Confirmed Trade: [CGY/MTL] Brett Kulak for Matt Taormina and Rinat Valiev

[Deen]

Kulak is decent, You guys will like him.

 

[Michel Beauchamp]

Kulak is on a 1 way contract, so that's almost a million bucks in real money.

The other guy whose name I have never heard in my life is a veteran AHLer making 350k. I'd wonder if the 1 way money had anything to do with the way this trade was structured.

$400K for Taormina, $105K for Valiev.

So a net gain of $395K, minus any money that Valiev may get in the NHL this season.

 

[Michel Beauchamp]

Calgary saves nearly 470k in real dollars and avoid having a disgruntled Kulak play in Stockton

Nope.

See preceeding post.

 

[DJJones]

He won't play in the NHL though

I'd be very surprised if he isn't an everyday player by the end of the year.

 

[DFF]

For a soft guy, Kulak doesnt do anything well to be a regular on a good club. IMO.

 

[Baxterman]

He won't play in the NHL though

For a bad team like Montreal he might, but really if Kulak is on your NHL team even as the 6th guy it isn't a good sign. He just doesn't do anything good enough to really help the team in anyway.

 

[Atas2000]

Kulak has been surpassed by Andersson and Valimaki, and we need depth for our AHL defence now I guess.

I can only hope Valiev is not a complete idiot to play an "AHL depth" role to anybody.

 

[KingPuckChoo]

RECAP:

Kerby Rychel + Rinat Valiev get traded from the Leafs to the Habs

Kerby Rychel gets traded to the Flames

Rinat Valiev gets traded to the Flames

The Sedins reincarnated?

 

[Habitant le colon]

Sklenicka després Kulak Moravcik as ld in Laval could really be a solid group for our youngster rd!

 

[Ciao]

Habs fans were high on Valiev this pre-season I thought.

Well, whatever they were high on its still a head scratcher.

 

[Lunatik]

I'm digging all these waiver depth player trades. They remind me of the mostly inconsequential trades people would make just because trading was fun in NHL GM Connected leagues back in the day.

These deal might be inconsequential in the NHL. but this is huge for the Stockton Heat IMO. I don't like it much from a Flames perspective, but from a Heat perspective, this is amazing. This means we don't have to sign another AHL deal to a guy on a tryout and really solidifies their defense. I really like the work the Flames have put into making the Heat a good team this year.

 

[GeeoffBrown]

For a soft guy, Kulak doesnt do anything well to be a regular on a good club. IMO.

Kulak is an excellent skater and has a decent first pass. Most of the time you just won't notice him, which isn't the worst attribute for a bottom pairing defenseman

 

[DFF]

Kulak is an excellent skater and has a decent first pass. Most of the time you just won't notice him, which isn't the worst attribute for a bottom pairing defenseman

Sure if you just want a warm body
He got beat by more skills guys Andersson an Valimaki and a thug, prout

 

[TT1]

Hmmm dunno, i liked Valiev. He's a steady modern day dman with good decision making and he still has some untapped offensive potential.

 

[NewtJorden]

So the players traded for Tomas Plekanec are together once again

 

[DJJones]

Sure if you just want a warm body
He got beat by more skills guys Andersson an Valimaki and a thug, prout

Both of those guys should be top 4 hopefully within a year, no shame losing to them. They're our two best prospects. And Prout was brought in to sit on the bench.

I'd say he has Schlemko potential anyway. More Flames fans than not thought it was Stone that was going to be traded and Kulak stays.

 

[Lunatik]

Hmmm dunno, i liked Valiev. He's a steady modern day dman with good decision making and he still has some untapped offensive potential.

How would you describe his game? How is his skating? His shot? Is he physical?

 

[lamp9post]

For a bad team like Montreal he might, but really if Kulak is on your NHL team even as the 6th guy it isn't a good sign. He just doesn't do anything good enough to really help the team in anyway.

LOL, you said the same thing about Byron. Now I'm optimistic that Kulak might actually be a player.

 

[Lunatik]

LOL, you said the same thing about Byron. Now I'm optimistic that Kulak might actually be a player.

He was full of shit about Byron. At the very least when in Calgary he was a very good PKer and always used his wheels to create chances. He just lacked finish and had trouble staying healthy. Kulak skates well, but he's so damn soft, like butter in the sun. He's not terrible at moving the puck, but I'm not sure I'd say it's an asset either.

 

[Captain Mountain]

He was full of **** about Byron. At the very least when in Calgary he was a very good PKer and always used his wheels to create chances. He just lacked finish and had trouble staying healthy. Kulak skates well, but he's so damn soft, like butter in the sun. He's not terrible at moving the puck, but I'm not sure I'd say it's an asset either.

Byron still lacks some finish and has had a couple of injuries in Montreal. He just got a little bit more of an opportunity to actually use his insane speed and the fact that he basically only shoots in prime scoring chance areas finally paid off.

 

[junyab]

Oh hell yes...here comes the Bergevin's trademark depthvalance.

 

[Lunatik]

Byron still lacks some finish and has had a couple of injuries in Montreal. He just got a little bit more of an opportunity to actually use his insane speed and the fact that he basically only shoots in prime scoring chance areas finally paid off.

For sure. I was a huge fan of getting him in the Regehr deal. Loved him on the Abbotsford Heat too. But it didn't look to me like he was going to make it in the NHL, glad I was wrong


As for Kulak, I don't see him ever being more than a replacement level defenseman. He skates well, but makes poor decisions when it comes to pinching, I've never felt an urgency when watching him a deal as previously mentioned, he would make extra soft Charmin feel like sandpaper.

If Kulak had Byron's heart and that pit bull mentality, he too would have a shot.

 

[Captain Mountain]

For sure. I was a huge fan of getting him in the Regehr deal. Loved him on the Abbotsford Heat too. But it didn't look to me like he was going to make it in the NHL, glad I was wrong


As for Kulak, I don't see him ever being more than a replacement level defenseman. He skates well, but makes poor decisions when it comes to pinching, I've never felt an urgency when watching him a deal as previously mentioned, he would make extra soft Charmin feel like sandpaper.

If Kulak had Byron's heart and that pit bull mentality, he too would have a shot.

I'll take your word on Kulak. I know more than a few Flames fans liked him as bottom pair guy on the trade boards, but he was never really worth paying attention to when I watched the Flames (at least Byron, regardless of how much he played, had eye drawing speed). He'll be starting in Laval (with Montreal having two D on IR), so I'm not sure he's going to get much of a shot in Montreal, but Montreal doesn't really have entrenched LHD, so the path is more readily available to him here.

 

[Lunatik]

I'll take your word on Kulak. I know more than a few Flames fans liked him as bottom pair guy on the trade boards, but he was never really worth paying attention to when I watched the Flames (at least Byron, regardless of how much he played, had eye drawing speed). He'll be starting in Laval (with Montreal having two D on IR), so I'm not sure he's going to get much of a shot in Montreal, but Montreal doesn't really have entrenched LHD, so the path is more readily available to him here.

All he had to do here was beat Dalton Prout for the #7 gig and couldn't do it. He knew his job was on the line coming into camp and he laid a big fat egg. I don't dislike Kulak, but I don't see him ever being more than an adequate 6/7. Hopefully time in Laval with his buddy Culkin will help get him going

 

[Captain Mountain]

All he had to do here was beat Dalton Prout for the #7 gig and couldn't do it. He knew his job was on the line coming into camp and he laid a big fat egg. I don't dislike Kulak, but I don't see him ever being more than an adequate 6/7. Hopefully time in Laval with his buddy Culkin will help get him going

If Montreal signs Despres to an AHL contract, Culkin is probably not long for the AHL. Even if they don't, when Montreal starts to get guys back I don't see him sticking around.