[Rumour] Flames are keeping Markstrom for the rest of the season

[Owen15]

Originally Posted by The Cobra

Except NJ has a number of elite players and could be good for awhile.

Calgary does not.

This is just not the year for New Jersey. Too many significant players out with injuries. Crap goaltending.

All I’m suggesting is that the sky’s not falling if this deal doesn’t happen right now.

I don’t think Markstrom’s value is going to plummet between now and the summer.

[NegativeSpace]

Originally Posted by The Cobra

Except NJ has a number of elite players and could be good for awhile. Calgary does not.

Sure, which may be why Fitzgerald inquired. When he learned the price, he probably bounced the idea around and tried to see if he could get a deal. Ultimately, he knew the price and decided that it was too much as his team is unlikely to make the playoffs. Or are you suggesting that because as Conroy does not have elite players they should accept less than what they think the goaltender's value is today?

[btimbit]

I think NJ just knows they missed the boat too. If they did this trade back on Jan-Feb they're comfortably in 2nd in the metro, IMO. Now? Probably thinking it's too late

That's not on Conroy. Good on him for picking a high price and sticking too it. Not like it's a UFA we're dealing with

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by NegativeSpace

Sure, which may be why Fitzgerald inquired. When he learned the price, he probably bounced the idea around and tried to see if he could get a deal. Ultimately, he knew the price and decided that it was too much as his team is unlikely to make the playoffs. Or are you suggesting that because as Conroy does not have elite players they should accept less than what they think the goaltender's value is today?

No, someone suggested that the Flames are in the exact same situation as NJ.

Calgary has every reason to trade Marky, and NJ has every reason to trade for him.

[Redrum]

Calgary is a goalie away from bottom 5 and NJ is a goalie away from top 5. Pretty much polar opposite situations.

[Royle9]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

Which is exactly where Tij Iginla is going to go. What is the problem?

At this rate he's going to play his way into the top 10, scouts know his dad's pedigree and he's trending to be BETTER right now than Jerome was in junior.

[Calgary4LIfe]

I am more than ok with keeping Markstrom.



Vernon - Kiprusoff - Markstrom.



When I think about it, the Flames as an organization have had 3 unicorns that only occasionally make an appearance:
1) Top line centre
2) Great coach that gets more out of this group than they really are
3) Great goaltender


There have been solid "B" guys - I particularly liked Ramo (once he finally cleared waivers, got to play and work on his game, and then came back up). Brathwaite was a real breath of fresh air for this organization when it was simply drowning in goalies that that were goalies in name only. Lots of disappointments like Kidd, or over the hill washed up guys, or betting on guys who have never been #1s but maybe could be (and then never were).



Yeah, Flames aren't competing, but they are going to be going through a retool, and I think it is going to be a couple of years at least. I firmly believe that the Flames will be very much in the Gavin McKenna toilet stakes, and that's ok. I don't think the Flames will stay down at the bottom for too many seasons - probably just next year and the year after, and then they will be coming back up. Just way too much in the pipeline not to. Heck, it may just be next season.


We don't know what the real package for Markstrom was. There were a lot of guesses from a lot of people of what could have made sense, but AFAIK, nothing was ever actually confirmed. I said this at the very start of the rumours - Markstrom has a lot of value to the Flames. He is a fantastic goalie, last year aside. He is one of the leaders on this team. He has been through quite a lot in his career, and he has always owned up to it. Last year he publicly stated that he sucks at hockey. This year he is damn elite, but he doesn't brag about it. He is a great teammate by all looks.


The greatest value to the organization is two fold here:
1) Obviously would make a fantastic mentor for Wolf. Takes so much of the pressure off of Wolf. Wolf needs that ramp and support. His last start resulted in an emotional loss for him, and that was damn hard to watch. He needs a guy like Markstrom to just help him through those rough patches.


2) I am all about tanking for McKenna - full confession here. However, I also see the need to continue with reliable and consistent goaltending in order to properly develop players in the system. There is nothing worse than having your prospects play in front of lousy goaltending that every time a young player tries something that doesn't quite work, that turnover becomes a sure goal. I think ideally, you want a goalie that will make those saves. You want to pile on a lot of 3-2 and 4-3 losses, not 7-1 and 10-2 losses.



It sounds like I am trying to talk myself into being happy keeping Markstrom. I am not. If there is a really great return on Markstrom, I am all for it. I just think that there is real value to him being on this team, and that trade value has to eclipse the value of him staying on. I would venture a guess as to say that since he is staying here, the trade offer wasn't at that threshold.



I am happy either way in keeping him, or trading him for a haul. It is one or the other. I don't want something in-between like trading him just to trade him.


Once Hanifin is traded, this team will probably implode. I think it probably has already with the Tanev trade. It is going to take a lot of energy to continue playing at this high level that they have been playing at. I think the wind just got taken out of their sails. It is what it is, and that's part of the business, but it is the right direction to go in. At least the Flames can have decent goaltending to cycle guys through the lineup and seeing what there is in the organization, and wolf gets a really good sounding board who had MASSIVE issues adjusting to the NHL. That experience is valuable for Wolf.

[Goriders]

Originally Posted by Royle9

That’s what’s wrong with the Flames franchise in a nutshell
Not about winning, not about putting a good product on the ice.

It’s all about the revenue, and why it’s essentially our fault for being fans and continuing to buy tickets and overpriced beers!

Sucks to care.

Yep. But that’s the way it works.

You can’t live on love.

[All In Good Time]

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

For a soon to be 35 year old goalie?

Any examples of this type of return for any goalie ever?

You’ve just talked yourself into a circle yet again
Obviously we haven’t got the offer you think we got
So
Perhaps it’s more valuable to have him mentor wolf for a couple of years then gain 6M in cap
Or
This is all just a negotiation tactic

Right Angus?

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

How do you know this?

He’s from the future. But also nearly every draft ranking and mock draft has Iginla going as early as 9th if the Flames were there and as late as 20th. I’d say 14-16 is a pretty precise prediction.

[expatflame]

I hope we keep him for a playoff run this year. There’s still hope and they are playing their best hockey of he year!

[Paulie Walnuts]

Originally Posted by All In Good Time

You’ve just talked yourself into a circle yet again
Obviously we haven’t got the offer you think we got
So
Perhaps it’s more valuable to have him mentor wolf for a couple of years then gain 6M in cap
Or
This is all just a negotiation tactic

Right Angus?

Angus?

Fun?

[memphusk]

Originally Posted by Goriders

Yep. But that’s the way it works.

You can’t live on love.

But you can live on the chance of love. Heyyyyyoooo

[TrentCrimmIndependent]

Originally Posted by expatflame

I hope we keep him for a playoff run this year. There’s still hope and they are playing their best hockey of he year!

I think they need to bring back a d-man with two regulars going out and pray Pachal is the real deal. Promoting tweeners is going to come with pains.

Maybe after dealing Hanifin they can go out and find this year's Forbort/Schlemko.

[Paulie Walnuts]

Originally Posted by topfiverecords

He’s from the future. But also nearly every draft ranking and mock draft has Iginla going as early as 9th if the Flames were there and as late as 20th. I’d say 14-16 is a pretty precise prediction.

Well it's not an exact science is it? Teams fall in love with players and he is having a stellar end to his season and may keep climbing.

We also can't discount the Iginla name and a team jumping up to grab him or taking him earlier.

Talking like it's certain he will fall in our lap is crazy unless we are picking 1st overall.

[rhino]

Are these guys even somewhat reliable?

[Ashasx]

Originally Posted by rhino

Are these guys even somewhat reliable?

Fourth Period seems to be hit and miss. Sometimes they get things right before everyone else, but others they completely whiff.

I would put them below Seravalli on the totem of believability.

[Jacks]

People keep saying it's better to keep him than accept a bad trade return. They were (supposedly) at the final stages of a deal but got hung up on the value of retention. To me that doesn't sound like the return would have been a "bad deal". There is obviously value in retaining but there is also value in selling an asset at it's peak value. I'd rather a deal got done personally.

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by Paulie Walnuts

Well it's not an exact science is it? Teams fall in love with players and he is having a stellar end to his season and may keep climbing.

We also can't discount the Iginla name and a team jumping up to grab him or taking him earlier.

Talking like it's certain he will fall in our lap is crazy unless we are picking 1st overall.

I don’t think he made a Tij Iginla thread prognosticating 14th or 15th was absolute and we should track down dino to make avatar bets over it. It’s obviously an off the cuff comment backed by all the information I posted that only the weirdest would grip to hold him to that.

[Hackey]

Trading Markstrom for anything is a win since this team needs to drop in the standing for a few years. If they could get Holtz and a 1st you take that and run. I'm skeptical that was the actual return though. I don't think Conroy is stupid enough to think he's significantly beating that.