[Signing] Flames re-sign Stone (3 yrs, $3.5 mil AAV)

[btimbit]

Originally Posted by taxbuster

/rant on

I'm really starting to tire of CP nonsense, sad to say. There are SO many people on here who think that they could be a better GM by underpaying everyone (in addition to making them REALLY want to play in Calgary because we're so......wonderful to play in while being underpaid?).

Or maybe they think that they can fleece every other GM in the league by trading some utility player(s) for a bona fide RW (say).

And of course, they could all manage the salary cap soooo much better than the Flames / Tre are currently doing, end up first in the division and likely win a Cup.

Um reality sucks, folks. Life isn't that way. Everyone isn't stupid.

I'm pretty sure that tomorrow Tre will pick up 1 or 2 overpaid hackneyed vets that have outlived their usefulness everywhere else in the league and that they missed the 4 or 5 guys who really could have helped and he could've gotten for cheap (remember, the underpaying part, right?).

Wow, reading this thread, just wow.

/rant off

Then again - happy Canada Day (soon)!

Too many people think the game is played on paper, that's all. It's definitely tiring to see but once you go through a few threads like this you know what posts to skip and not bother reading

[Galakanokis]

I love it, great signing. A solid second pairing D man for 3 years under $4mil is incredible! I'm worried about this year and next not 3 or 4 years down the road and what might happen with prospect defensemen.

You always need to develop but winning is paramount right now and Stone give us a better chance to win than a rookie.

[St. Pats]

Like it a lot and the emphasis on a strong defensive team is the way to go. I'm much more worried about who Tre picks up as a UFA. Keep cutting the goals against down with a tougher defensive corps as well. Depth on defense always a good idea.

[blender]

Great move IMO.
I was worried that replacing Stone with Hamonic would turn out to be a lateral move, so I'm excited that the Flames actually added to what they had last season. Stone played well against the Ducks in the playoffs as well (eye test by me), and 3.5 seems like a bargain for what he brings.

[Ryan Coke]

Very good deal, definitely happy with it. I'm pretty surprised at how much consternation there is over this one.

I want to see a young guy make the jump this year, and actually this move helps that. With a solid 5 in Stone, I expect the team will feel comfortable with Kulak or Anderson playing full time on that bottom pair. And based on listening to GG today, I think he expects Kulak to make the jump this year.

[GranteedEV]

Treliving's dream of every game ending in a 1-1 tie is coming into fruition. we will go 82-0-0 with all 82 wins coming 3 on 3.

[IrishSpring2013]

Originally Posted by GranteedEV

Treliving's dream of every game ending in a 1-1 tie is coming into fruition. we will go 82-0-0 with all 82 wins coming 3 on 3.

what... what are you even talking about...

[timbit]

Originally Posted by GranteedEV

Treliving's dream of every game ending in a 1-1 tie is coming into fruition. we will go 82-0-0 with all 82 wins coming 3 on 3.

Yeah, because that what happens when you have 5 (6) puck moving D that can defend, as well as one of the best puck moving goalies in the NHL, who can stop the puck.

....scoring goals has been such a major issue.

Oh wait...

[Cali Panthers Fan]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

But if you really absolutely had to have another defenceman, take that 3.5 million and put it towards Del Zotto or Franson or hell, spend half that much on Patrick Wiercioch. All of whom are much better at hockey than Michael Stone is.

I'm sorry, did nobody call you out for this statement? Patrick Wiercioch? Holy ####, now I'm fully convinced that you don't watch the games and simply analyze spreadsheets.

I could sit down and listen to your position on guys like Del Zotto or Franson, because they have some skills and might have a more positive impact on the game if you look into it more. I don't know if I would buy it because I've seen those guys play and they aren't necessarily ANY better than Stone, and it would definitely still be debatable. However to say that they are MUCH better is dubious.

But seriously, Wiercioch? You've got some brass cojones on you to make that claim. I'd be concerned that if the Flames invited him to camp on a PTO it would turn into another Grossmann situation. His C/60 was -7.1 last year. That is not a player that inspires confidence.

Wiercioch...dude....WTF?

[Strange Brew]

Compared to the team that was swept by the Ducks, Treliving has upgraded the second pairing (Hamonic > Stone) and 3rd pairing (Stone>Engelland). Those are meaningful upgrades that will help Flames get better.

The goaltender roulette wheel was spun again and I'm hopeful we'll see improvement there. It's no lock, but given all the options he's gone through, something has to hit eventually.

Whatever retread forward gets signed tomorrow will have little impact.

But ultimately championships are won by the top players on the roster, not the bottom ones. Meaningful improvement will come this year if the young players can improve as a group and a prospect emerges as an elite player. That part of the equation is really unchanged from last year.

[Jimdon]

Originally Posted by slcrocket

3) Stone is a legitimate second pairing defenseman; that's fine, but in Calgary he won't play as a second pairing defenseman, again barring any injuries. It doesn't matter how good we might think he is, I don't think anyone is arguing that he will ever replace any of our Top 4 unless somebody gets

I don't love that the glut of young defensemen we have in the system are going to be blocked by one more player for the next three years.

These are the two points that don't hold water for me.

Is there anyone who truly believes that nobody is getting injured this year? One of the top four will miss games this year, you can probably bank on more than one missing at least a handful of games.

Last year coach and GM were perfectly fine in spending assets to get better players while their 5 million defenseman sat in the press box, why would anyone think for a second that if one of the kids that they already have stepped up and deserved a promotion that they would be afraid to sit any one of the underperforming defenseman in favor of them?

[Split98]

Originally Posted by LouCypher

If Stone signs and the deal is in the 3-3.5 million range I think we need to all pitch in for a wizard cap for Treliving or at least come up with a wizard gif for him if there isn't one already.

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

This is hilarious. As for each individual stat's usefulness in any given situation or in relation to any particular player, opinions may vary (though often without particularly good cause for discounting them). But there's absolutely no possible argument that they're not based on empirical data, which is the assertion that all three of these posts highlighted.

Are you suggesting that Stone didn't play 1030:27 at even strength last year? That he didn't put 62 pucks on net in that time? That the players he was on the ice against didn't average 32.66 shots on goal per 60 minutes of Stone's ES ice time? That Stone's own team didn't average 24.8 shots per 60 on the other team's net? That the goalie behind him didn't stop 93.94% of shots with him on the ice? That 7.8% of his team's shots didn't wind up in the net? None of that is "empirical" information to base conclusions on, to you?

I mean, you guys complain that I come off like I'm being a know-it-all and then you triumphantly post stuff like this. It would really help if the objections from the usual anti-stats crowd weren't totally insane.

Advanced stats are like carbs, calories and DVs. While useful in some capacity, they'll never tell you how delicious things are.

Watch the games.

[dammage79]

This d corps on paper looks like the best assembled since McInnis and Suters days. Maybe even better if they achieve Max potential. Boy Treliving has put his work in getting his vision of a d corps. And damn it looks good.

[jlh2640]

Originally Posted by dammage79

This d corps on paper looks like the best assembled since McInnis and Suters days. Maybe even better if they achieve Max potential. Boy Treliving has put his work in getting his vision of a d corps. And damn it looks good.

Our defence in 2009 looked as good. Let us temper expectations

[GioforPM]

I would not probably have gone for that salary but damn - that D.

[1qqaaz]

Originally Posted by jlh2640

Our defence in 2009 looked as good. Let us temper expectations

This is a good point, hockey can be unpredictable.

Another thing to consider: Mikka Kiprusoff had a strong season (92%), yet the Flames still missed the playoffs. Kipper was likely better than Smith will be this year.

However, the largest difference between the 9-10 and 17-18 Flames is the forward core.
In 2009-2010, only 2 plays on the team had over 4 points (Bourque 58 and Iginla 69). Gaudreau, Monahan, Giordano, Hamilton, Backlund, and Frolik are almost locks for 40+ points. Tkachuk, Brodie, Versteeg and Bennett could get 40+ points as well.

Overall, this team is deeper. It's also more durable.
I think it's better.

[driveway]

One million too many dollars and two years too long. Not a great move, we'll regret this.

[iggy_oi]

Originally Posted by driveway

One million too many dollars and two years too long. Not a great move, we'll regret this.

Is there a NTC in this deal? If not I can't see how this contract isn't moveable in the event it becomes necessary to do so

[getbak]

No mention of a NTC/NMC in the announcement: https://www.nhl.com/flames/news/ston...al/c-290241868