Post by Calgary Flames on Dec 15, 2022 10:07:52 GMT -6
The Calgary Flames stunned the hockey world by pulling off a blockbuster adding Mikhail Sergachev with David Krejci and Kris Russell going the other way along with former first round pick Noah Ostlund and a trio of picks including a 2024 first round pick.
Here is what GM Sean McAndrews had to say about the deal, "We are really excited to add Mikhail to our team. He's only 24 years old and we expect him to keep getting better. We like his game as he can play physical, he can really move the puck, and he is responsible at the back."
When asked about the players and picks heading out the door McAndrews commented, "It's never fun to see a teammate leave but our guys know this is part of the business. David was a great player for our team and we wish him all the best along with Kris. We also don't like trading high quality prospects or picks but given Sergachev's age we felt comfortable making the deal. Moving on from Krejci's deal also frees us up financially to make a couple more moves if they present themselves. He may retire after this season but if he does not we would have been quite limited in the offseason with what we could do."
With the move the lines are expected to shake out as follows. It should be noted that Krejci was elevated to the 2nd line after playing most of the year on the 3rd line.
LW / C / RW
Nylander / Monahan / Kane
Maltsev / Lindholm / Tatar
Fabbri / Ryan / Hathaway
Clifford / Stepan / Dzingle
LD / RD
Dahlin / Heiskanen
Sergachev / Timmins
Ruhwedel or Van Reimsdyk / Lindgren
The big improvement is obviously on the back end. While Lindgren has been very physical, he leads the team in PIMS and has been exposed at times and does not offer much offense. The Flames are hoping that with some easier minutes he can do his thing without putting the team at a disadvantage. He will likely be paired with either Ruhwedel to form a very physical pair or with TVR who has been used consistently on the PK.
However, while moving Krejci out looks good on the bank account, it creates an obviously hole in the roster upfront. Taking his spot on the second line is Maltsev who did not look good in his previous attempt playing up in the lineup. Robby Fabbri is another candidate but both have had very disappointing offensive seasons while playing on the 3rd line. Krejci also played the point on the second PP with some success but it is expected Sergachev will fill that role. The 3rd line has largely gone from a skill line to a grind line with Ryan and Hathaway getting elevated and the 4th line is sees two healthy scratches now expected to play some minutes in Stepan and Dzingle. There is the possibility that Zadina could get a whirl on the second line but the team has been very happy with his development in the farm.
If the forward depth looks a little sparse and some of the combinations don't pan out the Flames do have over $7M of cap space if they did look to add to the roster. The team is currently hovering near w wildcard playoff berth so the next several games will be critical for the roster evaluation.
Here is what GM Sean McAndrews had to say about the deal, "We are really excited to add Mikhail to our team. He's only 24 years old and we expect him to keep getting better. We like his game as he can play physical, he can really move the puck, and he is responsible at the back."
When asked about the players and picks heading out the door McAndrews commented, "It's never fun to see a teammate leave but our guys know this is part of the business. David was a great player for our team and we wish him all the best along with Kris. We also don't like trading high quality prospects or picks but given Sergachev's age we felt comfortable making the deal. Moving on from Krejci's deal also frees us up financially to make a couple more moves if they present themselves. He may retire after this season but if he does not we would have been quite limited in the offseason with what we could do."
With the move the lines are expected to shake out as follows. It should be noted that Krejci was elevated to the 2nd line after playing most of the year on the 3rd line.
LW / C / RW
Nylander / Monahan / Kane
Maltsev / Lindholm / Tatar
Fabbri / Ryan / Hathaway
Clifford / Stepan / Dzingle
LD / RD
Dahlin / Heiskanen
Sergachev / Timmins
Ruhwedel or Van Reimsdyk / Lindgren
The big improvement is obviously on the back end. While Lindgren has been very physical, he leads the team in PIMS and has been exposed at times and does not offer much offense. The Flames are hoping that with some easier minutes he can do his thing without putting the team at a disadvantage. He will likely be paired with either Ruhwedel to form a very physical pair or with TVR who has been used consistently on the PK.
However, while moving Krejci out looks good on the bank account, it creates an obviously hole in the roster upfront. Taking his spot on the second line is Maltsev who did not look good in his previous attempt playing up in the lineup. Robby Fabbri is another candidate but both have had very disappointing offensive seasons while playing on the 3rd line. Krejci also played the point on the second PP with some success but it is expected Sergachev will fill that role. The 3rd line has largely gone from a skill line to a grind line with Ryan and Hathaway getting elevated and the 4th line is sees two healthy scratches now expected to play some minutes in Stepan and Dzingle. There is the possibility that Zadina could get a whirl on the second line but the team has been very happy with his development in the farm.
If the forward depth looks a little sparse and some of the combinations don't pan out the Flames do have over $7M of cap space if they did look to add to the roster. The team is currently hovering near w wildcard playoff berth so the next several games will be critical for the roster evaluation.
