[Signing] Kings sign former Flames draft pick Stepan Falkovsky

[Gaudfather]

Tre said the Flames were willing to offer an AHL deal, but Falkovsky wanted to try for an NHL ELC - and was able to get one.

[Robbob]

So if the flames didn't qualify him he would have been put back into this last nhl draft right. If that is the case he went undrafted and LA signed him as an undrafted FA. Is that more or less the case?

[sureLoss]

Originally Posted by Robbob

So if the flames didn't qualify him he would have been put back into this last nhl draft right. If that is the case he went undrafted and LA signed him as an undrafted FA. Is that more or less the case?

I believe because of his age he was not eligible to be in the 2017 draft.

[Calgary4LIfe]

Too bad. I thought Falkovsky was a really solid prospect with his size, skating and offensive acumen. Count me in as another curious fan as to why the Flames didn't keep him.

[tvp2003]

Did he run over Treliving's dog? I don't see how they would literally give up on a prospect/asset -- it's not like he played poorly in Adirondack last year.

[sempuki]

Originally Posted by Flamescuprun2018

Not now agreed. But liked his trajectory so far. I think we are missing part of the story. Not typical BT asset management.

35 contracts out of 50 as of today. Looks like we still had some spots once our remaining AHL and NHL contracts signed.

Given the way it leaked to Belarusian media first, I suspect Falkovsky was not happy with the way he was being treated, and wasn't interested in coming back. Tre probably wanted to cook him longer, and he felt he could do better.

[dustygoon]

Guy crushes it in goofy echl. But is cockblocked by Aulie and Kenny Morrison in Stockton who are valueless. I would be ticked too. Kind of looks like flames mismanaged him. The scout responsible can't be happy either.

[getbak]

Remember that he was drafted in his second year of eligibility, so it's like he's a 2015 draft pick.

This really isn't any different from the Flames choosing to not sign John Gilmour last year or Eric Roy a couple of years ago. They both also had strong seasons after they were drafted, but Treliving decided not to give them contracts.

Other GMs would likely have given all three of them contracts because they wouldn't want to "waste" a draft pick.

If they don't see an NHL future for him, it's better to give him a chance to find a team that will offer him a future.

[dammage79]

I'm slightly upset with this. What the hell happened between the flames and Falkovsky? I mean I suppose the party line is supposed to be " Meh. Late round pick they rarely work out" but he showed so.e serious upside even if it was the ECHL. I want to k of what happened. Because this has a solid chance to come back and bite the Flames in the butt

[sempuki]

Originally Posted by dustygoon

Guy crushes it in goofy echl. But is cockblocked by Aulie and Kenny Morrison in Stockton who are valueless. I would be ticked too. Kind of looks like flames mismanaged him. The scout responsible can't be happy either.

People keep saying this, but it's never true: if he out plays those two, he gets the job. Development takes time, and rushing it doesn't necessarily improve your career.

Kenny Morrison is also *gone*.

[Robbob]

I think a part of it is also planning ahead and keeping a contract spot available for one of the young dmen we have who are probably ahead developmently (i.e. Fox, Valimaki) or suddenly break through. It seems that the last few years they have signed a bunch of their late rounders (Phillips, Mangiapane, AOM).

He did have a unique skillset, but it looks like the Flames have walked away from all their behemoth projects. Maybe they think the stable is getting pretty full and want to keep a spot open to help a forward develop since that does seem to be an area that requires a bit of work.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Originally Posted by dammage79

I'm slightly upset with this. What the hell happened between the flames and Falkovsky? I mean I suppose the party line is supposed to be " Meh. Late round pick they rarely work out" but he showed so.e serious upside even if it was the ECHL. I want to k of what happened. Because this has a solid chance to come back and bite the Flames in the butt

Define solid chance given this guy is an uber long shot to make the NHL. Personally I don't mind that BT is raising the bar when it comes to what prospects get new contracts.

[Lanny_McDonald]

This one is a little confusing. The player only showed improvement as a prospect, which is what you hope for. They Flames cleared a whack of space in the minors, so a spot was there. The Flames aren't in contract trouble, so that issue isn't there. Plus the Flames are going to be short prospects in the upcoming drafts. There must be something more to this than meets the eye.

[dustygoon]

Originally Posted by Wild GM

Define solid chance given this guy is an uber long shot to make the NHL. Personally I don't mind that BT is raising the bar when it comes to what prospects get new contracts.

He's a long shot. No doubt. But What bar? The bar set by Kenny Morrison? The fact another team sees something in a guy we gave only a year of development (who crushed the challenge he was given in the ECHL) kind of smells funny. The guy has value.

[Jiri Hrdina]

Morrison was cut loose as soon as he could be. He was under contract. He is an example that also illustrates the higher bar...not refutes it

[Jiri Hrdina]

Just because a team signed him doesn't mean he had trade value. Folks overreact to these guys being cut loose (Agostino, Ramage, Gilmour etc) but really they are rather meaningless decisions

[Roof-Daddy]

The Tre regime has cut loose a lot of prospects the last few years, and so far we haven't been burned. Have to give them the benefit of the doubt until they drop the ball.

This one does seem odd though, given that they turned him pro right away and despite him doing seemingly well at that level, they didn't view him worthy of an ELC. Almost like there were other reasons for the decision than just talent or ability.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by New Era

This one is a little confusing. The player only showed improvement as a prospect, which is what you hope for. They Flames cleared a whack of space in the minors, so a spot was there. The Flames aren't in contract trouble, so that issue isn't there. Plus the Flames are going to be short prospects in the upcoming drafts. There must be something more to this than meets the eye.

Exactly.

As you pointed out, there are basically 3 relevant points:

1) he progressed this year (all you want from a prospect)
2) the Flames are no where near being under pressure with the number of contracts
3) they are far from over-crowded with prospects

So this isn't an organization decision, this is a player decision.

Pure speculation (and I hate doing that), but for some reason I get an uncoachable / selfish vibe. But even if that were true, there is still plenty of time to right the ship.

[Da_Chief]

Kings traded a lot of picks/prospects for their cups. They don't have much in the pipeline. They are looking for these players, they also signed away a goalie, Cal Peterson, from Buffalo after he finished his NCAA career.

Will be awhile before we see the result of this. For now I'm happy with the D at NHL level and Valimaki, Fox, Andersson, Kylington, Healey, Ollas-Mattsson in the pipeline.

[Husky]

He is a marginal prospect. People need to move on.