[Signing] Flames sign Erik Gudbranson (1 yr, $1.95 mil)

[Goriders]

8 new players on a 23 man roster is pretty significant

[tkflames]

Originally Posted by Caged Great

Gudbranson and Stone are going to split time as the number 6. Gudbranson will play against heavier teams and Stone will play against teams where is better offensive game will be more necessary.

I don't see much of a problem with this signing. Yes, of course we would all like a better overall player than Gudbranson, but he's a serviceable physical defender. Sometimes you do actually need size on the blueline. It's not like he's going to be playing more than 10 minutes a night every night. He'll be the #6.

Then why pay him $2M

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by Goriders

8 new players on a 23 man roster is pretty significant

We had 7 new players in 20/21 from outside the organization. 8 is significant from a quantity perspective, I can agree with that.

Earlier in the summer there was talk about how we were glad they didn’t make change for the sake of change.

…instead we made changes out of necessity and the roster is worse. Mocking the Oilers because they lost Larsson and added Keith, meanwhile we lost Giordano and added Zadarov and Gudbranson. Horrid off-season.

[blender]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

What significant changes? We cycled out our useless depth for older, bigger, useless depth. Then we signed a non-NHL defenceman to $2M, retained a #8 defenceman, lost a #1 defenceman, traded a future asset for a bottom pairing defenceman, and signed a middle six winger. That middle six winger also has $5M attached to him for the next 6 years - well into the years when a player like Coleman drops off, that’s mortgaging the future to help today.

We don't know that the new depth is useless until they prove it. Depth is certainly no worse than last season.

He is an NHL defenseman as he has been playing in the NHL, and has an NHL contract with the Flames. I don't love the signing, but let's stick to facts.

The number 8 defenseman could easily be a number 6, and he may need to be, depending on the circumstances.

Yes, Flames lost Gio, one of the best players to ever wear the flaming C. He is 38, declining, and the cost to protect him would have been too high...wait, has this been discussed here before?

Assets don't help you win hockey games. Bottom pairing defenseman do. It was a free asset anyway.

I'll take Coleman at 5m for the whole contract. He will add a lot to this team.

Mortgaging the future is debatable, but helping the team today isn't. Its the big leagues. You play to win.

[blender]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

We had 7 new players in 20/21 from outside the organization. 8 is significant from a quantity perspective, I can agree with that.

Earlier in the summer there was talk about how we were glad they didn’t make change for the sake of change.

…instead we made changes out of necessity and the roster is worse. Mocking the Oilers because they lost Larsson and added Keith, meanwhile we lost Giordano and added Zadarov and Gudbranson. Horrid off-season.

What player was a replacement for Giordano this off season?

You want Jones at that acquisition cost and salary?
You're always on about asset management; how does that deal look?

[ComixZone]

Originally Posted by blender

What player was a replacement for Giordano this off season?

You want Jones at that acquisition cost and salary?
You're always on about asset management; how does that deal ook?

Nope. Heck no.

If this team is trying to “win now” then they had to pay to the 1st+ to keep Giordano. Which wouldn’t have been smart considering Treliving’s inability to improve the team.

They didn’t pay that price. Now we’re left with this ragtag team of spare parts. The roster that they’ve assembled is constructed worse than last year’s non-playoff team.

Treliving blew it before the off-season even began. He put the team in a no-win situation. He’s cycled through 4 coaches in 4 years. He drafted the fewest amount of players in the first two rounds league-wide in 18/19/20, and the roster today is worse than it was a year ago…except now Gaudreau has trade control, and the Flames have locked in more middle tier talent to a long term deal.

[Roof-Daddy]

The team is FUBAR.

They wont rebuild, and they won't pay the price for Eichel (which might be a good thing, cost is obviously too high as no one is paying it).

So here we are.

Built a big tough Sutter team for Sutter to coach, let's hope all the core players stay healthy and bounce back, and hope we get good to great goaltending.

This isn't the Tampa Bay Lightning.

It's the Calgary "hope everything goes better than expected" Flames

[blender]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

Nope. Heck no.

If this team is trying to “win now” then they had to pay to the 1st+ to keep Giordano. Which wouldn’t have been smart considering Treliving’s inability to improve the team.

They didn’t pay that price. Now we’re left with this ragtag team of spare parts. The roster that they’ve assembled is constructed worse than last year’s non-playoff team.

That is your opinion regarding team construction, nothing more. Frankly I think the team is constructed better, mainly because of the addition of Coleman.

I am worried about the defense and scoring from the back end. Having Gio would help that, but I'm not sure he would be enough given his recent play. More than anything with Gio, I can't help wonder if the team isn't embracing the culture change. We talk about all the mediocrity and playoff failures, and Gio was the captain through all of it. Not saying it was his fault, but he never elevated the team in the playoffs either.

Had they paid the 1st and 3rd for Gio, would you be happy about it? Honestly? You just added to your post that they haven't been drafting enough. But they should have payed two high picks for a 38-year-old in a contract year. Which is it?

[Calgary4LIfe]

This is a headscratcher move to me as I stated earlier, but at the very least he fits the identity that this team is obviously building here.



I think a lot of moves made in the past didn't work out as it was just trying to find good players. Well, as logical as that seems, sometimes a good player doesn't fit the team. I like this off-season more than the previous off-season. Why? Because there is an actual direction on this team for once since I can remember.


Not 100% convinced it will work with the lack of puck-movers/offensive defencemen on the backend there, but at least this team will play hard, play fast, and be difficult to play against.


Yes, I said play fast. All of the additions except Gudbranson are good skaters, and you can bet that Sutter will have this team skating hard too. They will look faster, but I do worry GREATLY about their transition game.


That's why Gudbranson was a head-scratcher for me (especially considering his salary). I expected (and welcomed) the Stone re-signing, but this is curious to me. I guess we will see how this shakes out, and who ends up playing (or traded) I guess.


I don't hate it.. but I can't say I like it either. At the very least, he fits the direction that this team is going, so with that, I am hopeful.



The Flames are intent on being a very stingy team this upcoming season, and they seem intent to have the opposing team's faces regularly plastered against the glass too.

[Goriders]

I figured Stone would be the last signing with mackey in the mix. Gudbranson came out of nowhere.

[djsFlames]

Originally Posted by Itse

Someone needs to explain to Treliving that you don't have to spend cap space just because you have it, and that spending that cap space only improves the team if you spend it on good players.

Ding ding ding ding ding!

[djsFlames]

Originally Posted by Swayze11

Who were we bidding against to warrant $1.95 million?

Yeah, pretty Mike Smith-ish of them, minus the second year part.

Just no reason. If he was hardballing them, let him hardball into camp. Zero necessity and zero urgency to pay more than a few bucks over league minimum for a guy with next to no suitors.

Why we borrowing from Holland's playbook?

[chummer]

Originally Posted by Goriders

8 new players on a 23 man roster is pretty significant

Yeah but sometimes 8 is not enough.

[Goriders]

Originally Posted by ComixZone

We had 7 new players in 20/21 from outside the organization. 8 is significant from a quantity perspective, I can agree with that.

Earlier in the summer there was talk about how we were glad they didn’t make change for the sake of change.

…instead we made changes out of necessity and the roster is worse. Mocking the Oilers because they lost Larsson and added Keith, meanwhile we lost Giordano and added Zadarov and Gudbranson. Horrid off-season.

Gio wasn’t getting younger or better. I don’t think it’s going to be as bad as everyone seemx to think.

[Goriders]

Originally Posted by chummer

Yeah but sometimes 8 is not enough.

We will soon see.

[Sainters7]

Originally Posted by Toonage

Pro: With all these large adds, this will be a fun team to play as in NHL 22.
Con: This isn't NHL 22

This roster but with NHL 09 style hitting would be glorious. I miss Dion'ing people in that. But yes, this also isn't NHL 09..

[VladtheImpaler]

Originally Posted by TheSquatch

Just a piece away from a deep run boys.

Yep, just 28 year old Datsyuk (and maybe Lidstrom).

[cral12]

This Is The Way to Matvei

#NHLdraft

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Swayze11

Who were we bidding against to warrant $1.95 million?

Treviling offering vs Sutter wanting him. It was Flames against Flames and we won!

[Mightyfire89]

Treliving has lost the plot here worse than me watching the tree of life.