[Signing] Canucks sign Baertschi to 2 yr deal ($1.85 mil AAV)

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Violator

Do those players even play on flames anymore?

As a Canuck fan I like this signing.

As a Flames fan I am indifferent to this signing. I don't think the team misses Baertschi much, if at all.

[Cleveland Steam Whistle]

This is a good signing, and I don't like the player. Won't be any sort of massive overpayment if he doesn't improve, and could be a deal for a couple years before he needs a real pay day if he actually becomes a complete player who can also produce.

[Racki]

For me, Baertschi will always be one of those guys that I believe could have had an entirely different career had things started out differently for him.

I think the high expectations because of a great 5 game stint, the concussions/injuries and the Burke/Hartley regime all contributed to his demise. Baertschi's character and immaturity also played a huge role but I will always wonder how good a Flame he could have been had the start to his career been different.

I wish him well and I'm glad he enabled us to draft Rasmus Andersson. I have a great feeling about Andersson.

[d_phaneuf]

low risk bridge deal

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by MarkGio

Good deal for the Nucks. Id take Baer over a lot of players on the Flames making similar or more money, such as Bollig, Bouma, Stajan or Raymond

That's a frankly silly argument to make, actually. Baertschi can't play bottom of the lineup roles. Nor can he play physical roles. Nor can he play defensive roles.

So the real question is: would you take him over the likes of Gaudreau, Frolik, Bennett, Colborne?

[MarkGio]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

That's a frankly silly argument to make, actually. Baertschi can't play bottom of the lineup roles. Nor can he play physical roles. Nor can he play defensive roles.

So the real question is: would you take him over the likes of Gaudreau, Frolik, Bennett, Colborne?

Raymond isn't playing physical or defensive roles. He's playing an offensive role on the Heat. And since when is Stajan physical?

[habernac]

Originally Posted by MarkGio

Raymond isn't playing physical or defensive roles. He's playing an offensive role on the Heat. And since when is Stajan physical?

Raymond isn't playing at all

[Displaced Flames fan]

Kid needed to grow up and a change of scenery has probably been good for him. I think it is unfortunate that people feel the need to run down players that leave the organization, Tim Erixon aside.

I think Baertschi is a very talented kid and could still develop into a decent offensive player. He's not a demon.

That said, I'm really glad we have Rasmus Andersson. STUD.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by MarkGio

Raymond isn't playing physical or defensive roles. He's playing an offensive role on the Heat. And since when is Stajan physical?

Raymond is an AHLer, so if you want to argue that Baertschi would be a good option for Stockton, okay...

And it's funny that when I note three separate things Baertschi can't do, you focus on Stajan then choose to ignore the thing on that list that he does.

And you never answered my question. Would you take Baertschi over any of Gaudreau, Frolik, Bennett or Colborne?

[Geeoff]

I hope Baertschi plays well enough for the Canucks to miss the playoffs by 1 point.

[Hot_Flatus]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

Yes, he is. Last year he put up 44 points in 73 games, a 50-point pace, essentially. He just needs to be more consistent.

So does 80% of the league by that logic.

The vast majority of his career here has been of the third line, medial scoring rate. He gets hot for two months and suddenly this is the Joe Colborne to expect next season?

If you're expecting more than 35-40 points out of him next season you should lower your expectations.

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by Hot_Flatus

So does 80% of the league by that logic.

The vast majority of his career here has been of the third line, medial scoring rate. He gets hot for two months and suddenly this is the Joe Colborne to expect next season?

If you're expecting more than 35-40 points out of him next season you should lower your expectations.

I'll bet you that Colborne will score at least 40 points next year.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Hot_Flatus

So does 80% of the league by that logic.



The vast majority of his career here has been of the third line, medial scoring rate. He gets hot for two months and suddenly this is the Joe Colborne to expect next season?



If you're expecting more than 35-40 points out of him next season you should lower your expectations.

He has improved his numbers in each of his first three professional seasons and is presently in his peak-years. I think 40-50 in a second line role is an eminently reasonable expectation for Colborne, which is good production for any second line forward.

[Stay Golden]

15 goals with Van but he didn't fit in with Flames. It was the right decision to move him.

[Flamenspiel]

Its a good comparable for Colborne, this is what his contract should look like.

[Erick Estrada]

I've moved on from this guy. This contract is fair value as he's shown glimpses of being a capable 2nd line player but he's still work in progress. IMO Flames fans (myself included) are guilty of massively overrating him in the first place as he's not an elite talent. Doesn't skate well enough and doesn't possess any elite attributes. He's an undersized skill player that will have the odd good NHL season and probably move from team to team over his career due to inconstancy and being injury prone.

[FlamesAddiction]

$1.85 million is a lot of money for most regular people, but it is far below the NHL average which is closer to $3 million. For a player that was drafted in the 1st round and was seen as a future 1st line player, is going to be 24 when next season starts, and is going into his 3rd contract; that is not what I think he or his agent see as a big win. He should be going into his prime earning years about now and entering his peak production.

[MarkGio]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

Raymond is an AHLer, so if you want to argue that Baertschi would be a good option for Stockton, okay...

And it's funny that when I note three separate things Baertschi can't do, you focus on Stajan then choose to ignore the thing on that list that he does.

And you never answered my question. Would you take Baertschi over any of Gaudreau, Frolik, Bennett or Colborne?

It's a poor question since I have to choose from 4 wingers (one who's a centreman, not Baertschi's competition). You assume Baertschi would be playing on a team that runs with a top 6/bottom 6, as opposed to clubs that run a top 9 or all 4 lines with offense. You have no idea what the Flames would be playing this year or next.

I don't answer dumb questions.

[Resolute 14]

No, you just make dumb comparisons.

And yes, at this point in his career, Bennett is a comparable as most of his NHL time has been on the wing.

[greentree]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

$1.85 million is a lot of money for most regular people, but it is far below the NHL average which is closer to $3 million. For a player that was drafted in the 1st round and was seen as a future 1st line player, is going to be 24 when next season starts, and is going into his 3rd contract; that is not what I think he or his agent see as a big win. He should be going into his prime earning years about now and entering his peak production.

Agree with you re: not a big win for Sven. It's hardly a win at all, because Benning bacially put himself in the position where he had to sign him, or lose face big time.
To be fair to Sven, he did help himself by finally turning down the whine and then picking up his game after a really bad start last fall. But he's a classic tweener: soft, without enough skill to compensate for it.