[Signing] Flames sign Jiri Hudler - 4 Years, $16 Million

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by Cambardi

You know....I don't know why I go to TSN and read the comments. It seems that everyone hates Calgary. They state that we overpaid and that Hudler is worth much less. I'm taking a wait and see approach, however I am very happy we put faith in the ilk of Hudler.

Flames sign Olli 2 years 6 mil=laughing stock
Jets sign older Olli 2 year 9 mil=pretty nice deal


everyone hates calgary these days, just makes it better if they prove everyone wrong

[Henry Fool]

Originally Posted by Roof-Daddy

Jiri Hudler as a 26 year old in the KHL - 1.00 points per game
Roman Cervenka as a 25/26 year old in the KHL - 0.95 points per game

I'd say once Cervenka gets accustomed, it's not unlikely that he could be a 50+ point NHL player like Hudler.

If the Flames are correct in their scouting, it's quite possible, but those stats don't mean anything. Cervenka had the same amount of points (39) as Saprykin in the regular season, for example, and he played more games. You can't conclude anything either way from his stats.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by Alberta_Beef

not from what I can tell, unless top line KHL centermen take less faceoffs in 2 years than an NHL 4th liner does in 1 year.

He's a centre, maybe his wingers are better at face offs then him but he's a centre. That's a totally random thing to focus on by the way. Iginla routinely takes more face offs then his centre.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by Henry Fool

If the Flames are correct in their scouting, it's quite possible, but those stats don't mean anything. Cervenka had the same amount of points (39) as Saprykin in the regular season, for example, and he played more games. You can't conclude anything either way from his stats.

Cervenka had more goals (54)in two seasons, more then Saprykin had (30)in four seasons.

Man, that was a random comparable..

[868904]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

He's a centre, maybe his wingers are better at face offs then him but he's a centre. That's a totally random thing to focus on by the way. Iginla routinely takes more face offs then his centre.

So basically, Cervenka is a cheaper and younger Jokinen. Because Jokinen can't take faceoffs either.

[PeteLFan]

Interesting signing. Hudler scores off the rush, breakaway or one timer goals. He will need guys giving him some crisp passing. That's been the Detroit style precision passing, and puck possession.

Will be interesting too see who plays with, and how he is used on the pp. if we roll out 4 forwards he might be on the first unit, if not will be counted upon to carry a 2nd unit.

He scored 23 even strength goals which is huge, this team needs to improve 5 on 5, but he won't have slick players like Zetterberg and Fillpula dishing him the puck.

The type of players we have this team is going to have to play a off the rush, cycle and create behind the net. I don't see a aggressive forechecking type game that LA played. Hartley has always been a stickler defensively so hopefully he fixes this team defensively and then puts in a possession offense.

I can't see him really going over the 55 point line. This could either work out pretty well for us or it could be a flop, luckily we can dump him of he flops.

Very interested too see now Hartley coaches this team. Systems wise, how he manage the ice time, power play systems, and how he will match lines.

No question Feaster is bringing in more skill. This is a different kind of signing then we are used to here, it's going to be a adjustment period for these types of moves.

If Hartley is true to his word of entertaining hockey it will be a much more enjoyable season to watch compared to the death squad sutter had.

Looks like we are going to bank on Cervenka to be a top flight center pretty quick.

[Henry Fool]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

Cervenka had more goals (54)in two seasons, more then Saprykin had (30)in four seasons.

Man, that was a random comparable..

Not random at all. Last season they had the same amount of points and Saprykin is a player Flames fans know. All I did was look at the most recent stats and picked out a guy who had the same points and who people here recognise. So that's a well motivated comparison in the context.

But my point, as I explained, was that you can't conclude much from looking at stats, either mine or the other poster's. The other guy chose stats that made him look good, I chose stats that don't make him look very special.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by Henry Fool

But my point, as I explained, was that you can't conclude much from looking at stats, either mine or the other poster's. The other guy chose stats that made him look good, I chose stats that don't make him look very special.

Except he was comparing players of similar age, you seemed to go searching for an unflattering comparison.

[PeteLFan]

If Cervenka is bad at draws, who will take them ? Hudler? Glencross? Baertcshi?

[Alberta_Beef]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

He's a centre, maybe his wingers are better at face offs then him but he's a centre. That's a totally random thing to focus on by the way. Iginla routinely takes more face offs then his centre.

No Iginla doesn't. He has never taken more draws than his centerman.

Even when Langkow was a Flame (and just for argument sake lets pretend he always centered Iggy) Lankgkow never took fewer than 800 faceoffs, Iginla only surpassed 500 faceoffs once.

You might see it as a strange thing to look at, but a #1 center takes the majority of their teams faceoffs, even when they aren't good at it (Just look at Olli and Langkow).

Looking at the stats for Cervenka's KHL club and if you look at the TOI (I know this isn't always exact but you get an idea) of the forwards it appears his linemates were probably Platonov & Kalyuzhny. Kalyuzhny (who is also listed as a center) took more than 3 times the draws compared to Cervenka,

[Henry Fool]

Originally Posted by MrMastodonFarm

Except he was comparing players of similar age, you seemed to go searching for an unflattering comparison.

And the other guy searched for a flattering comparison. And that was my point. I don't see how age is very relevant to that point. Besides for all I know Saprykin is the most flattering comparison among the players who scored the same amount of points.

Among the same age group, did you know that Nigel Dawes and Dustin Boyd both only had 6 points less than Cervenka? What can we conclude from that with regard to Cervenka's NHL prospects? Nothing. But taking older, more flattering stats and comparing them to Hudler isn't any more convincing.

[Hells Bells]

Originally Posted by Henry Fool

And the other guy searched for a flattering comparison.

No he didn't.

Cervenka and Hudler both recently signed contracts with the Calgary Flames and both played in the KHL.

You really think he looked long and hard to find that comparison?

[Roof-Daddy]

Originally Posted by PeteLFan

If Cervenka is bad at draws, who will take them ? Hudler? Glencross? Baertcshi?

I don't know if he'll be bad at draws in the NHL or not, but he was 52.6% in the KHL.

[Caged Great]

We need either Dominic Moore or Jeff Halpern for faceoffs because I don't think we have even one guy that we can count on for even 50%.

That is if the Flames have any emphasis on faceoffs.

[the2bears]

Originally Posted by Mitch

He is also 4 years older then Schultz.

I enjoy all the Oiler hate but lets not get ahead of ourselves.

Honestly not sure what you're getting at here. Because he's 4 years older Cervenka cannot be a better FA signing than Schultz?

[Henry Fool]

Originally Posted by Hells Bells

No he didn't.

Cervenka and Hudler both recently signed contracts with the Calgary Flames and both played in the KHL.

You really think he looked long and hard to find that comparison?

He used the comparison to argue that since their KHL stats are similar, we can expect that Cervenka will have a similar production in the NHL. So his idea was to give a flattering view of Cervenka. My point is that you can't conclude anything at all from those stats and I hoped to illustrate that point by taking comparisons that are less flattering.

But my point doesn't depend on those comparisons at all. It is just a fact that European stats don't mean anything in the NHL. Players who succeed in the NHL will often have good stats, that's true, but most of the players who have good stats in Europe will never be good enough to play similar roles in the NHL. So I think we have every right to be conservative in our expectations without being accused of downplaying Cervenka's abilities.

[Sylvanfan]

Certainly a different type of player for the Flames to sign. I don't think Darryl Sutter ever would have signed a guy like Hudler as a UFA.

At this point I'm wondering if they won't offer Huselius a one year incentive laden contract.

[Rerun]

Since the Calgary Flames website has Jiri listed as a center I suspect they are planning on slotting him into center between Cammi and Iggy.

I would think that Cervenka will end up as the 2nd line center as they also have him listed as a center.

[Rerun]

Originally Posted by Sylvanfan

Certainly a different type of player for the Flames to sign. I don't think Darryl Sutter ever would have signed a guy like Hudler as a UFA.

At this point I'm wondering if they won't offer Huselius a one year incentive laden contract.

Lately we've been signing a whole lot of players that Darryl would never have. This is good. The team needs a new identity. The old one sure as hell wasn't working.

[MrMastodonFarm]

Originally Posted by Rerun

Lately we've been signing a whole lot of players that Darryl would never have. This is good. The team needs a new identity. The old one sure as hell wasn't working.

It's fairly obvious Hartley intends to play an offensive creative style of hockey. Good to see.