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As with yesterday’s blog, today will focus on another potential player who the Calgary Flames could acquire, on the cheap, to try and add youth and potential to their lineup.
Still unsigned, Devin Setoguchi has been having difficulties finding a new home this off-season with a somewhat “lackluster” performance over his last two seasons. Having now been with the San Jose Sharks, Minnesota Wild and Winnipeg Jets over the past 4 years, the forward hasn’t been impressive enough to date in order to secure himself a new contract.
But this doesn’t mean that Setoguchi’s future is bleak, by any means. Similar to Mason Raymond signing with the Toronto Maple Leafs on a one year “prove your worth” type contract, I expect Setoguchi to do the same. The player is likely looking for a two year deal in the $3M per year range, but with this amount of time it would stand to reason that teams are not interested in his asking price.
I would hazard to say that a team, much like the Calgary Flames who can offer him time and space to find his game, will offer a 1 year, $1.5-2M year deal. While I’m not sure that the Flames are going to be high on his list of potential candidates, I would imagine that with Calgary’s lack of depth on the right wing and the fact that they have cash to throw around at the moment, that he may just consider this option.
What I like about this possible scenario is that Setoguchi could be used as nothing more than a reclamation project in which the player is allowed the time needed to prove himself again at the NHL level, and later sold for an asset or two come trade deadline day. And provided this wouldn’t be the case, the Flames would still benefit from having the forward for an entire year who could not only help them compete night in/night out, but also take some pressure off the rookies trying to make the jump.
Over the past two seasons, Setoguchi has amassed 54pts in 123 games played, which puts him at a 0.44 point per game pace. I feel that Devin can be a 40pt guy over 82 games if paired with players who can get him the puck. He has the ability to finish on scoring opportunities, however perhaps lacks in his abilities to create plays on his own. He could be considered a product of his environment, in which we see his best numbers and or offensive output coming from playing with guys who have a keen eye for moving the puck.
Having the ability to play with a guy like Johnny Gaudreau could really boost Setoguchi’s production, and who knows, maybe get this player back on track. Even then, however, there is the uncertainty of how much Gaudreau will even play this year – though I maintain he plays the majority of this season (provided he remains healthy).
What do you think?
Thanks for reading!
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