Confirmed with Link: Russell Traded to Dallas for Jyrki Jokipakka, Brett Pollock, cond. 2nd round pick

[Volica]

Hope if the Penguins can't win the cup, that Dallas does, good for us with the pick, and also would like to see Russell and Benn lift the cup. Would be neat to see Spezza win it too

Am I the only guy who just wants Dallas to make the WCF and then get knocked out? Better pick for us; I like Rusty, dislike Benn (as an opponent, love him on Canada/my team) and Seguin. My hate outweighs my liking and picking better outweighs all in my books.

A day after, this trade looks even better to me. These European Dmen take a while to put it together, so I'm happy with Jokipakka; could get a bottom pair foundation member; hell, he might even develop into a nice Dougie partner or something to stabilize that pairing? The pick and the prospect are gravy. Pollock is one of their top 10 prospects, the Flames scouting staff liked him in '14, and so did BT. So that's good news. The fact there's a chance it's a 1st is silly. In this market the only 1st moved was Ladd. IF Russ gets a first, that's just a win.

 

[CraigsList]

Lol, I would have been fine for Dallas' 2nd rounder and nothing else for Russell, but receiving 2 prospects as well just makes this deal even funnier.

 

[ijk]

There wasn't a thread for Jyrki Jokipakka so I'll ask this here: How and why is he playing over 20 mins average per game for the last 4 games? Tanking, testing, injuries or has he just been impressive? Last game he played over 25 mins, which is odd since he used to play around 12-15 mins in Dallas.

 

[FLAMES666]

There wasn't a thread for Jyrki Jokipakka so I'll ask this here: How and why is he playing over 20 mins average per game for the last 4 games? Tanking, testing, injuries or has he just been impressive? Last game he played over 25 mins, which is odd since he used to play around 12-15 mins in Dallas.

Tanking: NO!
Testing: Yes
Injures: Yes

And yes he has been impressive. Pretty solid D man in my mind. Simple game but never makes a mistake. Also a lot more physical then advertised.

 

[OvermanKingGainer]

There wasn't a thread for Jyrki Jokipakka so I'll ask this here: How and why is he playing over 20 mins average per game for the last 4 games?

Well, he's really the fourth best all-around defenseman we have had available for that role. Engelland can't exit the defensive zone, Nakladal is still adjusting to the speed of the NHL game and has had a few minor gaffes, and Wideman shoots right and hasn't looked comfortable on the left side (Nakladal shoots right as well).

Tanking

Well, we're 4-1-1 in our last six, so even if that's the objective, it's backfiring

testing

Yeah, Hartley has been trying to find a partner for Dougie Hamilton. Brodie and Jokipakka have both gotten a run with him. Brodie is better, but that also means Hamilton has to take on tougher first pair assignments whereas Jokipakka-Dougie take on second pair assignments.

injuries

We've had a few. The Wideman suspension, and more recently TJ Brodie's gotten a little banged up. Now Wideman looks hurt.

has he just been impressive?

Well, not especially impressive, but he's fit well. Great first pass and a decent board game defensively. He doesn't look out of place as a #4 for us, though I'm not sure I would call him a true middle pair guy just yet. But I wouldn't call him a bottom pair only guy either. He looks like he can tween between #4 / #5 for us depending on the pairing makeup. It doesn't hurt that he's already racked up 3 assists in 8 games!

 

[Fig]

There wasn't a thread for Jyrki Jokipakka so I'll ask this here: How and why is he playing over 20 mins average per game for the last 4 games? Tanking, testing, injuries or has he just been impressive? Last game he played over 25 mins, which is odd since he used to play around 12-15 mins in Dallas.

He was initially tested as a 4/5 IIRC and just never really played himself out of that role. He has played well, made simple plays and earned more ice time from the coach.

Tanking? No.
Testing? Sure... but I think earned is the better term for it now.
Injuries? Sure... but with the return of a few players, he never played himself out of the 4/5 role. Or you can argue he's the best LD after Brodie and Gio with Wotherspoon and Smid under him.

Impressive? Hmm... he's better than advertised IMO, but he's not "impressive" so to speak. He fit well immediately. That's impressive on its own I guess. But I think we Flames fans seem to like him and wouldn't mind him in our long term plans.

 

[Calgareee]

The biggest things to like imo are size and physicality. He's steady in his own zone and does a decent job in the neutral zone. I do like that I haven't found myself shaking my head after bad pinches with him and think he's a steadying factor when on the ice with Hamilton. We definitely need size in our bottom pairings because it was pretty obvious that Russell and Wideman struggled against the California teams in particular.

 

[Lunatik]

I think you guys are ruling out tanking too quickly

 

[Pirate King Luffy]

I think you guys are ruling out tanking too quickly

 

[Janks]

I think you guys are ruling out tanking too quickly

We are playing Ortio over tank commander Hiller -safe to say we don't want Mathews or a Fin.

 

[Lunatik]

We are playing Ortio over tank commander Hiller -safe to say we don't want Mathews or a Fin.

we are also trading away players for garbage returns despite previously saying it was detrimental to do so, sitting anyone that breaks a nail and making special roster decision to coincidentally make our team worse against other bottom feeders. But if you want to believe playing one ****** goalie over another ****** goalie means they aren't tanking, carry on.

 

[Fig]

we are also trading away players for garbage returns despite previously saying it was detrimental to do so, sitting anyone that breaks a nail and making special roster decision to coincidentally make our team worse against other bottom feeders. But if you want to believe playing one ****** goalie over another ****** goalie means they aren't tanking, carry on.

Granlund
Russell
Hudler

These are the recent trades. Not sure which ones are the garbage returns. I thought each were respectable returns vs risk losing the latter two for nothing due to UFA...

As for not tanking but roster worse against other bottom feeders...

We do want to know what we have on the farm in terms of talent. Might give management a better idea of which vets may be spare cogs and which players are movable without blowing as big of a hole in the roster. If we lose, points for tanking. If we win, we wasn't tanking. Either way, knowledge is earned in terms of chemistry, NHL capabilities etc.

I dunno about deliberate tanking. But keeping Russell and Hudler (under the assumption contract talks weren't going to end well) IMO are Dan Hamhuis moves. Not a tank, but really dumb.

 

[Anglesmith]

we are also trading away players for garbage returns despite previously saying it was detrimental to do so, sitting anyone that breaks a nail and making special roster decision to coincidentally make our team worse against other bottom feeders. But if you want to believe playing one ****** goalie over another ****** goalie means they aren't tanking, carry on.

Based on all of the evidence that comes out, I don't think it can be argued that the Flames sold Hudler for less than market value.

 

[Lunatik]

Based on all of the evidence that comes out, I don't think it can be argued that the Flames sold Hudler for less than market value.

I think that is complete and utter ******** to be frank. We traded a 1st liner for a 2nd and a pick that will garner a player that at best will play when my grandkids are being potty trained.

 

[Tkachuk Norris]

I think that is complete and utter ******** to be frank. We traded a 1st liner for a 2nd and a pick that will garner a player that at best will play when my grandkids are being potty trained.

Umm Treliving has been killing it in trades lately. He got the most he thought he could. End of story. Hudler struggled this year and his stat line is pretty underwhelming in Florida.

And Ortio has been good. Hiller lets in 5 goals a game. Ortio usually under 3. Therefor Ortio>Hiller

 

[Pirate King Luffy]

I think that is complete and utter ******** to be frank. We traded a 1st liner for a 2nd and a pick that will garner a player that at best will play when my grandkids are being potty trained.

We shouldn't trade anyone at all.

 

[SmellOfVictory]

I think that is complete and utter ******** to be frank. We traded a 1st liner for a 2nd and a pick that will garner a player that at best will play when my grandkids are being potty trained.

Let's throw out this hypothetical: Flames couldn't come to terms with Hudler, so he's going to walk as UFA at the end of the season. Are you saying you'd rather just have him walk in the off-season, while the Flames probably perform at roughly the same level as they are now without him, with no hope of playoffs? What's the point?

If they thought he fit long-term, or if they could have re-signed him, they obviously would have, so I don't see why your panties are in such a tight bunch about trading him for a 2nd round pick. There isn't some "player value matrix" that GMs use to determine what they're willing to give for particular players; the value of each player is hugely subjective, and in this case Hudler was valued differently by the GMs who wanted him than we did.

 

[Fig]

I think that is complete and utter ******** to be frank. We traded a 1st liner for a 2nd and a pick that will garner a player that at best will play when my grandkids are being potty trained.

Is Hudler the only garbage return? IMO we made off like bandits on Granlund and Russell.

 

[TheHudlinator]

I think that is complete and utter ******** to be frank. We traded a 1st liner for a 2nd and a pick that will garner a player that at best will play when my grandkids are being potty trained.

As a huge Hudler fan, I agree the return was disappointing but seeing the returns of other forwards I believe management when they said they didn't believe they would get a better offer.

 

[Anglesmith]

As a huge Hudler fan, I agree the return was disappointing but seeing the returns of other forwards I believe management when they said they didn't believe they would get a better offer.

This is exactly where I am. Initial disappointment, but rationalization over time.

There is a big difference between this case and the Cammalleri trade. For Cammy, they were being offered no higher than a 3rd. Makes a lot more sense to stand on principle in that case. The difference between a 2nd and 4th and nothing is greater than the difference between a 3rd and nothing, and I think that's probably where they draw the line.

Sounds like they made the best of a weak market, which is good. If they weren't getting many calls, it means Florida could have gone elsewhere and satisfied their needs another way, leaving us with nothing to show. Trading Hudler is good not only because it avoids losing a player for nothing, but also because we are looking after our players and giving them a chance to succeed in another environment. As a fan of Hudler, I'm happy to see him go off and try to win in Florida, given the team wasn't able to make it happen again this season. That doesn't happen if Treliving digs in his heels based on a fantasy version of fair value.

Based on Jones' comments as he left, it's good for us to have gotten rid of him from the locker room. Sounds as though he wanted to be traded. Just like the Tanguay trade, that might be addition by subtraction.

 

[InfinityIggy]

As a huge Hudler fan, I agree the return was disappointing but seeing the returns of other forwards I believe management when they said they didn't believe they would get a better offer.

Yep. I was disappointed, but looking back the return is reasonable considering the factors.

 

[Skobel24]

I think that is complete and utter ******** to be frank. We traded a 1st liner for a 2nd and a pick that will garner a player that at best will play when my grandkids are being potty trained.

It was a disappointing return, but he wasn't playing at the same level he was last season. He was back to that 50 point form. A 2nd+4th for a 2nd line winger isn't a bad return.

Stempniak got the same return, despite being a much better player this season.
Pirri went for a ****ing 5th round pick.
Purcell only returned a 3rd.

 

[Anglesmith]

It was a disappointing return, but he wasn't playing at the same level he was last season. He was back to that 50 point form. A 2nd+4th for a 2nd line winger isn't a bad return.

Stempniak got the same return, despite being a much better player this season.
Pirri went for a ****ing 5th round pick.
Purcell only returned a 3rd.

I think Pirri only got a 6th, actually.

And no, I don't think Florida is tanking.

 

[Monahan]

It was a disappointing return, but he wasn't playing at the same level he was last season. He was back to that 50 point form. A 2nd+4th for a 2nd line winger isn't a bad return.

Stempniak got the same return, despite being a much better player this season.
Pirri went for a ****ing 5th round pick.
Purcell only returned a 3rd.

Pirri went for a 6th round pick

 

[Fig]

Based on Jones' comments as he left, it's good for us to have gotten rid of him from the locker room. Sounds as though he wanted to be traded. Just like the Tanguay trade, that might be addition by subtraction.

I totally forgot we had that guy on our team.