Friedman: Flames interested in Zuccarello

[Section32]

Frolik is horribly underrated, and he has chemistry with his line. Zucc is putting up far more points in NY right now, but on the Flames his ice time will be scaled back dramatically. Zucc on the 2nd line of the Flames would go from getting PP1 and about 20 minutes/night to being on a shutdown line with 15ish minutes a night (which is what Frolik is getting). It's not as simple as saying Zucc gets X amount of points on the Rangers, so replace Frolik and the Flames get X more points.

It's not a definite upgrade, and I'm not sure the coaching staff would disrupt the 3M line, who are a premiere shut down line in the league.

Even if Zucc does replace Frolik, we're looking at an upgrade on #6 forward for a 1st rounder...that's poor asset management.

I'd much rather see the Flames upgrade the 3rd line C, than push Frolik back into the bottom 6.

It is understandable that you haven't seen Zuc play that much, but he literally does everything on and off the ice. He is a pitbull that plays with a nasty edge, scores, assists and plays a great two-way game. The Rangers may not be very good right now, but his line with Zib and Kreider are one of the best in the League, and he has been an integral part of some very good Ranger teams that made deep run after deep run in the playoffs.

He would be a tremendous addition to the Flames. Your GM knows that and understands the war it will be just to get to the Finals. Some fans are going to be upset by what teams are going to give up for their post season runs.

 

[Shootertooter]

Maybe, maybe not. Boyle has the qualities that coaches love in a playoff center.

Look at what Vanek got last year. Almost nothing. I don't think Boyle is in any way a benchmark for a playmaking winger.

Zuccarello has pretty much been a 55pt player for the last 5 seasons, that has to account for some type of value over a career 4th liner who is a big body. I like Boyle, but he is a depth player at this point. I think Zuccarello instantly improves a teams top 6.

 

[Lunatik]

It is understandable that you haven't seen Zuc play that much, but he literally does everything on and off the ice. He is a pitbull that plays with a nasty edge, scores, assists and plays a great two-way game. The Rangers may not be very good right now, but his line with Zib and Kreider are one of the best in the League, and he has been an integral part of some very good Ranger teams that made deep run after deep run in the playoffs.

He would be a tremendous addition to the Flames. Your GM knows that and understands the war it will be just to get to the Finals. Some fans are going to be upset by what teams are going to give up for their post season runs.

Literally all he is saying is it depends on chemistry, which is true for every trade, but in this case Frolik has incredible chemistry with Tkachuk and Backlund, You guys need to cool your jets on throwing around the "you never see him play" bullshit.

 

[MonyontheMoney]

Would honestly love Zuccarello

 

[Hobnobs]

Frolik is horribly underrated, and he has chemistry with his line. Zucc is putting up far more points in NY right now, but on the Flames his ice time will be scaled back dramatically. Zucc on the 2nd line of the Flames would go from getting PP1 and about 20 minutes/night to being on a shutdown line with 15ish minutes a night (which is what Frolik is getting). It's not as simple as saying Zucc gets X amount of points on the Rangers, so replace Frolik and the Flames get X more points.

It's not a definite upgrade, and I'm not sure the coaching staff would disrupt the 3M line, who are a premiere shut down line in the league.

Even if Zucc does replace Frolik, we're looking at an upgrade on #6 forward for a 1st rounder...that's poor asset management.

I'd much rather see the Flames upgrade the 3rd line C, than push Frolik back into the bottom 6.

Frolik might be underrated but he is still not as good as Zuccarello. Now if the argument is that Flames needs is elsewhere (3rd C, a D) thats fine. But lets not pretend that adding Zucc wouldnt be a huge upgrade to the Flames top-6, PP and PK....

PS. The people whos saying Frolik isnt a good 2nd liner obviously doesnt know what they are talking about.

 

[marciiauzii]

Am I the only Rangers fan that hopes that Zuke will stay?

 

[wafflepadsave]

Gotta wait to see where stone and some other players go before zucc I'd assume .

One guy I follow seems to think that stone is just about resigned. We’ See.

 

[crackdown44]

Frolik might be underrated but he is still not as good as Zuccarello. Now if the argument is that Flames needs is elsewhere (3rd C, a D) thats fine. But lets not pretend that adding Zucc wouldnt be a huge upgrade to the Flames top-6, PP and PK....

PS. The people whos saying Frolik isnt a good 2nd liner obviously doesnt know what they are talking about.

I don’t think anyone is suggesting that Zucc isn’t better than Frolik. It’s pretty obvious that he is

But the effectiveness and chemistry that the 3M line (Tkachuk-Backlund-Frolik) has as a shutdown line can’t be ignored. It’s been pretty crucial to our success so far

He’s not kicking Lindholm off the first line, so I’m not sure he necessarily fits in the top 6. I’d certainly love to have him because he’d be huge for the 2nd PP and would give us a ton of versatility to shuffle things up when things aren’t going great

I’m not sure I’d pay what some rangers fans are asking but maybe Treliving thinks differently. Will be fun to watch

 

[Lunatik]

Frolik might be underrated but he is still not as good as Zuccarello. Now if the argument is that Flames needs is elsewhere (3rd C, a D) thats fine. But lets not pretend that adding Zucc wouldnt be a huge upgrade to the Flames top-6, PP and PK....

PS. The people whos saying Frolik isnt a good 2nd liner obviously doesnt know what they are talking about.

I don't think anyone is claiming Frolik is as good as Zucc, the claim is we don't know whether Zucc would fit as well as Frolik. The Triple M line has been a wet dream for advanced stats lovers and eye tests back it up, we put anyone other than Fro on that line and it doesn't perform as well. Honestly, I wouldn't even try Zucc with Backlund & Tkachuk until next year, for the time being I'd play him with Jankowski & Neal. You know, assuming we can get him.

 

[BPD]

Am I the only Rangers fan that hopes that Zuke will stay?

I don't hope he stays. That's bad asset management.

I'd welcome him back gleefully with open arms on July 1.

 

[Section32]

I don't think anyone is claiming Frolik is as good as Zucc, the claim is we don't know whether Zucc would fit as well as Frolik. The Triple M line has been a wet dream for advanced stats lovers and eye tests back it up, we put anyone other than Fro on that line and it doesn't perform as well. Honestly, I wouldn't even try Zucc with Backlund & Tkachuk until next year, for the time being I'd play him with Jankowski & Neal. You know, assuming we can get him.

Understood, but go look at the comments your fellow Flame's fans are saying what they would/wouldn't give up for MZ. Regardless of chemistry, you add as many players as you can if you think you can make a real run. Sometimes adding a player is partly in order to keep him away from a rival.

Out of curiosity how many times have you watched MZ play...at all for that matter.

I also highly doubt his off-ice value in the locker room is fully known by fans a conference and 3 time zones away.

Lastly, MZ has probably been the best Ranger at finding special chemistry with a variety of lines over the past 5-6 years. He just has a special ability that most players don't. There is a reason a Hobbit from the storied hockey power of Norway has become such a valued player.

 

[The Gnome]

I love Zuccs, doesn't address our size issues. But he's go the heart of a lion, right now he's a better version of Sam Bennett with a bit less nasty. He's a perfect fit for the flames style imo. I still think we need a goon though for the playoffs.

 

[Shootertooter]

Am I the only Rangers fan that hopes that Zuke will stay?

No but you have to understand they would do the rebuild better by renting him out to another team for assets. Then if they want, pursue him as a UFA to a limited term contract......like 1yr so they do not have to protect him in the expansion draft.

 

[Shootertooter]

I love Zuccs, doesn't address our size issues. But he's go the heart of a lion, right now he's a better version of Sam Bennett with a bit less nasty. He's a perfect fit for the flames style imo. I still think we need a goon though for the playoffs.

Zuccarello and McQuaid perhaps?

 

[The Gnome]

Zuccarello and McQuaid perhaps?

Who knows...Treliving seems like one of the better GMs in the league...he has to see that as an issue going into the playoffs. We have a great team, but we lack the required sandpaper for a deep run.

 

[blankall]

Frolik might be underrated but he is still not as good as Zuccarello. Now if the argument is that Flames needs is elsewhere (3rd C, a D) thats fine. But lets not pretend that adding Zucc wouldnt be a huge upgrade to the Flames top-6, PP and PK....

PS. The people whos saying Frolik isnt a good 2nd liner obviously doesnt know what they are talking about.

It would be a marginal upgrade at a big cost. It wouldn't be huge, because Zucc would be playing a much smaller role in Calgary. He's nowhere near the big 4 forwards. So even if he's much better than Frolik, his impact will be relatively small. Zucc would only see 14ish minutes per night and be expected to play on the shut down line.

 

[Lion Hound]

Zucc's teammates are desperately trying to get the Org to keep him around.

 

[blankall]

Understood, but go look at the comments your fellow Flame's fans are saying what they would/wouldn't give up for MZ. Regardless of chemistry, you add as many players as you can if you think you can make a real run. Sometimes adding a player is partly in order to keep him away from a rival.

Out of curiosity how many times have you watched MZ play...at all for that matter.

I also highly doubt his off-ice value in the locker room is fully known by fans a conference and 3 time zones away.

Lastly, MZ has probably been the best Ranger at finding special chemistry with a variety of lines over the past 5-6 years. He just has a special ability that most players don't. There is a reason a Hobbit from the storied hockey power of Norway has become such a valued player.

The Flames are at the beginning of their window. Throwing firsts at rentals doesn't make sense.

I'd rather see them acquire a player they plan to keep long-term if the 1st is on the table.

 

[Tawnos]

The Flames are at the beginning of their window. Throwing firsts at rentals doesn't make sense.

I'd rather see them acquire a player they plan to keep long-term if the 1st is on the table.

Disclaimer: I'm not addressing you specifically since you didn't say this, only somewhat implied it.

I just want to mention that it will cost way more than a 1st to acquire a player on Zuccarello's level with term. "Let's trade our 1st for a top-6 player with term!" No... that's going cost you a top prospect, a 1st and probably a roster player. At least. The reason why 1sts are often centerpieces of rental trades is because they aren't really that valuable. It's a case where the valuation of future assets and the decreased valuation of players without a lot of term intersect.

 

[JCRangers81]

Anyone in Calgary who is trying to downplay Zucc - watch a game... keep an eye on this guy, where he goes, what he does... and most notably... how he dishes the puck. Hard to find someone in the league with better vision... he makes passes you can't even see watching the whole rink on TV.

 

[JCRangers81]

Would honestly love Zuccarello

I really don't want you to have him =] but I guarantee, should it happen, Calgary won't want him to leave.

 

[pld459666]

I understand the Flames fans that do not want to disrupt chemistry, but while hes no selke level player, Zuccs is a guy that defends very well.

My opinion, is that there is no drop off defensively, but that his presence would greatly enhance the offensive capabilities of Tkachuk and Backlund.

I believe the upgrade on the offensive side of the puck is much greater than the downgrade would be defensively.

And I think THAT is what the Flames front office is mulling over.

Either way, deal or no deal, I wish the Flames and their fans all the best this year.

 

[MonyontheMoney]

I really don't want you to have him =] but I guarantee, should it happen, Calgary won't want him to leave.

He’s been one of my favourite players to watch for years.

I think he’d slot in perfectly on the 2nd line.

Although he’s a small guy he’s got more than enough snarl and energy. Plus, adding 100 games of playoff experience to a team that severely lacks it would be great.

Gaudreau - Monahan - Lindholm
Tkachuk - Backlund - Zuccarello
Bennett - Ryan - Neal
Frolik - Jankowski - Hathaway

 

[TGWL]

I'm secretly hoping teams don't want to pay a first, or a top prospect for him, and we end up keeping him instead of taking a late 2nd, especially without a good prospect attached to it. It's not the smartest decisions, by far, but It'll be sad watching him leave. Since Callahan got traded, Zuccarello has been the heart of our team, maybe even more so than Callahan.

 

[Dijock94]

I'm secretly hoping teams don't want to pay a first, or a top prospect for him, and we end up keeping him instead of taking a late 2nd, especially without a good prospect attached to it. It's not the smartest decisions, by far, but It'll be sad watching him leave. Since Callahan got traded, Zuccarello has been the heart of our team, maybe even more so than Callahan.

I hope they rent him out for a playoff run and resign him, same goes for Hayes