[Signing] Flyers sign Erik Gustafsson (1yr, $3mil)

[the-rasta-masta]

Say what you want about his defence, but his arrival in Calgary coincided with the Flames having the #1 Powerplay for the rest of the season before the stoppage. It was a small sample size at 7 games, but they were clipping at over 40%. And then I'd say the PP was one of the bright spots in the bubble playoffs.

To me it showed the Flames really lacked that quarterback player on the PP, and I'm a bit disappointed it couldn't work out with Gus. Perhaps Kylington or Valimaki have the tools, but it would have been nice to have somebody mentor them, as I am not convinced Gio can reliably fill that role much longer.

[kyuss275]

Originally Posted by the-rasta-masta

Say what you want about his defence, but his arrival in Calgary coincided with the Flames having the #1 Powerplay for the rest of the season before the stoppage. It was a small sample size at 7 games, but they were clipping at over 40%. And then I'd say the PP was one of the bright spots in the bubble playoffs.

To me it showed the Flames really lacked that quarterback player on the PP, and I'm a bit disappointed it couldn't work out with Gus. Perhaps Kylington or Valimaki have the tools, but it would have been nice to have somebody mentor them, as I am not convinced Gio can reliably fill that role much longer.

Maybe Anderson also. The one thing I do know, is they better not put Gio and his muffin shot wrister , back on pp unit 1.

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by ricardodw

That would be before a bunch of solid NHL d-men signed for 1M.

Not a chance that he will be in the top-4 on a playoff team without 2-3 injuries

I doubt Philly has him pencilled in for anything other than 5-6 duties and PP time, much like Calgary used him.


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[dino7c]

3M+ for someone that can't play top four minutes seems like a lot

[getbak]

Originally Posted by Toonage

His ask from Calgary was substantially more. Wasn't happening here.

I'd guess his ask from every team was substantially more a few days ago.

[djsFlames]

Well kyt... if only there was an offensive dman we could insert into that role for cheap.

[SuperMatt18]

Originally Posted by bax

Seeing the deals for Forbort, Gustaffson, Demelo, Benning, Stetcher, etc really makes me question why we had to give 4 years to Tanev. I'm hoping he surprises me.

It’s strictly because Treliving overpaid to get him to leave Vancouver.

He wasn’t going to take a discounted rate or shorter term if he was leaving Vancouver, he’d just have stayed in Van then.

So question is if it was the right decision to Target Tanev then, or if Treliving should have focused elsewhere on the market on more value deals.

Personally I wish he would have focused on more of the value signings to fill out our dcore.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by getbak

I'd guess his ask from every team was substantially more a few days ago.

Yeah, my guess is that Calgary balked at Gustafson's ask, and then after Tanev signed there was nothing even remotely close left on the table if he still wanted to come back.

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[Jiri Hrdina]

Philly can shelter him and allow him to go to work on the pp
What is a bottom pairing/top pp unit guy worth?

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Philly can shelter him and allow him to go to work on the pp
What is a bottom pairing/top pp unit guy worth?

Depends on the player obviously - not all bottom pairing PP specialists are created equal. But I would say this is about fair market.

I would rather have Barrie at $3.5M than Gustafsson at $3M. But this contract seems about right to me. Certainly isn't a discount. Nor does it reflect poorly on the Tanev contract at all.

I believe my comment before we entered free agency that I felt comfortable signing him at $3M, but no more than that.

[Fire]

A lot to pay for a bottom pairing defenseman. I didn't think he was a difference maker on the PP. He didn't do anything that Andersson or Valimaki couldn't do on the first PP unit. Plus he was quite bad defensively. Happy the Flames passed on him.

[The Cobra]

Taniv is twice the dman Gus is. Not even close. Gus has to be sheltered quite a bit.


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[dino7c]

Originally Posted by SuperMatt18

It’s strictly because Treliving overpaid to get him to leave Vancouver.

He wasn’t going to take a discounted rate or shorter term if he was leaving Vancouver, he’d just have stayed in Van then.

So question is if it was the right decision to Target Tanev then, or if Treliving should have focused elsewhere on the market on more value deals.

Personally I wish he would have focused on more of the value signings to fill out our dcore.

Bargain basement players shouldn't be in your top 4...I think people will be impressed with Tanev and I think the Flames style will suit his game

It does remain to be seen though

[GioforPM]

I can’t imagine the howls if Treliving signed a low rent player for the 4D position. Even if he’d signed Barrie.

And he couldn’t have done the deal for Schmidt, cap-wise.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by dino7c

Bargain basement players shouldn't be in your top 4...I think people will be impressed with Tanev and I think the Flames style will suit his game

It does remain to be seen though

What was your opinion of Tanev when he played for the Canucks? I like your line of reasoning but is this just rationalizing the move because it’s what the Flames did or did you always think a player like Tanev was what they needed? I’m not even sure I know what the Flames style will be next year but whatever it was in the playoffs, it suited Brodie pretty well.

Gus was never a serious option for us. There’s no way BT was debating between Tanev and Gus, two wildly different players. And he only had the money for one. I’d say he was pretty dead set on Tanev which is why his contract seems a little excessive.

[CroFlames]

All things considered, yes Tanev is the better player and signing.

Gustaffson immediately became the PP QB, so I'm not sure who will take that spot now. With all due respect to Old Grey Beard, Gio simply can't QB the PP like he used to (in fact, I'd argue it wasn't his strong suit).

Andersson has the potential, but is he ready? Not sure I want to bet on that. Kylington seems to be missing just a little bit of defensive awareness to truly break into a top 4 role, but if he was able to square that away, I bet he could QB a PP. He has great offensive abilities IMO.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Philly can shelter him and allow him to go to work on the pp
What is a bottom pairing/top pp unit guy worth?

This is the question really, and the answer probably varies team by team. On a one year deal, maybe $3 million for a PP specialist makes sense if you have the cap room. For the Flames, it would have had to come at the expense of Tanev which I would say at least for next year, is not worth it.

If the Flames had another $3 million in cap space now, would you rather it be spent on Gus or an upgrade at forward? Treliving probably thinks it's a skill he can acquire at the deadline.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by the-rasta-masta

Say what you want about his defence, but his arrival in Calgary coincided with the Flames having the #1 Powerplay for the rest of the season before the stoppage. It was a small sample size at 7 games, but they were clipping at over 40%. And then I'd say the PP was one of the bright spots in the bubble playoffs.

To me it showed the Flames really lacked that quarterback player on the PP, and I'm a bit disappointed it couldn't work out with Gus. Perhaps Kylington or Valimaki have the tools, but it would have been nice to have somebody mentor them, as I am not convinced Gio can reliably fill that role much longer.

Well at least Brodie won't be on the powerplay anymore. I like TJ but he couldn't get pucks to the net with his muffin shot. While I feel this contract is decent value I personally wasn't overly impressed with this player and he didn't seem like a must have re-sign.

[Philly06Cup]

After Niskanen's surprise retirement, the Flyers have:
Provorov- xxx
Sanheim-Myers
Braun/Hagg/Ghost/rookie callups

Gustafsson at 1x3 is a low risk move. Doesn't hamper them in the expansion draft. Not much left in the UFA pool and trades for guys like Martinez/Schmidt will involve term. As great as Provorov is, they could upgrade their PP. If they had even an average PP, they walk through Mtl and get by NYI.

The sad part is what this means for Ghost. They already have a PP specialist, but this shows the coach has no trust in him and he's gonna get traded for peanuts now.

I would let Ghost sink or swim to start the year. This feels like a weird lateral move in that regard.

[CroFlames]

How is Ghost not the top pair? I thought this kid was star material.

I liked Provorov as a junior and i'm glad he's figured out the NHL.