Player Discussion Rasmus Andersson breakout

[Darth Vladar]

I have to say that I’m kinda surprised to hear how little faith there is among certain fans in the possibility of the guys that I mentioned panning out. Obviously much can change from one season to the next, but as of right now, we have two of the OHL’s four highest scoring dmen in Mews and Parekh, and one of the QMJHL’s highest scoring dmen in Morin. Granted, points aren’t everything, but for what it’s worth, Morin is also tied for third in the league at +25. The surprise for me is how Brzu’s gaudy offensive numbers from last year haven’t quite translated to the AHL, as he sits presently tied with Kuznetsov for fourth in team scoring among dmen behind Poirier and Solo (and -2 for the record). That said, anybody who’s ever heard the kid speak knows he oozes confidence and is already a consummate pro for being so young, his game still just might need a season or two more to adjust. But assuming all of the aforementioned hit their ceiling, you’d have a pretty formidable natural four with

Parekh - Mews
Morin - Brzu

Not sure why the one commenter is so high on Kuzy, when Poirier has been knocking on the door for a minute now, and as mentioned, Solo has suited up for 10 NHL games already and didn’t look out of place. The jury might still be out on Jamieson, but he looks poised to shatter his impressive numbers from last year with Everett. Add Grush to the mix, and I don’t see how you couldn’t squeeze a third pairing out of that, whether Poirier/Solo or Kuzy/Grush. In any case, I still say there is plenty there to add to a base trio of Weegs, Bahl, and Pachal (who holds down that 3RD at a bargain, and is still only 25), making it entirely feasible that Conny could cop another 1st in one of the next two drafts as part of a package for Razzy without it setting them back too much in the relative short-term.

Note to the mods: you can move this to a separate thread if necessary, I just didn’t know how to create a new thread navigating the site on my mobile browser. Thanks in advance.

 

[Lunatik]

You keep Weegs and Ras on the blueline to insulate the kids, or you just become the Sabres/Wings/etc and create a losing culture thats hard to shake. In reality the Flames will be lucky if they get 1 top pairing guy and 1 or 2 other defensemen out of the prospects they currently have. Weegs, Ras and Bahl are the base of a solid foundation for years to come.

100%, IMO the only way Ras is traded is if he makes it clear that he's not returning. Then in the summer you do your damnedest to bring in a new top 4 defenseman to replace him (I'd target Chychrun or Lindgren since they'd be 26y/o UFAs

 

[Zirakzigil]

I have to say that I’m kinda surprised to hear how little faith there is among certain fans in the possibility of the guys that I mentioned panning out. Obviously much can change from one season to the next, but as of right now, we have two of the OHL’s four highest scoring dmen in Mews and Parekh, and one of the QMJHL’s highest scoring dmen in Morin. Granted, points aren’t everything, but for what it’s worth, Morin is also tied for third in the league at +25. The surprise for me is how Brzu’s gaudy offensive numbers from last year haven’t quite translated to the AHL, as he sits presently tied with Kuznetsov for fourth in team scoring among dmen behind Poirier and Solo (and -2 for the record). That said, anybody who’s ever heard the kid speak knows he oozes confidence and is already a consummate pro for being so young, his game still just might need a season or two more to adjust. But assuming all of the aforementioned hit their ceiling, you’d have a pretty formidable natural four with

Parekh - Mews
Morin - Brzu

Not sure why the one commenter is so high on Kuzy, when Poirier has been knocking on the door for a minute now, and as mentioned, Solo has suited up for 10 NHL games already and didn’t look out of place. The jury might still be out on Jamieson, but he looks poised to shatter his impressive numbers from last year with Everett. Add Grush to the mix, and I don’t see how you couldn’t squeeze a third pairing out of that, whether Poirier/Solo or Kuzy/Grush. In any case, I still say there is plenty there to add to a base trio of Weegs, Bahl, and Pachal (who holds down that 3RD at a bargain, and is still only 25), making it entirely feasible that Conny could cop another 1st in one of the next two drafts as part of a package for Razzy without it setting them back too much in the relative short-term.

Note to the mods: you can move this to a separate thread if necessary, I just didn’t know how to create a new thread navigating the site on my mobile browser. Thanks in advance.

Points dont really mean a lot coming from junior. If you cant play meaningful minutes in the NHL, doesnt matter how much you score. Teams dont want to a liability on the ice. Parekh looked absolutely lost playing against NHL level talent. Brzu took awhile to adjust in the AHL and its another massive step up from there to the NHL. Odds are that the Flames will be lucky if one of Parekh or Brzu become a top pairing defenseman. Defensemen are so fickle with development. You keep Ras to insulate them and not leave them out to dry and also Wolf out to dry. Dont forget you have a young goalie behind these guys. Scorched earthing the defense is exactly what Buffulo has done and its had them go nowhere fast. 1st overall picks playing in front of inexperienced goalies and losing regularly. If both Parekh and Brzu develop strongly, then you can trade from a position of strength. You trade Ras now and you are just searching for another Ras to stabilize the blueline.