Umm ya thats not it at all.
But thanks

Calgary should sign him, he'd be one of their best forwards.
- Fakepartofme

Agreed, I bet he won't sign until Mid-August

You completely ignore the issues involved with letting youth fail, confidence. This kind of philosophy for a rebuild is only going to breed losers. You need to surround youth with some talent so they have the opportunity to thrive and develop with players capable of supporting them.

That being said, if Grabo has locker room issues as some seem to believe, I say thanks but no thanks.
- IggyOnly

Sorry dude I thought you were Iggysbff My point remains the same, I just worded it as if you were an Oiler fan. Sorry. Not enough Crown last weekend.

Grabo was also playing through some knarly stomach issues last year too. Apparently he could barely keep his food down at all. He lost a lot of weight and that would also affect his energy levels in a big way.........

He said he started to feel better around playoff time and you could see it in his game. His compete level was through the roof in the playoffs.

id rather they grab a veteran D off the market right now.

unless cammy can be traded for a center. WSH, NJ need LW.

or even a cammy/granlund for Heatley/Coyle type trade.

have ever even watched a shift of his? the absolute one thing that is never questioned in grabo is his effort... the guy gives 150% every shift... whats questioned in him is his versatility because if he isnt playing top 6 he isnt nearly as effective of a player... doesnt have the defensive abilities to be a 3rd line centre
- DarcyTucker16

I equate a lack of defensive ability to a lack of defensive effort. To be a top 6 winger you need to put as much effort into yourr defensive zone plsy as you do going the other way. Is he an offensive talent? Absolutely, but 150% offensive effort and zero defensive effort = 75% total.

Wow! I am surprised to see you post this. You have just described the Oilers to the extreme. Yet I don't know too many Oiler fans that now say you would trade your roster with too many teams. You should know more than anybody that Monohan & Knight are nowhere near enough to start adding pieces that get you challenging for the playoffs. Why overpay withy $$$ & term to get a UFA when the team still needs to sell veterans with value & needs another wave of high end prospects & picks. Would the Oilers have signed a guy like Grabovi afterthey drafted Hall & Eberle saying the rebuild is done?? This year is a friggin given, we play young guys, we suck, we pick top 5 + any other 1st & 2nd rounders we can get from our pending UFA's this year in Stempniak, Stajan, Cammi & Butler. The next year, we probably suck again but like the Oilers last year, we do it with style & potential. After that, it'll be time to add winning pieces.
- Kevin R

I think you misunderstood what my point was (or I just expressed it poorly). I don't want to add veterans to challenge for a playoff spot. I want to add players who fill spots (instead of bring kids in who aren't ready yet) to help support and teach the youngsters who do make the squad. The Oilers have tried to make small acquisitions to make it work, I want to fill the holes for a while and provide time which I think is basically what you are getting at?

I equate a lack of defensive ability to a lack of defensive effort. To be a top 6 winger you need to put as much effort into yourr defensive zone plsy as you do going the other way. Is he an offensive talent? Absolutely, but 150% offensive effort and zero defensive effort = 75% total.
- Muskwa

That's what makes you wrong.

Well Todd! I find it funny. Everyone & I mean everyone has been screaming for Flames to rebuild. Rebuilding means gutting your core, your top 6 forwards, your top 2-4 dmen & giving young guys you feel as an organization have the talent to form your new core. That means you may have to run some key positions with some young guys realizing you are going to be developing at the NHL level. That is the only way to see if the talent translates. Grabovski is 29, what is he going to do for the Flames? Is he going to get us to the playoffs & win a Cup? Nope. Is he going to make our young guys better? Nope. Is he going to help us win games we probably shouldn't? Possibly. Do we give him a 4-5 year deal, which is probably what he's going to want? Not sure why, he'll be 32 before we start being relevant again. We got Backlund & Stajan to man the top 2 lines centre position. The Flames promised Knight a shot when they signed him & acquired him from Florida, you need to let the kid have a chance. Monohan will get his cup of coffee start the year. Will Grabovski make the flames a little better this year? Absolutely. Just not the right time for a signing like this, so it wont surprise me if you don't see any UFA signings from the Flames. I am not advocating an Oiler style rebuild but this team needs a top 5 pick next year & another TDL of selling some more vets.
- Kevin R

Wow! I am surprised to see you post this. You have just described the Oilers to the extreme. Yet I don't know too many Oiler fans that now say you would trade your roster with too many teams. You should know more than anybody that Monohan & Knight are nowhere near enough to start adding pieces that get you challenging for the playoffs. Why overpay withy $$$ & term to get a UFA when the team still needs to sell veterans with value & needs another wave of high end prospects & picks. Would the Oilers have signed a guy like Grabovi afterthey drafted Hall & Eberle saying the rebuild is done?? This year is a friggin given, we play young guys, we suck, we pick top 5 + any other 1st & 2nd rounders we can get from our pending UFA's this year in Stempniak, Stajan, Cammi & Butler. The next year, we probably suck again but like the Oilers last year, we do it with style & potential. After that, it'll be time to add winning pieces.
- Kevin R

I think an argument could be made both ways. To your Oilers point, perhaps their rebuild wouldn't have lasted so long if they had signed a guy like Grabo we only finished one position lower than them last year. Not a very impressive rebuild and shouldn't be looked at as an example. Look at Boston, they rebuilt in a two - three year time frame and had some key veterans involved like Bergeron and Chara to help the young guys learn. Letting players make the jump too early can hinder a players growth, I would say Pittsburgh did this with Marc Andre Fleury as an example.

Well Todd! I find it funny. Everyone & I mean everyone has been screaming for Flames to rebuild. Rebuilding means gutting your core, your top 6 forwards, your top 2-4 dmen & giving young guys you feel as an organization have the talent to form your new core. That means you may have to run some key positions with some young guys realizing you are going to be developing at the NHL level. That is the only way to see if the talent translates. Grabovski is 29, what is he going to do for the Flames? Is he going to get us to the playoffs & win a Cup? Nope. Is he going to make our young guys better? Nope. Is he going to help us win games we probably shouldn't? Possibly. Do we give him a 4-5 year deal, which is probably what he's going to want? Not sure why, he'll be 32 before we start being relevant again. We got Backlund & Stajan to man the top 2 lines centre position. The Flames promised Knight a shot when they signed him & acquired him from Florida, you need to let the kid have a chance. Monohan will get his cup of coffee start the year. Will Grabovski make the flames a little better this year? Absolutely. Just not the right time for a signing like this, so it wont surprise me if you don't see any UFA signings from the Flames. I am not advocating an Oiler style rebuild but this team needs a top 5 pick next year & another TDL of selling some more vets.
- Kevin R

haha, this really makes me think the Flames are the old leafs cause I said the EXACT same thing about the leafs 3-4 years ago.

Let your team suck, there's no point in being on the bubble to make the playoffs every single year cause that is NHL purgatory.

Monahan signed!

If you picked up Grabo, what do the lines look like?
- BigDre

blurry

Monahan signed!
- whipper334

Thanks Whipper! Just made my afternoon.

I prefer a simialr contract as to what iggy signed. a performance based one.

1yr, let him show what he can do, and reap the benefits if he does a lot. And his choice to move on

I would like to see more of those type of contracts popping up for the over 30 crowd.
- numbear

what are you talking about...Iggy has to play 10 Games to get his money

it is a total cap scam its not performance based at all unless you count showing up for 1/8 of the season

what are you talking about...Iggy has to play 10 Games to get his money

it is a total cap scam its not performance based at all unless you count showing up for 1/8 of the season
- flashfire

I'm sorry... What?

I'm sorry... What?
- IggyOnly

Iginla's "performance based" contract pays him a 3.5 M bonus for playing 10 games

Iginla's "performance based" contract pays him a 3.5 M bonus for playing 10 games
- flashfire

Well, playing 10 games is "performance based" whether you agree with it or not. Also, it is not a cap scam. All of his contract incentives, if earned, will count against the 14-15 cap. That's $4.2MM worth in case you are wondering.

Well, playing 10 games is "performance based" whether you agree with it or not. Also, it is not a cap scam. All of his contract incentives, if earned, will count against the 14-15 cap. That's $4.2MM worth in case you are wondering.
- IggyOnly

okay whatever you say

my point is I'm not gonna call playing 10 games to get your money a "performance based contract" for an older player. He could be -10 with zero points and still get paid

its a matter of principal, not saying anything is wrong with the contract from a CBA point of veiw

okay whatever you say

my point is I'm not gonna call playing 10 games to get your money a "performance based contract" for an older player. He could be -10 with zero points and still get paid

its a matter of principal, not saying anything is wrong with the contract from a CBA point of veiw
- flashfire

I agree...sure it's performance based, but it's so ridiculous that you can basically call it cap circumvention...just like Kovvy's contract was technically allowed, the NHL saw through what they were trying to do and said it was circumvention. Probably won't happen in this case, but they probably are gonna keep an eye on this in the future if it becomes a trend

Sorry dude I thought you were Iggysbff My point remains the same, I just worded it as if you were an Oiler fan. Sorry. Not enough Crown last weekend.
- Kevin R

Well, playing 10 games is "performance based" whether you agree with it or not. Also, it is not a cap scam. All of his contract incentives, if earned, will count against the 14-15 cap. That's $4.2MM worth in case you are wondering.
- IggyOnly

It is a cap scam. Its a way to pay him big money but defer most of it until a year later when the cap goes up. Its a scam that the NHL should deal with.

It is a cap scam. Its a way to pay him big money but defer most of it until a year later when the cap goes up. Its a scam that the NHL should deal with.
- Iggysbff

Glad some people have some sense...a 10 games played bonus that makes up the majority of his salary is an obvious attempt to get around the spirit of the CBA.

Iggy's stock has fallen fast on and off the ice

Glad some people have some sense...a 10 games played bonus that makes up the majority of his salary is an obvious attempt to get around the spirit of the CBA.

Iggy's stock has fallen fast on and off the ice
- flashfire

Oh boy, tell me how his stock has fallen off the ice? You are totally right tho, 12pts in 15 playoff games when being used in stupid situations by the coach, ya his stock sure fell.

You gotta love when armchair GM's think they know better than a GM that just took his team to the cup finals and has put together a competitive squad year after year.

Oh boy, tell me how his stock has fallen off the ice? You are totally right tho, 12pts in 15 playoff games when being used in stupid situations by the coach, ya his stock sure fell.

You gotta love when armchair GM's think they know better than a GM that just took his team to the cup finals and has put together a competitive squad year after year.
- IggyOnly

Or arm chair coaches who think they know more than a Stanley Cup winning coach.