Eriksson hasn't looked the same after his concussions. Again, maybe he gets it back, but I wouldn't give up assets to find out.
I'd give up Martin for him, easily.
Unless he's drastically changed his mind, Martin signed in Pittsburgh to contend for a Stanley Cup. Calgary as good as a run as they are having now is not contending for a Stanley Cup in the next few years unless there is a minor miracle. So, I doubt money will be enough to sign in Calgary. Also, Glencross really loves Calgary; he has a ranch there. He wouldn't be coming to Pittsburgh unless he wants to go to a contender (which I have never read anything saying that he does) or unless Pittsburgh offers Calgary a decent enough package and Calgary asks him to waive. Calgary wants futures and prospects; not defenders on expiring contracts.
I'm not at all convinced that any of these factors will matter over the long haul. First of all, I'm not at all convinced that Calgary cannot continue their move towards the playoffs. Martin, realizing his time is done, may want to become familiar with the coaching staff and organization on an up-and-coming team. He'd have a role there and a future. It certainly wouldn't be the worst option. Calgary is on the right track. You could argue that it might be comparable to Gonchar's decision to head to Ottawa in 2010, but that might be a bit of a stretch. The move would benefit Martin. Furthermore, an expiring UFA isn't necessarily a bad asset to acquire. Teams will often re-sign players they acquire during the season. It doesn't always happen, but it can.
Players fall in love with cities and teams, but there's no reason Glencross would have to sell his ranch if he left Calgary. Moreover, hockey players want to win. The Stanley Cup is precious to them. If Glencross was told that he could play for a major contender, do you honestly think he would just say "No thanks" without a second thought? This is a professional sports league.
The only valid counter-argument here is the fact that Glencross is such an integral piece for the Flames.
Martin would be an asset to most teams. You continue the trend of missing the point. The point is that they don't need more defenders. Why would a team trade assets for something that they don't need? They have a good defense and need a better PK system. Martin doesn't bring them a better PK system. Also, Martin may play a lot time short-handed which has more to do with the Penguins racking up PIM, but penalty killing negates his primary strengths in 1v1 stick on puck defending and puck moving.
To begin, I certainly "get" your point. I just disagree with you. There's a big difference.
Martin would be an asset for the penalty kill of the St. Louis Blues and he would improve their penalty kill play and could also help their even-strength transition play as well. However, to focus on the subject of the penalty kill, you eventually have to wonder if the personnel are the real issue.
With the St. Louis Blues, this clearly can't be the case. After all, Bouwmeester and Pietrangelo are high-level, minute-eating d-men. In fact, both of those players take 31.4 and 32.3 shifts per game, respectively. Their #3 guy, Shattenkirk, takes 29.8 shifts per game. Their ice times are as follows:
Pietrangelo: 25:43, 3:28PK
Bouwmeester: 23:41, 3:18PK
Shattenkirk: 22:31, 1:57PK
Their bottom three defensemen have recorded the following TOI/G numbers:
Jackman: 16:30, 2:06PK
Gunnarsson: 14:43
Lindbohm: 14:05
These figures are
unsustainable. Simply put, St. Louis has three elite d-men and three players that are carried by these elite talents.
The Blues need another minute-eating d-man to take the pressure off of their three stars. You don't want to take away PP time from Shattenkirk(3:32PP) or Pietrangelo (2:24PP) (Bouwmeester checks in at 1:51 per game), so you bring in a player like Martin to eat some PK time because
Martin, among other things, is also a PK specialist.
Now, let's take a look another Western Conference team: the Chicago Blackhawks:
Keith: 25:41/game, 2:35PK
Niklas Hjalmarsson: 21:48/game, 2:45PK
Brent Seabrook: 21:40/game, 2:01PK
Johnny Oduya: 20:20/game, 2:07PK
That ice time is much more evenly dispersed and can be maintained over a season and into the playoffs. They have the defensive depth to take on and get through St. Louis.
Here are Paul Martin's ice time stats:
22:16/game
3:50PK
1:14PP
At 20 minutes per game, including 2:30 on the PK, Martin would be an asset.
The Blues need another minute-eating defender.
