Do Flames make a play for a 1st rounder? And if so, who is leaving to fetch that return?
Nation Sites
The Nation Network
FlamesNation has no direct affiliation to the Calgary Flames, Calgary Sports and Entertainment, NHL, or NHLPA
FlamesNation Mailbag: Crisis avoided (kinda)
Apr 30, 2018, 10:00 EDTUpdated: Apr 30, 2018, 01:22 EDT
I wonder how long this would be if the Flames hadn’t won in Game 82. 4,000 words? 5,000?
If the flames make a move for a first or second round pick, which prospects would they consider moving? Is anyone absolutely not moving (within reason)?
I can’t see them getting back into the first round. This year’s draft is not that great outside of the top seven or eight-ish prospects, and the teams with draft picks in the top eight are unlikely to move their picks anyways.
Besides, what point is there in drafting a guy who might be ready in two or three years when the Flames should be winning now? Especially when you likely have to give up an NHL body to do so? The Flames are more or less set for defensive prospect depth (which factors into this, as the first round is defenceman heavy), and are perhaps lagging behind some of the teams who have elite forward prospects, but aren’t struggling in that area either. I feel part of the reason Brad Treliving was comfortable trading a first round pick in the Travis Hamonic trade was because there wasn’t that much he needed to improve in his prospect ranks.
If they get a first as part of a trade package, I’m not complaining. There’s just no logical reason to go out and get one. What this year’s draft offers you is not worth paying the price of what a first rounder will cost.
Now that Carolina is almost certainly taking Svechnikov at 2, does this make Skinner potentially available? If so, should the Flames make a move for him? What would we probably be required to give up?
I don’t think Jeff Skinner will be available. He’s had a down season, sure, but trading him under the assumption Andrei Svechnikov could immediately replace him is a bit much. He’s already Carolina’s top winger, why just ditch him? Perhaps Svechnikov pushes him down a line, but that’s not that big of a concern for Carolina. They’re a team that’s starved for offensive talent, so building depth is key.
The final year of his contract starts next year anyways, so perhaps the Canes wait and see what they have before making a deal. Carolina might be looking at the playoffs next year anyways, so they’re probably reluctant to trade him. Since that’s the case, the Flames should perhaps wait until next year’s trade deadline to see what to do. I wouldn’t mind him on the team, but right now, things are looking unlikely.
An under the radar name to look out for might be Elias Lindholm. He has the history to get a bit of a raise from his $2.7M, which could pose an issue for a team with reported stinginess issues. Given the performances of last year’s 12th overall pick Martin Necas, perhaps the Canes are pressed to move on from the 2013 draft pick. The Flames have cheaper options in Mark Jankowski and/or Sam Bennett that could perhaps interest the Canes, so there’s potential for a deal there. Again, not to say that this is a lock (far from it), but perhaps an option worth considering. It will also mean that the Flames own one-fifth of 2013 first rounders, which would be neat, too.
No.
I don’t think Travis Hamonic had a disastrous season. It’s been quite clear that TJ Brodie’s struggles were dragging him down. Perhaps he did not fulfill expectations based on the price paid, but it’s hard to blame him for that given that he wasn’t the one who controlled that.
Besides, part of the reason for the acquisition cost being so high is that Hamonic still has two years left on his deal at a reasonable $3.857M AAV. If he rebounds away from Brodie, the deal looks better and better. His performances with Brett Kulak in a small sample weren’t flashy, but much better than what Brodie-Hamonic put up all year. If they can be a solid second pairing while Oliver Kylington/Rasmus Andersson/Juuso Valimaki/Adam Fox develop, that should make everyone happy.
If they move any defenceman out, it’s Brodie. He probably still holds more value on the trade market and could return an actual top six winger, which is more than his defensive partner could get. Hamonic’s value right now is likely not at all close to what the Flames paid for him.
Is it really that bad not having picks in the first few rounds this year? How much of an impact does it make?
It’s not how high, it’s what you do with it.
The Flames were in a similar situation last year. They did have a first, but they also had nothing until the fourth after that. They took promising albeit low percentage players in Adam Ruzicka, D’Artagnan Joly, and Filip Sveningsson. They’ve been good at getting value in the fourth round and beyond, adding players like Linus Lindstrom, Eetu Tuulola, Matthew Phillips, and Andrew Mangiapane in recent years. If even two of these guys makes the league (I would bet three: Mangiapane, Phillips, Joly) that’s more than most teams will get out of those rounds. I would remain calm given what the scouting staff has been able to find in later rounds.
It might impact the AHL team a bit, as they will have less Flames prospects to fill out the lineup, but I doubt it’s going to be a major talent drain. The Flames still have lots of talent in the system, and if they can snag one useful player from this draft, they should be fine. Linus Nyman and Riley Sutter are who I would consider in the fourth to keep that pipeline flowing.
What do you think the most pressing need is on the team? Is it bottom 6? A backup goalie? A top line winger? All of the above?
Top line winger, backup goalie, bottom sixer in that order.
When Micheal Ferland was on, he was on. The problem is that when he was off, it really impacted the whole line, and he was off most of the time. Not to say that he’s bad, just that he’s not a full-time first liner. You can only imagine what Johnny Gaudreau could do with a consistent right winger (well and a working powerplay. And a healthy Sean Monahan. Kid still put up 84 points). Perhaps Matthew Tkachuk can fill that role full-time, but then you would have to find a replacement on the 3M line, and I don’t think Bennett is going to cut it.
Backup goalie is a very close second need, because there’s no real telling how Mike Smith will perform next season when you factor in his health and age. Given that David Rittich and Jon Gillies both had highs and lows in both the AHL and NHL, it’s going to be kind of hard to determine which should get the backup role in the span of the preseason. If neither of them look great, it’s a problem. If Smith starts falling apart in net and neither are there to pick up the pieces, it might be time to start scouting the 2019 draft.
The bottom six can likely be fixed internally. There’s no real pressing need there. They can find someone off the scrap heap in training camp if they really need them. Probably won’t come to that.
I mean, Jim Benning is almost certainly going to make a bad pick, so you can watch that. Otherwise, mow your lawn or something. I don’t know.
Recent articles from christian tiberi
Breaking News
- Flames Prospect Roundup: Jacob Battaglia had a four-point night
- NHL Notebook: Sabres fire general manager Kevyn Adams
- Beyond the Boxscore: Flames extinguished by Celebrini magic in 6-3 loss to the Sharks
- 3 predictions for the rest of the Flames season
- Report: The Flames have received plenty of calls about Rasmus Andersson since the Quinn Hughes trade