Friedman: Some teams are "scared away" from Sabres' Stewart

Elliotte Friedman was on Calgary’s Sportsnet 960 on Friday morning.

On a recent panel discussion with which Friedman was involved regarding Chris Stewart and the Calgary Flames having kicked tires on him earlier in the season:

“I actually said I think the price for Calgary was less than it was for Boston. That’s kind of the impression I got.

“I just think the thing about Chris Stewart, and Healy said it very well on the show, was when you’ve got your own coach ripping you because you’re soft – I mean, I don’t think that really helps. The thing about Chris Stewart is he’s a really talented guy. He can make a difference as a player, but he doesn’t do it enough.

“And I look at Calgary this year, and one of the reasons you guys are a really improved  team is you’ve got a lot of guys that really play for each other. And I think the biggest question about a guy like Stewart is if you  bring him in there and he’s not what you want him to be, does that have an effect on what you’re starting to build. And I can’t say for sure that Calgary feels that way because I’ve never asked, but I know there are other teams out there who feel that, and it’s more than one.

“I think Boston would be willing to take a chance. Although like I said, the price was higher for them, No. 1. And No. 2, I think he does carry about a big 4ish cap hit, so the Bruins didn’t have enough ability to carry that earlier in the year.

“But I do know there are teams out there that are scared away from Stewart because he’s never been what he can be. I think teams, when you have good chemistry, you don’t necessarily want to bring that into your organization.”

Source: Sportsnet 960/ Transcript: Nichols on Hockey