As such, it is time once again to throw out hat into the predictions ring. This leads to the possibility he could choose Gaudreau’s old number 13 should he sign with the Flames, which would be something else too.The 2023 NHL Draft is now just days away. However, taking a gamble on Milano should be something Calgary strongly considers, which is why it makes sense that Elliotte Friedman would connect the two.įinally, as a last bit worth noting, Milano wears number 12, which is of course retired in Calgary.
#Elliot freedman 31 thoughts free
The Flames have a lot of offseason work ahead of them, as all of their key restricted free agents still remain unsigned. I would suspect Milano’s ask is somewhere in the one- or two-year range at an AAV between $2–2.5 million. Sonny Milano is not someone that jumps off the page or has a proven track record, but if the Flames are looking to take a bit of a gamble on a player that has finally come into his own and posted excellent underlying numbers, he’d be a good bet. I could see the Flames having interest in the duo. On top of that, there should be some information from Murray on Sam Steel as well, who along with Milano wasn’t qualified by the Ducks. Murray could have some good in depth insights on Milano. I am in no way saying Milano can replace or even come close to replacing Gaudreau, but he can help to improve some playmaking, speed, and rush offence attributes that the Flames were already missing before Gaudreau left.Īlso interesting to note that the Flames have someone in their organization that has a superb scouting report on Ducks players and traded for Sonny Milano: then Ducks GM and now Flames scout Bob Murray.
For a Flames team that just lost a similar attribute player in Gaudreau, Milano would be a good bet to replace some of those qualities. Milano grades out as a very good player off the rush, who excels in offensive playmaking with an above average shot. Models also show that Anaheim was a much better team in both the offensive and defensive zones-as well as on the power play-when Milano was on the ice compared to when he wasn’t.
His zone exits category is quite poor, but as I mentioned previously, he has never been known to be a top defensive player. Other models show Milano having really solid microstats, excelling in passing categories and posting pretty good results in his shots and entry categories. Milano outperformed every single Ducks metric from last season while having a lower PDO, showing just how good of a season he had. Milano was a positive contributor in all major analytical categories at 5v5 via NaturalStatTrick, putting up a 51.14 CF%, 51.95 xG%, 51.40 SCF%, and a 51.46 HDCF%, while having a PDO of 0.990.įor comparison, he outperformed every other key Ducks player in the same metrics last season, where the average for Ducks players was 47.81 CF%, 47.62 xGF%, 47.67 SCF%, and a 48.18 HDCF%, with a PDO of 0.991.
What really stands out to me is the underlying metrics that Milano has put up so far in his career with the Ducks, especially last season.
Milano only had five points in his last 25 games, including an 11-game pointless streak, which will bring down his asking price from where it was in January. Milano started out really strong, just like the Ducks, and tailed off near the end, as the Ducks traded away key veterans and started to slide. The point totals don’t jump off the page, although 34 points in 66 games this past season isn’t a slouch, either. Now that we have some background on Milano, let’s dive deeper into his 2021–22 season. His most impressive moment came on the NHL goal of the year, where he batted home a puck that Zegras launched from behind the net right onto his stick in front of the net. Milano tied his career high for goals which came all the way back in 2016–17, but set career-highs for assists and points. This past year, he burst on the scene playing with Trevor Zegras, potting 14 goals and adding 20 assists for 34 points in 66 games, a point per game rate of 0.516 P/GP. His tenure with the Blue Jackets was far from impressive for a first-round draft pick (besides this highlight reel goal), but his tenure with the Ducks last season was much better and what people expected in his draft year.
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