[Trade] Flames acquire Brandon Bollig for 83rd OA

[ForeverFlameFan]

Do you guys think that we acquired Bollig so that Wolf can play in the AHL first?

Bollig - Bouma - McGrattan willl be a great 4th line.

[sureLoss]

Originally Posted by FlameZilla

I wonder who Treliving was planning on picking at 83 before they decided to trade the pick...

Must have been someone who was picked mid 3rd round. My guess would be Brett Lernout, who went to the Canadiens at 73rd overall.

my guess is Alex Peters 75th overall by Dallas

[Parallex]

Originally Posted by ForeverFlameFan

Do you guys think that we acquired Bollig so that Wolf can play in the AHL first?

Maybe, perhaps even probably. Although if Wolf can actually play at an NHL level (as opposed to just being a facepuncher) I'd more hope it'd be so that they can dress McGrattan less.

[mikeecho]

I always laugh when people use "scouting reports" from fan boards of the other team to know what kind of player we got in a trade.

Just from spending time on this board, it should be obvious that any fan forum observations need to be taken with a huuuuuuuuge grain of salt. In my estimation, only a small percentage of forum posters can actually provide a solid and unbiased opinion of hockey and players. The rest (I include myself in this list) are chumps that don't have a clue what they are looking at or use a small sample size (maybe even just 1 game or a specific play) to make a judgement on a player.

If we traded Akim Aliu for Bollig, Chicago fans would be losing their mind with happiness after popping over to CP to find out they just got a better version of Milan Lucic.

[troutman]

Is he the only Stanley Cup ring on the roster?

[OzSome]

Originally Posted by ForeverFlameFan

Do you guys think that we acquired Bollig so that Wolf can play in the AHL first?

Bollig - Bouma - McGrattan willl be a great 4th line.

Wolf is only under contract for one year on a two-way contract. So I think he'll start in AHL or even in the NHL but he will definitely see action in a Calgary Flames uniform sometime next season. For how long, we will find out later.

As for Bollig, i see that he played centre as well so he might be on the energy line 4th line and maybe play some on 3rd as a winger.

[AC]

Originally Posted by troutman

Is he the only Stanley Cup ring on the roster?

Hudler.

Westgarth was the other.

[vegarover]

I'm a Hawks fan and I figured I'd give a scouting report on Bollig since I've seen just about every game he's ever played in Chicago.

First off, he's never played center, he plays primarily on the LW. I don't know why people here think he's a center? He's taken 4 total face-offs in his NHL career.

When he came into the league he was strictly a "tough guy", but over this past year he made big strides and has turned into a really decent 4th line player. In fact the Hawks 4th line played so well together they would actually get a lot of shifts against other teams' top 6.

Bollig still brings a physical element to the game…he goes out of the way to make a big hit, but he's only an average fighter. However he plays a really smart game and he usually makes the smart play when he has the puck, and generally knows where to go without it. He even got some PK time in tight games.

In general he's a tough guy who will stand up for his teammates, but doesn't take many stupid penalties. And unlike most other heavies in the league, he isn't a liability on the ice. He won't embarrass himself playing against high-end talent. I've also heard he's a good guy in the room.

He always played on the 4th line with the Hawks, but it may be possible he'd jump to the 3rd in Calgary. The reason the Hawks traded him was because the cap didn't go up as much as it was expected. They even gave him an extension this past spring. The only knock on Bollig is that he had a pretty miserable playoffs and ended up sitting on the bench most of the time.

I'm surprised the Hawks got a 3rd round pick out of Bollig, then again, like others have said, this was a week draft and Bollig is a known commodity.

I hope this post helps!

[Hanna Sniper]

If this management is going to be afraid to better this team and only sitting back and waiting to hit that 6% home run then we will never improve.

We improved our 4th line, addressed a need in the origination

[vegarover]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

I know that fans aren't always the best judges, but I looked at a Chicago forum and read threads from when they re-signed him and before the trade yesterday, and it sounds like a lot of people thought he was a waste of money. He didn't sound like a fan favourite by any means anyway.

I'm an active member of the Hawks' boards and I will say the complaints over Bollig's contract had nothing to do with actual salary, but ramifications towards the salary cap. The Hawks are right up against the cap and many assumed that Bollig's deal would prevent the Hawks from re-signing some of their other FA's. It wasn't a knock on Bollig himself.

If the Hawks had more cap room no one would have really had an issue with his extension. But it's a moot point now that he's gone.

In the end he's a reliable 4th line guy who I'm guessing is going to be an upgrade in Calgary.

[Phanuthier]

Late, but while not a sexy trade, I think this is a pretty smart trade. Bollig won't eat up a spot doing nothing (i.e. Westgarth) as he can actually play hockey; he's not a liability to his line, so you can play him with rookies (i.e. more useful to a Sven/JH) and can play with some of our small young players and add some size and protection (Byron, JH, Sven).

I believe this is Treliving's first trade, and if so, seems to put a stamp on what kind of GM he is. Not a big sparkling name, not a flashy superstar, not a boat rocking deal, but slow contributions to shore up what is missing. Also, Treliving is a guy who likes to add players who can contribute in many areas and be well rounded players (versus a goon who can't play hockey, a PP specialist, etc) and Bollig's fits the bill - plays a regular shift, fills an important role we are missing (toughness) while matching what the team is looking for - someone who can help bring along the youth in a rebuild. Look at what guys like Jordan Nolan bring to the LAK...... you need your 4th line to be able to play, and bring something to the game. Bollig brings that.

For such a small trade, I'm actually kind of impressed..... smart smart deal.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by vegarover

I'm an active member of the Hawks' boards and I will say the complaints over Bollig's contract had nothing to do with actual salary, but ramifications towards the salary cap. The Hawks are right up against the cap and many assumed that Bollig's deal would prevent the Hawks from re-signing some of their other FA's. It wasn't a knock on Bollig himself.

If the Hawks had more cap room no one would have really had an issue with his extension. But it's a moot point now that he's gone.

In the end he's a reliable 4th line guy who I'm guessing is going to be an upgrade in Calgary.

Thanks for your insight.

From what I read, it sounded like a lot of fans resented that Bollig was taking a position away from young players (Morin in particular).

As much as people like to believe that every player gets a fair chance of making the team, players with 2-way contracts or players that are waiver exempt, have to do a little bit more to stick. My fear is that guys like Ferland, Hanowski, Arnold, Knight, Van Brabant, Agostino, Jooris, etc..., will miss out on important NHL experience and development time in favour of Bollig, a player with no upside and might not even be around when the rebuild starts to bear fruit.

[Phanuthier]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

Thanks for your insight.

From what I read, it sounded like a lot of fans resented that Bollig was taking a position away from young players (Morin in particular).

As much as people like to believe that every player gets a fair chance of making the team, players with 2-way contracts or players that are waiver exempt, have to do a little bit more to stick. My fear is that guys like Ferland, Hanowski, Arnold, Knight, Van Brabant, Agostino, Jooris, etc..., will miss out on important NHL experience and development time in favour of Bollig, a player with no upside and might not even be around when the rebuild starts to bear fruit.

How much older is Bollig than the bolded names above? 3? 4?

I wouldn't worry about Bollig "stealing" a spot from these guys..... they're ok but I wouldn't its a big deal if they have to compete with Bollig.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

Thanks for your insight.

From what I read, it sounded like a lot of fans resented that Bollig was taking a position away from young players (Morin in particular).

As much as people like to believe that every player gets a fair chance of making the team, players with 2-way contracts or players that are waiver exempt, have to do a little bit more to stick. My fear is that guys like Ferland, Hanowski, Arnold, Knight, Van Brabant, Agostino, Jooris, etc..., will miss out on important NHL experience and development time in favour of Bollig, a player with no upside and might not even be around when the rebuild starts to bear fruit.

1) injuries - there are plenty of minutes to go around over the course of a season

2) if they can't beat Bollig out of a job, the team isn't missing anything

3) the AHL is an excellent place to develop (better than 6 minutes a night, IMO)

[vegarover]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

Thanks for your insight.

From what I read, it sounded like a lot of fans resented that Bollig was taking a position away from young players (Morin in particular).

Well, to be fair…it's Coach Q who doesn't like playing young guy's like Morin. Not Bollig's fault. And Q always wants one tough guy in the lineup…and since Bollig was the only tough guy forward on the team, he played every game.

If you scour the Hawks boards you'll start to realize it sounds like White People Problems. One of the best teams in the league, and people need to find something to complain about. So people start up arguments about how they want a mediocre 23-year old prospect to play. Don't read too much into people's gripes on there.

It's like rich people complaining their caviar isn't served at the right temperature

[automaton 3]

I like this move. He will improve the 3rd/4th lines and make the Flames harder to play against.

As others have said, the chance of a late 3rd rounder turning into an impact player are very remote in any event.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

1) injuries - there are plenty of minutes to go around over the course of a season

Definitely not a guarantee though.

2) if they can't beat Bollig out of a job, the team isn't missing anything

3) the AHL is an excellent place to develop (better than 6 minutes a night, IMO)

Not necessarily since we should be thinking long term and not just next year. NHL ice-time is important for player development. The AHL is great for development, but when you keep players in the AHL, eventually you end up developing them into AHL players. There comes a point that prospects need to be given the benefit of the doubt and learn by doing (and with or without Bollig, there is a lot of healthy competition anyway).

If we were already a contender, it wouldn't matter as much. But since our focus should be on the future, I am against stop gap moves.

[IgiTang]

Originally Posted by vegarover

Well, to be fair…it's Coach Q who doesn't like playing young guy's like Morin. Not Bollig's fault. And Q always wants one tough guy in the lineup…and since Bollig was the only tough guy forward on the team, he played every game.

If you scour the Hawks boards you'll start to realize it sounds like White People Problems. One of the best teams in the league, and people need to find something to complain about. So people start up arguments about how they want a mediocre 23-year old prospect to play. Don't read too much into people's gripes on there.

It's like rich people complaining their caviar isn't served at the right temperature

and Caviar is terrible hot. Infact its terrible frozen too. Too crunchy.

Its about finding the right guy for the job. If Bollig pans out, great. But I was hoping that spot, 4th line wing would be the Flames revolving door for the kids this season. Wanted to see Ferland get some games, Hanowski a few more, Agostino... Lots of guys could have used that icetime.

But.. we'll see what Bollig brings to the team and I hope it works out.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

It's not a stop gap move. Bollig isn't old, he's a role player in the right age group. Some of the guys you're talking about don't have any more upside than Bollig himself.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by IgiTang

and Caviar is terrible hot. Infact its terrible frozen too. Too crunchy.

Its about finding the right guy for the job. If Bollig pans out, great. But I was hoping that spot, 4th line wing would be the Flames revolving door for the kids this season. Wanted to see Ferland get some games, Hanowski a few more, Agostino... Lots of guys could have used that icetime.

But.. we'll see what Bollig brings to the team and I hope it works out.

how many forwards dressed for the Flames last year? How many in an average season?

guys will get opportunities when they deserve them