Erik Gustafsson coming back? (May 21 update in first post)

[GhostIsBae]

https://twitter.com/xStockinette/status/598977245387071488


Looks like he wants to return. Do we have a spot for him? Or will we trade his rights?

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Update May 21:

2) Hextall acknowledged that contacted the Flyers through his agent, the controversial Ritch Winter, and expressed interest in returning to the team. Gustafsson, a restricted free agent, opted last season to play in the KHL because he wanted more playing time (and more money) than he was getting in Philadelphia. The Flyers nevertheless tendered the player a qualifying offer in order to retain his NHL rights.

Gustafsson had a good KHL season as a top-pairing defenseman for Avangard Omsk. However, with his long-term ambitions still laying in the NHL and the Russian economy cratering since last year, his hope was to return to North America.

Hextall said on Wednesday that the Flyers currently don't have room for any more defensemen. Swedish newspaper Expressen reported three weeks ago that Gustafsson was in negotiations to extend his contract with Avangard.

http://www.hockeybuzz.com/blog/Bill...Medvedev-Contract-Gus-Rebuffed--More/45/68795

Click to read more...

 

[R3M1N1SC3]

Quite frankly, he's not that good. He's probably a 5/6 defensemen at best. Also, I doubt he'd be welcomed back with "open arms" by Flyers brass.

The fact that we have young guys ready to come up makes him easily expendable. I could see them just getting rid of him for a conditional pick at best.

 

[BringBackHakstol]

Might make sense to bring him back and trade MDZ.

 

[Beef Invictus]

Might make sense to bring him back and trade MDZ.

If MDZ wants a costly raise it would make sense.

 

[Nvxs07]

I was trying to post this but I couldn't get my phone to upload the image. I tweeted at Dave I about it and he said he would get back to me. Interesting to say the least.

 

[BringBackHakstol]

If MDZ wants a costly raise it would make sense.

Yeah, if mdz can't be had for what he is worth, it might be a good option.

 

[Random Forest]

Quite frankly, he's not that good. He's probably a 5/6 defensemen at best. Also, I doubt he'd be welcomed back with "open arms" by Flyers brass.

The fact that we have young guys ready to come up makes him easily expendable. I could see them just getting rid of him for a conditional pick at best.

"He's not that good". That's all I ever hear. For one, nobody is saying he is "that good". But more importantly, why the hell did he need to be "that good" to earn an opportunity?

Andrej Sustr's "not that good". Clayton Stoner's "not that good". Timonen's "not that good" anymore. And yet, they're all on strong teams who are still in the playoffs. A 5/6 defenseman is useful when he's young and/or cheap even if he's "not that good". You can be "not that good" while still being useful!

The complaint is, and always has been, that instead of going with a young and cheap 5/6 option, this team has opted for guys like Schenn, MacDonald, and even Hal fricken Gill in favor of Gustafsson.

If two years ago we had given Gustafsson some regular opportunity and experience, maybe he's a steady bottom pairing defender today. But more importantly, we'd have known what we have in Gustafsson before the log jam on D built up. Maybe he'd have blown it, but at least we'd know. And if he did manage to play his way into a regular role, then maybe that means we never pursue MacDonald. Good teams rarely have MacDonalds on them precisely because they find opportunities for their unheralded young players. If Minnesota never gave Jared Spurgeon an opportunity, maybe they would have been in need of a defender and found themselves pursuing Andrew MacDonald to fill that void instead. But they didn't because they gave an opportunity to an unheralded young defender and he ran with it.


So, yeah, you're right. He's not that good. But that's a pretty foolish reason to justify neglecting him.

The good news is that Hextall doesn't appear to be neglecting the value of "young and cheap". MDZ and Gudas are more of what we need. That kind of mentality is what averts you from costly long term mistakes like Grossmann, Schenn, and MacDonald.

 

[Striiker]

I want to know what forum all these people are reading and then coming in here whining that Gus isn't as great as everyone is saying.

How is this a difficult concept?

He's not great, but he's sure as **** better than some of the other more expensive defensemen we currently have.

So, using simple common sense, that tells us that he should be on the team over those players. That's why people want him back, not because people think he's an elite player.

 

[GKJ]

All bets are and should be off now that the idiot is no longer the coach.

I see this ending in Gustafsson being traded, though.

 

[R3M1N1SC3]

"He's not that good". That's all I ever hear. For one, nobody is saying he is "that good". But more importantly, why the hell did he need to be "that good" to earn an opportunity?

He played a number of years with the Phantoms and Flyers. If he WAS sufficient - then why is he not on our active roster?

The complaint is, and always has been, that instead of going with a young and cheap 5/6 option, this team has opted for guys like Schenn, MacDonald, and even Hal fricken Gill in favor of Gustafsson.

I highly doubt the Flyers traded JVR for Schenn and thought that he he would as bad as he is. I think they projected him to be a 2nd pairing guy. MacDonald was a solid DMan on an otherwise bad NYI team. They probably thought that would translate to more success in PHI. (Obviously, that hasn't really happened)

All in all, I'm not going to go out of my way to defend a player who high-tailed it. Is he a decent player? Yes. Is he expendable? Certainly.

At this point, I want the guys that Hextall is drafting to get a shot. Morin could be ready next year. Maybe even Hagg. Sanheim looked very good as well last year (but I think he get's another year in Juniors)

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

Not sure where he would slot in. I can't see Hextall going with a defensive core with really no big body presence.

 

[GhostIsBae]

I like him, think he has the ability but never given a solid opportunity and got jerked around too much.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7l_Ld-FXqrQ

One of my favorite gus moments!

 

[Ryker]

No, thanks, let's just get Zaitsev.

 

[Striiker]

He played a number of years with the Phantoms and Flyers. If he WAS sufficient - then why is he not on our active roster?

Because the coach was a ******.

Everyone with a brain knew he belonged in the lineup over Grossmann, Schenn, Gill, or Meszaros. The only reason he wasn't is because our dumbass goon coach had no clue what he was doing.

Have you watched any hockey the last two years?

 

[CodyTheHuman]

I see this as his rights are going to be traded.

I highly doubt the Flyers traded JVR for Schenn and thought that he he would as bad as he is. I think they projected him to be a 2nd pairing guy. MacDonald was a solid DMan on an otherwise bad NYI team. They probably thought that would translate to more success in PHI. (Obviously, that hasn't really happened)

He really wasn't. I remember when they were talking about the Flyers picking up a d-man I told my friends I was fine with anyone as long as it wasn't Andrew MacDonald. He had the 9th worst corsi in the entire league the year they traded for him. Only people on Toronto, Edmonton and Buffalo were worse. Before you say that the Islanders team was bad as a whole, he was the only player on the Islanders to be in the bottom 50 defenders in corsi that year. Every player on the team performed better without him than they did with him on the ice. He was a horrible pick up then and is even worse now.

 

[Random Forest]

He played a number of years with the Phantoms and Flyers. If he WAS sufficient - then why is he not on our active roster?

Uh...that's the point...

He was sufficient (certainly no less so than any of the guys who have regularly occupied our bottom pair over the last few years), and he never got the opportunity to stay in the lineup long term.

If he fumbled the opportunity, fine, cut ties. But he never got it, and we never found out how effective he could have been as a regular bottom pair defender. The closest he got to this opportunity was in 2012-13 during the lockout year, and he was adequate. 2013-14 should have been the year he got a regular spot in the lineup, and Berube never gave it to him.

I highly doubt the Flyers traded JVR for Schenn and thought that he he would as bad as he is. I think they projected him to be a 2nd pairing guy. MacDonald was a solid DMan on an otherwise bad NYI team. They probably thought that would translate to more success in PHI. (Obviously, that hasn't really happened)

Again, that's the damn point. If you had given a guy like Gustafsson the opportunity that he earned, maybe the Flyers wouldn't have been in the market for MacDonald in the first place.


I don't disagree that there's no conceivable way to give him a roster spot next year, but one or two years ago, it was a different story, and he could have secured his place as a cheap, young, steady 5/6 guy during that time and had some real experience going into next year.


EDIT: And MacDonald was not solid in NYI. At all.

 

[Curufinwe]

He really wasn't. I remember when they were talking about the Flyers picking up a d-man I told my friends I was fine with anyone as long as it wasn't Andrew MacDonald. He had the 9th worst corsi in the entire league the year they traded for him. Only people on Toronto, Edmonton and Buffalo were worse. Before you say that the Islanders team was bad as a whole, he was the only player on the Islanders to be in the bottom 50 defenders in corsi that year. Every player on the team performed better without him than they did with him on the ice. He was a horrible pick up then and is even worse now.

If we can judge how good a defensemen is based on Corsi, then you must think MacDonald was a much better player in 14-15 than he was 13-14. Because his Corsi was much higher this season than last, and was in the middle of the pack for Flyers defenders.

http://www.naturalstattrick.com/playerteams.php?stype=2&team=PHI&sit=ev

Colaiacovo 55.15
Coburn 50.57
Streit 50.46
LSchenn 50.4
MacDonald 49.26
Del Zotto 48.89
Schultz 47.04
Grossmann 46.1

 

[Embiid]

Pass on the cult of Gus....

 

[SolidSnakeUS]

He's better than 3 or 4 of our other D-men, and I'd like to see him return under a competent coach.

 

[Random Forest]

Pass on the cult of Gus....

Yes, the cult of "maybe this guy is a better bottom pairing option than MacDonald, Schenn, or Meszaros".


Such an unreasonable cult following he had...

 

[R3M1N1SC3]

Uh...that's the point...

He was sufficient (certainly no less so than any of the guys who have regularly occupied our bottom pair over the last few years), and he never got the opportunity to stay in the lineup long term.

If he fumbled the opportunity, fine, cut ties. But he never got it, and we never found out how effective he could have been as a regular bottom pair defender. The closest he got to this opportunity was in 2012-13 during the lockout year, and he was adequate. 2013-14 should have been the year he got a regular spot in the lineup, and Berube never gave it to him.

Again, that's the damn point. If you had given a guy like Gustafsson the opportunity that he earned, maybe the Flyers wouldn't have been in the market for MacDonald in the first place.


I don't disagree that there's no conceivable way to give him a roster spot next year, but one or two years ago, it was a different story, and he could have secured his place as a cheap, young, steady 5/6 guy during that time and had some real experience going into next year.


EDIT: And MacDonald was not solid in NYI. At all.

Again - I am not going to get crazy defending this guy. The fact is, it was bad timing. When you have more established veterans making more money, it's going to be more difficult to earn a spot. It's not just coaching, it's politics as well. That's the way of the world.

If he wouldn't have left for the KHL, he probably would have had a really good opportunity this past year.

 

[Curufinwe]

Not with Craig "never scratch Grossmann" Berube in charge.

 

[Embiid]

Yes, the cult of "maybe this guy is a better bottom pairing option than MacDonald, Schenn, or Meszaros".


Such an unreasonable cult following he had...

Well he might be the cleanest dirty shirt but that is not saying much. Yeah he is serviceable and at least he can skate but just not enamored with what he brings..particularly lack of size.

 

[Redpath]

Yeah, the lack of respect Gus gets from some posters makes no sense. People will complain about how expensive our defense is, yet the moment a comparable, cheaper player in Gustafsson gets brought up he is considered overhyped and has a cult following.

 

[nuclear reactor]

Bring back Hyka.