesn't get done before the season starts. There are probably a few teams there that would give him a suitcase full of money for a season.

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Hot_Flatus

I think you're both overestimating the current capabilities of Sam Bennett for starters. The kid will be good but he's nowhere near there yet. Asking him to drive a team's offense in his second year is beyond unreasonable.



Johnny was ready right away because he's a very rare player.

Also because he'd been playing with men at the college level for multiple years. Having your first pro season at 21 is advantageous, he wasn't some magic 18 year old coming in and ripping things up like Crosby.

I'm not even overestimating Bennett, have you seen who our options are for the RW?

Gaudreau-someone we just hope isn't bad

is not better than Bennett-Brouwer.

Gaudreau might be better than either of them, but not so significantly that he can carry the line by himself.

The switch would be lateral. If you don't think BMB is a NHL calibre top line (which is crazy to me, people forget about how bad the top line is on multiple teams) then Gaudreau-Monahan-and whoever isn't either.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by ResAlien

Without Johnny this team is guaranteed to be picking first overall. He's the straw that stirs the drink, and also the drink, and the cup the drink is in, and the ice cubes keeping the drink cool, and the hand holding the drink. The rest of this roster is beer league at best and Johnny's been carrying these slugs on his back for a couple of years now. If this isn't the time to panic then there's never a good time to panic. If you need me I'll be panicking.

I expect that this post should be understood as comprised of green text, but I wanted to point out that there is not a single player outside of goal who has this much impact on an entire roster. Not one.

[Locke]

Sooo....how about that Gaudreau contract? Are things trending in a more or less positive direction?

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by Locke

Sooo....how about that Gaudreau contract? Are things trending in a more or less positive direction?

That depends. Currently we're working out how the Tarasenko contract, the Gio cap, Monahan's play without him, 18 year old Sam Bennett's age, what makes a great top line, how good is a real Philly cheesesteak is anyways, trade value only to his favourite teams, how many negotiating seminars have been paid for (and how many were attended by fortunate 5000 companions), was drafting Jankowski a mistake, can Tkachuk make the team, can Keith Tkachuk make the team?, how stupid Ken King is, whether CalgayNext is a good idea, the overall value of the World Cup, ads on jerseys, new jerseys, New Jersey's, the schedule for game day threads, and what constitutes an insulting offer all factor in.

Should be another 20 minutes, tops.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

That depends. Currently we're working out how the Tarasenko contract, the Gio cap, Monahan's play without him, 18 year old Sam Bennett's age, what makes a great top line, how good is a real Philly cheesesteak is anyways, trade value only to his favourite teams, how many negotiating seminars have been paid for (and how many were attended by fortunate 5000 companions), was drafting Jankowski a mistake, can Tkachuk make the team, can Keith Tkachuk make the team?, how stupid Ken King is, whether CalgayNext is a good idea, the overall value of the World Cup, ads on jerseys, new jerseys, New Jersey's, the schedule for game day threads, and what constitutes an insulting offer all factor in.

Should be another 20 minutes, tops.

I see.

[Cole436]

Originally Posted by Gaudreauvertime

The fact that you would compare bargaining for a car (a one and done purchase) vs negotiations with a star player (essentially a strategic business partner) tells me all I need to know about your negotiation skills/experience. Never mind that I have led paid seminars teaching fortune 500 executives how to negotiate.