Calgary Flames shouldn’t sign free agent Patrick Sharp

The Calgary Flames are reportedly interested in free agent Patrick Sharp, but they shouldn’t even be considering the three-time Stanley Cup champion at this point of his career.

Free agency hasn’t even started yet, and Calgary Flames general manager has already made a plethora of moves to put the team in a great position for 2017-18.

Last week, he acquired goalie Mike Smith from the Arizona Coyotes in order to shore up the team’s goaltending issue. He then traded for New York Islanders stud defenceman, Travis Hamonic. Boom, that top-four is ready to roll on the blue line.

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Then he made a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes, adding backup goalie Eddie Lack to provide vital insurance behind Smith. So with two goalies and another quality defenceman in the fold, one would think that Treliving is done his offseason shopping.

Well, not exactly.

According to Darren Dreger (via Chris Nichols from FanRag Sports), the Flames may be looking at free agent Patrick Sharp when he’s on the open market tomorrow.

With all due respect to Sharp — a three-time Stanley Cup champion with the Chicago Blackhawks — he doesn’t fill any needs in the Flames lineup and doesn’t make any sense for them at this stage of his career.

Sharp’s best days are behind him

Sharp was one of the NHL’s most underrated snipers during his time in Chicago. He scored 20-plus goals in seven different seasons with the Blackhawks, including four 30-goal campaigns.

Following a mere 16 goals and 43 points with Chicago in 2014-15, he was shipped to the Dallas Stars in a salary-dumping move. Sharp had a resurgent season in Dallas, scoring 20 goals and 55 points as the Stars took home the Central Division title.

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But Sharp was limited to 48 games this season due to injuries, and scored just eight goals and 10 assists. The 35-year-old just isn’t the same player any more, and it’s unlikely he’ll be a solid 20-goal scorer again.

It’s easy for a general manager to throw money at a former star and hope he’s capable of rediscovering his old form. But for an injury-prone player in his mid-30s, Treliving should play it safe and back off.

Flames don’t need Sharp

Just how bad to the Flames really need a guy who can hopefully score 15 goals and 45 points in his age-36 season? Well, four different Calgary skaters registered double-digit goals a season ago, so we know scoring depth isn’t a problem. We also know that Sharp’s not a big impact player anymore.

I wrote yesterday about why the Flames should look at Patrick Marleau, since he could be a low-risk, high-reward signing. But Sharp isn’t coming off a 27-goal season like Marleau, nor has he been able to display Marleau’s durability.

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Calgary has more than enough scoring with Sean Monahan, Johnny Gaudreau and Mikael Backlund. Youngsters Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett should be able to provide more scoring, too.

So is Sharp even needed on the Flames? Nope. And if they were to sign him, you know he wouldn’t be making that big of an impact.

Conclusion

With two new goalies and a better defence in tact for 2017-18, the Flames are locked and loaded to finally make a run at the Stanley Cup. Treliving has filled out the weaknesses of the roster and shouldn’t be feeling obligated to make another big splash.

But if he feels so inclined, signing a consistent player like Patrick Marleau would be worth it. But making a move for Patrick Sharp? It just doesn’t make any sense. He’s injury-prone, past his prime and doesn’t do much to boost their forward depth.

Next: Calgary Flames Interested in Patrick Marleau

As much of a household name Patrick Sharp is, the Calgary Flames need to play it safe and stay away from the veteran as he nears the end of his playing career.