THN Article: Ten European Free Agents

[Sandman]

Interesting read, profiling 10 European Free Agents for NHL Teams to look at:

https://thehockeynews.com/news/ten-f...ms-to-consider

[Sandman]

Interestingly enough, 2 of the top-3 leading D scorers in the Finnish Liiga are listed in the honorable mentions: Thomas Gregoire, and former Jets prospect Sami Niku.

[FlamesAddiction]

There is a guy that plays in the Czech league named Dominik Lakatos that I would love to see get a chance in the NHL. He was a former 6th rounder by the Rangers but they never brought him over. He has a heck of a shot and is really physical... hits, fights, crashes the net. He is pretty intense and has a lot of swagger. He is like a wolverine out there. He has great hands and quick release. He has really good lateral movement and is hard to knock off the puck.

[Sandman]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

There is a guy that plays in the Czech league named Dominik Lakatos that I would love to see get a chance in the NHL. He was a former 6th rounder by the Rangers but they never brought him over. He has a heck of a shot and is really physical... hits, fights, crashes the net. He is pretty intense and has a lot of swagger. He is like a wolverine out there. He has great hands and a really good shot. He has really good lateral movement and is hard to knock off the puck.

I don't think he has star potential, but he could be like a pest extraordinaire.

Sounds great!

[Sandman]

There's rumours that SJ are going to sign D Valtteri Pulli.

[Flamesfan05]

Does the Flames know where Europe is? Those guys have to get here first

[Badgers Nose]

Originally Posted by Flamesfan05

Does the Flames know where Europe is? Those guys have to get here first

??? Backlund, Lindy, Anderson, Zadorov, Ruzicka...

[Royle9]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

There is a guy that plays in the Czech league named Dominik Lakatos that I would love to see get a chance in the NHL. He was a former 6th rounder by the Rangers but they never brought him over. He has a heck of a shot and is really physical... hits, fights, crashes the net. He is pretty intense and has a lot of swagger. He is like a wolverine out there. He has great hands and a really good shot. He has really good lateral movement and is hard to knock off the puck.

I don't think he has star potential, but he could be like a pest extraordinaire.

This reminds me of a similar project the Flames attempted years ago.

David Wolf, all bark and no bite when it came to the NHL.

[Badgers Nose]

Good article, but I have to wonder if Flames will be able to sign any of these guys considering their cap situation. If there is any demand, Flames will be outbid.

[Ped]

Originally Posted by Badgers Nose

??? Backlund, Lindy, Anderson, Zadorov, Ruzicka...

Zadorov and Lindholm were already NHL players when the Flames acquired them. Ruzicka and Andersson were both drafted out of major junior in North America.

[Strange Brew]

I’d like to see this list from 10 years ago and see how many of the top 10 European FA’s actually became legit NHLers.

[Royle9]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

I’d like to see this list from 10 years ago and see how many of the top 10 European FA’s actually became legit NHLers.

I think Cervenka had a real shot, but of course the Flames botched it.
The guy was a legit threat before and after his time on the Flames.

[Reggie Dunlop]

David Rittich?

I realize he's no All Star , but 171 NHL games for a goaltender is found money.

[Calgary4LIfe]

IIRC, Calgary was also one of the 4 teams that Panarin had on his list.

[hansmoleman]

Originally Posted by Royle9

I think Cervenka had a real shot, but of course the Flames botched it.
The guy was a legit threat before and after his time on the Flames.

His stats in the KHL were mediocre after he left, only played there for 2 seasons and didn’t get a sniff with any other NHL teams. How is that a threat? Sounds like a cheap shot at the flames.

[Reggie Dunlop]

Virtually all these guys are spare parts... but then again, teams need spare parts. Depth players.

[FlamesAddiction]

Didn't Cervenka suffer from blood clotting issues shortly after coming to North America, or am I thinking of someone else?

I know that if it is a chronic condition and the person needs to continuously take medication for it, the side effects can cause issues for athletes.

[UKflames]

Wasn't Cervenka a C, but in Flames tradition, we played him on the wing the whole time until he sucked and we let him go (plus there was the blood clot issue).

[getbak]

Cervenka was an unfortunate victim of the lockout, so we never got to see what he really could have done.

From what I remember, he signed in the summer of 2012 and sounded like a good signing. Then, the lockout happened, and he started the season in the Europe, which is where he was injured. Because of the blood clots, he was on blood thinners and couldn't really train or play for a long time. When the season finally started, he still wasn't 100%.

There were also some unexpected personal issues. His wife/girlfriend was pregnant. She would have been able to come over with him if the season had started on time, but because the lockout pushed the start of the season back, she was unable to travel to North America with him. So, she's going through a pregnancy on the other side of the world while he's struggling to figure out his game in Calgary.


I believe there was also a positional issue, but if I'm thinking of the right guy, all the scouting reports and Feaster talked him up as a Centre, but when he arrived, he was asked about playing Centre and said he didn't play Centre, but was a Winger.

[Sandman]

I don’t know about everyone else, but I was left thinking that Cervenka could play in the NHL, and move the needle a bit for a team willing to give him another chance- but that chance never came. He just got caught up in a sh**storm, so we never really got to see what he had. I also recall reading an article where he didn’t have anything nice to say about the Flames organization….