Flames trades make sense beyond this season
The common opinion around the hockey world following the trades Calgary made at the deadline to bring in Jordan Leopold and Olli Jokinen was that Darryl Sutter recognized the window of opportunity was closing and thinks the team is ready to make a run this season. I won’t deny that there is some truth behind this, but I think the trade had more foresight than this. I also think that the fact that Iginla, Regehr, and Kiprusoff “aren’t getting any younger” is certainly true (none of us are, are we?), it’s more a matter of those players not getting any cheaper.
When you take into account what the club has going for it this year, Michael Cammalleri is one of the biggest reasons for success to date, yet it’s unlikely they are going to be able to find a way to work something out with him unless he just loves the situation and is willing to play for under $5 million per year. Todd Bertuzzi has also been a key player (both in terms of wins and in terms of some of their losses) this year, and the size and play-making ability he brings to the team also may be short-lived for the Flames. Many people suggest that bringing in Olli Jokinen has killed off any hopes of re-signing Cammalleri. I think those hopes were gone when he hit the 25-goal mark, and he could be on his way to 40 (and more than Iginla — something no Flame has done for almost a decade). Jokinen kills two Canucks with one stone as he brings the playmaking and phyisical play of Todd Bertuzzi, as well as the scoring touch of a Michael Cammalleri. He also adds first-line center abilities that have been lacking the last several years. Langkow is as close as they have, yet he would be best shifting back and forth on the 2nd and 3rd lines, playing his solid defensive style, and also killing some penalties. Throw in Conroy at a ridiculously low price (a true hometown discount) and you have center depth as great as any team in the league. All of this, and Jokinen is signed through next season at only $5.5 million for the season. Langkow, alone, will haul $4.25. This makes Jokinen’s move something more than the typical deadline-day move — something that was done at that time to limit the cost for this season, but with an eye toward extending the window of opportunity at least through the end of next year.
Jordan Leopold, on the other hand, was a typical deadline-day move. His $1.5 million is very low, and he is likely to demand more next season. While I think it would be wise to try to find a way to move out Cory Sarich’s roughly $3.5 million per year deal (for several more seasons) and use that money to sign Leopold to a 3-year deal, I think there will be several teams looking at Leopold as a key acquisition in the off-season (in fact, I think my hometown Wild would be remiss to miss signing him to a 5-6 year deal, through the end of his most productive years). He would need to be treated well, and want to come back for another Stanley Cup run next year. The rest of this season and the run they are able or unable to make may play a key role in his decision.
The core of the team for next season would include Iginla, Jokinen, Glencross, Bourque, Langkow, Conroy and Boyd up front. Their defense would include Phaneuf, Regehr, Sarich, Vandermeer, and Giordano. And, of course they have a goalie who has stepped back into his all-world form so much that we don’t even know the legitimacy of his backup. All of this to say that they are pretty well prepared for this year, next, and have a good base for at least a couple seasons beyond. The deadline deals show some urgency, but nothing desperate.
*The salary numbers I used are based on those provided at a great site, nhlnumbers.com.
