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Waived: Flames waive Brett Kulak

DFF

DFF

Registered User
Feb 28, 2002
22,310
6,563
Double Dion said:
We just paid over 3 million dollars for a guy who is basically Paul Byron. Hopefully we don't have to do the same to replace Kulak next year. Seriously, why do we keep dumping useful youngish NHLers to sign Brouwers, Stones and Ryans between 3 and 4.5 million per?
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I am pretty sure this is why they waived him. They do not want to overpay the guy after a faked good season (aka Lance Bouma style).

The risk is maybe some team may claim him since they have no prospect and willing to take on somebody else arbitration problem

My guess is nobody is going to claim him but you never know, there is always some desperate team like the Oilers....lol

BTW, the Flames let Wortherspoon go and he and Kulak are essentially at the same level....(i.e fringe NHLer/minor leaguer)
 
Fig

Fig

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Dec 15, 2014
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1. Paul Byron wasn't waived because management hated him. They did so because they were trying to sneak him down to the minors due to him having a poor preseason from a surgery riddled off season and didn't earn a spot in the "always earned, never given mantra" era. If Kassian had not done his dumb car crash thing and got his contract voided that day, I think Paul Byron is still a Flame. However, I've often wondered why Byron wasn't just put on the LTIR as I seem to recall he didn't play for 4-6 weeks for Montreal while healing up.

2. I doubt Kulak is being claimed, and I wonder if the Flames are targeting a number around or below ELC (800K?) thinking Valimaki or Kylington are close enough. Kulak's style has been compared to Brodie on occasion, but Brodie and Stone were a decent pairing. Kulak and Stone looked weird together in my limited views of them. They just somehow didn't click correctly.

3. I am very surprised that OKG has not made several comments about how Brodie 2.0 is on waivers today and instead is talking about Nakladal and Byron. That being said, a few posters admit Kulak looks like he could be a decent #4. However at the same time, similar things were said about Brodie earlier in his career and many fans felt they'd be happy if Brodie was a good 3/4. He instead surprised us with a good showing as a #2 and a short stint as a pseudo #1 when Gio had his injury. It's very plausible Kulak could do the same.
 
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Snakepit

Registered User
Nov 19, 2013
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Pretty replaceable. a #6 dman is exactly what the Flames can't afford to overpay right now, if he gets claimed on waivers oh well, there's internal replacements. If he clears, then Calgary gets another leg to stand on for arbitration. Win win.

Good chance he doesn't get claimed. Any team that claims him is basically weakening their own arbitration case
 
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OvermanKingGainer

OvermanKingGainer

#BennettFreed #CurseofTheSpulll #FreeOliver
Feb 3, 2015
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Fig said:
3. I am very surprised that OKG has not made several comments about how Brodie 2.0 is on waivers today and instead is talking about Nakladal and Byron. That being said, a few posters admit Kulak looks like he could be a decent #4. However at the same time, similar things were said about Brodie earlier in his career and many fans felt they'd be happy if Brodie was a good 3/4. He instead surprised us with a good showing as a #2 and a short stint as a pseudo #1 when Gio had his injury. It's very plausible Kulak could do the same.
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When have I ever said Kulak is Brodie 2.0? The most I might have ever said comparing the two was that Kulak had similar 20-year old AHL production to Brodie and so I at the time thought he had a better chance at being an NHLer than people at the time had given him any credit for.

Kulak does skate like Brodie, but I've always compared him to a steady middle pairing two-way defensemen along the lines of Brian Dumoulin or Alec Martinez. The fanbase is just in denial about the fact that he carried our third pair last year - which is a virtual fact, not a baseless opinion. Admitting he was our #5D in terms of impact at ES is not pretending he is going to be a 50+ point elite defenseman like Brodie.
 
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nturn06

Registered User
Nov 9, 2017
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Bounces R Way said:
I really don't think there's all that much chance he's claimed. Whoever would claim him still has to go to arbitration with less than a week to prepare their case and that case is inherently weakened in that they wanted him bad enough to use a waiver claim on him in the first place.

Really his most positive attribute as a player is that he's cheap depth that won't hurt you, this is the Flames ensuring that if he stays with them that he continues to be just that.
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Yea, it is not like a team could claim him for free, and then if they don't like what he gets they can walk... Oh wait....
 
Bounces R Way

Bounces R Way

Registered User
Nov 18, 2013
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nturn06 said:
Yea, it is not like a team could claim him for free, and then if they don't like what he gets they can walk... Oh wait....
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Oh wait... So then they've just blown their waiver priority over a couple hundred thousand for a bottom pairing defenseman. They can't just walk away either, that's not how arbitration at this level works. Nothing is for free.
 
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Lunatik

Lunatik

Registered User
Oct 12, 2012
56,245
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Bounces R Way said:
Oh wait... So then they've just blown their waiver priority over a couple hundred thousand for a bottom pairing defenseman. They can't just walk away either, that's not how arbitration at this level works. Nothing is for free.
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Bounces, waiver priority doesn't change in the NHL when you put in a waiver claim. It is based on the standings (currently, last year's standings)
 
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Lunatik

Lunatik

Registered User
Oct 12, 2012
56,245
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Bounces R Way said:
Oh, I always thought you get sent to the back of the line when you put in a successful claim.
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Nope, however, they can't walk away from an arbitration award unless it is over a certain threshold which iirc is between 4 and 4.5 million, sop the guy you originally quoted was wrong about them being able to walk away
 
Johnnybegood13

Johnnybegood13

Registered User
Jul 11, 2003
8,718
982
Kulak is a good skater, responsible with a little offensive upside. Flames are hoping he doesn't get claimed but I suspect he will.

A team the Islanders, Edmonton, Ottawa or Dallas could use him IMO.
 

indigobuffalo

Portage and Main
Feb 10, 2011
6,790
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Winnipeg MB
Brock Radunske said:
Why? There is enough of a log jam on the Marlies as it is.
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He wouldn’t even be eligible for the Marlies since he’s being placed on waivers. Toronto would have to determine he is worth keeping on the roster.

Could end up being the 2018 version of Frank Corrado, where they keep him in the press box. I mean, if he was a RHD I could see them taking a chance, but he’s not better than Gardiner/Rielly/Dermott.
 
Dan Kelly

Dan Kelly

Registered User
Sep 27, 2017
2,540
934
No Draft said:
I am pretty sure this is why they waived him. They do not want to overpay the guy after a faked good season (aka Lance Bouma style).

The risk is maybe some team may claim him since they have no prospect and willing to take on somebody else arbitration problem

My guess is nobody is going to claim him but you never know, there is always some desperate team like the Oilers....lol

BTW, the Flames let Wortherspoon go and he and Kulak are essentially at the same level....(i.e fringe NHLer/minor leaguer)
Click to expand...

The Oilers don't need the Flames leftover junk players.
 

jfhabs

Registered User
May 21, 2015
4,743
2,233
Fig said:
1. Paul Byron wasn't waived because management hated him. They did so because they were trying to sneak him down to the minors due to him having a poor preseason from a surgery riddled off season and didn't earn a spot in the "always earned, never given mantra" era. If Kassian had not done his dumb car crash thing and got his contract voided that day, I think Paul Byron is still a Flame. However, I've often wondered why Byron wasn't just put on the LTIR as I seem to recall he didn't play for 4-6 weeks for Montreal while healing up.

2. I doubt Kulak is being claimed, and I wonder if the Flames are targeting a number around or below ELC (800K?) thinking Valimaki or Kylington are close enough. Kulak's style has been compared to Brodie on occasion, but Brodie and Stone were a decent pairing. Kulak and Stone looked weird together in my limited views of them. They just somehow didn't click correctly.

3. I am very surprised that OKG has not made several comments about how Brodie 2.0 is on waivers today and instead is talking about Nakladal and Byron. That being said, a few posters admit Kulak looks like he could be a decent #4. However at the same time, similar things were said about Brodie earlier in his career and many fans felt they'd be happy if Brodie was a good 3/4. He instead surprised us with a good showing as a #2 and a short stint as a pseudo #1 when Gio had his injury. It's very plausible Kulak could do the same.
Click to expand...

1- Montreal was probably not last on the waiver list tho. We made the playoffs the year before, but I agree Montreal might not have picked him up if Kassian didn't f**k up.
 
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