[News] Pospisil assigned to Wranglers on conditioning loan

[Calgary4LIfe]

Really happy for him.


Hopefully he avoids any further head trauma, and continues to be a productive player.


It is easy to say that 'he should retire', but this is Pospisil's dream. Maybe it is a different story if he had already banked millions and won a cup, but he struggled so hard for so long to get here. I understand why he continues to do it. Just hoping he never gets another concussion again.

[Wolven]

Originally Posted by Calgary4LIfe

Really happy for him.


Hopefully he avoids any further head trauma, and continues to be a productive player.


It is easy to say that 'he should retire', but this is Pospisil's dream. Maybe it is a different story if he had already banked millions and won a cup, but he struggled so hard for so long to get here. I understand why he continues to do it. Just hoping he never gets another concussion again.

Ya, I doubt he would stop himself. It would be more that a doctor needs to tell him to stop (if that is their medical opinion).

If they feel he made another full recovery, then great, but he is rolling the dice each time he comes back from one of these concussions.

[Jay Random]

I wouldn't be terribly surprised if Pospisil's comeback is for the duration of the Olympics only. That's got to be a lifelong dream for him.

[Tacoman]

Sounds like they're going to be playing Pospisil at centre for the Wranglers.

[sureLoss]

https://twitter.com/user/status/2011510727572639799

[GioforPM]

I advocated trading him a couple years ago because, while I like him, I thought his career was limited. People pushed back hard on that.

[Burning Beard]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

I advocated trading him a couple years ago because, while I like him, I thought his career was limited. People pushed back hard on that.

OK? What kind of validation are you looking for here? People like the player. He brings something to this team that is needed. He may get injured again but we don't know for sure.

[Reggie Dunlop]

His comeback still seems very tentative at this point. Either outcome, he'll be able to say he gave it his all.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Burning Beard

OK? What kind of validation are you looking for here? People like the player. He brings something to this team that is needed. He may get injured again but we don't know for sure.

I don't need any validation.

I just thought it would be a good move to trade him when he had some cachet around the league, because I was pretty concerned about his concussion history. I thought he and Ferland were parallels.

Right now, he's not bringing anything to the team.

[Roof-Daddy]

I wish and hope for the best for Popsicle, but the writing is on the wall at this point.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

I advocated trading him a couple years ago because, while I like him, I thought his career was limited. People pushed back hard on that.

Pretty sure other GMs noticed the risk to not just you lol

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by dino7c

Pretty sure other GMs noticed the risk to not just you lol

I doubt they were ever asked. And Ferland had the same risks yet was traded to Carolina and then signed by the Canucks (to a pretty decent 4 year contract, of which he played one year).

[Wolven]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

I doubt they were ever asked. And Ferland had the same risks yet was traded to Carolina and then signed by the Canucks (to a pretty decent 4 year contract, of which he played one year).

He was a 4th round pick who is making 4th line money at a time when we have loads of cap space. Trading him might have brought back an asset but I doubt it would have been a significant asset. Most people were just throwing him in to trade suggestions as a spicy add to a better asset.

What do you think might have come back? a 3rd?

Not a big deal.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Wolven

He was a 4th round pick who is making 4th line money at a time when we have loads of cap space. Trading him might have brought back an asset but I doubt it would have been a significant asset. Most people were just throwing him in to trade suggestions as a spicy add to a better asset.

What do you think might have come back? a 3rd?

Not a big deal.

Yeah, a third. Like where Calgary picked Mews, Suniev, Poirier, Fox. Or maybe a 4th, where they picked Gaudreau or Kulak. Or a 5th, where they picked Wyttenbach.

I just thought he had a very risky future and at the time he was getting some recognition around the league as a disturber who could score.

[gvitaly]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Yeah, a third. Like where Calgary picked Mews, Suniev, Poirier, Fox. Or maybe a 4th, where they picked Gaudreau or Kulak. Or a 5th, where they picked Wyttenbach.

I just thought he had a very risky future and at the time he was getting some recognition around the league as a disturber who could score.

What no mention of Brodie, Mangiapane or even Ferland maybe?

The best players just go undrafted anyways, just look at Gio.

IMO, the odds at the time were that Pospisil plays more games, in more meaningful minutes than the average 3rd/4th round pick.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by gvitaly

What no mention of Brodie, Mangiapane or even Ferland maybe?

The best players just go undrafted anyways, just look at Gio.

IMO, the odds at the time were that Pospisil plays more games, in more meaningful minutes than the average 3rd/4th round pick.

That's the thing - I didn't like those odds given his history. And his style of play. I worried he was either going to have a short career or become less effective. Or both. I just had seen lots of Ferlands, Savards, Primeaus, and of course Lindros.

[gvitaly]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

That's the thing - I didn't like those odds given his history. And his style of play. I worried he was either going to have a short career or become less effective. Or both. I just had seen lots of Ferlands, Savards, Primeaus, and of course Lindros.

3rd round pick odds:

• 1+ NHL Games: 52.5%
• 100+ NHL Games: 28.2%
• 300+ NHL Games: 16.9%
• 1+ NHL Points: 44.5%
• 100+ NHL Points: 13.4%
• 300+ NHL Points: 5.6%

4th round pick odds:

• 1+ NHL Games: 41.7%
• 100+ NHL Games: 21.8%
• 300+ NHL Games: 12.7%
• 1+ NHL Points: 34.5%
• 100+ NHL Points: 11.6%
• 300+ NHL Points: 4.3%

Source: NHL draft pick odds

He looked fully healthy, and as though his injury woes were behind him. He also looked great at the WC playing C for Slovakia. I thought there was a better than ~1/4 chance that Pospisil plays 100+ games for the Flames at the beginning of last season. Maybe something like 350–450 games in the NHL.

Are you of a similar mindset on someone like Honzek, since he has been injured each year? Should we trade him for a 3rd?

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by gvitaly

3rd round pick odds:

• 1+ NHL Games: 52.5%
• 100+ NHL Games: 28.2%
• 300+ NHL Games: 16.9%
• 1+ NHL Points: 44.5%
• 100+ NHL Points: 13.4%
• 300+ NHL Points: 5.6%

4th round pick odds:

• 1+ NHL Games: 41.7%
• 100+ NHL Games: 21.8%
• 300+ NHL Games: 12.7%
• 1+ NHL Points: 34.5%
• 100+ NHL Points: 11.6%
• 300+ NHL Points: 4.3%

Source: NHL draft pick odds

He looked fully healthy, and as though his injury woes were behind him. He also looked great at the WC playing C for Slovakia. I thought there was a better than ~1/4 chance that Pospisil plays 100+ games for the Flames at the beginning of last season. Maybe something like 350–450 games in the NHL.

Are you of a similar mindset on someone like Honzek, since he has been injured each year? Should we trade him for a 3rd?

Honzek hasn't had concussions. Looking healthy never clears you from those when you are prone to them like Pospisil or Ferland.

I get your odds. I just didn't have a good feeling about it.

[mile]

https://calgaryherald.com/sports/hoc...urn-play-style

“I can have only one answer, it’s hard to change my style of play,” Pospisil said. “When I step on the ice, I’m a different person and that’s part of my game and what makes the team better. I won’t change anything. Of course I need to be careful with some things but the physicality and the speed I bring, I just want to bring it every day, every game.”

When he got hurt initially, it wasn’t thought to be serious and Pospisil, who stopped short of calling the injury a concussion, didn’t think he’d be out long.

“When it happened, I skated three or four days later and the first couple of skates I was feeling normal,” said Pospisil, who will represent Slovakia at the Olympics in February if he stays healthy. “Then, all of a sudden a couple days later I started feeling way worse. If somebody had told me it was going to be this long, I probably wouldn’t have believed it.

“It’s not easy with this kind of injury, especially mentally, to be positive. Sometimes you don’t feel like part of a team. My girlfriend, she helped me a lot to stay positive and I went day by day and I’m happy I can skate and I can play.”

Through two days of practice at WinSport, Pospisil didn’t suffer any setbacks. That’s another step towards a return.

“I think he’s had a really good couple of days,” said Wranglers head coach Brett Sutter. “I think he’s feeling good about his game.

“I thought he worked really hard yesterday and competed and looked like he was able to handle the physicality.”

Pospisil wasn’t shying away from using his body in practice, especially in one-on-one drills. Many players need to get hit or throw a hit before they can fully feel confident being back after an injury, but Pospisil said he’s already feeling like he’s proven to himself that he’s ready to play physically.

[shadowlord]

Great to hear that he's on the road to return to play.

I'm not sure this team needs both Pospisil and Klapka on it. They're both physical power forward types and I'd like that roster spot to go call ups from the Wranglers.

One of the two, sure, but not both.