Looks like Darryl Sutter better get some booked in advance, because it looks The Flames'll miss the playoffs for the seventh straight year.
*Sigh* If I were running the team, I'd cut my losses, send the useless players (Berube) to the minors and trade Niedermayer for a defensemen (like they should've done with Savard).
The Autopsy? Causes of death included: -Goalie Lapses: Where's the Roman Turek from last year? The Roman Turek who won 30 games with 5 shutouts and a 2.53 goals against average? He left town after he got a big fat contract. Backup Jamie McLennan, replacing Mike Vernon, has done a solid job. Better than Vernon, at least. -No scoring. Last year's Iginla: 54 goals and 96 points. This year? 16 goals and 37 points. -Trades: Dec 2001: D Petr Buzek from Atlanta for F Jeff Cowan Mar 2002: F Blake Sloan from Columbus for D Jamie Allison Jun 2002: G Jamie McLennan from Minnesota for draft pick Jul 2002: G Curtis Joseph from Toronto for draft pick -Red Wings sign Joseph, Flames get draft pick Sep 2002: F Ladislav Kohn from Detroit for futures Oct 2002: F Chris Drury & Stephane Yelle from Colorado for D Derek Morris, F Jeff Shantz & Dean McAmmond Nov 2002: F Ruslan Zainullin from Atlanta for F Marc Savard Jan 2003: D Mike Mottau from NY Rangers for draft pick The Savard deal was STUPID (a bag of pucks is more needed around Cow-town than an iffy prospect), and the Colorado deal would've been better as straight-up Shantz for Yelle and/or Morris for Drury. But, no...
The fact is that Iginla, Turek & Drury just aren't producing either through bad luck or design...and the FANS are the people who have to suffer through it.
I love the Flames, but the truth must be told.
"I know something that will cheer you up, Wesley" "Are you programmed to be thinking what I'm thinking?" "MAKEOVER!!" Princical Scudworth & Mr. Butlertron; Clone High
With respect to the Flames recent trades, you missed Cory Stillman (now performing brilliantly for my hockey pool) and Jason Weimer (gritty forward who would be useful in Coach Sutter's new Calgary team) and Phil Housley (an old man, but one with skills). All three would help the team escape the mire it is in...
In the Buzek trade the Flames also sent defence prospect Kurtis Foster to the Thrashers. Foster played in the AHL All-Star game this year and at 6'4" and 220 plus looks a good bet to be an NHLer next year. He also has a shot that was timed at 2 mph faster that Al MacInnis'.
Other recent Flame departures have included Filip Kuba, JS Giguere, Martin St. Louis, and Marty Murray.
It makes the Canucks' recent trade history look decent...
"It takes a whole lotta whiskey to make these nightmares go away" -- Tom Waits, Blue Valentine
Al Coates made some good moves. He got Brathwaite from the NATIONAL TEAM for nothing, especially since EIGHT goalies went down that year...and because of Steady Freddie's AWESOME goaltending...we missed the playoffs by 4 points. 4. That's the closest the team's gotten. So, they trade for Turek just after Button takes over. Why? They needed a "name" goalie. I think Conroy for Stillman was a Coates deal, too. As was Andrei Nazarov for Jordan Leopold, which'll pay off in a couple years.
The point? The Flames need to come up with a long-term plan. Button trades away everyone the new coach (Greg Gilbert) doesn't like, so that he'll be happy long-term. Of course, these moves screw over the team, and the coach is fired and replaced with ANOTHER one. And the GM has to go around and retool the team for THIS COACH, instead of just having the coach shut the hell up and worry about coaching the players he does have.
GOD, I hope for the love of sweet God they don't trade Iginla. He's actually playing well now.
"I know something that will cheer you up, Wesley" "Are you programmed to be thinking what I'm thinking?" "MAKEOVER!!" Princical Scudworth & Mr. Butlertron; Clone High
Colorado in 6 and Calgary in 6, leading to the BEST CONFERENCE FINAL EVAR~! They said I was mad when I said Calgary'd beat the Canucks...WELL WHO'S MAD NOW? MWA-HA-HA!
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