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Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher
After the Flames acquired him they talked a bit about him being able to play centre. I'd have him on the wing by default as well. Knight can centre the 4th line. Bouma has actually seen some time at centre as well. Some of the positions in my lineup were interchangeable. I just think those are the 14-15 forwards most likely to make the big squad.
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Galiradi doesn't play center. His numbers on the face off circle are horrendous. He was a 26% faceoff guy last year when he did take draws. If he ends up in the middle we're in bigger trouble than expected.
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Granlund doesn't have a lot more to offer than Bouma on the 4th line because he's not a grinder. He's a top 3 line player or you send him to the minors or Finland. I'd be surprised if he made the team from what I've seen of him thus far.
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Granlund doesn't have too play on the 4th line to be on the roster. He could be on the taxi squad and then slot in on the top three lines, pushing someone else down to the 4th. Your fixation on having players in limited slots is very old school, more like a Sutter mindset. I think the team keeps a guy around that they can give spot duty to in a development capacity rather than strictly a specific role. A guy that can play on any of the top three lines, and in multiple positions, seems to be more valuable than a guy who is 4th liner or bust. Given that the 4th line gets around 8 minutes a night I don't see the value in keeping a player like that on the roster for a developing team when you have other that could better use the time to develop their skills and adapt to the NHL.
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Knight is older and more mature than Reinhart. He's also offensively dominated the last level he played at. Reinhart started in the AHL on the checking lines and was snakebitten offensively. Later in the season he moved up as the Flames recalled many Heat players once the NHL season finally started.
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Knight hasn't played a shift of professional hockey so I am still skeptical about him stepping in. I think he's a good player, but it is a big step up from college hockey to the pros except for the elite players. Look at Schultz in Edmonton and how he struggled to find his game after dominating the college ranks. I hope Knight can step right in, but I wouldn't be surprised if he ends up in the AHL for a couple of months. Reinhart could probably use some AHL time as well, but only if they are going to use him in an offensive role. I think the Flames are very fortunate that they have two quality young centers this close to making the NHL and that we are able to argue about which should be getting slot. That's something we Flames fans haven't been able to do in a long time.
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Knight is dominant on faceoffs which is a huge need for the Flames. He also has size and strength at centre which is a huge need for the Flames. So I think he's a natural fit to be our 3rd or 4th line centre to start the season. He also looked good at the development camp and was a pleasant surprise according to Weisbrod.
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We could definitely use Knight's faceoff skills. If he's ready I'm happy to have that skill set on the team. I agree he's a perfect fit for our third or fourth lines, like a modern Joel Otto, but he still has to show he's ready. Camp and pre-season should tell us where he stands.
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Blair Jones is likely to lose his spot because it's clear he isn't a coach's favourite. His scratching when we were super short on centres followed by his demotion to the Heat is a clear sign of that. Unless he shows a lot more urgency and physical play I think he will lose his spot to guys like Horak, Knight and Reinhart. B. Jones was a favourite under B. Sutter but was clearly in the doghouse of the Hartley coaching staff.
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That is possible, but I think it's premature to say its a done deal. Hartley and Jones hit it off at the start of the season, but something changed quickly. It seemed he worked his way back into Hartley graces by the end of the season. We'll see what transpires in camp and where he looks to be shaking out. I would think that if he were not in the team's plans for the fall he would have been moved in some way with the influx of bodies coming in.
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You are putting WAY too much stock into Bouma not playing last season. And not enough stock into the fact that he was an NHLer two seasons ago at the end of the season and was pencilled in last year as well. Hanowski is not NHL ready from what I saw of him last season and I think he needs some seasoning in the minors. Ferland couldn't even crack the AHL regularly last year and also needs some seasoning in the minors. Bouma is far more NHL ready than either of them IMO.
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I don't think I am. You can't appreciate how hard it is for athletes to be forced to take a year off. You can train all you want, but the lack of exposure to game situations is hard on you mentally. You don't stay sharp and when you get back into the mix it takes some time to get back into the competition. Look at how hard it is for players who miss three or four weeks during the season and try to come back. Look at what Backlund has been through. Now consider that being a full season. Bouma faces a huge challenge coming back from injury and trying to get back to the NHL.
I think you're possible blowing Bouma's experience out of proportion here. Bouma was never a NHL player. He was a tweener that never established himself as a full time NHL player. He's got 43 games of NHL experience over three professional seasons, with zero games last year. This is a guy who was up and down between the leagues, so he's hardly a player who had carved himself out a spot on the roster. I'd give him the edge over other players for that bottom line position if he had played last season, but he didn't so he's likely in tough. We've mentioned Hanowski and Ferland, but another guy who has potential to take that final position on the fourth line is Nemisz. He faces a similar challenge that Bouma faced, where injuries cut his development short, except he didn't miss the full season. This forgotten man will still be in the mix as well.
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Granlund is a long shot IMO. Hasn't played any time on North American sized ice yet. Hasn't played in our system.
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Granlund is a skilled player that has proven he can play in all situations in Europe. The tough thing about him is his contract has the escape clause, so there is no real AHL option for him. He either learns the North American game on the fly or he goes back to Europe and continues to play in European game conditions. This is why I would use a taxi squad spot for Granlund over Bouma without batting an eye. Developing a potential top six player like Granlund is more important that having a player on the roster who will play maybe eight minutes a night.
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Reinhart looked good last year and could certainly take a depth centre role but I think he'd be best served long term by getting his offensive confidence back first in the minors. I think he's in the mix but I think Knight has the edge.
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I think we're in agreement on Reinhart. I think he needs some more time, but only if the Heat use him properly. If they're going to throw him on a checking line I'd much rather he was on the Flames taxi squad learning the ropes of checking at the NHL level. The make up and coaching of the Heat is a concern for me. If they fix that situation I'd be more comfortable with certain players heading to the minors.
