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On Michael Stone
I did not like the decision to give Stone a multi-year extension at the time and I still don't now.
I get the Flames want established players on the 3rd pairing because depth is always a good thing, and they want to contend as early as next season, but I still don't really see what Stone brings to the table that warrants a $10.5 million commitment.
He doesn't produce at 5v5 (the likes of Luca Sbisa, Jordie Benn, Braydon Coburn and Kevan Miller had more points in that game state last season), he doesn't drive play, his penalty killing numbers aren't good (over the last three years he ranks last among blue liners on the Flames in suppressing shots and goals), and his micro stats aren't overly encouraging, either.
Using some of the great data tracked by Corey Sznajder (@ShutdownLine on Twitter), we see Stone is mediocre defending the blue line and struggles when it comes to breaking out of the zone.
Brodie aside, defensemen on the Flames last season didn't have a lot of success preventing entries -- it could be a systems thing -- but at least the big names were effective at getting the puck out of the zone once they regained possession. The same can not be said for Stone.
Perhaps softer minutes will help Stone garner better results next season. If they don't, it's going to be very tough to justify paying him the money he'll be pulling in.
On Spencer Foo
When Foo signed with the Flames, many assumed he'd be given a legitimate shot to make the team this fall (he probably wouldn't have signed otherwise).
Assistant GM
Craig Conroy recently confirmed that in an interview with NHL.com.
"My expectation for him is to push and make the NHL club," Calgary assistant general manager Craig Conroy said. "He's got speed, he's competitive, and he's got skill. The thing I like probably the most about Spencer is about how hard he competes. Does he start in the NHL? That'll be up to him.
"But I see him playing in the NHL next year. I expect that, and he probably expects that himself too."
Foo making the team out of camp is a realistic possibility -- especially if the Flames don't add another forward before then -- but I think it's important to keep expectations in check.
Yes, he put up big numbers with Union last season but the ECAC is not as tough as some of the other NCAA divisions and a lot of offense won't translate to the pros.
Drake Caggiula's 21-year-old season was better than Foo's, for example, and he produced at a 25 point pace last season.
Jimmy Vesey put up more points than Foo over his last two years in college, too, and he produced 27 points (16 goals, 11 assists) with the Rangers.
That's the kind of production you should expect from Foo if and when he makes the team. There's nothing wrong with that, either.
If Foo brings another element of speed and chips in 10 goals/20 points while playing in the bottom-6, that's a big plus. Anything more than that would be an added bonus.
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