The Flames, for all the good they’ve been doing so far this off-season, still have an incomplete team. They’ve taken steps to rectify that: maybe Matthew Tkachuk starts off as an NHLer, maybe Alex Chiasson is in fact a worthwhile pickup.

But their roster, as things currently stand, is incomplete. The Flames only qualified four of 13 restricted free agents yesterday, leaving previous mainstays in the forward corps without a contract. Joe Colborne and Josh Jooris are left, for the time being, without a team.

They’re still options, though, as are some kids still in the minors. But Chiasson hadn’t really been an option before yesterday, when the Ottawa Senators were ready to let him go to unrestricted free agency, and the Flames picked him up for cheap instead.

So let’s take a look at who the other Chiassons out there might be. The Flames won’t have the cap space to go after any big fish – but that doesn’t mean they won’t find value fish instead.

What are the Flames looking for?



Here’s what the Flames’ forward corps (approximately) looks like:

Gaudreau – Monahan – ?????

Tkachuk (?) – Bennett – ?????

Ferland – Backlund – Frolik

Bouma (?) – Stajan (?) – Chiasson

Questionables: Bollig, Colborne, Jooris, Freddie Hamilton, Shinkaruk, Grant, Raymond, Pribyl

The roster has only a few set pieces as of right now, but there’s a few obvious holes. The right wing position is absolutely nothing right now except for Michael Frolik, the left wing position needs some reinvigorating, and the fourth line centre spot is no longer Matt Stajan’s natural habitat.

The first priority is to put Frolik on the first line. He’s getting paid that money, so might as well place him there. To keep things healthy on the bottom lines, you have to find right wing depth that can, at the very least, mimic his contributions. We aren’t going to find anyone who drive possession as well as Frolik does, but there are some players who can move pucks from the defensive to offensive zone pretty well. Let’s go find some of those guys.

Second priority is the left wing. The spaces are all filled, but there are still some questions. I put Tkachuk there because he probably gets nine games to start the season. I’m not sure if he makes it, but he’s at least there to start. Lance Bouma has flopped on his face after piggybacking Backlund for a season, and could be moved. Ferland, even if he isn’t shooting <5%, probably won’t go higher than 35 points a season. Brandon Bollig is as advertised. That position needs some life.

Finally, the Flames have solid centre depth, but they could use an upgrade at 4C. Stajan is very useful, but he could have his age catch up to him and slow down past the point of replacement. We saw glimpses of that happening last year, and it could bite the Flames if he doesn’t regain his stride. Not the most immediate priority, but something worth considering.

So quickly, here’s the criteria:

Young-ish (24-28)

Good possession player

Some decent scoring numbers

Could be signed for under $2M (based on current value and previous contracts)

Without further adieu, here’s the list:

1. Colton Sceviour

Age

Position (shoots)

GP-G-A-P

CFrel%

ZSrel%

Previous Contract 27 Right Wing (right) 71-11-12-23 -2.25% -11.65% 2Y/$650,000 AAV

(notes: all Corsi and ZS stats are 5v5 and from corsica.hockey)

Sceviour isn’t a flashy name, but he does everything right. He received the toughest starts out of any Dallas Star, yet has a decent CFrel% considering. Placed in less strenuous situations, he could probably get to 30 or 40 points.

A big reason I think this move could happen is because of his previous experience under Gulutzan. Sceviour’s first two years of professional hockey were played with Gulutzan’s Texas Stars, and he quickly developed into a solid AHLer, and then a solid depth NHLer (though this was after Gulutzan was fired from Dallas). Alex Chiasson was brought in for similar reasons, and Sceviour could probably be cheaper than he is.

2. Sam Gagner

Age

Position (shoots)

GP-G-A-P

CFrel%

ZSrel%

Previous Contract 26 Centre (right) 53-8-8-16 +1.95 -3.93 3Y/$4.8M AAV

Now hear me out:

The former Oiler has certainly fallen off of a cliff since departing Edmonton (usually the inverse happens), but there is a lot of evidence that Gagner is still a very useful player that can succeed in a bottom six role. Relative to other Flyers forwards, he received the fourth worst zone starts and had the seventh best corsi. He shot around 5% at 5v5 this year. The Gagner we’ve seen recently is, most likely, a lie. The Gagner that is on the market right now could be the one who could routinely put up 40 points on the Oilers’ worst teams.

Considering that, there is no better time to pick up Gagner than this offseason. After being buried in the AHL last year, his stock is pretty much at rock bottom. He can probably be picked up for around $1.5M for only one year. Optimistically, he finds his former self and can be shipped out at the deadline or kept around if he isn’t riding a high PDO. At worst, he’s Devin Setoguchi and you bury him for no real loss.

3. Jonathan Marchessault

Age

Position (shoots)

GP-G-A-P

CFrel%

ZSrel%

Previous Contract 25 Centre (right) 45-7-11-18 1.60% -9.35% 1Y/$650,000

The undrafted Quebecor finally broke into the NHL this year after a long stint in the AHL, and he looked really good in the process. He scored at about a 30 point pace while being handed the worst zone starts of any Lightning forward.

Marchessault is still a bit of an untested commodity. He’s only received 49 NHL games, 45 from this season. He’s going to come really cheap, but comes with the added uncertainty. He might be able to stick it for 82 games, he might prove to be a fluke. I’m leaning towards the former, but nothing is really certain.

4. Devante Smith-Pelly

Age

Position

GP-G-A-P

CFrel%

ZSrel%

Previous Contract 24 Right Wing (right) 64-14-11-25 -3.27 -8.74 2Y/$800,000 AAV

Smith-Pelly has been more known for his seemingly permanent inclusion in trade rumours than his actual play, which is unfortunate because he is quite the useful hockey player. He’s slowly improved year after year,

He certainly hasn’t lived up to the name he built for himself in the AHL, but he does do good defensive work while scoring a decent amount given his TOI (1.99 P/60 at 5v5). He’s been bounced around from team to team, and with New Jersey unwilling to qualify him, he’s probably looking for another in July. The Flames can swoop in and take him (and then probably trade him. Poor DSP).

5. Beau Bennett

Age

Position (shoots)

GP-G-A-P

CFrel%

ZSrel%

Previous Contract 24 Right Wing (right) 33-6-6-12 1.03 0.07 1Y/$800,000

Beau Bennett had his own truck for the parade pic.twitter.com/UZlA8dLaD7 — Lowell Murray (@pghguyinva) June 15, 2016

That tweet sums up Beau Bennett’s main flaw. The poor youngster has had an unfortunate spree of injuries since he’s made the NHL (according to Fox, seven since 2013 and three trips to the IR), but is still a pretty good producer when healthy.

The Devils and the Penguins both didn’t feel like paying him $880,000 next year. He can probably be had for just a few dollars under that figure. At this price, Bennett is a very, very low risk player with a high potential should he remain healthy. Even if you get 3/4ths of a season with him, you could be looking at a solid 3/4 RW for about 40 points. All that we ask is that he is wrapped in bubble wrap and marked ‘fragile’ on his plane ride over.

6. Brett Connolly



Age

Position (shoots)

GP-G-A-P

CFrel%

ZSrel%

Previous Contract 24 Right Wing (right) 71-9-16-25 3.41% -4.16% 1Y/$1.025M

Since their Stanley Cup run, the Bruins have been slowly imploding due to some stunning moves. They traded a lot of their young superstar talent (wasting the returns in the process), overpaid older players, refused to trade pending UFAs, and drafted off the board every time. They just make bad personnel decisions, period. Not handing Brett Connolly a qualifying offer is just another in a long line of them.

And who are we to say no to Boston making a big mistake? Connolly is young (despite looking like he’s 40), has finally found his NHL feet, and looks like a potential middle-six winger (with top line possession stats). The Flames could probably get him on a similar contract to his previous one, add an extra year, and then make a decision.

7. Brandon Pirri

Age

Position (shoots)

GP-G-A-P

CFrel%

ZSrel%

Previous Contract 25 Centre (left) 61-14-15-29 -0.33% 5.8% 2Y/$925,000 AAV

Pirri is an intriguing player who has fallen off the face of the Earth really quickly. He was worth a draft pick at trade deadline, but not worth a qualifying offer four months later. Strange, considering Pirri has managed moderate success everywhere he goes. He’s second on this list with regard to points and PPG, behind Gagner in both categories.

He’s not a great possession guy, but 0.5 PPG at age 25 is too tempting to take a pass on, especially at the price he will command. If you place him low enough on the roster, his negative impact will be diminished. Perhaps the Flames could even get a pick from him this year too.

Final thoughts

Here’s what the usage chart says about all these players:

The two standouts are Marchessault and Connolly. The Lightning player seems to be a defensive stalwart while Connolly looks primed for an offensive explosion. I think the Flames could easily use both: Marchessault in a bottom six, defensive role, and Connolly potentially on the second line. Both of these guys could cost less than $2 million combined.

Though that would be absolutely it for free agent dabbling. The Flames, either because of cap room or roster space, probably can’t take more than two of these guys. Marchessault is the preferred option, with Connolly coming in a close second, but I think that Sceviour is probably the most likely outcome. We’ll have to see what awaits us July 1st.





