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Flyers enter trade epicenter to take on Flames

If you could pinpoint one major problem with the Calgary Flames this season, it would be their offense. Ranked just 22nd in the NHL in goals per game, the Flames aren't a team that was built around offense. With goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff and what was thought to be a world-class defense in front of him, general manager Darryl Sutter didn't believe a potent offense was particularly necessary with his team.

But with Jay Bouwmeester not performing up to par and Dion Phaneuf putting together an atrocious season of his own, it was clear that the defense-first mentality wasn't working out. The Flames began a free fall in the thick Western Conference playoff race, and after putting a 1-6-3 mark together in their last ten games, they're lucky they still sit in the eighth and final playoff spot out West.

Sutter knew he had to make some kind of move, evident yesterday in his trade of Phaneuf, Fredrik Sjostrom and AHLer Keith Aulie to the Toronto Maple Leafs for three forwards -- Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman and Jamal Mayers -- and young defenseman Ian White, who despite less than half the pay check has been just as good as Phaneuf this season.

But apparently that wasn't enough for Sutter. Last night, he dropped another bomb on his team, trading Olli Jokinen and tough guy Brandon Prust to the Rangers for struggling forwards Ales Kotalik and Chris Higgins.

Well, at least that was the initial report. The trade is on hold right now, but it's clear something is going down, as Kotalik was sent by the Rangers back to New York to await confirmation on a deal. If you crunch the numbers a little bit though, you quickly find a possible reason for the snafu.

From SBNation.com (and full disclosure, I wrote the article)...

So on the whole this Sunday the Flames made a net gain of two NHL players, bumping them to 25 total contracts, over the limit of 23. Simply put, Sutter and the Flames must make some other transaction just to get under the roster limit. They only have one player currently on the NHL roster with a two-way contract, Mikael Backlund, meaning they'd have to put at least one NHL player on waivers to get under the limit. The more likely scenario: they just make another trade. Ah, the intrigue.

Flames fans like to think they're going to swap the underachieving Kotalik -- who thanks to Glen Sather's brilliance has a no-trade clause (another potential reason for the hold-up) -- to another team, perhaps in a package to Atlanta for Ilya Kovalchuk. Not sure how much of that is just wishful thinking on their part and how much of that is actually possible, but nevertheless, something has to drop.

And regardless of what happens, even if the deal is ultimately called off, the fact is that the Flames tried to trade away Jokinen, which makes it ridiculously awkward that he's expected to be in the lineup tonight against the Flyers.

Star-divide

Here's TSN's Bob McKenzie:

Sources tell TSN that while the Rangers thought they had the deal basically agreed to on Sunday night, the Flames weren’t ready to pull the trigger, in part, because they felt they needed Jokinen in the lineup tonight against Philadelphia in Calgary. There are reports that Kotalik isn’t prepared to waive his no-trade clause to go to Calgary but the indication is the Rangers were fully able and prepared to do this deal, but Calgary backed away at the last moment.

If that report is to be believed, this deal could be stopped because the Flames feel that they need Jokinen to beat the Flyers. If you're aware of that and you're Jokinen, how well do you play on Monday night against Philly?

Awkwaaaaaaaaard.

If tonight really is Jokinen's last game with the Flames, it'll be against the same Flyers team that his first game as a Flame came against. In that matchup at the Wachovia Center just after the trade deadline last March, Jokinen scored two goals in the first period. Let's hope he doesn't try to change Sutter's mind about this deal with a similar performance tonight.

There's no guarantee who will be in the Flames lineup this evening, and with as much turnover as there is in Calgary today, it's going to be rough sailing for that team. The Flyers absoultely have to take advantage of this already struggling group. After all, if you played for Calgary, how would you perform amidst that kind of uncertainty?

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They are referring to themselves as the Calgary Maple Rangers for the time being.

Olli Jokinen is the worst. So much potential and such a horrible attitude.

Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?

by mikefive on Feb 1, 2010 11:52 AM EST reply actions  

or all the flames play their asses off, knowing that everybody is expendable. I’m not sure I’m looking forward to this game.

Managing Editor - HockeyOutsiders.com

by HockeyOutsiders on Feb 1, 2010 11:53 AM EST reply actions  

Nope.

I’ve watched the Flames on and off this year, as they are my number 2 team.

Their system is similar to the Flyers’, except maybe it’s not as fast-paced. When they’re on, they ‘re tough to get through. When they’re off, they give up a lot of odd-man rushes.

They’re definitely going to be scoring more now, that’s for sure.

Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?

by mikefive on Feb 1, 2010 11:57 AM EST up reply actions  

You never know how these games will go (after or in the midst of huge trades), seems equally likely that they could not show up… or come out on fire. (no flame pun intended)

by Doug609 on Feb 1, 2010 12:00 PM EST up reply actions  

I doubt anyone in Calgary cares how Jokinen plays. Either he does nothing much, at which point nothing changes, or he plays pissed off, which only helps us.

And, FWIW, blame TSN for the Kovalchuk thing. I doubt anyone in Calgary really thinks the Thrashers are that dumb. Evidently we think more of Don Waddell than TSN does, lol.

by Resolute on Feb 1, 2010 12:07 PM EST reply actions  

He played pretty well the last time our teams got together.

Last season, the Flames kicked the crap out of the Flyers and then fell apart down the stretch. Can you just fall apart tonight and then tear it up the rest of the way? Because that would be awesome.

Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?

by mikefive on Feb 1, 2010 12:13 PM EST up reply actions  

last year wasn’t the Flyers game the 1st game the Flames played after trading for Jokinen they came out like gang busters, what a difference a year makes, moving Phaneuf might have a different effect.

by chrislanci on Feb 1, 2010 4:40 PM EST up reply actions  

It was.

It was also the first game the Flyers played after the surprising departure of Upshall. I was there. It wasn’t pretty.

Do you see what happens when you find a stranger in the Alps?

by mikefive on Feb 1, 2010 4:41 PM EST up reply actions  

All i have to say is they better capitalize on this. I’ll be getting maybe four hours of sleep to watch this game.

On a side note. I think that no getting Boumeester and picking up Pronger worked out pretty well.

by SkookFlyerfan on Feb 1, 2010 12:11 PM EST reply actions  

I don’t know. I really liked Boumeester and that polluted locker room and underperforming team can’t be the decision on such a talented player. It will be interesting to see how he plays without Phaneuf around. I would have let Carter go for Boumeester and kept Umberger. Might not have worked out but that is what I was thinking back then.

by MJDII on Feb 1, 2010 12:31 PM EST up reply actions  

I will kill myself laughing if the Flames miss the playoffs for the next 10 seasons though.

Managing Editor - HockeyOutsiders.com

by HockeyOutsiders on Feb 1, 2010 12:34 PM EST up reply actions  

you rather have Umberger and Boumeester than Pronger-Carter ??

by chrislanci on Feb 1, 2010 4:42 PM EST up reply actions  

The Flames took us to the woodshed last year when our locker room was unsettled. I hope we return the favor. I hope Calgary implodes tonight, but Im not counting on it

by Prometheus74 on Feb 1, 2010 1:06 PM EST reply actions  

Two-Way contracts and Waivers

Not to be a huge nit picker, but having a two-way contract does NOT make a player exempt from waivers when going to the AHL from the NHL. 2 Factors determine whether a player is exempt from waivers. One, how old was the player when he signed his first NHL contract? Then depending on that age he has a window of a certain number of years or games played that his waiver exempt status lasts. For more info here’s a good link.

http://nhlscap.com/waivers.htm

by tmurder on Feb 1, 2010 2:52 PM EST reply actions  

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