Friedman's 31 thoughts: April 30

[Erick Estrada]

If they bring back the Smith/Rittich tandem I’m not so sure they make the playoffs next season. It was a down season in the Western Conference this season and teams will rebound and chances are the Flames will have some regression offensively. It would be Treliving’s biggest mistake yet and he’s made a few bad ones with Gulutzan, Brouwer, and Neal.

[Erick Estrada]

Treliving will get a deal with Hamonic. He’s still in his prime and wants to play in Canada. He’s not been quite as good as the price paid to acquire him but that probably plays into the Flames hands when they start discussing a long term deal. I would be stunned if Brodie is still a Flame after the draft.

[getoverit]

I wouldn’t mind a Rittich/Talbot combo signed super reasonable. Ex Oilers always seem to do well and has shown he can. Be new to him to actual have defensemen in front of him lol.

Move on from Smith

[Ped]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Treliving will get a deal with Hamonic. He’s still in his prime and wants to play in Canada. He’s not been quite as good as the price paid to acquire him but that probably plays into the Flames hands when they start discussing a long term deal. I would be stunned if Brodie is still a Flame after the draft.

Hamonic will turn 30 the summer he turns UFA. Flames need to be sure they don't overpay for a player that might decline soon.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

If they bring back the Smith/Rittich tandem I’m not so sure they make the playoffs next season. It was a down season in the Western Conference this season and teams will rebound and chances are the Flames will have some regression offensively. It would be Treliving’s biggest mistake yet and he’s made a few bad ones with Gulutzan, Brouwer, and Neal.

I think it is likely that the Flames with the same level of goaltending make the playoffs next year. They posted a +62 goal differential. Even with a regression to the mean there is every reason to think that they will still be top three in the Pacific Division. Who is taking their place?

[Joborule]

If you can find a viable alternative solution to Smith, which doesn't involving getting rid of picks and blue-chip prospects, you do it. But I don't think you can. Transaction priorities has to be on top 6 level players first and foremost. Don't think the team will have much capital to find a more permanent solution to the goaltending tandem this off season. So I'm fully expecting Smith to come back in a stop-gap contract.

Hopefully Rittich continues where he left off last season before he got hurt. If so, then at least the Flames have a goalie they can play in the starter role.

[Textcritic]

Originally Posted by Joborule

If you can find a viable alternative solution to Smith, which doesn't involving getting rid of picks and blue-chip prospects, you do it. But I don't think you can. Transaction priorities has to be on top 6 level players first and foremost. Don't think the team will have much capital to find a more permanent solution to the goaltending tandem this off season. So I'm fully expecting Smith to come back in a stop-gap contract....

Why not? There are going to be a lot of high quality UFA goalies available this summer. I think it is likely that the Flames sign one.

[oldschoolcalgary]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Treliving will get a deal with Hamonic. He’s still in his prime and wants to play in Canada. He’s not been quite as good as the price paid to acquire him but that probably plays into the Flames hands when they start discussing a long term deal. I would be stunned if Brodie is still a Flame after the draft.

as someone said previously...the acquisition cost is sunk cost now...

Hamonic brings something to the table that the other dmen don't have (except maybe Gio at times)... I think Hamonic and his wife, both small town kids from Manitoba, love living here... I don't expect a contract negotiation to be adversarial or prolonged...

while i'd hate to lose Brodie, people have to remove themselves from the player vs the asset... i think Calgary needs to move a dman at some point and brodie would be a guy that seems to be the most likely imo...

[Joborule]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

Why not? There are going to be a lot of high quality UFA goalies available this summer. I think it is likely that the Flames sign one.

I don't know if the Flames will be able to afford them if they bring in two top 9 forwards that might eat up a fair amount of the cap space. The goalies may get picked up elsewhere for more dough.

They may be able to do both still. Depending on what occurs, a lot of cap room can be made, while still fulfilling my wish of protecting picks and prospects. I just don't expect getting a proper replacement for Smith as of right now.

[sempuki]

Originally Posted by Muta

Why would we 'need to sell' Hamonic? The dude is a young, tough-as-nails, top-four defenseman on a great contract and wants to play in Calgary. Why exactly are you so ready to give him up for a pick, who in all odds won't pan out to be the player Hamonic already is?

Narratives are not supposed to be questioned.

[Jore]

I want the Flames to trade Hanifin because I believe his value is high and I much prefer Valimaki and Kylington over him. As for Hamonic, I love the guy and hope the playoffs were a blip and he remembers how to gap up defending the rush again

[nik-]

Originally Posted by Jore

I want the Flames to trade Hanifin because I believe his value is high and I much prefer Valimaki and Kylington over him. As for Hamonic, I love the guy and hope the playoffs were a blip and he remembers how to gap up defending the rush again

Why? Valimaki, Kylington, Andersson and Hanifin seems like a pretty good start to our next generation of defense. Gio is at the end of his career and Brodie is likely gone.

That's a nice group with sufficiently varying skillsets to act as our anchor on the blueline.

[Jore]

Originally Posted by nik-

Why? Valimaki, Kylington, Andersson and Hanifin seems like a pretty good start to our next generation of defense. Gio is at the end of his career and Brodie is likely gone.

That's a nice group with sufficiently varying skillsets to act as our anchor on the blueline.

He isn't dynamic enough for me for the top 4 role he's been given. He doesn't play with courage or intensity like Kylington, Andersson, and Valimaki all have this year. All that high end skating ability of his has not manifested in either offensive or defensive aggressiveness that I've seen.

Comparing players to bouwmeester has become a meme but he's probably the most bouwmeester-like defender on the flames since bouw left.

If he has high value I'd rather they leverage that value to improve the forward group. There's only so much LHD time to go around with our other promising defenders rising.

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by Jore

I want the Flames to trade Hanifin because I believe his value is high and I much prefer Valimaki and Kylington over him. As for Hamonic, I love the guy and hope the playoffs were a blip and he remembers how to gap up defending the rush again

Kylington is no where near Hanifin. The Flames shouldn’t be trading the 22 year Dman signed for 5 years under $5M especially with Treliving boring on more than one occasion he is a player driven to be successful.

Brodie and Stone should be the guys shopped and moved. Hamonic wants to be here and brings the toughness element this team lacks. Just seems like the type of guy you want in the room.

[dissentowner]

Originally Posted by Jore

He isn't dynamic enough for me for the top 4 role he's been given. He doesn't play with courage or intensity like Kylington, Andersson, and Valimaki all have this year. All that high end skating ability of his has not manifested in either offensive or defensive aggressiveness that I've seen.

Comparing players to bouwmeester has become a meme but he's probably the most bouwmeester-like defender on the flames since bouw left.

If he has high value I'd rather they leverage that value to improve the forward group. There's only so much LHD time to go around with our other promising defenders rising.

There is so much wrong with this post I am not sure where to begin. Hanifin is nothing like Bouwmeester, he lays way more hits. Even funnier is Dougie Hamilton was way more like Bouw, he even said at his draft year he patterned his game after him. We have not seen enough of Valimaki or Kylington to remotely say they play with more intensity than Hanifin. I seriously have no idea what the hell you were watching this year. Hanifin is a young stud D who has tremendous upside and has played an incredible amount of minutes for such a young D man.

[Jore]

Originally Posted by dissentowner

There is so much wrong with this post I am not sure where to begin. Hanifin is nothing like Bouwmeester, he lays way more hits. Even funnier is Dougie Hamilton was way more like Bouw, he even said at his draft year he patterned his game after him. We have not seen enough of Valimaki or Kylington to remotely say they play with more intensity than Hanifin. I seriously have no idea what the hell you were watching this year. Hanifin is a young stud D who has tremendous upside and has played an incredible amount of minutes for such a young D man.

I could say the same to you. Hamilton put up 42, 50, and 44 points in his 3 seasons as a Flame, including a 17 goal season. Bouwmeester's best total as a Flame was.. 29 points and 5 goals. Hamilton was 8th on the team in hits as a flame fyi over his years here. I'm not seeing this comparison.

Hanifin might hit more but he's a smooth skating defender with no shot and not much offensive creativity. He was competent defensively in the regular season but in the playoffs he and hamonic were the worst defenders and dragged down momentum every shift. I think I will always remember that delay of game penalty he took with 2 minutes left right after the Avs tied it in game 4.

I'd sure love to see this tremendous upside, especially in big games, but I haven't seen it yet

[Ped]

Hanifin would absolutely get you a ton in return - but the problem with trading him is this: Andersson, Kylington, and Valimaki are not guaranteed to make similar strides next year. Development isn't linear and really good but young blueliners are known to have growing pains.


If you assume Brodie is gone and also that Giordano will decline at some point, as well as that Hamonic could as well, you almost have to keep Hanifin unless someone makes you a stupid crazy offer.

[TheScorpion]

I like Hanifin quite a bit as a player. One of the only reasons that I think he might be traded is if he's the final piece necessary to acquire a tremendous upgrade at forward.

[spuzzum]

Originally Posted by Ped

Hamonic will turn 30 the summer he turns UFA. Flames need to be sure they don't overpay for a player that might decline soon.

I'm not convinced 30 year olds require a walker or wheel chair. Defensemen tend to age better and adapt to an ever changing game. I would bet Hamonic will resign on a team friendly number and term.

Draft picks while appealing are at best a crap shoot. We need his type and style of defense. I'm all for keeping him unless a trade offer becomes too appealing to resist.

What teams would Tre target for Brodie & Stone? Would the ask be picks or players? Brodie could be a piece of the pie to acquire a larger impactful asset.

Interesting summer awaits.....

[bigrangy]

The problem with trading Hanifin now is that you’re doing it at a low point in value. He is very solid but he’s been tasked with carrying around Hamonic all year which I wouldn’t expect any 21 year old to be able to pull off, especially when the pace picks up later in the season.

Pair him with a good defenseman next year and have him focus more on taking the offensive responsibility rather than babysitting and I think he will surprise a lot of people. He’s very skilled but obviously still a work in progress.

All that said, hopefully Yelesin is good, but it would surprise me if he stuck all year in the NHL, there’s no need to run anyone out of town to make room for him.