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The Calgary Flames currently have one of the deeper bluelines in the NHL. That may not be the case a few months from now.
T.J. Brodie, Travis Hamonic, Erik Gustafsson, Derek Forbort and Michael Stone (one of these is not like the other) are all scheduled to become unrestricted free agents after the season.
Only Mark Giordano, Rasmus Andersson, and Noah Hanifin are signed beyond this year.
While there’s always the possibility GM Brad Treliving finds common ground with one or two of his pending UFAs, it’s clear the team still needs to add more depth.
That’s probably why they were able to sign NCAA defenders Connor Mackey (23) and Colton Poolman (24), despite a ton of interest league-wide.
It’s always exciting to land players an abundance of teams chased, of course, but it’s important to keep expectations realistic. I think these players are more likely to offer depth than anything substantial.
In Mackey’s case, he led all NCAA defenders in primary points at even-strength. That’s good! He had only one on the power play, though, and finished ~36th among defenders in primary points per game across all situations.
He finished with a +23 goal differential, and 70.91 Goals For%, at even-strength. That looks less remarkable when looking at the numbers without him on the ice. His team was +44 during that time and their share of the goals was 4.67% smaller *with* Mackey on the ice than without.
Don’t get me wrong, his numbers are solid. But he's hardly the next Adam Fox.
Poolman is regarded as more of a defensive defender and character player. It’s easy to see why after looking at the numbers.
He put up 17 points in 31 games as a 24-year-old. Only eight of those were primary and, like Mackey, his team controlled a larger share of the goals without him on the ice.
I wouldn’t get too excited about a guy who finished 4th among blueliners (on his team) in primary points/GP and 5th in terms of GF%; especially as a 24-year-old.
I know it’s hard to be too picky over free prospects but this is a guy who should more or less be in the prime of his career. If that’s what he’s accomplishing in his prime, I don’t think he’s a great bet to do a whole lot in Calgary.
There’s no harm in playing the lotto – particularly on one-year deals – but the Flames are probably in trouble if they’re banking on getting NHL caliber play from one or both of them this fall.
Numbers via Pick224.com and hockeydb.com
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