Backlund Is Not a Langkow Replacement
Kent Wilson
May 31 2010 12:40PM
If you take a tour around the water coolers, comment sections and messageboards these days, you'll notice that Daymond Langkow is frequently discussed as a contract the Flames have to try to "get rid of" this summer in order to increase their budgetary flexibility. The claim is superficially defensible: at 33 years old and coming off a season that saw him score just 14 goals and 37 points, many folks are looking at his $4.5M as money that could be better spent elsewhere. In addition, with both Backlund and Stajan set to make the team as "offense first" centers, Langkow seems somehow redundant.
Flames Sign Chris Breen
Kent Wilson
May 30 2010 10:56AM
Some minor Flames news to pass along. Calgary recently signed 21 year old free agent defenseman Chris Breen to an entry level deal. The former Peterborough Pete spent 5 seasons in the OHL, compiling nominal offensive stats as a stay-at-home defender. He appeared in one game for the Abbotsford Heat on a try-out basis near the end of the AHL season.
Prospect Profiles - Ryan Howse
Kent Wilson
May 28 2010 10:40AM
The Chilliwack Bruins top scorer is perhaps the most interesting prospect in the Flames organization. Mostly because he represents a marked departure from the franchises drafting habits under the Sutter regime. Not only is he probably the smallest forward the team has drafted at 5'11" 190 pounds, but he was also classiffied a one-dimensional "offense only" player by many scouts during his draft year. You can count on one finger the amount of players the Sutter-led Flames have drafted since 2003 with that description.
Brock Otten on Greg Nemisz
Kent Wilson
May 27 2010 04:03PM
When the Flames signed Bryan Cameron, I was lucky enough to convince Brock Otten of the excellent OHL prospects blog to share some of his observations on the overaged sniper. I went back to the well this week to get some qualitative information on Greg Nemisz, whom I recently profiled here. My questions and Otten's responses after the jump.
Prospect Profiles - Mitch Wahl
Kent Wilson
May 25 2010 01:33PM
"In his draft year, he is 20th in the WHL in scoring, but more impressive to me is he is seventh in the WHL in plus-minus. That means, as a 17-year-old centerman, he is playing against other team's number one lines night in, night out. He is a playmaking center who looks to get his wingers the puck and he has very good on-ice vision and creativity."
That was Spokane Chiefs Head Coach Bill Peters commenting on Wahl back in 2008. I've made no secret of the fact that I think highly of the only player selected in the second round by Darryl Sutter and Peters remarks above highlight - I like guys who can play against the best and excel and Wahl has apparently done that for years for the Spokane Chiefs.
