No way, the german has proved nothing when he is away from McD,besides that he seems marginally interested in winning. Have fun with a guy that does not care for the next 8 years.

But don´t worry. Chia will trade him for Price after Talbot has a similar season to last year.
- DuranDuran

Sorry but got to watch the Herman Gretzky his last year of junior in K Town, can say he’s a very talented, caring, player. Guys going to get better, 8mil is too much, but it’s Pete!

Sorry but got to watch the Herman Gretzky his last year of junior in K Town, can say he’s a very talented, caring, player. Guys going to get better, 8mil is too much, but it’s Pete!
- K-man25

SHHHHHHHHHHH!

You are destroying what little arguement I have!!!

Uhh have you ever heard of Scottie Upshall?
- benmacw

Ummmm

Have a read through some of these....

https://flamesnation.ca/2...trades-in-flames-history/
- Reveen.

Not sure what this article from 7 years ago about historically bad Flames trades has to do with each of our current teams, but ok. Those were bad deals. Agreed.

Our 2nd line centre is better than their first line centre
- Reveen.

Yes, The Oilers have McDavid and Draisaitl.

But this isn't the NBA, where having one or two of the best players gives your team a chance to play in the finals. They can't do what LeBron James does, but good luck with that.

Yes, The Oilers have McDavid and Draisaitl.

But this isn't the NBA, where having one or two of the best players gives your team a chance to play in the finals. They can't do what LeBron James does, but good luck with that.
- InSutterWeTrust

You're so jealous right now

Not sure what this article from 7 years ago about historically bad Flames trades has to do with each of our current teams, but ok. Those were bad deals. Agreed.
- InSutterWeTrust

https://thehockeywriters....flames-worst-trades-ever/

Here are some recent ones... point being that every team makes boner trades

Yes, The Oilers have McDavid and Draisaitl.

But this isn't the NBA, where having one or two of the best players gives your team a chance to play in the finals. They can't do what LeBron James does, but good luck with that.
- InSutterWeTrust

I know it's sheer madness.... it's almost like having the NHL's best defense (supposedly) and a terrible goalie.

Since Chia and crew insist on just bringing in LHD, would any of you consider Seidenberg on a PTO? Know a RHD is needed but Seidenberg has been a fairly steady .3ppg dman over his career so has a little upside in that department and is more often than not a evenish player.

Take him in on a PTO and see if he can fit with someone and let guys like Bear and Bouchard mature a little more. Also as a LHD if the one playing offhanded he can make someone comfortable with an offhanded partner until Andrej is ready to return.

Not an optimal move, but a no cost effort. Better than some of the options out there. I'd consider it, but not sure if i'd waste my time with it. But seeing some of moves Chia has made it wouldnt be his worst. As long as its only a PTO.

I know it's sheer madness.... it's almost like having the NHL's best defense (supposedly) and a terrible goalie.
- Reveen.

Nashville’s is way better than Calgary’s

Since Chia and crew insist on just bringing in LHD, would any of you consider Seidenberg on a PTO? Know a RHD is needed but Seidenberg has been a fairly steady .3ppg dman over his career so has a little upside in that department and is more often than not a evenish player.

Take him in on a PTO and see if he can fit with someone and let guys like Bear and Bouchard mature a little more. Also as a LHD if the one playing offhanded he can make someone comfortable with an offhanded partner until Andrej is ready to return.

Not an optimal move, but a no cost effort. Better than some of the options out there. I'd consider it, but not sure if i'd waste my time with it. But seeing some of moves Chia has made it wouldnt be his worst. As long as its only a PTO.
- wreckage

I'd take a LHD who can play over an older broken down RHD.

Nashville’s is way better than Calgary’s
- Ihatebrianburke

Everybody outside of Calgary knows this

Everybody outside of Calgary knows this
- Reveen.

They made their defense worse and it wasn't even the best in the league last year. Yet somehow it's still the best

Just thought about this recently, but what if we were part of the third wheel for TB's acquisition of Karlsson... hear me out.

One player whom I think could be of interest, ESPECIALLY with Sekera out is Anton Stralman. He is also a RHD, which would be of use to us. He has one year left on a contract with a cap hit of 4.5m. He also has a M-NTC (modified), so it may be a possibility. He is also 32 years old. Regardless, my main concern would be with cap space allocation and the cost.

As for cap space, it would most likely mean that either that some of Stralman's salary is retained by TB (unlikely) or we sent a player back to OTT. We still have to worry about Nurse's contract, so there is that to keep in mind.

As for the cost, it could be anywhere within the range of a mid-tier pick (2nd rounder?) + a player like Jewels to OTT. You guys can mess around with that. At the end, the pairing may end up as something like this:

Nurse-Larsson
Klefbom-Stralman
Jerabek-Bennings

That top 4 corps ain't the best in the world, but it should be at least above average and give us more support for Talbot and the structure of the team in general going into this coming season.

*Further note: This allows Bennings to continue developing in a sheltered role (I don't think he is ready for that big jump in responsibility as a top 4 just yet) AND it allows Bear to further develop in the AHL (whom I think is nearly there to make the jump to the NHL, but just needs to polish his edges with regards to defensive positioning, plus I would think that having a bigger role in the AHL and playing 20 minutes a night in a top pairing would be better for his development at this point. HOWEVER, the wild card in all of this is Bouchard and how well he does out of the gates.

Thoughts?

Just thought about this recently, but what if we were part of the third wheel for TB's acquisition of Karlsson... hear me out.

Thoughts?
- EdmHockeyMan

Nah, usually when people say hear me out it's a pretty stupid (frank)ing post. So I'm not going to read it.

*Another note: This could become even more of an interesting possibility to experiment with if Sekera ends up on the LTIR list (btw, does anybody know how a player qualifies for such a thing), thus freeing up more cap space.

At the end of the day Stralman was a top pairing d-man during the regular season on one of the best teams in the league.

It's going to cost you a 1st and a sizeable plus. And that's for a guy that is a UFA in one year.

The other (frank)ing problem is he's 32. So even if you were able to extend him now and make it worth while giving up those assets, what kind of contract does he end up with?

Guy probably wants a 5 year deal. Do you really want to give him 5 years?

If he'd sign a 3 year deal at 5mil a year. Sure I'd bring him in. Doubt that's the case though

Nah, usually when people say hear me out it's a pretty stupid (frank)ing post. So I'm not going to read it.
- Lahey

It's not that bad.

Here is the TLDR version:

-Be a part of TB's acquisition for Karlsson by being the third wheel in the deal.
-Acquire Stralman in the deal (Nurse's contract may cause a problem with regards to cap space allocation)
-Helps cover the Sekera loss and strengthens the overall top 4 corps
-Gives Bennings a sheltered role and Bear more time to develop in the AHL (Bouchard may be the wild card in all of this though)
-Sekera may also end up in the LTIR list, so this could allow for an increase in cap space, thus making the deal more plausible

At the end of the day Stralman was a top pairing d-man during the regular season on one of the best teams in the league.

It's going to cost you a 1st and a sizeable plus. And that's for a guy that is a UFA in one year.

The other (frank)ing problem is he's 32. So even if you were able to extend him now and make it worth while giving up those assets, what kind of contract does he end up with?

Guy probably wants a 5 year deal. Do you really want to give him 5 years?

If he'd sign a 3 year deal at 5mil a year. Sure I'd bring him in. Doubt that's the case though
- Lahey

Don't you think a 1st and a sizeable plus is overkill for such a player at his age and current contract situation? What comparisons are there based on past trades for a similar player? Any name ring any bells?

Don't you think a 1st and a sizeable plus is overkill for such a player at his age and current contract situation? What comparisons are there based on past trades for a similar player? Any name ring any bells?
- EdmHockeyMan

How often are top pairing d-men traded?

I kinda looked and I don't really see anything the past few years. Only thing is Hainsey for a 2nd and a bum

I really don't like the cost, but everyone seems to be always looking for top 4 d-men. The fact that Stralman was a top pairing d-man last year on a real good team isn't going to help teams trying to acquire him for cheap. Plus the guy is a RHS which makes him even more desirable. The only positive thing is his offense has been going down. Maybe you get him for a 1st, but I have my doubts.

If I'm TB i'm also trying to keep him and willing to lose him for free this off-season. I'd be paying for a team to take Callahan, Girardi or Coburn.

And honestly I'm probably in the minority, but I'd take Girardi if he'd be willing to waive to come here. 3mil is something we can afford and I hear a lot of praise from teammates and coaches in the playoffs about his leadership. Similar to Orpik.

How often are top pairing d-men traded?

I kinda looked and I don't really see anything the past few years. Only thing is Hainsey for a 2nd and a bum

I really don't like the cost, but everyone seems to be always looking for top 4 d-men. The fact that Stralman was a top pairing d-man last year on a real good team isn't going to help teams trying to acquire him for cheap. Plus the guy is a RHS which makes him even more desirable. The only positive thing is his offense has been going down. Maybe you get him for a 1st, but I have my doubts.

If I'm TB i'm also trying to keep him and willing to lose him for free this off-season. I'd be paying for a team to take Callahan, Girardi or Coburn.

And honestly I'm probably in the minority, but I'd take Girardi if he'd be willing to waive to come here. 3mil is something we can afford and I hear a lot of praise from teammates and coaches in the playoffs about his leadership. Similar to Orpik.
- Lahey

Perhaps a conditional pick may be in play?
If he doesn't resign, they only get a 2nd rounder. If he resigns, that pick becomes a 1st? Additionally, we would also most likely be shipping a player out to OTT to balance the cap and possibly a pick in the end as a means for TB's end. And honestly, I wouldn't mind resigning Stralman for 4 more years. I don't even think he has ever been injured and even if he ends up in a top 4 role at the end of the tenure, that's fine by me. That is if he ages like Streit.

As for Girardi, TB fans in their threads (especially the new thread) dont seem to have a good opinion on him. Regardless, it is an option to consider as well.

Perhaps a conditional pick may be in play?
If he doesn't resign, they only get a 2nd rounder. If he resigns, that pick becomes a 1st? However, we would most likely be shipping a player out to OTT to balance the cap and possibly a pick in the end as a means for TB's end. And honestly, I wouldn't mind resigning Stralman for 4 more years. I don't even think he has ever been injured and even if he ends up in a top 4 role at the end of the tenure, that's fine by me. That is if he ages like Streit.

As for Girardi, TB fans in their threads (especially the new thread) dont seem to have a good opinion on him. Regardless, it is an option to consider as well.
- EdmHockeyMan

The problem I have with Stralman is his offense keeps dropping. We need a guy that has offense if we are adding him for 4 years. Granted his PP time has dropped, it's still a concern I'd have. I mean we can hope that one of Nurse or Klef finally get it and become point getters, but in two years from now I wouldn't be shocked to see us getting less than 80 points out of our top 4.

Fans rarely like defensive guys. The way Girardi was praised is exactly what this team is missing.

Just thought about this recently, but what if we were part of the third wheel for TB's acquisition of Karlsson... hear me out.

One player whom I think could be of interest, ESPECIALLY with Sekera out is Anton Stralman. He is also a RHD, which would be of use to us. He has one year left on a contract with a cap hit of 4.5m. He also has a M-NTC (modified), so it may be a possibility. He is also 32 years old. Regardless, my main concern would be with cap space allocation and the cost.

As for cap space, it would most likely mean that either that some of Stralman's salary is retained by TB (unlikely) or we sent a player back to OTT. We still have to worry about Nurse's contract, so there is that to keep in mind.

As for the cost, it could be anywhere within the range of a mid-tier pick (2nd rounder?) + a player like Jewels to OTT. You guys can mess around with that. At the end, the pairing may end up as something like this:

Nurse-Larsson
Klefbom-Stralman
Jerabek-Bennings

That top 4 corps ain't the best in the world, but it should be at least above average and give us more support for Talbot and the structure of the team in general going into this coming season.

*Further note: This allows Bennings to continue developing in a sheltered role (I don't think he is ready for that big jump in responsibility as a top 4 just yet) AND it allows Bear to further develop in the AHL (whom I think is nearly there to make the jump to the NHL, but just needs to polish his edges with regards to defensive positioning, plus I would think that having a bigger role in the AHL and playing 20 minutes a night in a top pairing would be better for his development at this point. HOWEVER, the wild card in all of this is Bouchard and how well he does out of the gates.

Thoughts?
- EdmHockeyMan

Nice Hallfan miniblog in the middle of the comments thread.

Nice Hallfan miniblog in the middle of the comments thread.
- leonkennedy

The problem I have with Stralman is his offense keeps dropping. We need a guy that has offense if we are adding him for 4 years. Granted his PP time has dropped, it's still a concern I'd have. I mean we can hope that one of Nurse or Klef finally get it and become point getters, but in two years from now I wouldn't be shocked to see us getting less than 80 points out of our top 4.

Fans rarely like defensive guys. The way Girardi was praised is exactly what this team is missing.
- Lahey

Yeah, at this point, our best bet for offensive production is gonna be either Nurse or Klefbom unless Bouchard comes in and carries the defense offensively.

As for the Stralman thought, it's an interesting thing to consider because I think that he would be the perfect partner for Klefbom in the way Larsson was in 2016-2017 regular season (keep in mind that I would like to see Nurse with Larsson as I think those two produced a better mutualistic partnership in terms of deployment at their best compared to the Klefbom-Larsson pairing at their best).

As for Girardi, not saying no to that possibility, but can you clarify on what you see in him with regards to utilization? In your view, what makes him stand out as a candidate option for us in the top 4 role?