Confirmed with Link: Flames sign Tyler "Not Bennett" Wotherspoon (1 year, 2-way, $650k)

[Flameshomer]

I still think Valimaki could beat all three for the bottom pairing spot. There's just nothing that enticing about Kulak and Wotherspoon.

 

[DFF]

Wotherspoon is a bit bigger and protects the puck better but I don't know where you're getting that Kulak is the softer of the two. Kulak plays a pretty physical game, Wotherspoon not at all.

OK it's worse than I though then cause of the games I have seen Kulak, there is not much about him that is physical.

 

[Mr Snrub]

I still think Valimaki could beat all three for the bottom pairing spot. There's just nothing that enticing about Kulak and Wotherspoon.

Valimaki would have to be so unbelievably better than both of them that he'd force Gulutzan's hand. If there's any discussion at all, he's going back to the Americans given how the organisation prefers to develop defense prospects.

 

[Zirakzigil]

Valimaki would have to be so unbelievably better than both of them that he'd force Gulutzan's hand. If there's any discussion at all, he's going back to the Americans given how the organisation prefers to develop defense prospects.

Agreed with this. He would have to be better than the top 5 guys and challenging for a top 4 spot to really force their hands, and I dont see that happening. Flames wont keep him around just to play 15 minutes a night.

 

[OvermanKingGainer]

I still think Valimaki could beat all three for the bottom pairing spot. There's just nothing that enticing about Kulak and Wotherspoon.

There probably is nothing that, right now, 19 year old Valimaki is better at than 23 year old Kulak. I'd be stunned if he looks better in even one aspect during preseason.

 

[MonarchFlames]

It's better not to rush dmen. If he earns the 6th spot, by all means keep him up. But I'd rather see him do the one extra year in the CHL and if need be one year in the AHL.

 

[Lunatik]

Wotherspoon is a bit bigger and protects the puck better but I don't know where you're getting that Kulak is the softer of the two. Kulak plays a pretty physical game, Wotherspoon not at all.

I haven't posted in a while, but you seriously need to stop making **** up. Kulak is not remotely physical. The only Flames defensemen to play more than a single game in the past 2 years with a lower hit/game ratio is Brodie. Wotherspoon has more hits in 15 games than Kulak has in 29 over that time period and even Wotherspoon isn't physical enough.

Claiming Kulak is more physical than Wotherspoon is a bold faced lie.

 

[Mr Snrub]

I haven't posted in a while, but you seriously need to stop making **** up. Kulak is not remotely physical. The only Flames defensemen to play more than a single game in the past 2 years with a lower hit/game ratio is Brodie. Wotherspoon has more hits in 15 games than Kulak has in 29 over that time period and even Wotherspoon isn't physical enough.

Claiming Kulak is more physical than Wotherspoon is a bold faced lie.

I think trying to draw conclusions from limited NHL game time isn't the best strategy since the players are not really given leeway to play their games yet. I don't know if hit stats are available for the AHL but I've always noticed Kulak playing a little on the edge in Stockton.

Regardless of the fact that your first post in a while was to argue with me I was wondering where you'd been for the last month and I'm glad you're back

 

[InfinityIggy]

I don't think Wotherspoon is particularly physical but I would describe him as more physical than Kulak.

 

[Fig]

TSpoon has a nice little physicality to his game when he wants to add it in. However, for whatever reason, I haven't seen it in a while. I'm not sure if it was coached out of him or whatever, but I do know that a stay at home with slight physicality was not the dev path that management wanted with him. I forget which interview mentioned they want him to play slightly more aggressive and add a little bit of offense.

Kulak I have never gotten that type of physicality vibe. He has great skating and for sure stronger offensive instincts than TSpoon though.

 

[InfinityIggy]

TSpoon has a nice little physicality to his game when he wants to add it in. However, for whatever reason, I haven't seen it in a while. I'm not sure if it was coached out of him or whatever, but I do know that a stay at home with slight physicality was not the dev path that management wanted with him. I forget which interview mentioned they want him to play slightly more aggressive and add a little bit of offense.

Kulak I have never gotten that type of physicality vibe. He has great skating and for sure stronger offensive instincts than TSpoon though.

Kulak plays a lot like Brodie, imo.

 

[Fig]

I still think Valimaki could beat all three for the bottom pairing spot. There's just nothing that enticing about Kulak and Wotherspoon.

No, I don't see it happening. Even if everything else is on par, Kulak and TSpoon are far more familiar with Gully's system than Valimaki is.

I'd be super surprised if Valimaki was superior to one or even both, on top of being better than Bart. It's better for his dev to be sent down. A cup of coffee is fine though, but probably closer to mid season.

Kulak plays a lot like Brodie, imo.

Fair. I don't disagree with this and I think many of us are on the same page regarding Kulak's style.

 

[Johnny Hoxville]

I think Valimaki is already ahead of Kulak from a pure offensive standpoint.

 

[Mr Snrub]

It's easy to forget that Brodie had some grit to his game in the AHL as well - it's just not something that really carried over to his play in Calgary because the coaching staff saw him as a high-end puck-mover and not a guy who needed to do a lot of work along the boards. There were still pieces there in his first few games with us though - anyone remember that hit he laid on Parise behind the net in his first game or something?

I expect much the same thing will happen with Kulak as he's going to be expected to play a similar game to what Brodie does for us now. As of right now though I still think he has more of an edge than Wotherspoon.

 

[OvermanKingGainer]

Kulak plays a lot like Brodie, imo.

A bit less of a rusher, and a bit more of a shooter. His style might actually fit better in Gulutzan's restrictive system than Brodie.