You have to be able to separate the man from the player.
The man, I'd find a way to keep him in the organization. He's a fine individual with an abundance of character. He'd be an asset.
The player has about reached the end of his effective career in the NHL. Time waits for no man... as an ex-athlete staring 50 in the eyes, I can attest to that.
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I like Stajan and wish him, and his family, all the best but no. Under no circumstances would I bring him back. I think most people lined out many of the reasons as to why not and that should suffice. It's not a bad question, and i'm sure Tre has to ask it but no. No.
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For everyone who would take Stajan back, Paul Byron has 49 goals and 90 points since joining the Habs at the beginning of 2015.
Stajan in that span has 16 goals and 40 points. He makes 200% more money than the Paul Star.
For everyone who wanted Valerie Bure back, Martin St Louis scored a bazillion more points and got a ring.
In hindsight, heck at the time, there wasn't a lot of people that wanted to see Byron go, but it happened 4 years ago and has nothing to do with next season's 13th forward.
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TL;DR - Yes, I'd give him a one year deal. But I don't want him expecting to play C.
I'd give him a 1.5 x 1 max to be 13th man assuming Versteeg isn't re-signed and management has no intention to park Brouwer in the Press box. I'd also prefer to pencil him in to be a winger rather than a centre so that our centre projects are forced to develop at C rather than spending time at wing (ie: Lazar, Shore, Jankowski etc.).
However, while Stajan does have the ability to shelter said players if they really struggle, I don't want to rely on him as a C for long term bottom 6 C development reasons.
Several reasons to re-sign Stajan:
- Even if we want the kids to step up, Stajan is insurance in case something doesn't work out the way we want it.
- Stajan is an excellent option as 13th. Going outside the org or expecting a kid to take that press box role isn't ideal nor realistic.
- Stajan can play very well to the level and style of his line mates of which he's had to deal with a huge variation. I've seen Stajan play like a grinder, loft a soft pass to Backlund for a nice goal, drag around anchors and be a consummate pro and good teammate even after going from our "1C" to 4C.
- Stajan can play LW/RW/C in a sort of bottom 6 swiss army knife like role. He can take face offs and is a decent in the speed, skill, physicality and heart categories. His ability to mentor and shelter young kids on the bottom 6 is also a plus, but not something I'd want to rely on.
- He will likely take a team friendly contract. You're not going to find too many players willing to take a low contract for one season to sit in the press box. A younger kid's potential to replace Stajan is ideal, but for sure it is not being realized in the press box, so it's Stockton or NHL roster for the young ones for best results.
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What possible relevance does this have to who will be the 13th forward on the 2018/19 team?
That 13th forward has to have a higher ceiling than Matt Stajan. There are too many guys on the roster taking up space, and it needs more sparkplugs who can impact the game on a consistent basis.
Matt Stajan averages 13 points a year over the last three seasons, and we gave away a player for free who's averaged 30 points/year over that same span.
Aim higher than Matt Stajan.
__________________ ”All you have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to you.”
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The way he conducts himself on the ice of late suggests to me he is going to retire at the end of this season. He is playing like someone who knows he needs to relish this last portion of the season. I don't think he is even going to put the Flames in a position where they have to address this question of re-signing him.
The guy is done in the NHL. Interesting how this thread pops up the day he makes a huge play in the dying seconds of game.
He's done, time to move on. Awesome individual, and if possible you offer him a off-ice hockey role. Always good to have quality people in the org.
Actually, I didn’t make this thread for that, it just happened conveniently. I made it because he’s been playing pretty solid on a consistent basis and wanted to know if anyone was opposed to him coming back on a cheap deal as the 13th forward.
Stajan is a fine 4C, but I think that is not an area of need between options like Dube, Shore, Lazar, Hrivik. I think Matty Franchise has some years left in the tank but the Flames' depth needs more flexibility than a default vet.
I might change my mind if we make the playoffs and Stajan "Cullen"'s us into a deep run.
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