2015-16 Report Card: Jakub Nakladal

Jakub Nakladal

Defence

Grade: B

MarkParkinson14 – B+

Jakub Nakladal made his debut for the Flames on February 9th in a 4-3 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Czech born defenceman logged 1:45 of ice time in 2 forgettable during that game. The February call up would log 12:28 in 14 shifts his next time out on the ice and wouldn’t look back. Nakladal’s time in Calgary was limited due to his late season call up, but he impressed in the 27 games he got to skate with the Flames. Nakladal isn’t one of those guys that will “wow” you with stats. He’s more likely to catch your attention by actually watching him play. He skates well. He’s physical when he needs to be and if he can get more ice time and can harness his cannon of a shot, he’ll start doing things that look good in the box scores. Jakub Nakladal helped a struggling Flames defence hold some ground while Dennis Wideman was out and paired extremely well with Jyrki Jokipakka once he arrived via trade. A FA going into the offseason, Nakaladal could still be had at a bargain price and could add some stability and talent to the Flames blue line.

samwell9 – B
I really liked what I saw from Nakladal this year. I do not think he is ever going to amount to much more than a depth player in the NHL, but thats okay, solid depth defenders are always needed. He has a great shot, he can move the puck up the ice and he was solid in his own zone. He played limited minutes but still posted solid possession stats. Considering he is only 28 and this was his first season in North America, his season can only be viewed as a success and he could fare even better next year now that he is more familiar with the NHL game. I would be happy to see him back, he would be a solid value contract and I think most of us would rather see him play than Wideman. Nakladal gets a B from me.

FlamesMM – B+
Nakladal deserves at least another season with the Flames organization after he was pretty solid this season. At 28, his time may have run out to develop into a top two player, but that's not what the Flames need. The Flames need a player that can play confidently on the second or third pairing that has a strong defensive game. He played well with Jokipakka once he arrived from Dallas, and looks to be a better all around option than Dennis Wideman or Ladislav Smid on defense. Nakladal could be a very good signing for the Flames if they're able to open up a spot on defense for him next season. Nakladal earned a B+ in my opinion this season.

BizzleJ – B

Jakub Nakladal is a tough player for me to grade personally. In the 27 games he played with the Flames this year he only scored 2 goals and 3 assists for just 5 points. What makes it so hard is he looked really good to me and was a bit of a physical presence out there. While I do like playmakers, I like the physical game even more and I think Nakladal's offense will improve as he gains more experience. I give him a B grade.

MattyFranchise – C

HockeyGoalieEh – B

Nakladal didn't exactly put up a ton of points, but possession is king for a defenseman and he was a Corsi darling though just a tad subpar on the xG side of things. Nakladal was quite sheltered by Bob Hartley, putting him out against sub-par competition and barely giving him any penalty kill time despite being more of a defensive defenseman.

Still, he did well enough to slot in as a fourth defeneseman, a roll that he won't be required to fill should he be re-signed. Presumably he'd slot in on the third pair if they do retain him and if he comes in at a low dollar amount he'd be worth retaining if he can displace Deryk Engelland off of the team.

by Mark Parkinson