Tough to move either/both right now.
Flames are trying to get their game back together. Wideman and Russell were both huge reasons why the Flames were good last year. Together with Giordano and Brodie, they comprised the top 4 highest scoring defence from any team. They also stepped up immensely when Giordano went down and helped this team into the playoffs, and out of round one. I thought Russell was fantastic against Vancouver.
Also, Wideman is the 15th highest scoring defencemen in the last 3 seasons (+ the start of this one). He also has done it in many less games than the guys in front of him over that same time period.
http://www.nhl.com/stats/player?repo...regate=1&pos=D
Now, I won't claim that he is elite, but he is elite or near elite offensively. That is worth quite a lot. If the Flames trade Wideman, their PP is going to suffer I would think. There is nobody able to get pucks consistently on net and with that kind of velocity.
Russell is elite at blocking shots. Now, people may role their eyes and counter with stuff like: "That just means he doesn't possess the puck enough", etc. Sure, valid argument. However, the Flames play a system where shot blocking is the backbone to the defending. Keep shots to the outside, block everything that comes through, jump on the rebounds and make a good first pass or skate the puck out. Russell does this pretty well.
Now, you may counter with the "Chris Butler was also a league leader in shots blocked". Fair enough. However, he sucked at it. He was good at getting in front of them. He absolutely sucked at everything else. Butler was horrible at deflections causing goals (so was Pardy as well). Kipper bailed them out quite a lot. I cringed when they would block shots. Anyone remember Butler's first pass out of the zone? Yeah, it wasn't good. Anyone remember Butler skating the puck out of the zone himself? Yeah, wasn't very good at that either. Russell is very good at both. He won't go to the corners and battle on the boards and come out with the puck - that is his biggest (and in my opinion, only) weakness as a defencemen. However, shot blocking is so underrated - especially on a team that uses it as a system.
There is literally nobody that is able to come in and replace what these two provide the team with.
With that being said, I think the Flames wait until mid-November. If they don't turn this ship around in the next couple of weeks, then a miracle is the only thing that will save this season. Like I said, these two were integral parts of why the Flames experienced a lot of success last season. You don't trade either of them until you think the season is lost.
The trade market for defencemen in mid-November should be just as good if not better than it is now. Teams will suffer injuries on top of not starting to separate from the pack. Good defencemen are always so highly valued.
If by mid November, the Flames are by all intents and purposes out of it, I think it would be wise to trade both. Wideman is getting older. Russell is undersized. Though there is absolutely NOBODY in the system that can replace either of these guys this season, I believe that in the upcoming seasons there will be. Kylington is probably a year or two out from starting to get NHL action. Kulak and Wotherspoon are near NHL-ready, but need a season or two of sheltering. Nakladal is probably the most NHL-ready - he may end up being a solid top 4 guy with a rocket of a shot, but it would be a gamble to think he can replace either one of those guys right now. Morrison should be ready, but he hardly looked like it pre-season - though I do think there is definite potential. Culkin is injured and will probably be ramping-up in the AHL again for at least a month once he returns. I won't even bring up anyone else (who I love) that are not playing pro hockey right now - I feel you need a least a season playing pro as a defencemen. It is a huge stretch to think that you can replace either/both Russell and Wideman internally at the moment.
Also, keep in mind that once Russell and/or Wideman are traded, you are now unable to shelter Engelland and Smid in the lineup. You are unable to properly shelter the incoming young defencemen as well either. Would have been great if Hamilton is further ahead defensively than he is now, but he isn't. According to Boston fans, he isn't playing 'badly' defensively - that is who he was and a lot of Boston fans hated him in the defensive zone, but freely admit that he is awesome offensively and that it would just be a matter of time before Hamilton becomes better in his own zone. By the looks of things, it seems Hamilton needs some sheltering of his own probably for the majority of this season.
In my opinion, you trade either one of Russell or Wideman (and especially both!), you may be giving up on the season. I don't think I am ready to do that at least until the mid-point of November if the Flames are really indeed out of it. They are not looking good right now (both on the ice, and in terms of the standings and how difficult it is to work your way back up into a playoff position), but they don't need a 'miracle run' at the moment. A couple more weeks of not turning it around, and they will need a miracle - and I would bet against a miracle and start trading away vets for futures again continuing with the rebuild.
I think they are both very attractive commodities. They both move the puck extremely well, and they are both capable skating the puck out of pressure - even though Wideman isn't fast. They are both capable of either leading the 1st unit of a team's powerplay, or leading the 2nd unit (Russell has a great shot). I can't imagine there wouldn't be a long list of teams trying to obtain either of them.
This is still a rebuild. Maybe last year is an aberration. Maybe the aberration is this year. Either way, rebuilds take time. If the Flames are out of it, I am definitely on board with trading both. Until then, I will argue until I am blue in the face that they are both part of the solution today. Neither one is part of the solution tomorrow, however. Not with Wideman's age, and Russell's size.
I do think they would fetch a healthy return. For me, win or lose, this will be yet another very interesting season to follow as a fan.
