[Rumour] Free agent courting period news and rumors

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by btimbit

Playoff performance can be taken as a learning experience. The team didn't play the way they did most of the year, and seemed to think they'd be able to coast through the first round, much like Tampa. It's not like that was the best they had to give and won't improve.

And if they don’t?

[Mike F]

Originally Posted by transplant99

Where, in anything i posted, did you glean that information?

The conversation was about acquiring Kadri, and specifically my argument that the Flames need a winger and not a 3rd centre, and you posted about converting a centre to a winger. The logical inference is that you were talking about Kadri.

Originally Posted by transplant99

He immediately becomes the #2 C.

Lindholm stays on the right side with Monahan, Backlund centers the 3rd line, Jankowski can play wind and Ryan stays in the middle on the 4th or lines up on his strong side wing to take faceoffs on that side.

No need to pidgeon hole players just because they are C's...but as stated, its way easier to move from C to wing when needed (Bennett) than it is to move a winger to C because the defensive responsibilities are entirely different.

So you address the lack of scoring depth on RW by moving Jankowski there? Not nearly good enough, and I don't see the Flames dipping into the free agent pool again to address that problem.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

I think both sides are true.

The Flames were a top team last year and don’t need to be blown up.

The way they bowed out was very concerning and calls for change.

The future is bright, the assets are many. A core player could be dealt and it doesn’t have to signal a rebuild. The core players are incredibly young. The window has just opened. But a startling lack of grit, heart, speed and urgency was shown in the playoffs and perhaps the roster needs a shakeup somehow.

[CanadaMatt]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

Nothing about how the Flames played last year in the regular season would suggest that they "overachieved." They were a top team by almost every meaningful metric, but for a power play that suddenly dried up in February. Five games of playoff hockey in April is an extremely limited sample size from which to draw conclusions and to make projections.

I wouldnt be so quick to dismiss folks concerns. The data you use to determine whether or not the flames overachieved might not be the same data they are using.

For example, some arguments could be that
- the team played a large chunk of their games against an extremely poor pacific division, a division that’s probably going to improve in 19/20.
- the team had a relatively good run with injuries
- the team had a few players with career years, such as Lindholm
- the teams best player is getting to an age where ‘things start slowing down ’
- the team will likely be without Frolik, who some people think is quite important to the structure of the team
- the team will not be able to add any high end players due to cap concerns

For the record, I don’t agree with these arguments, but it’s interesting to hear where some fans anxiety is coming from and it’s not unreasonable

There are probably (certainly) as many arguments to the contrary.

[sureLoss]

Frank Seravalli @frank_seravalli
Sounds like Calvin Pickard is joining the #RedWings on a two-year deal. He's expected to compete with Jonathan Bernier in training camp to back up Jimmy Howard.

[sureLoss]

Bob McKenzie @TSNBobMcKenzie
It doesn’t appear as though Artemi Panarin and Sergei Bobrovsky will be signed as a set. Signs point toward Bobrovsky ending up in FLA while NYI appear the favourite to land Panarin. Both players are repped by the same agent, Paul Theofanous.

Bob McKenzie @TSNBobMcKenzie
But wouldn’t it be something if Panarin and goaltender Semyon Varlamov, who is also represented by Theofanous, ended up as a set with the Isles? If that were to happen, it would mean Robin Lehner would be looking for a home that isn’t NYI or FLA.

[sureLoss]

Andy Strickland @andystrickland
Apparently the #Isles haven't been willing to give Robin Lehner the term he seeking.

[sureLoss]

Bob Stauffer @Bob_Stauffer
Don’t be surprised if Brett Connolly represented by Gerry Johansson ends up in Florida possibly on a 4-year term

[sureLoss]

Wow good for him if true.

Adrian Dater @adater
Source: Kenny Agostino to sign two-year, one-way deal with Leafs

[Reggie Dunlop]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

Wow good for him if true.

Adrian Dater @adater
Source: Kenny Agostino to sign two-year, one-way deal with Leafs

Sounds like these AHL All Star/NHL Tweener types (Gilmour, Lazar, etc.) are getting cheap one-way deals and squeezing out the slightly higher salary demands from the likes of a Garnet Hathaway and other established NHL journeymen.

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by dammage79

No it does not. A lot of folks acting like this is the end of the process. No, it's the next step. So many good teams struggle in the playoffs and then finally apex at the right time. See: Washington, Chicago, L.A, San Jose, St.Louis.



Our window literally just opened.

Not all.

Once Chicago made the playoffs, they won two rounds the 1st year, then next year they won the Cup.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[sureLoss]

Originally Posted by Reggie Dunlop

Sounds like these AHL All Star/NHL Tweener types (Gilmour, Lazar, etc.) are getting cheap one-way deals and squeezing out the slightly higher salary demands from the likes of a Garnet Hathaway and other established NHL journeymen.

Eh... maybe.

But teams giving 1 way deals to tweeners is more about them flexing their bigger budgets over small market teams. They get first choice of the tweeners because they can afford to pay NHL salaries and not counting against the cap in the minors while smaller market teams struggle to give that much money for depth.

[Reggie Dunlop]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

Eh... maybe.

But teams giving 1 way deals to tweeners is more about them flexing their bigger budgets over small market teams. They get first choice of the tweeners because they can afford to pay NHL salaries and not counting against the cap in the minors while smaller market teams struggle to give that much money for depth.

Interesting. I assume there's no salary cap in the AHL then?

[sureLoss]

Originally Posted by Reggie Dunlop

Interesting. I assume there's no salary cap in the AHL then?

no salary cap or roster limits in the AHL.

The ECHL does have a salary cap though

[Reggie Dunlop]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

no salary cap or roster limits in the AHL.

Just minimum salary as per collective agreement.

I recall in years past some Chicago Wolves teams would have a pile of vets on AHL-only deals who made a lot of dough (relatively speaking).

[CaptainYooh]

If swapping Smith for Talbot would be all Treliving's gonna do tomorrow, I'd be a little pissed...

[tkflames]

Originally Posted by CaptainYooh

If swapping Smith for Talbot would be all Treliving's gonna do tomorrow, I'd be a little pissed...

Given the numbers I have seen for guys like Hayes and Zuccarello...I would be quite happy with that. Do nothing and wait to see if there is any value available on July 2/3.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by CaptainYooh

If swapping Smith for Talbot would be all Treliving's gonna do tomorrow, I'd be a little pissed...

Would you rather he sign some bad deals?

[btimbit]

Yeah I'm more than happy to let the big pieces fall, see what's left on July 2nd and get some better deals. We don't need to go big game hunting, a middle 6 forward or two is all we need.

[sureLoss]

Pierre LeBrun @PierreVLeBrun
With Varlamov potentially going to the Islanders, hearing that Carolina focusing its efforts on Mrazek and Lehner ....