[Trade] Kulak to the Habs for Rinat Valiev and Matt Taormina

[Itse]

If a player asks to be moved, you very likely don't want him around your team much longer, because he's not going to be happy, he's not going to play his best which is only going to bring his value down in the future, and a dissatisfied player is inevitably going to be bad for morale. (Even if they're not whining about it, it's going to be noticeable and nobody wants to be around a situation like that.)

As I've already said, I also think there's a lot of value in doing favors for players when the cost is low. Team morale has a lot to do with how your players see their organization. It's a lot tougher to go to work happy and have pride in what you're doing if you think the guy pulling the strings is an a-hole.

A GM is going to have to be an a-hole sometimes. They sometimes need to trade guys have settled in deep and bleed team colours. They sometimes need to tell guys their complaints about x are without merit. They sometimes need to make threats to push guys out of complacency. They need to be tough in contract negotiations.

And players talk with each other, a lot. Anything you do to one player is likely heard in some form by everyone on that team and a lot of guys around the league too. So when players see you not just being a bastard when you need to, but also doing favours when you don't have to, they're going to remember that as a collective. If the players believe that you care about their careers, that gives you for example credibility when you ask someone to take a less flashy role, and makes you more attractive for a college UFA worrying he might not make your deep roster.

Just in general, goodwill among the players is I believe one of the best currencies to have in the long run. If on occasion it costs you a bit of depth, you'll likely make that up somewhere else at some other time, possibly many times over.

[GioforPM]

Related - does anyone want to see either Valiev or Taormina up for a stint instead of Prout, given Prout hasn't played that well and consistently is short-benched whenever he gets into a game anyway? Or someone else like Ollas-Mattsson (he of the numerous double consenants) or Hamilton (of "who the heck is Robert Hamilton and how does he have 17 points in 22 games?")

[neo45]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Related - does anyone want to see either Valiev or Taormina up for a stint instead of Prout, given Prout hasn't played that well and consistently is short-benched whenever he gets into a game anyway? Or someone else like Ollas-Mattsson (he of the numerous double consenants) or Hamilton (of "who the heck is Robert Hamilton and how does he have 17 points in 22 games?")

They aren’t even good AHL players.

Prout is still better than them. Valimaki on one leg is probably the best option still

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by neo45

They aren’t even good AHL players.

Prout is still better than them. Valimaki on one leg is probably the best option still

I haven't watched them so I don't know. Prout is, no doubt, tougher. But both Hamilton and Ollass-Mattsson are producing a bit (especially Hamilton) and they are both pluses on a team full of minuses.

ETA: looks like Hamilton is a loaner from LA/Manchester.

[neo45]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

I haven't watched them so I don't know. Prout is, no doubt, tougher. But both Hamilton and Ollass-Mattsson are producing a bit (especially Hamilton) and they are both pluses on a team full of minuses.

I meant Valiev and Taormina who have gotten beaten out for playing time by guys without contracts (AOM, Hamilton etc). I don’t know how good those two are but if we aren’t even signing them to deals I doubt management feels they have much to offer at the NHL level.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Related - does anyone want to see either Valiev or Taormina up for a stint instead of Prout, given Prout hasn't played that well and consistently is short-benched whenever he gets into a game anyway? Or someone else like Ollas-Mattsson (he of the numerous double consenants) or Hamilton (of "who the heck is Robert Hamilton and how does he have 17 points in 22 games?")

Prout is a legit NHL defenceman. I don’t think any of the names you mention would be an upgrade on him.

[Robbob]

Kulak was always a seat filler with 3 young Dmen in the wings. I think you are right that the Flames did him a solid so he could try to carve out an NHL career instead of playing in Stockton.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

Prout is a legit NHL defenceman. I don’t think any of the names you mention would be an upgrade on him.

Watching him, I don't think he can cut it any more. Can't wait for Stone to heal up and take the role.

[Zoller]

Originally Posted by neo45

It’s probably good to do something nice for a player’s career after waiving him multiple times and I assume downplaying all of his abilities in arbitration.

He had no role here and wasn’t worth anything in a trade. This at least did the player a solid and saved money. Good for Kulak that he is playing in Montreal

This is what I think the trade was all about. Treliving did Kulak a solid by trading him to the habs.

I'm happy for Kulak.

[DoubleK]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Related - does anyone want to see either Valiev or Taormina up for a stint instead of Prout, given Prout hasn't played that well and consistently is short-benched whenever he gets into a game anyway? Or someone else like Ollas-Mattsson (he of the numerous double consenants) or Hamilton (of "who the heck is Robert Hamilton and how does he have 17 points in 22 games?")

Prout has one of the toughest jobs on the team.

Playing 8 shifts once every three weeks is a very hard thing to do.

He wasn't awful last night, from what I saw he had a bad shift where his partner passed him the puck onto his backhand in the corner, which lead to a turnover and a scoring chance against. Didn't see the ice after that.

[Flames Draft Watcher]

Originally Posted by GioforPM

Watching him, I don't think he can cut it any more. Can't wait for Stone to heal up and take the role.

Well pretty hard to be in game shape and in the groove when you play once a month. I think analysis of him needs to be tempered by that.

Can't wait for Stone to take the 7th dman role? Neither of them should be playing RD ahead of Brodie, Hamonic or Andersson IMO. I guess Andersson-Stone could be a pairing.

We're really waiting on Valimaki to hopefully give us another LD option. I think Valimaki was playing a pretty mature game for his age.

Prout is a non-factor until more injuries hit. Good depth to guy to have IMO. Remember using Brennan Evans in the playoffs in 03-04? I'll take guys like Prout over AHL defensemen any day.

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by Flames Draft Watcher

Well pretty hard to be in game shape and in the groove when you play once a month. I think analysis of him needs to be tempered by that.

Can't wait for Stone to take the 7th dman role? Neither of them should be playing RD ahead of Brodie, Hamonic or Andersson IMO. I guess Andersson-Stone could be a pairing.

We're really waiting on Valimaki to hopefully give us another LD option. I think Valimaki was playing a pretty mature game for his age.

Prout is a non-factor until more injuries hit. Good depth to guy to have IMO. Remember using Brennan Evans in the playoffs in 03-04? I'll take guys like Prout over AHL defensemen any day.

Yes, Stone as 7D. He's got the experience to do it. I just consider Prout an AHL defenceman as much as anything.

Valimaki - I'm not sure he will be available for NHL this year. Until the roster opens up anyway.