It is a great question. Both players will be 30 years of age when they sign their next NHL contract. Hamonic, a right-hander, and Brodie, a lefty who predominantly plays on the right side. Right side defensemen are valuable, and when you need one, they are hardly ever available. But will the Flames re-sign either guy? If both guys walk, it will leave the Flames with Andersson as their top right side defenseman and no right-handed depth behind him.
With 637 career NHL games, Hamonic plays in the trenches, a team-first player, a player who will block a shot and lay his body on the line every shift. This means his 637 career NHL games have put some wear and tear on his body, but you need guys like Hamonic to win. His current cap hit is $3.857M, which is a result of the discounted extension he signed with the Islanders years ago.
Brodie, with 634 career NHL games and counting and a $4.650M cap hit, is a different player and a better skater than Hamonic. However, you could argue that Brodie is not the same player when he is not paired with Norris winner, Mark Giordano.
For me, it comes down to the Flames needing defencemen who can play that right side, and the Flames are also desperate to find a powerplay quarterback. Perhaps Gustafsson flourishes in the powerplay role, and he is re-signed to fill that need. But let us take a look at which pending unrestricted defensemen are available that could fill those two needs:
Alex Pietrangelo - Unlikely this happens, I know. But Pietrangelo would fill both needs if Hamonic and Brodie walk. Also, Pietrangelo could cost the Flames in salary what Hamonic and Brodie make combined, or close to it. I would make a serious pitch, tell him the new arena is not that far away and give him a percentage of all Pocket Dawg sales.
Alex is the best free agent defenceman in the market. He is the best skilled all-around player. He excels at all aspects of the game.
Tyson Barrie - Around the trade deadline, Barrie's name was linked to Calgary numerous times. Western Canadian guy who is likely to return to Toronto. More offensive than both Hamonic and Brodie. Could you bring Barrie in to play second pairing minutes while running the powerplay? I'd consider it.
Tyson Barrie would be a perfect fit for a powerplay quarterback. His strength is distributing the puck up to the forwards. Controlling the powerplay would be right up his alley.
Other names available that could fill one of the two needs:
-Justin Schultz
-Torey Krug
-Joel Edmundson
-Sami Vatanen
-Radko Gudas.
My suspicion is that Hamonic signs with Winnipeg and the Flames add Tyson Barrie via free agency. I do not think the Flames spend the money to bring back both Hamonic and Brodie, and they need to get a guy who can run a powerplay, we need to find a way to reduce the on-ice time for Giordano. I could see the Flames signing both Barrie and Brodie, but that will mean we did not add a top-six forward. I am not convinced the Flames can land a guy like Taylor Hall, Mike Hoffman or Tyler Toffoli anyway, so maybe they spend their cap space on the defence and bring in Barrie and retain Brodie. That is my best guess.
You're exactly right about Hamonic. I feel strongly That the Hammer is going to the Jets. I think that he wants to be closer to his family. Finally, third fold the Winnipeg Jets need defencemen. Everyone knows that Taylor Hall would love to come home can the Flame fit him.
Hey, look! Braden Holtby is an unrestricted free agent. Sorry, Randy, this is about our defence, we can save that one for another blog.
A great job, bud. You can find Dearen on twitter @jasta28. A terrific follow. Yes, we will address the Holtby in another blog.
The next vital question is, What will the Flames to with Johnny Hockey? Should they keep him or not? I asked one of my followers on Twitter.
I think the Flames need to keep Johnny Gaudreau, simply because he’s the best and most polarizing player we’ve had since Iginla. He’s fast, exciting, and every time he touches the puck, there’s the potential for something special to happen. Trading Gaudreau, in my mind, signals that you are beginning the process of rebuilding. He’s the one that puts butts in seats at the Saddledome, and without him, our team looks a lot less formidable. While he has struggled lately, there’s still reason to believe that he has some magic left in him yet. Lastly, there’s no real evidence to suggest that “he wants to go home” aside from a radio hit he did years ago when he was essentially saying something to that effect to flatter the host who asked him the question.
First of all, I like to thank CofRedCentral for joining me on this blog. He is an excellent follow. I enjoy his tweets and his observations a great person to follow.
I concur that there is no evidence that Johnny has wanted out. I asked a Philly media representative the question. He said he would not read anything into it. Every player dreams about playing in his hometown.
Johnny is one of the best players in the League, no doubt. He has to be more consistent. I do not doubt that the Flames do not want to trade him. The problem is, I don't think they can find a suitable player to replace him.
The last guest I asked Taranjot Vining, an aspiring Broadcaster who has been running a Flames related page on Instagram for 3+ years—born and raised in Calgary. You can reach him on Instagram at @straight_outta_calgary or on twitter @Flames_Report.
I asked him the question, What happens if the Flames don't make a long run in the playoffs?
If the Flames don’t manage to make a deep run in the playoffs, I think management may be the ones to blame. Management failed to address the issue of having to add a top-six right winger and failed to add some much-needed help to boost the depth in the bottom six of the team. However, management did try to bring in pieces like Kadri, Zucker and Stone—Zucker and Stone were pieces the Flames tried to add at the 2019 Trade Deadline. Reportedly, Kadri nixed a deal that would’ve sent him to the Flames in exchange for Mark Jankowski and a few other pieces—but they failed to do so, as none of the trades went through. Either due to players nixing the trade or the team just not wanting to go through with the trade. All in all, I think management should’ve properly managed assets and brought in a piece to help the top six.
Your first comment on the top-six forward is dead on. We have not addressed that issue for some time. We have been looking for two years now for the second line. The Kadri deal was nixed, the Flames have to research to see if the player would love to play her. Management has to take the blame if this team does not make a large playoff run.
I want to thank the gentlemen for joining me in the blog. If you want a say, contact me at twitter @thefanblogger.
Stay safe.
Randy
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