What to do with Brodie and Hamonic this off-season?

[Vinny01]

Originally Posted by codynw

Good teams don't trade good players for futures, even pending UFAs. I think the only options that make sense are keep them for a playoff run and try to re-sign them (but let them walk if they're too expensive), or trade them for help in a position where there's less depth (like a top 6 forward or a goalie).

Teams get stuck with signing their players to big deals into their 30’s and the window shuts quickly. LA, Chicago are good examples. Boston was trending in that direction but they moved Lucic, and Hamilton for futures which helped rebuild the outlook of their team for the positive going forward.

Trading our 1st this year then losing one of Brodie or Hamonic for nothing is how we close this window quickly. The Flames have some very nice young high potential D coming up so they can absorb the loss of Brodie. Dumping the cap hit and acquiring the next top prospect for the organization is a move that allows them financial flexibility and hopefully another young player on an ELC that will contribute in a couple years.

[FlamesAreOne]

Hamonic is probably one of my most favourite Flames this year. Total beast and such a beauty. I would be pretty disappointed in losing him and/or Brodie.

At the end of the day, I imagine Brodie has a lot more upside in terms of trade returns so I would sell high on TJ rather than getting a solid return for Travis.

[Finger Cookin]

Re-sign both if they agree to reasonable deals and worry about expansion considerations that summer.

[Locke]

Mini-Golf is usually fun, maybe some laser-tag? I dont know if you should take Pro Athletes to Bumper Cars, I can see there being some contractual issues there.

I'm sure they're lots of fun in the Summer., Although, they'd probably want to spend time with their families.

Why do you ask?

[Fire]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Hanifin's cap is $4.95 and most fans are very happy with that. Yet Brodie isn't worth more than $5.5M?

Brodie is a top pairing defenseman that is entering his UFA years. If we can lock him up between $5.5 and 6M, I would be all over that. If he signs something in the 6s, I would be happy with that.

I don't think the Flames can go any higher than that though. If he is looking for a 7 handle, I think you have to move on and hope that the kids can fill the void

Is Brodie a true top pairing defenseman? Last couple of seasons he looked bad. Yes, the Gulutzan effect and playing on the left side, but I would think a true top pairing defenseman would overcome that. Anything over $6 million and I think Flames fans will be regretting it.

[Erick Estrada]

You can't keep everyone in a salary capped league. It's a little ways off to be discussing this but I have to imagine one of them won't be a Flame past next season as the Flames will not likely be able to pay both of them market value and they didn't draft Valimaki to be a permanent fixture in the bottom pairing.

[Kovaz]

We don't have an internal replacement for what Hamonic brings, so I'd re-sign him if his demands are at all reasonable. Losing Brodie would be a lot easier to absorb with Hanifin, Kylington, Andersson, and Valimaki all bringing some combination of skating and puck moving to the table.

Although I'd be seriously tempted to just play out the next 2 years without making any moves and see what we can accomplish. The way I see it, we're in a contention window from now until Giordano stops being elite. If hanging onto Brodie and losing him as a UFA is the best way to maximize the Giordano window then I'd be OK with that.

[DeluxeMoustache]

Originally Posted by Fire

Is Brodie a true top pairing defenseman? Last couple of seasons he looked bad. Yes, the Gulutzan effect and playing on the left side, but I would think a true top pairing defenseman would overcome that. Anything over $6 million and I think Flames fans will be regretting it.

The Gulutzan effect was strong. Consider Gio’s offense - he had 38 and 39 points in full seasons. This year 44 points in 44 games so far.

So did Gio as a true top pairing D overcome the Gulutzan effect?

[agulati]

It is good to see the depth we have on D this year. Losing one of them will definitely impact our depth. I think we see through their contracts at the very least and try to sign them to extensions (3/4 years ideally). If they continue even average play, it might not be too difficult to move them given that the cap continues to go up.

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by Fire

Is Brodie a true top pairing defenseman? Last couple of seasons he looked bad. Yes, the Gulutzan effect and playing on the left side, but I would think a true top pairing defenseman would overcome that. Anything over $6 million and I think Flames fans will be regretting it.

Yes. Brodie is a true top-pairing defenseman. He's not a player that should be featured much if at all on the power-play, but 5v5 and maybe more importantly 3v3, he's a stud. He's never suffered a major injury.

If they get Brodie anywhere between 5.5-6.5 until he's 35-36, I don't really see a time where the Flames a) regret the deal or b) couldn't trade Brodie if they needed. The guy has spent his whole career here, I'm guessing he's not going to try and take the team to the cleaners in negotiations.

Of course, they could always not sign him pre-expansion, let Seattle take Andersson/Kylington, and then re-sign him after. They'll need a D with one of the Swedes gone.

There should be no rush to move away from a 28 year old defenseman about to have his 6th straight 30 point season with beastly advanced stats making $4.65M for another two years.

[transplant99]

IMO its a no brainer that you deal Brodie and extend/keep Hamonic.

We have guys like TJ who can wheel and be able to play with a guy like Gio, but we dont have anyone else like Hamonic except....Hamonic.

I believe BT makes a TJ and something else (1st/Frolik/Bennett) trade at the draft for one of

a) a goaltender only if Rittich fizzles out down the stretch or in the playoffs

b) more likely another RH forward who can play anywhere in the top 3 lines when needed. Preferably right side 2nd line winger if Frolik is dealt, as they need at a minimum what Frolik provides but preferably an upgrade offensively. No one on the team has shown that ability beyond lindholm and he is moving no where. I guess we can hope Neal remembers how to hockey once again, but thats starting to look very iffy at best.

c) if some other glaring weakness presents itself in the next 5 months

Maybe im way off but that seems like the most likely, and somewhat necessary, path to take. Even if the team does the improbable and wins it all, there is still always turnover on the championship teams every year.

All that being said a lot can change between now and the draft and so much more information to be gleaned on all players and situations...so this may be laughable by that time too.

[GreenLantern2814]

Some fun facts:

TJ Brodie is tied for the 8th highest scoring defenseman from his draft class with Jared Spurgeon. The guys ahead of him:

Erik Karlsson
Drew Doughty
John Carlson
Alex Pietrangelo
Roman Josi
Tyler Myers
Jake Gardiner
TJ Brodie

21st in his entire draft class with GP with 537. Among defensemen, he's 12th in GP, and Travis Hamonic is 10th with 556.

Is the 2008 draft the best draft for defenseman in the last 20 years?

[Enoch Root]

Wow, Brodie was the 45th defenseman taken in the 2008 draft!

He has passed 33 of them in games played, and 37 of them in points.

"Good Chatham boy, I tell ya!"

[jonkaupp]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

Hanifin's cap is $4.95 and most fans are very happy with that. Yet Brodie isn't worth more than $5.5M?

Brodie is a top pairing defenseman that is entering his UFA years. If we can lock him up between $5.5 and 6M, I would be all over that. If he signs something in the 6s, I would be happy with that.

I don't think the Flames can go any higher than that though. If he is looking for a 7 handle, I think you have to move on and hope that the kids can fill the void

Brodie plays on the top pairing but he isn’t a top pairing defencemen. At all. Probably the 4th best defencemen on the team

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by jonkaupp

Brodie plays on the top pairing but he isn’t a top pairing defencemen. At all. Probably the 4th best defencemen on the team

Hanifin could be better than Brodie when he's 24, but he isn't now. Hamonic isn't better. Valimaki isn't. Andersson isn't. Kylington isn't.

Brodie is clearly the 2nd best D on the team.

[Enoch Root]

Originally Posted by jonkaupp

Brodie plays on the top pairing but he isn’t a top pairing defencemen. At all. Probably the 4th best defencemen on the team

No.

[shadowlord]

Andersson has looked good when paired with Gio, but obviously not as good as Brodie+Gio. That could improve as Andersson grows, but maybe it makes Brodie a little more tradeable.

I thought Brodie's scoring stats were down from previous years, but they about on pace with his average from the last 2 years under GG, and about 10 points lower than before that.

[redforever]

Originally Posted by jonkaupp

Brodie plays on the top pairing but he isn’t a top pairing defencemen. At all. Probably the 4th best defencemen on the team

Ridiculous statement.

[sempuki]

This is just a no brainier to me: you sign your best players to the best contracts you can negotiate, and if they get pushed out by a younger better player, or by the expansion draft, you trade then for assets at that time.

And since there's reason up believe both players may be willing to take some sort of home town discount, you do it 10/10 times. The only thing I can imagine is Brodie decides this is his big career payout and someone throws stupid money at him, like Toronto.

[GreenLantern2814]

Originally Posted by shadowlord

Andersson has looked good when paired with Gio, but obviously not as good as Brodie+Gio. That could improve as Andersson grows, but maybe it makes Brodie a little more tradeable.

I thought Brodie's scoring stats were down from previous years, but they about on pace with his average from the last 2 years under GG, and about 10 points lower than before that.

Everyone looks good with Gio. That's part of what makes him Gio. Prout would look like Hamonic if we played him with Gio.

Brodie can be less effective away from Giordano (this is a two-way street) but that doesn't mean he's not the 2nd best defenseman on the team.

Gio and Brodie, like Monahan and Gaudreau, compliment each other better than anyone else.