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A few thoughts on some of the moves the Calgary Flames made to trim the roster down to 23:
1) I’ll start with Dillon Dube because he is the most impactful player involved in the cuts, especially when looking at the long-term outlook. I think sending him to Stockton for now is the right call. Andrew Mangiapane earned a regular spot, Austin Czarnik has done nothing to lose his, and it doesn’t make sense to keep Dube around as a rotational piece. He is 21-years-old and still has room to grow. He needs to play and develop. Keeping him around would be a disservice to his long-term growth and, really, a waste given they already have a capable 13th forward in Tobias Rieder. Let Dube continue to produce at the AHL level and bring him up as the ace in the hole if and when a top-9 option is required for an extended period.
2) I’m not surprised the Flames elected to keep Michael Stone over Andrew MacDonald. GM Brad Treliving has a long history with the former and it probably wouldn’t be a great look to buy him out, bring him back, and then cut him. With that said, doing so would have been best for the Flames.
A-Mac is not exactly a play driver, or efficient point producer, and yet he’s fared significantly better than Stone in both regards over the last three seasons. In that time, A-Mac has posted a -2.96 rel CF% and averaged .78 points/60 (the same as T.J. Brodie, Jonas Brodin, etc.). Meanwhile Stone recorded a -5.43 rel CF% and averaged .59 points/60, matching the likes of...Nick Seeler and Chad Ruhwedel.
I know there are bigger fish to fry than who is the 7th defender but I think the Flames are making a mistake here – assuming that MacDonald was willing to sign for ~850K or so (they don't have the cap to give him more).
3) I have no problem with Zac Rinaldo getting a contract. He is quick on the forecheck, he is physical, and he is much more disciplined than he used to be. Should he be a regular in an NHL lineup? Absolutely not, and he won’t be. He works his ass off, though, and has really matured over the years. I think it’ll be good for Dube, Matthew Phillips and some of the kids to see his work ethic in Stockton.
If he gets into a couple NHL games throughout the year when they need some bite in a rivalry game, that’s fine. If the Flames want to reward him late in the season – assuming they are playoff bound – to give others rest, that’s fine too. I’m not on board with anything more but I’m confident that’s as far as the Flames will go with him.
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