Love seeing Pelletier's name in there (even though it probably doesn't mean anything special)
One advantage of moving the AHL team is those guys can come to Calgary early and get settled in for the season without needing to worry about whether they'll be in Calgary or somewhere else.
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One advantage of moving the AHL team is those guys can come to Calgary early and get settled in for the season without needing to worry about whether they'll be in Calgary or somewhere else.
It also means they can keep the roster at 22 when the Flames are on the road, and as low as 20 when at least one team is at home and the schedule is light.
Over the course of the year, that will allow them to bank quite a bit more cap.
IDK, he played in the SCF in July the season before last and then had a major injury early in the season. His conditioning being a little off was understandable. Hopefully he got a good summer of work in.
Sutter has mentioned altitude as a factor. It's likely his fitness was off anyway, sure.
[Stone] did step into nine playoff games, scoring two goals and three assists for the Calgary Flames, where he was on the ice for a whopping eight goals for, and only two goals against.[/QUOTE]
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Sutter has mentioned altitude as a factor. It's likely his fitness was off anyway, sure.
Denis Gauthier used to talk about the altitude being a big factor when playing in Calgary. He used to come early to town to acclimate to it, and it severely affected his asthma.
The Quest stands upon the edge of a knife. Stray but a little, and it will fail, to the ruin of all. Yet hope remains while the Company is true. Go Flames Go!
He's serviceable if you severely limit his even strength minutes and play to his strengths. His footspeed however is a legitimate concern and it heavily hinders his ability to defend in certain situations and makes him non existent in transition (which is a massive part of the game today). He's the perfect guy to keep around as a #8 though and is a consummate professional. He knows his role and he embraces it.
Being the 8th defenseman is the perfect gig for a guy like Stone who has obviously accepted that role.
Gets to collect NHL salary, albeit league minimum, which is likely 6 or 7x as much as he would get transitioning into a job in "the real world" and still gets to play some hockey but gets on the ice and is still part of a team. Some guys have said, after retirement, that they don't miss playing hockey as much as they miss being a part of the team.
Great situation for Stone to find himself in right now.