LouCifer

Thank you Kehatch. This is exactly what I was getting at. Additionally, when we get clarity as to whether or not NMCs and NTCs automatically take a "protected spot" in the event of expansion, here's our list (taken from General Fanager, the 4th Period, and War-on-ice): Player / Cap Hit / Years / Clauses Dennis Wideman / $5,250,000 / 1 / No Movement Clause (details unknown) Mason Raymond / $3,150,000 / 1 / Modified NTC (details unknown) Matt Stajan / $3,125,000 / 2 / Modified NTC (details unknown) Michael Frolik / $4,300,000 / 4 / Modified NTC (player submits list of 10 teams that he cannot be traded to Mark Giordano / $6,750,000 / 6 / Full NTC in 2016-17 to 2019-20 + Modified NTC starting in 2020-21 for remainder of contract (player submits list of 10 teams to which he cannot be traded) (I tried to put the above in a table several times, but I couldn't figure it out!) Suffice to say, I don't think Flames brass would want the first 3 players on this list to take up a protected spot if the league announces that NTCs and NMCs are automatically protected, and expansion occurs THIS offseason. Wideman being there exposes one of Brodie or Hamilton. Yikes! Perhaps if the expansion draft occurs in the 2017 off-season, really only Stajan would be a concern - if I understand the details of expansion correctly.

I agree Phoenix66 - Elliott & Allen are better options than my #5... I guess I just composed my list based on goalies that I believe could be had by the Flames, and I don't think St. Louis would let either of those 2 go - they are very good goalies (especially Elliott in the playoffs right now - just wow!) but I definitely agree they would be better options if we have an opportunity to get them!

Aplogoies in advance for the novel Thought I'd weigh in on this one as well, and put together my goalie target list in order of preference. I personally see a 3 horse race, followed by followed by some plan B's which wouldn't be the end of the world (and would only act as a stop-gap solution to buy development time). Teams in the market for goalies appear to be slim - Calgary, Toronto, and Carolina (did I miss any?) which I think bodes well for us in our search as there is a less competitive market. 1. Matt Murray (PIT): My ideal candidate for our team. Despite the lack of "NHL experience" on his resume, it does speak very well for his potential. Potential that won't cost us a $6M contract in the next few years. He's also NHL ready *now*. He's the right age to grow with the team. IMO I believe he will allow us to be a perennial Stanley Cup contender in the near future. Yes, it's been reported that BT has reached out to Pittsburgh regarding Murray - and the response was NO... however, I believe this to be posturing for Pittsburgh to get a better return... Hear me out. Marc-Andre Fleury is a Penguins Stanley Cup winning goalie who is only 31, and is locked in with 3 more seasons @ $5.75M plus a No Move Clause. He is a cherished teammate, has great personal relationships with many including Sid, and is loved by the fans. I do not forsee a scenario where Pittsburgh trades this franchise player to another team - I just can't see it. That said, I believe Pittsburgh would prefer to hold onto BOTH goalies... HOWEVER, if the NHL announces EXPANSION, this tips the scale back in our favour and benefits us immensely in the pursuit for Murray, as I believe even with a 1-team expansion, Murray would be targeted along with an unprotected veteran goalie mentor. Expansion would force Pittsburgh's hand to choose to protect 1 goalie over the other, and again I can't see Pittsburgh doing that to Fleury. Heck, if the NHL rules that players with NMCs take a 'protected spot' automatically, Murray would become available no matter what! Pittsburgh would not risk losing Murray for nothing, would they? Toronto would likely compete with us for Murray. They have a ton of draft picks at their disposal, but they are also in the Eastern Conference. Here's hoping we win this one. 2. Ben Bishop (TB): Established NHL goalie whose resume speaks for itself. Save percentage better than average on a team I do not view as a defensive powerhouse. Current cap hit $5.95 with 1 year remaining and no movement clause. If we are able to move out Dennis Wideman and his contract @ $5.25M, I don't think twice about "helping" Tampa Bay move out this contract. It's been reported that TB needs to free up cap space for their RFAs, Stamkos, and they're apparently high on giving the reigns to Vasilevsky from various articles I've read. If we plan to challenge for the cup in the next few years (2-4), I'm confident with Bishop. Bishop will instantly make us a better team IMO, however, Murray is my number 1 because I think he brings more longevity to the position and is a lower cap hit for us than Bishop over time. 3. Frederik Andersen (ANA) RFA Goalie at the end of this year expecting a pay raise. Anaheim is NOT a cap team, and they have MANY RFA and UFA players to consider re-signing this year. Andersen could be pushed out as they've reportedly chosen Gibson as their starter. 26 years old, GAA is average to above average on a good defensive team. NHL ready goalie with potential to improve - unsure what his ceiling is, but anticipate he would help us challenge for stanley cups. Wouldn't cost $6M like Bishop, but would cost us more cap space than Murray. Western Conference adversary may not want to trade with us, but I could see Toronto as better suitor with draft picks and/or low cap prospects going back in return. 4. James Reimer (SJ) UFA. How much demand is there for goalies this summer? I'm not sure Reimer gets the pay day he's looking for, which may benefit us if none of the above scenarios pan out for us. I must say I *am* very concerned about his concussion and injury history, but this is a goalie that competes hard every night, wears his heart on his jersey, and didn't throw in the towel playing for a terrible leafs team - he RAISED his game. Playing behind one of the poorest defense corps in the league, Reimer more than proved he should've started the lion's share of leaf games. But politics plays a role. Toronto had to protect the optics of the trade they made with LA for Bernier, hanging onto hope that Bernier would come around. Meanwhile, Reimer towed the company line and outshone Bernier in most of the opportunities that he got. If healthy - he solidifies the position to get us into the playoffs and I guess anything can happen then. 5. Darcy Kuemper (MIN) / Ondrej Pavelec (WPG) If all else fails - this is the last resort. I give the edge to Pavelec (especially if WPG will take Stajan off our hands in return) and hope he finds consistency for us if we end up with fewer goalie options than anticipated. He could get us back into the playoffs IMO. Kuemper is bigger risk with average stats, but has room to improve his game. I don't think he gets us into the playoffs next year, but cap and potential could fill the need immediately.

I think this is getting way out of hand. Why so serious? We're not making the playoffs this year! Look, I'm just as pissed with Hiller's play as the next guy - but why are we going bananas over BH's decision to start him tonight? Buffalo is a bottom dwelling team. Maybe he's giving Hiller the best chance to get a win. Personally, I think BH is assessing our players by putting them in different situations and seeing how they respond. With no shot at the playoffs, why not mix up the lines, find chemistry between players, put players in different situations (PP/PK) to see what you got going into next year? You can actually use games as an assessment tool, so why not take advantage of that? As for Ortio, he'll likely get the lion's share of the games if he shows he wants it. I don't recall whether it was an article or something I heard on the fan 960, but early in the year something was said about Ortios professionalism not being where it needs to be. Regardless of whether it's true or not, I haven't seen Ortio separate himself enough from Ramo or Hiller with the opportunities he's been given. I support BH. While some of what he does may not seem logical, I believe there is a purpose, learning goal, or experience he's using to help grow his players.

I think the Flames should be targeting both Anderson (RFA: Ducks) and Raanta (UFA: Rangers). I think these two could give us the 50-32 split spoken about earlier, with room to grow. Question is, what would the Ducks want from us in return?

What do you all think of the Flames looking into either Tokarski or Kuemper? Dustin Tokarski As soon as Carey Price returns to the lineup, Tokarski will likely be the odd man out in Montreal and sent back to the AHL. Mike Condon replaced him as Price’s backup prior to the season and it puts Tokarski, 26, in a tough position. Tokarski, a Memorial Cup champ, Calder Cup champ and world junior gold medallist with Team Canada, hasn’t reached his potential yet and is set to become a restricted free agent at the end of the season. Condon, meanwhile, is under contract through the 2016-17 campaign. The Habs also have Zachary Fucale waiting in the wings and they’ll want to see what he can develop into. He’s 8-3-2 with the St. John’s IceCaps in the AHL this season, which is impressive for a 20-year-old. Darcy Kuemper Minnesota Wild beat writer Michael Russo reported that it seems likely the Wild will consider trading the 25-year-old Saskatoon native. Kuemper is 3-0-4 with a .922 save percentage and 2.29 GAA in eight appearances this season. With Devan Dubnyk locked up until 2021 (at $4.333 million per year) it might be difficult to keep Kuemper. The RFA will be due a raise in the summer. Here's the full article on Sportsnet

A good read about our D... supporting the talk about Brodie being elite. http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/suddenly-hot-flames-have-their-blue-line-to-thank/

Don't look now but Ramo's play is picking up. Dallas is no pushover - moreso one of the dominant offensive teams in the league. Great showing last night, and lately. While I don't want to count my chickens to soon, I have to acknowledge his play is improving. Quite frankly, I'm on the fence about entertaining a Bernier deal. Yes, it could very well be a steal if he rounds back into form, but, living in Toronto myself, I looked at the trade that brought him to the Leafs and he was coming from the best defensive team in the league at the time in LA. I told my family and friends to hold their parade plans until we see how he performs in front of the Leafs defence because his numbers were inflated playing behind LA's defence. Will he stop the first shot? Will defensive breakdowns or his own play be his demise? Is he capable of stealing games? The verdict thus far has been pretty clear... I lean towards not bringing him here, and the only push the other way is his darn potential which for me is only supported by his draft ranking. Was it a weak draft for goalies? I'm not sure. Actually, in this post I think I've decided I'd rather stay clear of Bernier. I don't like his cap hit for such a gamble, and contracts are coming up this offseason for our core players.

He's the one that'll be sticking around, so we're showcasing the other two to interested parties