LeBrun: Flames are looking at every single scenario to try and keep Giordano

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by Bingo

Hanifin for sure ...

With Tanev 54.6% CF% and 59.3% xGF%
With Andersson 50.0% and 48.5%

But Giordano is a bit of a different animal. He struggled with Andersson, but then Andersson struggled with Hanifin as well.

Tanev had his numbers go up huge from changing partners from Hanifin to Giordano.

CF% from 54.6 to 59.7%
xGF% from 59.3 to an amazing 66.6%

Just a solid pairing, think Giordano brought something to it as well.

Yeah there is no question it was Andersson dragging his partner down last year...no matter who it was.

He really struggled at times and was the worst of the top 4 by quite a margin. Had there been a better RH dman, he would have been playing 3rd line minutes.

Hopefully just a blip in what has been a good trajectory, but still a concern until it isnt.

[Wastedyouth]

Originally Posted by the_only_turek_fan

Can't Gio just file his retirement papers and then say he misses the guys and come out of retirement in September or October?

I am sure Tampa has a plan like this in the making already.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Bingo

Hanifin for sure ...

With Tanev 54.6% CF% and 59.3% xGF%
With Andersson 50.0% and 48.5%

But Giordano is a bit of a different animal. He struggled with Andersson, but then Andersson struggled with Hanifin as well.

Tanev had his numbers go up huge from changing partners from Hanifin to Giordano.

CF% from 54.6 to 59.7%
xGF% from 59.3 to an amazing 66.6%

Just a solid pairing, think Giordano brought something to it as well.

I would expect Tanev's numbers to be better with Gio who is offensively better than Hanafin. Gio didn't have to do the heavy lifting paired with Tanev and less is more with a 37 year old player. The issue becomes that Gio's simply not going to be as effective paired with any other defender on the Flames roster.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by Wastedyouth

I am sure Tampa has a plan like this in the making already.

Naw, they will just have Stamkos have surgery at the beginning of training camp and put him on LTIR until game 1 of the playoffs.

[Bingo]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

I would expect Tanev's numbers to be better with Gio who is offensively better than Hanafin. Gio didn't have to do the heavy lifting paired with Tanev and less is more with a 37 year old player. The issue becomes that Gio's simply not going to be as effective paired with any other defender on the Flames roster.

No pairing can clip along at 66% xGF% based on the talents of one player.

They were the best pairing in the NHL last year for pairings that had 250+ minutes together.

Any player wouldn't be as effective if you demote his linemate (Tanev took a big step back without Giordano), but you need two excellent defensemen to be the top pairing in the league.

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Did you actually watch the last two playoff series the Flames played in? Can you honestly say they lost those series because the Avs and Stars bottom six forwards and bottom defence pairings were better than the Flames?

I can honestly say they lost those series because the Flames had guys in the top six and top four that should have been pushed further down the lineup. There was nothing wrong with the good players they had; they didn't have enough good players, and too many scrubs.

Why do people find this so hard to understand?

[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

Naw, they will just have Stamkos have surgery at the beginning of training camp and put him on LTIR until game 1 of the playoffs.

Right, because they can totally arrange that as opposed to having the circumstance arise, and neither the NHL's medical staff nor the insurance companies will bat an eye.

[Fighting Banana Slug]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

Which is why it boggles the mind a little that a non-contending, non-playoff team might be giving up such a high quality asset to expansion. Something wasn’t planned properly.

There are several teams better than the Flames who aren’t nearly as backed in to a corner.

A few things weren't planned:
-Tanev fitting in so well (if he was brittle/carried by others as some Nuck fans suggested, he would be exposed)
-Gio's good play. Most thought his contract would be a boat anchor by now. It looked that way at during the bubble/start of last year, but he turned it around to his credit.
-the team ####ting the bed. There is talent there. Last year they severely underachieved.

[CroFlames]

To me all the signs point toward Gio being selected in the expansion draft. If he is indeed selected, does he need to waive his NTC again if Seattle wanted to trade him for a first?

A story just was published on Sportsnet that Alex Edler is going to UFA. If the Flames snag Landeskog... maybe all of a sudden Calgary becomes a destination.

[Jiri Hrdina]

See other reports - Flames aren't going to have a crack at Landeskog

[Scroopy Noopers]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

Yeah the Flames are not getting Landeskog

https://twitter.com/user/status/1416038684403638278

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

See other reports - Flames aren't going to have a crack at Landeskog

Is that what we’re calling a report now? Did Landeskog tell him that, or is it just a list of contenders who could use a tough LW?

Obviously if the money is accurate we’re long out. But I really dislike tweets like that.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Strickland is a pretty reputable source.
And really why would he sign here? He can probably get the same dollars in a better situation.

[CroFlames]

Calgary is basically Denver North. It'll be like he never left home.

[The Cobra]

Originally Posted by Jay Random

I can honestly say they lost those series because the Flames had guys in the top six and top four that should have been pushed further down the lineup. There was nothing wrong with the good players they had; they didn't have enough good players, and too many scrubs.

Why do people find this so hard to understand?

Because the Flames best players are not as good as many other team's best players.

[MrMike]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Strickland is a pretty reputable source.
And really why would he sign here? He can probably get the same dollars in a better situation.

Because once we sign Edler as well why wouldn’t he want to come captain Team Sweden?

[Johnny Makarov]

Originally Posted by Samonadreau

Good chance of Gio being Seattle's first Captain if selected.

Well at least we don't have to worry about them winning a playoff series...

[Scroopy Noopers]

Originally Posted by Jiri Hrdina

Strickland is a pretty reputable source.
And really why would he sign here? He can probably get the same dollars in a better situation.

I’ll listen to reasonable analysis all day long. And I agree that the Flames would be out unless a substantial trade is in the works. But I’m not hanging my hat on one tweet by one guy making it sound like that’s a list he saw in Landeskogs notebook.

The teams make sense though, because he clearly wants to win. He’s a heart and soul player, he’s going to maximize profit amongst potential winners where he can get ice time.

[howard_the_duck]

For Landeskog, who I’d imagine having a taste for playoff success will require that out of his next stop, the Flames are not an appealing option short of $1m/year overpay.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by Jay Random

Right, because they can totally arrange that as opposed to having the circumstance arise, and neither the NHL's medical staff nor the insurance companies will bat an eye.

We really need a button for sarcasm on here....

[Calgary4LIfe]

A first and a third is way too much to protect Giordano, and I am the poster that is unquestionably the most 'down' on the remaining defencemen on the Flames.



I would just trade Andersson. Why?


He does show that sometimes he is going to be a game-changer, both with his play and with his antics. I get it.


However, what I usually see is a slower defencemen who also often takes too long to decide on making a play. I know that Bingo has said this about Kylington a lot, but I also see this out of Andersson. Sometimes holds onto the puck for too long, and often gets beat to the puck. He has that shot, and he does make the occasional really strong offensive play - his vision does surprise me at times - but he is a mediocre offensive defencemen. Will he take a big step forward? I don't know. I think his lack of footspeed is going to continue holding him back.


That's why I would trade him. Heck, even after the expansion draft, I would prefer that the Flames trade him for assets, and then flip those assets (and add more) in trying to upgrade on him.


Hanifin has stabilized defensively. Hanifin has great wheels, and I prefer his decision making and zone exits. I don't think he is going to be a very offensive defencemen, however. If he can just play a bit more like Brodie did, I think he could become a more effective defencemen on the transition. He is very good at zone exits already, but just that additional vision would really help this team become a bit more dangerous.


Losing Giordano is going to sting. Yes, he is 38 years old, and you would naturally expect him to take a step down. I vehemently disagree that he wasn't the best defencemen on the Flames last season, however. He wasn't the best defensive defencmen - though I argue he was close - but he was by far the best all-round defencemen on this team bar-none. This team is going to look awful on the backend next season unless some players really take a step forward (and that includes Tanev - he is elite defensively, but he needs to help this team generate a bit more).


The cap space loss is not a 'win' for the Flames. You are going to have to replace Giordano's role. Who is going to be in the top 4? Especially on the top pairing. Sure, you can bring Edler in. Might save 3 million tops, and have another 'shut-down pairing' (Edler is going to generate squat offensively). Still, that might be the best case.


To sign a UFA this year on the top pairing, you are going to spend every cent of Giordano's contract and then some. It isn't a 'cap savings'. You might even have to spend assets in acquiring someone through a trade, as Calgary isn't exactly a premier destination anyway.


One silver lining though: I do feel that generally, if your defence doesn't help you generate offence, you are usually in the bottom half of the standings. Might just win a lottery next season.


Conversely, I will say that the lack of speed that the Flames have played with over the last while will be 'fixed' with Sutter, and one way to play with more speed is to incorporate faster breakouts by the defencemen, and also having them join the rush trying to catch teams with numbers. Maybe that will be enough in itself to increase most of the defencemen's point totals by aggregate. I think Valimaki looked really good in Europe because his team played quicker hockey, and he was part of that. Under Peters, you didn't really see much of that in his game at all. Maybe it was the difference of playing in a tougher league against better players (definitely at least some of the issues), but maybe he had a difficult time in much the same way that Brodie did under Gulutzan.


Defence scares me. Giordano is going to leave a bigger hole in the lineup than many people think (much like Brodie did - imagine a world last season in which we had Giordano-Brodie, Hanifin-Tanev!!). However, you can't pay what Seattle wants - that's way too much.