Tim Erixon Update

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by PeteMoss

That sure is an impressive goal. Hopefully Erixon keeps developing and is ready to come over after this year. Pelech still has a lot of work to get to the 3-4 level... he's spent a lot of time in minors and is still trying to break in as a 6-7 guy over Pardy who isn't exactly the biggest obstacle in the planet.

Pardy was 24 when he became an NHL player, Pelech is currently 22. I fail to see how Pelech not passing an NHL player in his early 20's is a bad thing. He's FAR ahead of where Pardy was at his age. and IMO he should have started the year in the NHL last season.

[Flash Walken]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

Pardy was 24 when he became an NHL player, Pelech is currently 22. I fail to see how Pelech not passing an NHL player in his early 20's is a bad thing. He's FAR ahead of where Pardy was at his age. and IMO he should have started the year in the NHL last season.

Especially in light of his injury history, this year not excluded.

[Patrick]

My gut feeling and from WJ and clips of international play I have seen. I dont think people realize Erixon's raw potential and upside. IMO, hes close to cracking as a #5/6, a couple years will be a #3 type guy and if he keeps playing and improving hes a #2 guy, much like Suter in Nashville.

[Nuje]

Originally Posted by PeteMoss

How do we know that? They haven't played at the same level for more than a brief period in two years... we have no idea how Pelech will do against NHL talent.

That was simply my opinion, but if you take the NHL games he did play, he looked like a Pardy who makes less mistakes, and is a better passer to me. One needs to look no further than injuries having to occur to pave the way for Backlund to make it this past season, to see that the excessive favouring of old players is more than just a myth.

[Roof-Daddy]

Originally Posted by Nuje

That was simply my opinion, but if you take the NHL games he did play, he looked like a Pardy who makes less mistakes, and is a better passer to me. One needs to look no further than injuries having to occur to pave the way for Backlund to make it this past season, to see that the excessive favouring of old players is more than just a myth.

...and one needs to look no further than Anders Eriksson playing the last year of his contract in AHL, while Pardy took his spot on the team, to see that favoritism towards older players is a myth.

[Nuje]

Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy

...and one needs to look no further than Anders Eriksson playing the last year of his contract in AHL, while Pardy took his spot on the team, to see that favoritism towards older players is a myth.

Perhaps. I just think that Eriksson was that much worse than Pardy, and Darryl's hand was forced. The point is that Pardy wasn't 22 years old, he was 25 at that point. I believe I could come up with quite a bit more examples to support my side, than the opposite.

There are less players coming out of our system to the big team before age 24 than most teams.

I realize I've said the following before, and I will certainly say it again. Nobody on this board is an NHL GM (unless some undercover ones exist here, but I hiiighly doubt that). I'm not saying that I would be a better GM myself. What I do as a fan though, is look at what the consistently successful organizations have in common. The Flames are not doing many of those things, and also are doing some things that perpetually uncompetitive teams are doing.

[koop]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

Pardy was 24 when he became an NHL player, Pelech is currently 22. I fail to see how Pelech not passing an NHL player in his early 20's is a bad thing. He's FAR ahead of where Pardy was at his age. and IMO he should have started the year in the NHL last season.

I thought the same thing after seeing him play 4 or 5 games with the Flames the year before. The thing that concerns me is what Sutter said when he acquired Staios, something about the team being too young. Not only do I completely disagree with that assessment, but I would hate to see that type of thinking hold back Pelech from playing in the NHL next season.

[Sly]

To be honest, I'm worried about him being misused....

[3 Justin 3]

Originally Posted by Sly

To be honest, I'm worried about him being misused....

After seeing how they restricted Bouwmeester, I am too. Very nervous.

Hopefully Brent realizes how Bouwmeester actually played in Florida, and doesn't restrict him so much this upcoming season.

[Patrick]

Originally Posted by 3 Justin 3

After seeing how they restricted Bouwmeester, I am too. Very nervous.

Hopefully Brent realizes how Bouwmeester actually played in Florida, and doesn't restrict him so much this upcoming season.

I think it just wasn't the coaching staff. IMO, Bouwmeester looks conservative by nature. Hes quiet, doesn't like big attention. So to me, hes gonna play a similar game. IMO, the coaching and other players have to give him the positive talks to get him to play non-conservative hockey.

[kermitology]

Originally Posted by 3 Justin 3

After seeing how they restricted Bouwmeester, I am too. Very nervous.

Hopefully Brent realizes how Bouwmeester actually played in Florida, and doesn't restrict him so much this upcoming season.

I don't know if that was the coaches the restricted him, but his teammates not knowing where he was going to be.

Combine that with the altogether lack of confidence in offensive abilities for the Flames and it was a recipe for disaster statistically for Bouwmeester.

[Jimdon]

Originally Posted by kermitology

I don't know if that was the coaches the restricted him, but his teammates not knowing where he was going to be.

Combine that with the altogether lack of confidence in offensive abilities for the Flames and it was a recipe for disaster statistically for Bouwmeester.

This is exactly what I saw, for the first few games, Bouw would jump up into the play and his teammates wouldn't even look for him or didn't realize where he was, the more this happened, the less he tried to jump up, until he barely did it at all.

I have a hard time believing that Sutter told him not to jump up once and awhile, but I do believe that his teammates underused him big time.

[bubbsy]

Originally Posted by Jimdon

This is exactly what I saw, for the first few games, Bouw would jump up into the play and his teammates wouldn't even look for him or didn't realize where he was, the more this happened, the less he tried to jump up, until he barely did it at all.

I have a hard time believing that Sutter told him not to jump up once and awhile, but I do believe that his teammates underused him big time.

having basically zero forwards with playmaking/creative ability didn't help much...

however, bouwmeester's decisions on the point were ridiculous. Never shot, always double pumped, missed the net, aimed to miss going for a tip rather than trying to make the goalie save it with traffic infront.

i didn't see a whole lot of offensive prowess from him. Gio on the otherhand, was a major bright spot that way.

[Parallex]

Originally Posted by Patrick

IMO, the coaching and other players have to give him the positive talks to get him to play non-conservative hockey.

Good luck with that. Brent's situational game management was highly-conservative, I'd find it hard to believe that he'd be one to advocate less conservatism.

But yeah, that was a sick goal by Erixon. Is it my imagination or does he look bigger too? Filling in the frame a bit to my eye.

[868904]

Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy

...and one needs to look no further than Anders Eriksson playing the last year of his contract in AHL, while Pardy took his spot on the team, to see that favoritism towards older players is a myth.

Personally, I'd like to see the Flames test the youth a lot more. I don't think it's really that bad to put them in situations where they can fail. You don't learn without making mistakes. Protecting and insulating them from harm won't help their development. The Flames are guilty of "over parenting" I think.

However, I think the Pardy situation was different last year. I believe he had to clear waivers and as much as it is in style to bash all Flames players and prospects, I believe that Pardy does have value in the leauge and likely would NOT have cleared LAST YEAR. A big defencemen like that with skating ability and potential would be attractive to a lot of teams on the waiver wire.

Eriksson on the other hand was signed as UFA and nobody wanted him. If he got picked up, Flames only lose the salary which wasn't a bad thing.

[Roof-Daddy]

^^^ I wasn't talking about last year, it was the 2008/09 when that happened and Pardy was still able to be sent up and down without clearing waivers. It was last summer, after beating Eriksson out for the last d-spot in 2008/09, that he signed a two-year extension worth $700,000 a year.

Eriksson wasn't even in the Flames organization in 2009/2010.

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy

^^^ I wasn't talking about last year, it was the 2008/09 when that happened and Pardy was still able to be sent up and down without clearing waivers. It was last summer, after beating Eriksson out for the last d-spot in 2008/09, that he signed a two-year extension worth $700,000 a year.

Eriksson wasn't even in the Flames organization in 2009/2010.

The way I remember it Pardy had to clear waivers in 08/09 in order to be sent down. I believe Sutter even mentioned it as a reason they kept him. Now Pelech is in the same situation, so something has to give.

[Beerfest]

Will Sutter have to go through waivers if he's sent down during or after training camp is over?

[Vulcan]

Originally Posted by Beerfest

Will Sutter have to go through waivers if he's sent down during or after training camp is over?

It looks like it, his three year protection status is used up.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Parallex

Good luck with that. Brent's situational game management was highly-conservative, I'd find it hard to believe that he'd be one to advocate less conservatism.

But yeah, that was a sick goal by Erixon. Is it my imagination or does he look bigger too? Filling in the frame a bit to my eye.

Heard a really interesting comment from Brent Sutter on the radio at the end of the year where he was talking about Bouwmeester being out of synch with the forwards in Calgary. that NHL teams play North South now while the Flames key forwards were still East West guys which had Bouwmeester blowing by them, and never getting the puck.

When pinches became all risk and no reward he was less frequent in doing so.