[News] Flames buyout Michael Stone's contract after clearing waivers

[SportsJunky]

Although this summer hasn't given Flames fans much to cheer about, he really hasn't done that badly. Bennett signed, Rittich signed , sounds as if Tkachuk and Mangiapane will get done. No complaints here except for the Lucic deal.

Besides, I think it does more harm than good switching out GMs every few years. I think stability at the GM position is important for a hockey club.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by keenan87

Quite frankly, I dont hate Treliving but feel that people on here overrate him substantially. I think if Treliving was the GM of the Oilers, right now we would have a bunch of posts in the "no good tread" talking about his atrocious signings.

Of course we would. But not because Treliving is actually terrible at his job. Most of the stuff in the E=NG thread is so over the top that it is obvious satire and humour. It is often difficult to distinguish the difference between hilarity and reality because Edmonton is in fact THAT bad, so deploying the old "if it was the Oilers" trope as some sort of defense for the legitimacy of your opinion is completely moot.

He came in and started off well. However, i personally think that he is grasping at straws right now to try and get out of this cap situation (waited too long to make the necessary moves). This is usually when most GMs make some really dumb moves when their back is up against the wall and I would be more comfortable bringing in someone else than a Sutter situation all over again when he left with some horrendous deals.

The team finished the year in second place and has improved at a fairly steady pace since Treliving started his job. He certainly has made mistakes, but I can't fathom how the overall picture of the team today can make someone so uncomfortable as to hope for that sort of drastic change.

Treliving strikes me as anything but desperate: a desperate move would have been trading Neal and an unprotected first-round pick or a blue-chip prospect in an attempt to solve a problem. Swapping Neal for Lucic plus a bit of salary relief feels much more like a sensible way to help mitigate the problem. At the end of the day the Flames will still be a highly competitive team next year, and the Oilers will struggle to get close to the playoffs. I don't see the seriousness of the problem here.

Every GM has a shelf life imo. It is important to realize that before it is too late. I am just suggesting that people give him way too much crediit when really this cap situation is because of his own decisions (some really bad ones)

But you are at least as deeply entrenched on the other side of this. It's one thing to be critical of the GM who has built a top team; it is quite another to pontificate for his dismissal. You are the exact reciprocation of those posters about whom you complain: yes, some people are guilty of giving Treliving too much credit, but then you are in the mix of those who dramatically over exaggerate his faults.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by keenan87

First, playoff appearances are not happening every year and it tells me that you are okay with mediocrity because I think its also important to win in the playoffs. Lets even start by being competitive in first round series.

There is a tonne of elements going into a playoff series that are simply beyond a manager's control. Things like momentum, fatigue, confidence all play a much bigger part of success and failure in the playoffs than they do the regular season. With how the team played all year I do not think it is the slightest bit unreasonable to expect them to do it again, and to take a step in the post season.

We also have no idea why those trades were nixed and the circumstances. You may be right.. but it is also possible Treliving knew very early on that Kadri was not going to waive but he decided to pursue it anyway (missing out on other deals) because he thought he could convince Kadri. We just dont know the details so I don't know if it was totally out of his control or he just made bad decisions.

Are you kidding me?! It has been WIDELY reported exactly what the parameters of the potential Kadri deal were and why it fell through. This is utter nonsense.

[CsInMyBlood]

Originally Posted by Reggie Dunlop

Yeah, I get the feeling teams are asking for Hamonic.

If teams are asking for Hamonic you find the best deal and ship him out faster than ASAP.

So overrated, in decline, and we have good young defenseman ready to take his minutes.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by keenan87

Quite frankly, I dont hate Treliving but feel that people on here overrate him substantially. I think if Treliving was the GM of the Oilers, right now we would have a bunch of posts in the "no good tread" talking about his atrocious signings.

He came in and started off well. However, i personally think that he is grasping at straws right now to try and get out of this cap situation (waited too long to make the necessary moves). This is usually when most GMs make some really dumb moves when their back is up against the wall and I would be more comfortable bringing in someone else than a Sutter situation all over again when he left with some horrendous deals.

Every GM has a shelf life imo. It is important to realize that before it is too late. I am just suggesting that people give him way too much crediit when really this cap situation is because of his own decisions (some really bad ones)

Coaches have shelf lives but what's the evidence that GMs do?
In fact, as I've said in the past, more consistency at the top and a longer-term view seems to be more effective.

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by CsInMyBlood

If teams are asking for Hamonic you find the best deal and ship him out faster than ASAP.

So overrated, in decline, and we have good young defenseman ready to take his minutes.

Clearing out three right-handed defensemen in the span of a year would be an interesting strategy.

[CsInMyBlood]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

Clearing out three right-handed defensemen in the span of a year would be an interesting strategy.

I'd think the better strategy is getting rid of mediocre players from your lineup and replacing them with young up and coming upgrades that need ice time.

Plus getting some kind of asset instead of watching it walk away at the end of the season is always a good thing.

[The Original FFIV]

Originally Posted by CsInMyBlood

If teams are asking for Hamonic you find the best deal and ship him out faster than ASAP.

So overrated, in decline, and we have good young defenseman ready to take his minutes.

Except I believe there is an understanding that Travis wishes to stay close to Manitoba for the family reasons that were behind his request to be traded from the isles. Unless it is to Winnipeg, can’t see this happening. And Winnipeg is trying to get two Tkachuk level contracts settled so can’t see them moving on anything until they have cost certainty with their rfas.

[TheScorpion]

The Flames don't exactly have a ton of replacements for these guys in the system right now, though. Unless Kylington or Valimaki switch sides, the Flames would only have two guys to play the right side. Yelesin is very, very raw and looks at least a year away, and Davidson is another lefty.

Mediocrity (which, I would argue, is a substantial undervaluing of Hamonic) is better than a complete lack of NHL-calibre skills.

[CsInMyBlood]

Originally Posted by The Original FFIV

Except I believe there is an understanding that Travis wishes to stay close to Manitoba for the family reasons that were behind his request to be traded from the isles. Unless it is to Winnipeg, can’t see this happening. And Winnipeg is trying to get two Tkachuk level contracts settled so can’t see them moving on anything until they have cost certainty with their rfas.

I mean the Flames dont owe Travis Hamonic anything. They already paid waaaaaay to much to acquire him and he hasn't lived up to the hype or cost of acquisition. Maybe he has an NTC I'm not aware of which would make him harder to move but he needs to be dealt IMO.

[Robbob]

I think people just need to be a little more patient. Bottom line every team knows the position Calgary is in, you aren't going to get the best offer if everyone knows you need to move something. Same as the Vegas scenario when they had all their Dmen and ended up sending Theadore down because they weren't getting value and refused to make a knee-jerk trade. It is also why hardly any RFA have signed, there is no urgency right now 2 days into August.

I am sure they didn't want to buyout Stone, but with his buyout and the tweaks they have made they could feasibly work something out and be under the cap to start the season.

[AC]

Originally Posted by CsInMyBlood

I mean the Flames dont owe Travis Hamonic anything. They already paid waaaaaay to much to acquire him and he hasn't lived up to the hype or cost of acquisition. Maybe he has an NTC I'm not aware of which would make him harder to move but he needs to be dealt IMO.

I'd rather re-sign him.

He and Hanifin clicked beautifully and he was great in the playoffs when not many others were.

We can't have all softer offensive Dmen. Hamonic fills a big need for this team's backend and there's nobody slated to replace him.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by AC

I'd rather re-sign him.

He and Hanifin clicked beautifully and he was great in the playoffs when not many others were.

We can't have all softer offensive Dmen. Hamonic fills a big need for this team's backend and there's nobody slated to replace him.

I thought Hamonic was pretty bad in the playoffs honestly.

Hamonic/Hanifin probably calgary's weakest pairing.

[CsInMyBlood]

Originally Posted by AC

I'd rather re-sign him.

He and Hanifin clicked beautifully and he was great in the playoffs when not many others were.

We can't have all softer offensive Dmen. Hamonic fills a big need for this team's backend and there's nobody slated to replace him.

What? You cant be serious. He was downright horrible in the playoffs.

[VilleN]

Originally Posted by CsInMyBlood

I mean the Flames dont owe Travis Hamonic anything. They already paid waaaaaay to much to acquire him and he hasn't lived up to the hype or cost of acquisition. Maybe he has an NTC I'm not aware of which would make him harder to move but he needs to be dealt IMO.

Last year he certainly lived up to expectations... mine anyways. What were you expecting from Travis Hamonic? Also, what hype are you talking about? Hamonic has always been known to be a 1st/2nd pairing, steady, gritty, stay at home defenseman. That is exactly what he was last season, and he even provided a bit of offense. The acquisition cost may have been high for some, but I honestly don't think it was that bad. Had we kept those picks and picked a D man of Hamonic's calibre, plus 2 busts, I really don't think there would be any complaints.

[AC]

Weird, I disagree.

The Flames as a whole looked bad, but Hamonic looked like a rock out there to me.

26 blocks in 5 games, which is insane. He was especially solid on the PK despite the Colorado onslaught.

While he finished -4, looking at the goals it was a lot of bad luck or bad coverage by the forwards.

Game 2 tying goal: bad flubbed pass that bounces off his skate.
Game 3: Backlund blew his coverage on Makar's goal.
Game 4: Hamonic didn't look great on Compher's goal.
Game 4: OT goal was on Backlund and Neal.
Game 5: A shot hit Hamonic in the face, then Rantanen banks the puck off Smith from behind the net.

[AC]

I could be way off base, I just think Hamonic brings something to the team we don't have a replacement for at all.

Whereas Brodie's offensive and skating is most similar to the combined trio of Andersson (offense, not the skating), Valimaki, and Kylington.

[CalgaryFan1988]

Whether or not Hamonic was good/bad in the playoffs, he Is the most difficult blue liner to replace and possesses the most difficult skillset to develop.

Would be foolish to trade him IMO.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by AC

Weird, I disagree.

The Flames as a whole looked bad, but Hamonic looked like a rock out there to me.

26 blocks in 5 games, which is insane. He was especially solid on the PK despite the Colorado onslaught.

While he finished -4, looking at the goals it was a lot of bad luck or bad coverage by the forwards.

Game 2 tying goal: bad flubbed pass that bounces off his skate.
Game 3: Backlund blew his coverage on Makar's goal.
Game 4: Hamonic didn't look great on Compher's goal.
Game 4: OT goal was on Backlund and Neal.
Game 5: A shot hit Hamonic in the face, then Rantanen banks the puck off Smith from behind the net.

Backlund was really bad too, so no surprise he's prominent in those goals against, but consider the following:

Hamonic's regular season CF% Relative: -1.4
Hamonics playoff season CF% Relative: -8.5

Hamonic regular season CF%: 53.5
Hamonic playoff season CF%: 39.3

I agree, the whole team got run through in those 5 games, but hamonic was IMO one of the worst on the team.

I put it down to injuries and babysitting hanifin, but I don't think the flames getting run through the boards and hamonic playing poorly are unrelated.

He looked out of gas.

[Flash Walken]

IMO the main reason you keep hamonic is because he makes 3.9 per year and you'd be hard pressed to find a better non-elc value in the league.

Hamonic gets you the most in return but honestly calgary isn't preoccupied with the return right now, they need the physical cash. They need integers.

Moving Brodie/Backlund/Frolik gets you the most integers if you're willing to deal any of them for cap.