Question 3: Deryk Engelland – If he were to be re-signed for cheaper than he is now and stays as a bottom-two defenseman, how would you feel about that?
Jonathan Boulanger
I would like that. I like him. He is a hard-working, gritty, battle-tested defenceman with plenty of heart. My only worry is his speed of play, it might cost the team a few goals. But I think he is a good #5/6 or even 7.
Alex Hoegler
Engelland’s physicality and toughness makes him one of the better no. 5/6 defencemen, if you will. Engelland gives the small yet speedy Flames team a little bit of muscle which is always vital during the playoffs. A two-year deal worth around $5 million would be great for both sides.
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Dan Raicevich
I would not be opposed to Engelland coming back in that role, because of his leadership skills he brings in the locker room. I think foot speed is an issue with him though. He is not going to chip in on the offensive end as much either. He is a stay at home guy and on occasion, he gets exposed mightily on certain nights. Unless its on a one year deal, as well as a significantly lower cap hit, I feel like there are better options on the table.
Ramina Shlah
I may be biased because I love Engelland (my group chat name with some friends is basically a Deryk Engelland fan club group chat), but I wouldn’t mind him re-signing with the Flames. That being said, he may want to go to Vegas since he has a house there and him and his family vacation there a ton, but I think there’s room for him on this team. Like Dan said, something that brings him down is his speed, but now with a young and fast Calgary Flames team, we don’t need every single player to have all the speed in the world. He has that toughness and, like Brian Burke likes, that truculence. And if I can forgive him for fighting Jarome Iginla, I think other Flames fans can too.
But I wouldn’t mind him re-signing as a bottom two defenceman. Engelland re-signing or not is definitely not something the Flames are worrying about a lot right now either, so regardless, I don’t think this decision will affect the Flames too much next season.