[Trade] Flames trade for Erik Gustafsson from Chicago for a 2020 conditional 3rd

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

So apologies if this has already been discussed but people are calling Gustafsson a PP specialist. The Hawks have the worst PP in the league. I don’t watch enough of their games to say it’s his fault, but they have a lot of talent. Is there evidence he is good at quarterbacking a PP? I get that he put up a lot of points last year but if it was last year, we wouldn’t need the PP help.

I think this label is applied because of his shot. It looks fantastic, and he has scored a few PP goals with that one timer from the point. I can't say if he does anything else well.

[HitterD]

Originally Posted by Classic_Sniper

Really interesting move for Treliving. Seems like he’s going for something very specific by acquiring Gustafsson. Probably a move to improve the power play. He has a bomb from the point, excellent offensive instincts and make plays from nothing.

Ward will probably need to shelter him quite a bit though because he doesn’t appear to be a very fluid skater and his defensive game isn’t anything special. That shot of his should make the powerplay more dangerous though. Hard, accurate and even has a one timer.

One thing I thought of this afternoon, is that after this 5 game road trip is done, the Flames only have 4 road games for the rest of the season. Not sure how much that factors into this decision (probably doesn’t) to get such a 1 dimensional player...but if ever you were going to acquire a defender that’s pretty much only good on the offensive side of the puck, at least the teams will have control of the matchups for a good chunk of the rest of the season

[Blaster86]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

He's clearly got you confused for someone who is charming and endearing.

Hah, idiot!

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

I think this label is applied because of his shot. It looks fantastic, and he has scored a few PP goals with that one timer from the point. I can't say if he does anything else well.

Thanks. The team could use that shot for sure, so I hope they find some ways to take advantage.

[bigrangy]

So everyone says Gustafsson is basically a 4th forward, so let’s convert him to RW! Problems solved!

[Classic_Sniper]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

So apologies if this has already been discussed but people are calling Gustafsson a PP specialist. The Hawks have the worst PP in the league. I don’t watch enough of their games to say it’s his fault, but they have a lot of talent. Is there evidence he is good at quarterbacking a PP? I get that he put up a lot of points last year but if it was last year, we wouldn’t need the PP help.

Definitely seems ironic. But last season the Hawks did post a 20% PP rate during Gustafsson’s career year. From his highlights and games I’ve seen, he looks to have a great shot and instincts to quarterback a PP.

One of the things that impressed me was his ability to use deception. He often uses fakes or hesitation moves to buy time or change angles / lanes. Think his tools will help the PP become more dynamic.

[Classic_Sniper]

Originally Posted by bigrangy

So everyone says Gustafsson is basically a 4th forward, so let’s convert him to RW! Problems solved!

His skating is probably the worst aspect of his game. He would never fit into Ward’s relentless forechecking system.

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by Classic_Sniper

His skating is probably the worst aspect of his game. He would never fit into Ward’s relentless forechecking system.

...I certainly wouldn’t say the Flames have a relentless forecheck...I mean, they have a forecheck, but it relents with some decent consistency.

So yeah, not unrelenting. But still definitely a forecheck.

[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

...I certainly wouldn’t say the Flames have a relentless forecheck...I mean, they have a forecheck, but it relents with some decent consistency.

So yeah, not unrelenting. But still definitely a forecheck.

In a sense, the forecheck is relentless because they're unrelenting in their decision to forecheck by dumping it in every shift.

[Classic_Sniper]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

...I certainly wouldn’t say the Flames have a relentless forecheck...I mean, they have a forecheck, but it relents with some decent consistency.

So yeah, not unrelenting. But still definitely a forecheck.

Hard to be relentless when the team is about as slow as it gets. Lucic, Tkachuk, Monahan, Jankowski and are big parts of their respective lines and none of these players are the types to win a lot of foot races.

If the Flames were built faster and heavier, their forecheck would be a lot more effective.

[AC]

Found 2 really nice assists as well for the curious:

Great slap-pass setup to Kane.

Walks a forward, pinches in and sets a teammate up backdoor.

And someone on r/calgaryflames compiled all his points from this season:
https://www.reddit.com/r/CalgaryFlam...points_6g_20a/

[Geeoff]

These feel like moves to desperately claw into 2 home playoff games. Hopefully Gustafsson is good enough to re-sign and then we re-sign him to a nice contract

[Vinny01]

Reading on the athletic the Hawks hoped for 2 2nds initially so getting him for a single 3rd is nice work by Treliving. Looks like he really wanted to stay in Chicago and has 2 young kids. I could see him staying in Calgary at a reasonable price if he really likes it and his family is comfortable

[Cleveland Steam Whistle]

Originally Posted by Geeoff

These feel like moves to desperately claw into 2 home playoff games. Hopefully Gustafsson is good enough to re-sign and then we re-sign him to a nice contract

These moves don't feel desperate at all, they feel very minimal both on the gain and the give.

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

Reading on the athletic the Hawks hoped for 2 2nds initially so getting him for a single 3rd is nice work by Treliving. Looks like he really wanted to stay in Chicago and has 2 young kids. I could see him staying in Calgary at a reasonable price if he really likes it and his family is comfortable

Also he is very familiar with Lindholm and Backlund as they all played together for Sweden at the worlds.

I can see BT re-signing him in Calgary as long as this audition goes well.

If nothing else, and much like Barrie would have, he can add a dimension to the PP that simply does not exist at this point.

No one other than Duncan Keith has had more ice time per game on defense for the Hawks over the last 2 years.

He is their version of TJ Brodie right down to playing his off side.

[Mass_nerder]

Originally Posted by Vinny01

Reading on the athletic the Hawks hoped for 2 2nds initially so getting him for a single 3rd is nice work by Treliving. Looks like he really wanted to stay in Chicago and has 2 young kids. I could see him staying in Calgary at a reasonable price if he really likes it and his family is comfortable

To me, that sounds like he may re-sign in Chicago in the offseason, which may also explain why the return (3rd) was so low.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Classic_Sniper

Hard to be relentless when the team is about as slow as it gets. Lucic, Tkachuk, Monahan, Jankowski and are big parts of their respective lines and none of these players are the types to win a lot of foot races.



If the Flames were built faster and heavier, their forecheck would be a lot more effective.

The forecheck looked fine last year with the same players. Footspeed is not what's holding them back.

Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by Mass_nerder

To me, that sounds like he may re-sign in Chicago in the offseason, which may also explain why the return (3rd) was so low.

The third was low because that's the best offer the Hawks were offered. He's been shopped for some time.

From reading the Hawks boards, the Hawks made little attempt at re-signing him. Their biggest weakness is keeping the puck out of their own net, and he wasn't helping.

I expect Gustafson would re-sign with Calgary if they made any type of decent offer. But giving term to 5-6 d-men is a bad bet when you already have a number of cheaper, younger options like Calgary has.

[BigRed]

Originally Posted by transplant99

I can see BT re-signing him in Calgary as long as this audition goes well.

Doesn't seem super likely, as his heart in in Chicago, according to the Athletic. Looks like he'll do whatever he can to make it work there first:

https://theathletic.com/1631721/2020...rce=dailyemail

Gustafsson badly wanted to stay in Chicago, and hadn’t ruled out the idea of taking less money for the chance to re-sign long-term.

“I’ve got two kids, I’ve got a family, so I have to think about them, too,” he said last week. “At the same time, my wife and kids love to be in Chicago. And if that’s something that adds up, taking something minimal here or whatever, I’ve got to think about the family in that way, too. It’s not just about money. It’s not just me out there.”

[Nelson]

From Craig Custance of The Athletic:

Nothing splashy but when the dust settles, the third-round pick for Erik Gustafsson could end up looking like one of the best deals of the deadline even if he has his flaws.

“He’s not very good defensively but he’s a hell of an offensive defenseman,” said an NHL scout on Monday. “He sees the ice well. He makes the special pass. I like all those things about him but he (doesn’t defend well).”