Wideman heating up

[Oling_Roachinen]

He's been in the top 20 for four of the last five years when it comes to defensemen powerplay scoring, the one season he didn't was because he missed a big chunk of the season. Over the last 5 years, despite missing half the 2013-2014 season, his 200 points puts him just outside the top 10 for defensemen scoring. It's pretty clear he's an effective offensive defenseman, if nothing else.

Seeing as Mike Green, a completely offensive defensemen, just signed a 6M/yr contract for 3 years with a full NTC, I think it's safe to say that there's teams out there that are looking to pay money for defnesemen who can put up points. I mean Mike Green was getting 15 minutes of EV time-on-ice often seeing bottom pairing minutes with Washington, not exactly a team known for their defensive depth. Green has his skating, something Wideman doesn't, but in terms of defensive awareness, Wideman looks like Lidstrom comparatively.

[jammies]

It's not Wideman's fault he isn't paired with someone who is better suited to complement his game. Or that he's had to play on his off side. He gets too much grief for his salary, which is not that much considering he was a UFA and is an elite offensive player.

The Flames could do far worse than Wideman as a #4 defenceman. He's high-risk, high-reward, and it's the coach's job to make sure he is put in a position to succeed.