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Calgary Flames

Sutter should resist re-signing Bertuzzi

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Now that the Darryl has acquired his annual reclamation project (McGrattan) and the Flames have inched ever so much closer to the salary cap, there’s a sizable chance Daz will not be tempted to re-up Todd Bertuzzi (also know as: Sore Thumb, Sparklepants). But…just in case…

My contempt for the player is well noted, but I figure he was worth a parting shot at this time (it's the off-season after all). His boxcar numbers hide his ineffectiveness well enough that you'll find a good portion of Flames fans wouldn't be too broken up if the big lug were to return.

They'd be mistaken.

To illustrate, I'm going to list three players advanced stats: one is Todd's output from last season and I'll reveal the other two afterwards.

Qual Comp: -0.05 (3rd easiest on the team amongst forwards)

Qual Teammates: +0.15 (2nd best amongst forwards)

Corsi: +5.9 (3rd worst amongst forwards)

ESP/60: 1.64 (4th worst amongst forwards)

plus/minus: -8 (4th worst amongst forwards)

That's obviously Bert. Now the comparables.

Player #1

Qual Comp: -0.04 (4th easiest)

Qual Teammates: -0.05 (4th worst)

Corsi: +4.2 (2nd worst)

ESP/60: 1.50 (2nd worst)

plus/minus: -11 (worst)

Player #2

Qual Comp: -0.05 (2nd easiest)

Qual Teammates: -0.01 (6th worst)

Corsi: +5.8 (2nd best)

ESP/60: 1.63 (8th best)

plus/minus: -4 (2nd worst)

Player #1 is the Flames own Dustin Boyd. At 22 years old and still learning the ropes, Boyd was, in some ways, the worst forward on the club last year. That said, he played slightly tougher opposition with much worse linemates and put up similar numbers to Todd Bertuzzi – who, as we all know, was gifted some of the best circumstances on the club at ES. The primary difference between these two players, besides their PP time and such, is the fact that Boyd has years of development and improvement ahead of him while Bertuzzi is clearly on the downslope of his career.

If that comparison doesn’t clarify things, player #2 is the much maligned Maxim Afinogenov of the Buffalo Sabres. Ridiculed as soft and inconsistent for years (and unlikely to find another deal in the NHL this summer as a result). Max played with worse players, put up a better relative corsi rate and similar ESP/60. It’s probably fair to say he was no worse than Bertuzzi at ES and he was roundly loathed in Buffalo by fans and coaches alike. And, oh yeah, Max got jobbed by the hockey gods when it came to the bounces last season as well (PDO = 97.1). Bert…not so much.

So the next time you hear someone suggest the Flames re-ink Bert to fill a gap in the top 6, suggest Maxim Afinogenov instead and see how they react. It's basically the same thing.

by Kent Wilson