Flames sign Forward Brett Ritchie (One-year, Two-way deal)

[agulati]

It is good to pick up some depth TBH. I know people were keen (as was I) to see Gawdin, Philips etc get a chance on the main roster, but due to the covid situation it is frankly not possible to have them available. If they are on the taxi squad, they will not be getting much of playing time/development time.

[Reggie Dunlop]

Originally Posted by MrMike

Did Stone get signed or released? Was their any news?

Stone was released January 13.

[Karl]

Originally Posted by Reggie Dunlop

I dunno.. is he a Rinaldo upgrade?

He's significantly better at playing hockey than Rinaldo.

[TheScorpion]

Originally Posted by Karl

He's significantly better at playing hockey than Rinaldo.

I would disagree with this. Rinaldo has an NHL attribute (speed). Not sure if I can say the same about Ritchie.

[Karl]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

I would disagree with this. Rinaldo has an NHL attribute (speed). Not sure if I can say the same about Ritchie.

It's not enough IMO because the rest of Rinaldo's attributes are so, so bad.

[SeanCharles]

Does this mean Nordstrom and Simon have been underwhelming?

Or I guess yea it could just be for some added insurance.

[Mitch]

He sucks but i understand the need for depth as a contingency plan so whatever

[Jeff Lebowski]

I know the analytics crowd has their way to evaluate players but IMO guys like this and Lucic are vital to a team like CGY.

This team needs this kind of presence who can play in the NHL. Will their corsi be sparkling? Hopefully but to me that's not their value to the team.

I like the drafting of guys like Gaudreau, Mangiapane, Phillips, Dube etc. I want that to continue so I firmly believe you need guys who will allow these guys to play their games.

Remember what Zadorov did in COL series?

I've heard the arguments that these deterrents don't show up but I totally disagree. You feel the security these guys bring. Zadorov types are less impactful.

Not everything that matters shows up on Stat sheets in this game. I'm convinced of this.

[Street Pharmacist]

Originally Posted by Jeff Lebowski

I know the analytics crowd has their way to evaluate players but IMO guys like this and Lucic are vital to a team like CGY.

This team needs this kind of presence who can play in the NHL. Will their corsi be sparkling? Hopefully but to me that's not their value to the team.

I like the drafting of guys like Gaudreau, Mangiapane, Phillips, Dube etc. I want that to continue so I firmly believe you need guys who will allow these guys to play their games.

Remember what Zadorov did in COL series?

I've heard the arguments that these deterrents don't show up but I totally disagree. You feel the security these guys bring. Zadorov types are less impactful.

Not everything that matters shows up on Stat sheets in this game. I'm convinced of this.

That may be. But there's another side to this that's missing from your analysis.

If you have a one dimensional face puncher in your lineup there's other downsides than just the fact they may allow extra goals against

1) What other player could be in the lineup? Are you blocking a younger player from coming up?

2) You're adding more minutes to other guys because the line they're on won't get as many

3) They take more penalties and that can get the other team momentum



I too am convinced there's more to the game than can currently be measured, but if these players are that important the teams would get better or worse when these players come and go. You could measure that and I don't see those results...

Did Lucic make Gaudreau better? I don't see it. I'm sure they love him, and I'm certain they feel "10 feet taller". I'm not sure that produces any better results though

[GranteedEV]

Originally Posted by Jeff Lebowski

I know the analytics crowd has their way to evaluate players but IMO guys like this and Lucic are vital to a team like CGY.

First of all, let's not lump in Lucic with guys like Ritchie and Rinaldo. While hits hands may be gone, he's still a strong defensive forward who has some utility on the PP.

This team needs this kind of presence who can play in the NHL. Will their corsi be sparkling? Hopefully but to me that's not their value to the team.

"needs"?. That's such an overstatement. Of course teams need to be able to play in a versatile way, but the emphasis is on the word play. Certain players are thrown onto the ice and yet don't play at the level needed to make a positive impact, because of other perceived (read: imaginary) effects. And then their inability to play with poise and strong positioning in the defensive and neutral zones, never mind the offensive zone, ends up a total momentum shift.

Remember what Zadorov did in COL series?

Remember what Rinaldo did in WPG and DAL series??????

I've heard the arguments that these deterrents don't show up but I totally disagree. You feel the security these guys bring. Zadorov types are less impactful.

Not everything that matters shows up on Stat sheets in this game. I'm convinced of this.

Not everything people are convinced matters shows up in results in this game.