Seattle Expansion Draft Speculation

[FlamesAddiction]

If they select Giordano, I believe he would be the oldest player ever selected by an expansion team, at least since before the Sharks came into the league in 1991. Kevin Dineen (Columbus) was the only one close at 36 when he was selected. In fact, Giordano would perhaps be the oldest player ever to play for a post 1990 expansion team.

Of course, more players seem to be playing into their late 30s these days. Any team having a 38 year old used to be a rare thing.

[MrMike]

With our cap situation, don't we want them to take Gio?

We have like 13.5 mill in space and need to upgrade our forward group and fill out our back end and a back up goalie. Or else this team is going to look pretty much the same as last year with just a new bunch of Simon/Leivo types.

[memphusk]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

If they select Giordano, I believe he would be the oldest player ever selected by an expansion team, at least since before the Sharks came into the league in 1991. Kevin Dineen (Columbus) was the only one close at 36 when he was selected. In fact, Giordano would perhaps be the oldest player ever to play for a post 1990 expansion team.

Of course, more players seem to be playing into their late 30s these days. Any team having a 38 year old used to be a rare thing.

Really? Seems like less players going into old age playing now.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by memphusk

Really? Seems like less players going into old age playing now.

I was kind of surprised as well.

Just using 1991-92 as an example (the year modern expansion started), here are the oldest players from each team:

Montreal - Nilan - 33
Boston - Lemelin - 36
Buffalo - Franeschetti - 33
Hartford - Ladouceur - 31
Quebec - Tonelli - 34
Detroit - Marsh - 33
Chicago - Graham - 32
St. Louis - Wilson - 35
Minnesota - Martinson - 34
Toronto - DeBlois - 34
NYR - Ogrodnick - 32
Washington - Liut - 35
New Jersey - Stastny - 34
Pittsburgh - Trottier - 35
NYI - Weeks - 33 (the oldest "regular" was Glenn Healy at 29)
Philadelphia - M. Howe - 36
Vancouver - Greg - 35
L.A. - Robinson - 40 (next youngest was Taylor at 35)
Edmonton - MacTavish - 33
Winnipeg - Carlyle - 35
Calgary - Makarov - 33
San Jose - Wilson - 34

So only one player older than 36 played that season, and it was Larry Robinson. It is worth mentioning that most teams had between 6-10 players that were 30 or older, but the max age was in the low to mid 30s with one exception. Also note that a couple of those players played on more than one team that season, so rather than list them twice, I added the 2nd oldest player on the team they were traded to or from.

Source:

https://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/...l19271992.html

[GioforPM]

^^ Players are much better conditioned now, and frankly they just age more slowly. Think about Lanny when he retired. He looked like old man winter. He was 35. Then think about Iginla. He looked like he could still play another few. He was 39.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

^^ Players are much better conditioned now, and frankly they just age more slowly. Think about Lanny when he retired. He looked like old man winter. He was 35. Then think about Iginla. He looked like he could still play another few. He was 39.

Totally. Player conditioning is taken a lot more seriously now and has become more scientific. Plus, better equipment now. Most of those guys would have played before helmets were even mandatory.

I think nowadays, lower level players get pushed out by younger players sooner. Players seem to peak sooner and you don't see situations were a quarter to third of the team is between 30-35, so it seems like a young player's game. But due to conditioning, we also see many more examples of players that can hold on until 40.

[Bonded]

You also don't have the same head hunting and hits as before these days. I would be very interested to see if Scott Stevens would be in today's league.

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

I think nowadays, lower level players get pushed out by younger players sooner. Players seem to peak sooner and you don't see situations were a quarter to third of the team is between 30-35, so it seems like a young player's game. But due to conditioning, we also see many more examples of players that can hold on until 40.

I think a lot of it has to do with the recent emphasis on skating. It's not so much that players lose their skating ability around age 30, though that happens to a degree. It's more that the young players coming into the league were drafted with more emphasis on their skating ability, and most of them worked very hard to develop that skill.

A player who was drafted in 2006 because he was 6'4" and could hit like a Mack truck, even if he hasn't lost a step due to age, is out of luck in a league where big hits are frowned upon. (Even the players have learned how to spell concusion kunkusshin head injury.) A player drafted in 2016 because he could skate like the wind is still in style.

[getbak]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

^^ Players are much better conditioned now, and frankly they just age more slowly. Think about Lanny when he retired. He looked like old man winter. He was 35. Then think about Iginla. He looked like he could still play another few. He was 39.

It blew my mind a few years ago when I was looking up the 1986 Flames team that went to the Final and realized that the grizzled old veteran the Flames acquired from the Islanders -- John Tonelli -- was only 29 years old.

Lanny was 32 in 86 and everyone was debating whether or not he'd come back for another year after than run. Risebrough was 31 and he retired after one more season.

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by getbak

Lanny was 32 in 86 and everyone was debating whether or not he'd come back for another year after than run. Risebrough was 31 and he retired after one more season.

Risebrough's retirement wasn't about conditioning, though. He had a very bad knee injury, and at that time sports medicine was just beginning to progress beyond: ‘Grog's knee hurt. Doctor hit knee with rock until hurt stop.’ Even with the best treatment then available, he was in too much pain to play back-to-back games, let alone a whole season, and had to call it quits.

[Reggie Dunlop]

Players the Flames franchise have lost to Expansion Drafts (including the Atlanta years).

1974
Butch Deadmarsh L (Kansas City}
Kerry Ketter D (Kansas City)
Lew Morrison R (Washington)

1980
Rick Hodgson D (Hartford)
John Gould L (Edmonton)
Brian Hill R (Hartford)
Gene Carr C (Winnipeg)

1991
Rick Lessard D (San Jose)

1992
Chris Lindberg L (Ottawa)
Tim Hunter F (Tampa Bay)

1993
Alexander Godynyuk D (Florida)
Brian Skrudland C (Florida)

1998
Joel Bouchard D (Nashville)

1999
Ed Ward (Atlanta)

2000
Filip Kuba D (Minnesota)
Sergei Krivokrasov (Minnesota)

2017
Derek Engelland D (Vegas)

Apologies if I've missed any.

Noteworthy: No Flames goaltender has ever been taken in an expansion draft.

[blender]

Originally Posted by Reggie Dunlop

Players the Flames franchise have lost to Expansion Drafts (including the Atlanta years).

1974
Butch Deadmarsh L (Kansas City}
Kerry Ketter D (Kansas City)
Lew Morrison R (Washington)

1980
Rick Hodgson D (Hartford)
John Gould L (Edmonton)
Brian Hill R (Hartford)
Gene Carr C (Winnipeg)

1991
Rick Lessard D (San Jose)

1992
Chris Lindberg L (Ottawa)
Tim Hunter F (Tampa Bay)

1993
Alexander Godynyuk D (Florida)
Brian Skrudland C (Florida)

1998
Joel Bouchard D (Nashville)

1999
Ed Ward (Atlanta)

2000
Filip Kuba D (Minnesota)
Sergei Krivokrasov (Minnesota)

2017
Derek Engelland D (Vegas)

Apologies if I've missed any.

Gio will be the best by far if he goes.

[MrMike]

Originally Posted by blender

Gio will be the best by far if he goes.

It’s Karma for only losing a UFA we weren’t resigning last time around.

[Rutuu]

Originally Posted by blender

Gio will be the best by far if he goes.

Given age...he's second to krivokrasov

[NewFan]

Who else excited for the next 2 weeks!

[looooob]

Originally Posted by Rutuu

Given age...he's second to krivokrasov

well there is one former Flames Captain on there just eyeballing it likely that Kuba and Skrudland had the longest post expansion careers (in the NHL not necessarily with their claiming teams) ? didn't actually put in the work to confirm though

[Jiri Hrdina]

Kuba was highly regarded but if I recall had told the Flames he had no interest in signing with them.
I think.
Or maybe that was Robert Svehla?

[VladtheImpaler]

As I posted in Lebrun thread, if we really have to contend now, why not leave Andersson exposed? If SEA takes him, you can find a #4 Dman for $5M or less. Personally, I would not hate being free of that contract...

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Kuba was highly regarded but if I recall had told the Flames he had no interest in signing with them.
I think.
Or maybe that was Robert Svehla?

I get those 2 confused all the time.

If I recall correctly, which I probably don’t, I think the Flames acquired Kuba for the sole purpose of dangling him as expansion bait so that the other players wouldn’t get picked. They were not expecting him to ever actually play. In the end, the joke was on us as he ended up better than some of the players they were afraid to lose.

I kind of thought that the Flames would have kept Bennett around for the same reason this year. Keeping him and exposing him to Seattle would have ensured that Gio would be safe. If they end up giving more value to protect Gio than what we got in return for Bennett, it will be bad asset management.

[Hackey]

This is why the Flames should have dealt Gio at the deadline last year. You get some pieces, you get some cap space, and you don't risk losing him for nothing. If he's exposed, I think he's 100% taken. Even if Seattle doesn't want him, there are a bunch of other teams that will make side deals for him. The Flames spending extra assets to keep him makes no sense. Gain some picks and cap space and move forward.