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Is Mikkel Boedker A Good Fit For the Calgary Flames?

May 11, 2016, 11:23 AM ET [46 Comments]
Todd Cordell
Calgary Flames Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
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One of the many items on Brad Treliving's off-season to-do list is adding another scoring winger.

While doing so isn't as important as, say, finding a starting goaltender the Calgary Flames would definitely benefit from more scoring prowess on the wing.

After Johnny Gaudreau, who led the team with 78 points, the Flames' next highest scoring wingers were Michael Frolik (32 points) and Micheal Ferland (18 points). Even if you include Sam Bennett (38 points), who played some center throughout the year, the need is still there.

That's why TSN's Scott Cullen recently linked Mikkel Boedker, among a few others, to the Flames as a potential fit in his off-season game plan piece.

As it stands right now, the Flames have lots of cap space, though they won't be quite so flush once deals for Gaudreau and Monahan get factored in, so they could be players in the free agent market. If there's cap room, any top free agent wingers could be in play. Kyle Okposo, Milan Lucic, Andrew Ladd and David Backes are skilled forwards that can handle a physical game. Also consider Mikkel Boedker, a speedy winger who has a shared Coyotes history with GM Brad Treliving.


I think Boedker is the most realistic option of the bunch so allow me to zero in on him.

Why Signing Boedker Makes Sense

- Mikkel Boedker's calling card is speed. Keeping up with the likes of Johnny Gaudreau, Sam Bennett or Michael Frolik wouldn't be an issue and he'd give the Flames the ability to take the top off the defense.

- Boedker is just 26 years old and still has some good years ahead of him. He fits in with the long-term outlook Treliving has for the team.

- Gaudreau and Monahan are the only two Flames forward that averaged more points per 60 minutes played on the power play over the last two years.

- Treliving has a history with Boedker from his days with the Coyotes.

Why Signing Boedker Doesn't Make Sense

- Boedker really struggles to score at 5 v 5. Over the last three years he has averaged 1.42 points per 60 minutes in that game state, which is good for 207th among 338 eligible forwards (minimum 1,500 minutes played). There are 180 top-6 forwards in the NHL, so he has produced at the rate of a solid 3rd liner. Not bad, but not good considering the term and money he's going to want/get on his next contract.

- To put his 5 v 5 scoring woes in perspective the likes of Brad Richardson, Dale Weise, Brian Gionta and Cal Clutterbuck have averaged more points/60 over the last three seasons.

- The Flames have a possession problem - they're routinely out shot/out chanced at evens - and Boedker would certainly not help in that regard.

Over the last three seasons Boedker's teams have been much better without Boedker on the ice than with him.

View post on imgur.com


Boedker has played for bad teams like Arizona and Colorado so the bar has been set pretty low. That he hasn't managed to clear it over a three-year span isn't encouraging.

Conclusion

Once the Flames pay Johnny Gaudreau, pay Sean Monahan and pay whichever goaltender they end up with they probably won't have a lot of spare coin. Investing it in a player who struggles at 5 v 5 doesn't seem like a good idea.

If I'm Brad Treliving, I'm looking elsewhere.

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