What a day yesterday, and the drama continues even into today with the TSN reported trade of Jokinen and Prust apparently on hold as of the game day skate.
I do know that the New York Rangers have had scouts following the Flames over the last couple of weeks.
New Flames will wear the following:
#3 – Ian White
#11 – Nik Hagman
#18 – Matt Stajan
#19 – Jamal Mayers
Prust is on the ice for practice today along with Jokinen.
Darryl Sutter is not afraid to make a move that is for sure, and by the looks of it he is likely not done, even if he does pull of the deal with the New York Rangers it wouldn’t surprise me at all that there is another shoe to drop.
As far as trading of Dion yesterday I am shocked that it happened, I am fearful that this one comes back to haunt you down the road. Would I have traded him? no, but with any deal time will tell. I don’t believe he is going to blossom under Ron Wilson, but then again Wilson likely won’t be the only coach Phaneuf has in Toronto.
Darryl has stuck his neck out with this deal making this much of a change this late in the season is some what unprecedented, and the fact that he made this deal and may or may not be making more shows you that the pressure on him is to win now, right now.
Never a dull moment around the Calgary Flames, that is for sure.
Lines
Glencross Langkow Bourque
Boyd Stajan Iginla
Hagman Jokinen Lundmark
Mayers Nystrom Prust
Regehr White
Giordano Pardy
Bouwmeester Sarich/Johnson
Kiprusoff
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Rob, I agree with you, this trade will come back to haunt the Flames. I do agree that Sutter had to do something, but I’m not at all convinced that trading an elite player like Phaneuf was the answer. He is only 24 and needs a couple more years to get seasoned. I do hope however, that when he wins the Norris Trophy, and he will, in four or five years, that all the “fans” who were crying to have him traded eat their words. Like you I will wait and see the repercussions.
- curmudgeonIf Backlund is a healthy scratch, why not just send him down?
- EricDion is gone and two players turns into 4. Jokinen is next and has to move we are paying too much for the results. Would not move Prust as I like his fiestiness. Dion had to go he was costing us too many games with his effort in our own zone - 4 times on Saturday he lost the puck behind our net because of effort or lack of should I say. White will do fine as his replacement and JayBo and Giordano will be fine on the PP.
- K TaylorRob although I am sad to see Phaneuf go I can see Sutter’s logic in making this transaction. As you said yesterday, of our 4 core players (Iginla, Kipper, Bouwmeester and Phaneuf), Dion was certainly the easiest to part with. Note that 3 of our 4 “keepers” are defenders, giving more fuel to the notion that if we are lacking somewhere, it is up front scoring depth.
The addition of White will keep us solid at D (I like him but will not for a minute put the pressure of replacing Dion on his shoulders….I think Dion’s skill set is pretty unique in the league). Hagman is a welcomed, 20 goal man to compliment Borque’s scoring and improve our 2nd/3rd lines…. but I feel that the diamond in the trade may be Stajan, and hope he signs and becomes a Flame next year as well. At 6′1″ and 200 lbs, the under-rated 26 year old had 40 assists last year and is on pace again this year for the same number…and just may be the set-up man Jarome has never had. If he can put up those numbers in Toronto with no pure scorers, he should be able to improve on them with Iginla and the Flames.
- Scott HickertyHi Rob,
I think everyone agreed when the Flames lost 9th that this team needed a shakeup. Now to shake things up you need to move core players so your’e not going to move Kipper because he is the best player this season, you’re not moving Iggy. so now you end up with Regehr and Dion. Other teams are interested in Dion not Regehr and Sutter cannot get any significant return for Robyn so he goes ahead and moves Dion. Now what you get is I think what his current price is.
We need to realize here that Sutter was not going to move him if he was playing like his rookie year. If he was then of course Sutter would have got a big name in return. But as we say this is now the market reality for Dion. The Maple Leafs may dance around proclaiming that this guy has a big future but for the Flames at 6.5mil/yr - 2-3 years of ordinary performance is a bit too long from a guy who was expected to be a Norris contender every year.
Good luck to Toronto and let’s see if they at least make the playoffs!
About Jokinen, why is Sutter trying to get pretty much the same players again? I mean why not some different style forward or just get one big name and send 2-3 players the other way?
- MAHERAnyway, as you said on air yesterday, this year will test ownership with what to do with Sutter? The GM that is, especially if the Flames can’t go beyond the 1st round in the post season.
Darryl Sutter does his thing and does not “go with the flow” like all other GM’s. There is nothing unprecedented about this. Make the move and win the cup, it is that simple. Should Dallas have waited for Iggy to mature before trading him? No, they have won Stanley Cups since then. Should we have waited for Dion to mature…not a chance. What if he doesn’t mature, trade him and move on now. “What if’s” have no room in sports, there is no way to predict what a player “might” do. It is a business of making money and keeping the fans happy. Darryl knows that and I am glad he is our GM making “unprecedented” moves at an “unprecedented” time of the year.
“Those are my thoughts, not yours”…God bless Joe Sports!!
Now I’m done.
- GunnarGunnar
We might eat this trade down the road, but I think Dion has a long way to go. I think he’s been less than humble off the ice and at least from people I know who have met him he is a major ego case. Exact opposite of a Crosby at this stage in his career. The whole team needs more passion though, and you can’t put it all on Dion.
- Bowness BryceI like Dion. The question I have with all the defencemen Calgary has between 25 and 27 are we better off without him. The progress of the defencemen in Calgary has been there for the young group except for Dion. I am not sure whether Dion would fit into Brent Sutter’s style of defence a couple of years from now. If the young defensemen keep following Brent Sutter’s lead we may have a better team than with Dion playing for Calgary.
- DaveI am so done with Dion. I’m glad he’s gone. It got very repetitive listening to Peter and Mike talk about how he blew his assignment.
I don’t think it will haunt us, we have three new good pieces that will help us for this year and maybe next. Mr. King was talking on your show today how he thinks they can take care of the contracts next year (UFA). I’m excited. Looking forward to the game.
- DonRob, I am going to call out the Jokinen trade now. I have a feeling that the Flames actually did this to light a fire under his butt, as well as Prust. This is just after the first period tonight.
- JamesRob- I’m really stressed out right now! All these trades are making me nervous. Is it ok if I stop watching Flame’s hockey altogether for 2 weeks? I mean, no tv, Fan 960, etc, and then jump back into the mix in 2 weeks to see what this team looks like? I was at the Philly game tonight and was super confused and it just stressed me out more. What is the goal of our organization right now? Does anyone know? A cup? A playoff spot? What is the goal?
- Bowness BryceDion had to go, same with Olli, for the team to move on - but only if we get the right replacements. Wish we could have been more of a creative and acquire a bonafide 1st line centre. Iggy is a really good trigger man, one of the best, but he needs to be in the high slot to be effective. He’s kept to the outside too much to be in scoring position. We need, in a nutshell, to move the puck a lot more. That’s why a simple defensive box by the opposition shuts us down so easily. Also, our timing is off as a team, which may come around. We’re very often shooting from the outside with nobody in front of the net. That’s a great way to make the goalie look good in this league. One thing Dion did do well was move up into the play. Gio and Pardy can also, and we need to see more of that. I don’t think Olli is very effective on the blue line, though. He seems to panic with the puck often, and makes really bad passes to get rid of the puck when he’s challenged. He’s not the setup man we really need.
- MarkRob, I can’t help but feel the same way. However I do feel Sutter’s hand was forced, by the lack of emotion, grit, and work ethic from the Flame’s core group.
My opinion is that Sutter’s had it with the list of underperforming players and he has been forced to make some questionable calls because frankly he has been pinned in a corner.
I can’t imagine Sutter not shopping Phaneuf for a better deal. I can’t imagine him not doing due diligience in moving someone like Phaneuf..what I think the result has shown is what type of market that is really out there and not what we can accurately analyze what the market should be at. It is unfortunate the players Sutter put his faith in did not respond they way they had too.
- Chris GarciaWhy would we pay Dion 6.5 million now? So when he actually blossoms into a OK player and we pay him 10 million? I must say he is very pretty the way he floats around the ice…
- Dana