Calgary trades Phaneuf, Sjostrom and Aulie to Toronto for Hagman, Stajan, Mayers and White.
I am unimpressed.
Hagman and Stajan are 2nd line players added to a team comprised almost entirely of 2nd and 3rd line players. Mayers adds nothing to the team that they don't already have. White is an unknown commodity (to this blogger) but I find it difficult to believe he is an upgrade over Dion. And Toronto - the ultimate hype machine - hasn't built him up much.
Dion did not ask to be traded. He did not want out. He's crushed by this trade. Listening to his media scrum (and good on him for talking to the media) this is apparent.
The trade is a clear sign that Sutter had not anticipated adding Bouwmeester and he has filled the organizational role that Dion had. I do not believe this is a reactive "panic" trade, a terrible January does not alter the long term structure of an organization this stable. Still, my initial reaction is this is a lousy trade.
The Flames add no elite players. No draft picks. No prospects, in fact they trade away a very promising prospect in Aulie. The obvious weaknesses of the team - powerplay, playmaker for Iginla, restocking draft picks - are not addressed.
I like Hagman, but at $3M he is not a bargain and his value is not comparable to that of a 24 year old defenseman in the mold of Phaneuf. Stajan is a nice piece, but (yet another) borderline top 6 and a pending UFA - a "guy" that easily could have been acquired at the trade deadline for a much lesser asset.
Pronger, obviously a better player but on the other side of hill, was unloaded for Sbisa, Lupul, two 1st round picks, and then some. Kessel was traded for two 1st round picks (likely including a top 3 this offseason) + a 2nd. These were both moves made with desperation. Made in the offseason which removes the need to balance salary, but the returns are comically disparate.
Even if Dion needed to be traded (for one reason or another), Sutter made a bad trade from an asset management perspective. Was he really worried that this trade would fall through and he'd have to take a much lesser package at the deadline?
Another thing to consider, the Flames add four NHL plaayers and only subtract two. This necessitates waiving part of this already poor return or (more likely) it results in Lundmark and Backlund being sent back down; so the analysis of the talent being added to the forward ranks must include those players being removed from the team in the short term (and this return is all short-term).
Why Phaneuf? Looking at the Flames defensive core (before the move was made), it was young with a high ceiling and great athleticism. But not so young the team couldn't have spared a guy like Cory Sarich - who likely could have been moved for a pending UFA (especially if paired with an asset like Keith Aulie). Wouldn't that have accomplished the balancing of salary dispersion this trade seems to be about?
I hope that Dion pushed himself out of town with the rumoured conflicts between himself and team leaders, because if this is a trade made only to "rattle cages" and "shake things up" then I am not optimistic about this team or it's leadership.
NHL: Full Face Shields Rule: Every player is required to wear a full face shield.
Improvement: The impact on player safety is obvious, and junior players have worn them for years. Fighting would still be permitted after removing the shield.
Is the rule needed?: Players always have the option of wearing a shield, but without a league-wide mandate it is greatly disadvantageous for those who choose to.
Potential drawbacks: Players may become increasingly reckless with face shields, blocking shots or using the helmet as a weapon.
Also under consideration: Tightening "boarding" enforcement, suspensions for diving,
NBA: Timeouts Rule: One timeout permitted per half
Improvement: The NBA game plods along, at best. Exciting fast breaks, defensive collapses, turnovers - all require immediate timeouts by coaches. This removes any semblance of momentum from the game. Also, the commonality of timeouts enables coaches to draw up set plays whenever the situation calls for it. While not a negative in-and-of-itself, this has turned into a crutch for players. Instead of cunning resourcefulness, the league requires dutiful obedience and - when need be - the ability to make a terrible shot because the coach's play doesn't work as designed and over-coaching has stifled creativity.
Is the rule needed?: If you've ever watched the final minutes of a close NBA game then you know the answer.
Potential drawbacks: Less commercials (keep in mind I'm a commish here), restricted substituting
Also under consideration: Less personal fouls per game, loosen "blocking" foul calls, speeding up everything else (shorter shot-clock, free throw routines, etc...)
NFL: Overtime Rule: First team to score 5 points in overtime wins.
Improvement: This would add a great deal of intrigue any game that went to overtime. Coaches would be faced with much more difficult decisions, and many teams would act differently in the same situation (playing to the respective strengths of the teams). Kicking may be magnified or eschewed.
Is the rule needed?: No, but fans are clamoring for the rule to be changed and a "coin filp-short drive-long field goal" ending to a Superbowl would be perceived as unfairly arbitrary.
Why 5 instead of 6? It may lead to a situation where a team would concede a meaningless safety to gain field position.
Potential drawbacks: Superbowl finish may be too epic, having to listen to every broadcaster explain the rule for the next two years
Also under consideration: loosening "roughness" penalties, limiting front office and coaching signings until well after the Superbowl, re-establishing the CBA/salary cap, loosening "No Fun League" regulations, re-invent Pro Bowl, increase the difficulty of the PAT (point after touchdown)
After coming off a nine game losing streak in a pitiful January, Flames fans look to the remaining season with great trepidation. This blogger steadfastly believes the Flames are a wild-card for the Stanley Cup along with several other sub-elite teams, but clearly Flames fans are approaching a consensus that this team is underachieving.
As with everything else in our society, blame needs to be assigned. Sutter, Iginla, Phaneuf; all have taken their turns under the spotlight.
I blame our rivals.
Rival: Edmonton In the late '80s the Flames were titans. In a seven season span the Flames earned two President trophies, two Stanley Cup appearances, and leaguewide respect. Fueling this organizational and individual passion was the dynasty to the north.
Today, the former dynasty is in tatters. The shortcomings of their roster are exceeded only by the absurdity of their contracts. The Oilers feature the league's least talented captain, worst $7M centreman, ugliest defensive core contracts, terrible durability, worst free agent decision (Khabby over Roloson) and obviously, worst management. This team is cover-your-eyes awful.
The ultimate symbolism of the current state of this rivalry was a fight between Flame captain Jarome Iginla and Shelden Souray.
A fight characterized by power and courage; the Red corner showing integrity following an inadvertent injuring of his opponent earlier in the season, the Blue corner remaining too fragile to even withstand the fight. (broken hand, out indefinably)
State of the Rival: Pitiful
The Flames swept the season the season series against the Oilers, the first team either team has accomplished this feat.
Rival: Vancouver
With the Vancouver Canucks as the only other Canadian competitor in the division, as well as the defending division champion, the Canucks are an obvious choice for a rival. With deft skill in the forward ranks, a foil for Iginla in the defensive core, and a game fighter - they seem tailor-made for their role as rival.
The problem? Douchebaggery.
The franchise has built itself on shamelessness.
At the risk of derailing the post into Canuck bashing, I must admit the Flames are not saints either. Daryll Sutter's 2004 team included their own brand of villany, but that brand was goonery. Oliwa beating up an empty-net goal-scorer that danced too much for his liking, Nieminen running Osgood in the playoffs, McLennan taking an axe to Holmstrom, Regher taking face-offs, and more. But at worst the Flames are bullies in an otherwise brutal league.
This same Flames team honoured Trevor Linden in his final game, as Iginla emptied the locker room to return to the ice and shake the hand of the soon-to-be-retired Canuck captain.
Sadly, it appears the team's class retired with their respected leader.
This "fight" featured more preening from Kessler than fighting, as after taking a punch he resorts to an MMA-style takedown and then calls his opponent a coward after game.
Burrows is currently embroiled in a dispute with NHL officials who are making a concerted effort to control the disgrace he brings to himself, the officials, and the game with his diving.
After losing a lead to Chicago in the playoffs last year, the fans littered the ice with debris and Vancouver announcer John Shorthouse acknowledged the franchise has developed a reputation of being poor sports.
A stadium and crowd that condone the use of high-powered lasers against opposing goalies. Lasers that are illegal to point at pilots flying planes.
Spike, a men's tv station, posted a list of the 10 worst fans bases in North America on their website. Checking in at #5....
It’s remarkable how arrogant the fan base of a team with zero Stanley Cups, no Hall of Fame players, and two homoerotic Swedish twins that seem physically afraid of the playoffs can act. It’s literally mind-boggling! These days, when they’re not too busy demanding trades on local radio shows or reminiscing about that year they almost signed Wayne Gretzky, you can usually find Canucks fans preaching about how hosting Jarome Iginla and the Canadian Olympic team will finally establish their city as a genuine hockey town (sort of like how marrying Lamar Odom made Khloe Kardashian a real celebrity – legitimacy by association).
Next time you see a suspected pyramid schemer in the corner of a trendy wine bar sporting a $200 hair cut, $900 suit, and emanating a distinct air of scumbag from his Drakkar Noir-soaked pores - go ahead and ask him about Kevin Bieksa, because odds are he’s a Vancouver Canucks fan and doesn't want to cry himself to sleep again before throwing out obscene predictions about the Norris Trophy.
State of the Rival: Embarrassing
The Canucks do a disservice to their name, which is already a pejorative bastardization of Canadian.
Rival: Montreal & Toronto
The two original six Canadian franchises steeped in mystique are rivals mostly due to their widespread fan bases. Unfortunately, due to the MLB-style unbalanced NHL schedule, the proliferation of television broadcasting, and the sorry state the two franchises are in - neither team has the same cache they once did.
State of the Rival: Irrelevant Short of meeting the Habs in a Stanley Cup, these rivalries appear little more than bragging rights among fans.
Rival: San Jose & Chicago
If the Eastern conference rival has lost its lustre, we shall look west. The 'Hawks and Sharks are the two preeminent franchises in the Western conference and the Flames have played both in the playoffs in recent years. Still, neither feel like rivals to this blogger. Neither team considers Calgary a threat in the standings, both lack propinquity (too far away), and individual players have not interchanged.
State of the Rival: Weak.
These teams just aren't rivals. Flames fans don't hate the teams, don't know any fans, and it will take more than just another playoff series to cultivate a true rivalry.
How much of an impact will the state of these rivalries have on the Flames success? Not much. Rivalries carry teams and fans during the "dog days" of a season, which is January in the NHL. Once the playoffs roll around there will be plenty of incentive for every team to be at their best.
I hated the small centre / soft winger / oafish d-men composition that comprised this team for the last several season. This team is built to wreck you in a playoff series.
But part of the brand they've built is limited skill offense. January hockey is skill hockey, it's when Hueslius dominated, when Iggy heats up, when Bert dominated for a while last season - it's not conducive to cycling, hitting, or dump-and-chasing which is how the Flames are built. Games like Vancouver-Calgary from the other night don't happen much in January because it's completely untenable. It would just wear a team out. I don't care how much Bourque cares if he is gassed come playoff time or his body doesn't stand up to the pounding.
In January, when the Flames just finished a solid start to the season that had them competing for the division title and avoiding any significant injuries - it's possible they'd hit a "bump" - emotional, physical, or otherwise, where they had been struggling, got off to a bad start, bad penalty call and quick PP goal, and took a game off.
They just played 9 games with a combined 5 days of rest. They were exhausted, in California, got pushed off regular schedule (from the SJ airport rules) and...they took a game off. A road game. Dion gave up a goal because he came cross-ice for a huge hit - and missed badly. Going way too slow - Dion didn't "not care" into a bad play, he didn't have the legs to match his aggressiveness.
It's not that I'm ok with it, or that I wanted them to take a game off, it's simply reality. I saw the Oilers take 25 games off as MacTavish sobbed, I've seen teams take entire seasons off - let's not lose our shit because the Flames took one game off.
This team would probably benefit from a trade, Sutter should be looking. But not fire-selling.
This is the same team it was at the start of the season. Little has changed. As Flames fans, do not let yourselves get thrown under the bandwagon based on only the calender.
