[Trade] Frost + Farabee from PHI to CGY for Pelletier + Kuzmenko + 25 2nd + 28 7th

[Enoch Root]

Zary isn't as good of a center as Backlund. TODAY. But Backlund is on the decline. Moving Zary back to wing makes no sense, just because we got Frost. Next year, our 3 best Cs will be Kadri, Frost and Zary.

And it won't be too many years before Kadri starts sliding down the depth charts as well.

You can never have too many Cs. Keep Zary at C, and keep hunting for more of them, because we still have none in our pipeline.

[Fan69]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Zary isn't as good of a center as Backlund. TODAY. But Backlund is on the decline. Moving Zary back to wing makes no sense, just because we got Frost. Next year, our 3 best Cs will be Kadri, Frost and Zary.

And it won't be too many years before Kadri starts sliding down the depth charts as well.

You can never have too many Cs. Keep Zary at C, and keep hunting for more of them, because we still have none in our pipeline.

Exactly how i feel. It was bad losing Zary but where would we be if kadri had been out all this time?

Our top two centers are mid thirties. We had zary we now have frost and thats pretty much it.

[Roughneck]

Originally Posted by Nelson

I don’t think there’s a need to discount Zary as a centre, just because the team also has Frost now. Zary was drafted as a centre, and he is an effective, playmaking NHL centre. He is also a good player on the wing. Fortunately, I think that gives the team flexibility to use him in either position as needed.

Coleman, Sharangovich, and Pospisil were all drafted as centres, too.

[dammage79]

Except Zary has done pretty decently at center.

[Vinny01]

This team can’t score right now and with some more goals they have a good chance of climbing into a pacific division playoff spot let alone wildcard. For this season loading the top9 with the best offensive talent is a way to increase offense. Zary on the wing for the rest of this year doesn’t mean it will be the rest of his career. Backlund can transition to the 4th line role next year but for this season I think he should continue to lead the Coleman/Coronato line as both of his wingers are having productive seasons.

I also love the look of Lomberg-Pospisil-Klapka. I send that line out to cause pure chaos every shift playing a chippy and physical game that infuriates opponents

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Zary isn't as good of a center as Backlund. TODAY. But Backlund is on the decline. Moving Zary back to wing makes no sense, just because we got Frost. Next year, our 3 best Cs will be Kadri, Frost and Zary.

And it won't be too many years before Kadri starts sliding down the depth charts as well.

You can never have too many Cs. Keep Zary at C, and keep hunting for more of them, because we still have none in our pipeline.

I find Zary is more dynamic as a winger. Also, I expect the Flames by the start of next season will have added a RS C. I wouldn't say we have none in the pipeline, Misa is projecting as a 2nd line C.

[Roughneck]

Originally Posted by dammage79

Except Zary has done pretty decently at center.

As long as somebody else is taking the faceoffs, anyway.

[devo22]

should finally draft a couple of centers high too. Braeden Cootes and Brady Martin are both RHCs and ranked right in that area where the two Flames 1sts would land as of today. I'm a bit tired of drafting wingers in the first round, honestly.

[camm13]

Originally Posted by GreenLantern2814

Dryden Hunt.

Hunt is a winger. Not a centre

[traptor]

I'd like to keep Zary as a center too, but where?
You can't put him as 4th C, and now we have Backlund, Kadri and Frost.

The few times Backlund has played as a winger it's been terrible. Kadris also been a career center.

I do wonder if acquiring frost and farabee allows the team to more seriously consider a Kadri trade in the future.

[Fan69]

Originally Posted by traptor

I'd like to keep Zary as a center too, but where?
You can't put him as 4th C, and now we have Backlund, Kadri and Frost.

The few times Backlund has played as a winger it's been terrible. Kadris also been a career center.

I do wonder if acquiring frost and farabee allows the team to more seriously consider a Kadri trade in the future.

Unless its a monster overpay with another center coming back i just dont see it.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by dammage79

Except Zary has done pretty decently at center.

And is 23

Two rather salient points in the discussion.

[Nelson]

Like many centres, I think Zary is capable of switching from centre to wing as needed. So, I think it could be the best decision for this year’s Flames, to play Zary at wing, and I don’t think that will negatively impact Zary’s ability to play centre in future seasons. Zary is a smart player. He is adaptable, and I think that makes Zary quite valuable to the Flames.

Zary does clearly need to work on face-offs. But he has lots of time to do that.

[SeanCharles]

Why is everyone so adverse to putting Backs at 4C and roling 4 lines?

The issue all season has been our 4th line and now we have the option to not play Rooney, a career AHLer or a winger in Pospisil there.

Teams that roll 4 lines basically have the disparity in ice time be made up for by special teams. Backs will be still be our top PK forward and get 5 on 5 mins.

Replacing Rooney and Duehr with Backlund and Klapka may be just what we need to truely roll 4 lines.

If we had a tonne of C prospects in the pipeline and/or Backs and Kadri weren't 35ish I wouldn't be as adamant about this. Zary was just starting to find his way as a C before injury.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

I find Zary is more dynamic as a winger. Also, I expect the Flames by the start of next season will have added a RS C. I wouldn't say we have none in the pipeline, Misa is projecting as a 2nd line C.

Misa is still a longshot to make the NHL.

And even if he does, he isn't going to be any kind of impact player for at least 3 or 4 more years.

Kadri and Backlund will both be gone before Misa is a top 9 C for the Flames (if he ever is)

[DJones]

Ain't no way Backlund becomes 4C. He's getting his 15 minutes.

Zary being on the wing isn't going to hurt him. Injuries happen. Trades happen. He'll get his chances.

[Enoch Root]

I agree that Zary probably spends the rest of this season on the wing (barring injuries), but I don't think there is any question that he should continue to be groomed as a C, and will be a C next year.

He will be a better C than Backlund next year. And Kadri will be 35 next year, and will start sliding down the depth charts soon - hopefully not next year, but it's dangerous to count on him as a top 6 C much beyond next year.

No draft picks or future draft picks are going to be contributing as a top 9 C for at least 3 years. Our C depth is still terrible.

[Nelson]

Originally Posted by traptor

I'd like to keep Zary as a center too, but where?
You can't put him as 4th C, and now we have Backlund, Kadri and Frost.

The few times Backlund has played as a winger it's been terrible. Kadris also been a career center.

I do wonder if acquiring frost and farabee allows the team to more seriously consider a Kadri trade in the future.

Unless a team like the Leafs approaches the Flames with an amazing offer for Kadri, I think the Flames will just play Zary on the wing this season. At least to start, I think the top-9 could be:

Huberdeau - Kadri - Farabee
Coleman - Backlund - Coronato
Zary - Frost - Sharangovich

The fourth line, for me, would be Lomberg - ? - Pospisil, with Rooney/Bishop/Kerins probably continuing to rotate through…

[Calgary4LIfe]

Zary has grown as a center. There is nobody in the organization younger than him that is looking as good as he is at center. Kadri and Backlund are old, but still very good too. Frost is now part of the equation.


I think you have to rebalance the lines, and essentially roll 4 lines. I think it suits this team better anyway - Calgary's culture right now is out-work the other team, and by rolling 4 lines, it will be easier to continue doing that the rest of the season and into the playoffs.



You also have 'assignments'. Backlund should continue taking the hard assignments, and keep him with Coleman. Huberdeau and Kadri should take the offensive opportunities. Frost is good defensively. Zary is great at zone entries and playmaking.



Huska has a lot of parts to work with. I think it is 100% fine to mix up the lines and try to see what can work. For the "don't split up the CBC line" - why not? Should Sutter never have split Tkachuk from Backlund? If he didn't, Gaudreau and Tkachuk wouldn't have been over 100pts each.



Just don't stick Zary with both Lomberg and Klapka/Bishop/Rooney on the 4th line. Give him one offensive player to play with on that line, and Lomberg/Klapka can be the puck-retrieval/drive the net guy. As long as he is getting 12 minutes a night playing with another player with some offensive talent, then that's good enough for me. If he is getting 8 minutes a night? Not so much.


I am really curious what Huska tries out over the next handful of games, what looks like is working, and what happens when Zary returns. He really does have a LOT of options now. The only two pairs that I would say "must" stay together is Huberdeau-Kadri and Backlund-Coleman.

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by SeanCharles

Why is everyone so adverse to putting Backs at 4C and roling 4 lines?

The issue all season has been our 4th line and now we have the option to not play Rooney, a career AHLer or a winger in Pospisil there.

Teams that roll 4 lines basically have the disparity in ice time be made up for by special teams. Backs will be still be our top PK forward and get 5 on 5 mins.

Replacing Rooney and Duehr with Backlund and Klapka may be just what we need to truely roll 4 lines.

If we had a tonne of C prospects in the pipeline and/or Backs and Kadri weren't 35ish I wouldn't be as adamant about this. Zary was just starting to find his way as a C before injury.

This team is nowhere near deep enough to roll 4 lines. They likely are not splitting up Backlund and Coleman so I would rephrase your question to “why would anyone want to play Frost or Zary on the 4th line?”