mslepp

"http://twitter.com/mslepp"

Okotoks, AB • Canada • 27 Years Old • Male

Why Warrener should go

I love Rhett Warrener. He battles every night. He loves Calgary. But the bottom line is; if a team wants to compete in the West, he can't be a top 6 defenseman.

Warrener will hit you hard and often, he'll rough you up against the boards every chance he gets. The problem is, he can't skate, can't pass and can't shoot. It used to work for us because if he got in trouble he'd just pin you against the boards and the opposing player couldn't go anywhere. Well, post-lockout, that's not good enough anymore, he takes too many penalties.

Lots of Flames fans will argue that he's a great penalty killer, and he is, except for when it comes to trying to clear the puck. He can't clear it and can't hang on to the puck, so a lot of times he just sends a nice little flick up to the blue line and its easily kept in. He looks better because he's on the kill with Regehr a lot, who can do the job of one and a half d-men most of the time.

So I think, yes, get rid of Warrener, but we also need to have a plan to get a puck-moving defenseman in return. I'm ready to let Giordano anchor the 3rd pairing, but the signing of Anders Erickson makes me wonder if Sutter/Keenan agree.

Warrener can bring a lot to a team, and Atlanta would be a great place for him to go. He's got a lot left, just not on our team anymore.

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