Friday, August 31, 2007
Bad Idea Jeans: Flames Edition
My irritation over the Flames failing to sign up Mark Giordano is, regrettably, not fading away with time.
For starters, good on Metrognome for some pretty prescient speculation a few days before the bad news.
Next, a brief recap of Giordano's Flames career:
On Monday, Lowetide wrote that "Being a high draft pick has always (imo) given players an extra chance...". I don't think there's any doubt about that, and the undrafted Giordano seems to be the victim of the flip side of this. I'm just one man, but I'm not sure what else he needs to do to prove he belongs.
That issue notwithstanding, it looks like what this boils down to is that my assessment of Giordano's defensive liabilities (minor, part of developing as a major leaguer) is a lot different from Sutter's assessment (severe & intractable). It must be -- because otherwise there's no reason in the world why Giordano wasn't signed up and slotted into the 3rd pairing.
For starters, good on Metrognome for some pretty prescient speculation a few days before the bad news.
Next, a brief recap of Giordano's Flames career:
- Signed as an undrafted 20-year-old in the summer of 2004
- Solid first pro year with the Lowell Lock Monsters (shared AHL affiliate with Carolina), 6-10-16 in 66GP
- Stupendous second pro year (2005-06) with the Omaha Knights: 16-42-58 in 73GP to lead the team -- not defensemen, the whole team -- in scoring. Played 7 games with the Flames as an injury fill-in (1 assist), unfortunately timed so that he missed the AHL All-Star game
- Made the big club out of training camp in 2006 (nominally as the #7 Dman). All accounts were that it was entirely deserved, and that he was impressive (as opposed to, say, being the best of a mediocre lot and winning that #7 spot by default).
- Started the season in the lineup (The Warrener was hurt) playing 8-9 minutes a night. In Game 5 in front of friends and family in T.O., he scored 2 EV goals. Following that game, Warrener got back in the lineup and Giordano dressed twice in the next 5-1/2 weeks.
- For most of Nov/Dec/Jan, he dressed only when someone else was hurt. Starting in about February, he was occasionally inserted into the lineup instead of Andrea Susan on merit. At the deadline, the Flames added another guy to the mix by acquiring David Hale from the Devils.
- Playoffs: with Regehr injured, the top 5 were Stuart, Phaneuf, Hamrlik, Warrener, and Zyuzin, with Giordano and Hale as the options for the #6. Hale started games 1 & 2, and was beyond atrocious in G2, most notably in the form of spending the last 4 minutes of the game (when the Flames were down by 2) in the penalty box for stupid minors.
- Giordano got the call for G3, and justified his presence rather promptly. Using his trademark (and uncommon skill) wrist-shot-that-finds-the-net-through-traffic, he scored the tying goal in the 3rd period; Iginla scored the winner shortly thereafter and the Flames were back in the series. Giordano was in the lineup for the remainder of the series.
- Mark Giordano is not a minor leaguer. His abilities on the offensive end exceed at least half of the D-men in the league. If the biggest thing he needs to improve is defending against NHL forwards (and it is -- he was never abused last year, but he did look overmatched on occasion), then he ought to be doing that in the NHL.
- At the end of last season -- in the most important games of the year -- he was a better option than David Hale. There is no imaginable reason how this assessment could have reversed over the summer. In terms of offensive potential, these two could not possibly be further apart on the spectrum (Hale has zero(!) goals in 157 NHL games). Am I blind, and Giordano is that big a liability defensively? I know Hale can't be that good, because Lou Lamoriello gave him up in exchange for turning a 5th-round pick into a 3rd-rounder, i.e. nothing.
On Monday, Lowetide wrote that "Being a high draft pick has always (imo) given players an extra chance...". I don't think there's any doubt about that, and the undrafted Giordano seems to be the victim of the flip side of this. I'm just one man, but I'm not sure what else he needs to do to prove he belongs.
That issue notwithstanding, it looks like what this boils down to is that my assessment of Giordano's defensive liabilities (minor, part of developing as a major leaguer) is a lot different from Sutter's assessment (severe & intractable). It must be -- because otherwise there's no reason in the world why Giordano wasn't signed up and slotted into the 3rd pairing.
# posted by Matt @ 11:54 am 
Comments:
Matt, for Giordano to stay, Sutter would have had to get over his nostalgic affection for Warrener. Giordano would be a better, cheaper option not only because of the skills you mention, but with the additions of Sarich and Aucoin, the Flames seem to have enough size and grit at the back to mitigate his shortcomings physically. Warrener had his time, but his slowness really showed last year, particularly chasing quicker forwards around on the PK. I'm not sure this is an error of Lydman-esque proportions, but it seems like a waste of a cheap, homegrown talent.
I think Bob's right. The Sutter affinity for Warrener (and Warrener-esque) players may have been the culprit here. Hale and Warrener just AREN'T superior options to Giordano to my eye, but then I don't tend to value "rugged, no-nonsense work ethic" above results.
I wonder how much Warrener has left in the tank, and if he can bounce back. I sure hope he does, I really like the guy.
yaaaaaaaaaaawn ...
lets start the season already!
Everyone is ready for the season when all I can find on this site is whining about some butt-hole 7th defensemen. Get over it.
10-4 good buddy, I'll telex the commissioner and tell him to get the season started post-haste.
Can't start the season until everyone has revealed their new clothes.
Yeah, Matt, quit questioning Sutter with all your thoughtful, analytical bullshit so we can all get back to the misspelled opinions and DEADmonton COILERS quips that make BoA's Calgary threads such a beacon.
Turn off your brain and give the morons what they want.
Anyone else think it could be a case of Sutter throwing good money after bad? Guys he goes out of his way to sign for or trade (Hale, Zyuzin, McCarty, Amonte) seem to get far more leeway than guys that seemed to get the Flames by happenstance (Lombardi (revenge draft), Giordano(undrafted)).
Is that a trend or am I way off?
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Matt, for Giordano to stay, Sutter would have had to get over his nostalgic affection for Warrener. Giordano would be a better, cheaper option not only because of the skills you mention, but with the additions of Sarich and Aucoin, the Flames seem to have enough size and grit at the back to mitigate his shortcomings physically. Warrener had his time, but his slowness really showed last year, particularly chasing quicker forwards around on the PK. I'm not sure this is an error of Lydman-esque proportions, but it seems like a waste of a cheap, homegrown talent.
I think Bob's right. The Sutter affinity for Warrener (and Warrener-esque) players may have been the culprit here. Hale and Warrener just AREN'T superior options to Giordano to my eye, but then I don't tend to value "rugged, no-nonsense work ethic" above results.
I wonder how much Warrener has left in the tank, and if he can bounce back. I sure hope he does, I really like the guy.
yaaaaaaaaaaawn ...
lets start the season already!
Everyone is ready for the season when all I can find on this site is whining about some butt-hole 7th defensemen. Get over it.
# posted by 
: August 31, 2007 8:28 pm
: August 31, 2007 8:28 pm 10-4 good buddy, I'll telex the commissioner and tell him to get the season started post-haste.
# posted by : August 31, 2007 8:59 pm
: August 31, 2007 8:59 pm Can't start the season until everyone has revealed their new clothes.
# posted by : September 01, 2007 6:07 am
: September 01, 2007 6:07 am Yeah, Matt, quit questioning Sutter with all your thoughtful, analytical bullshit so we can all get back to the misspelled opinions and DEADmonton COILERS quips that make BoA's Calgary threads such a beacon.
Turn off your brain and give the morons what they want.
Anyone else think it could be a case of Sutter throwing good money after bad? Guys he goes out of his way to sign for or trade (Hale, Zyuzin, McCarty, Amonte) seem to get far more leeway than guys that seemed to get the Flames by happenstance (Lombardi (revenge draft), Giordano(undrafted)).
Is that a trend or am I way off?
Post a Comment
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