In the wake of the recent trade seeing the end of Dion Phaneuf's tenure in Calgary, GM Darryl Sutter isn't waiting for the waters to settle and it's no surprise. Any which way you look at it, the Phaneuf deal was the pre-cursor to something more for the Flames. It was heavily reported on TSN that the continuation of the changes was to occur today with an exchange involving Olli Jokinen and Brandon Prust from Calgary and Chris Higgins and Ales Kotalik from the Rangers. According to the ever-reliable Bob McKenzie though, that deal is now on hold for the time being. The question now becomes, why?
In a previous blog, I mentioned that Calgary could and should be seeking to reach an agreement with Thrashers' GM, Don Waddell to bring Ilya Kovalchuk to Alberta. It is possible that Darryl Sutter is still waiting to reach a deal in principle with Waddell which would make Atlanta the final destination for Higgins and Kotalik. If not Waddell, the party slowing the progress of the deal could be Ales Kotalik himself. With the advantage of a no-trade clause in his contract, it was mentioned on Kukla's Korner that perhaps Calgary was not on his list of future hometowns. This seems somewhat odd given his consistent trips to the press box and alleged rift with Rangers' coach John Tortorella. But maybe Kotalik is just unwilling to head south to Georgia.
To me, a transaction of this sort makes a whole lot of sense for the Flames as Kovalchuk could provide that consistent scoring they so desperately need. Not only does it allow them to dress one of the most feared powerplays in hockey but consistency from their top guys also relieves pressure on secondary scorers like Bourque, Dawes and Glencross. Jarome Iginla as always, has been great but he needs help that Olli Jokinen just could not provide.
Whether these effects are realised, or even if the trade takes place at all are looming questions, but one undeniable truth remains: The Calgary Flames must improve their roster to win the Stanley Cup.
In a previous blog, I mentioned that Calgary could and should be seeking to reach an agreement with Thrashers' GM, Don Waddell to bring Ilya Kovalchuk to Alberta. It is possible that Darryl Sutter is still waiting to reach a deal in principle with Waddell which would make Atlanta the final destination for Higgins and Kotalik. If not Waddell, the party slowing the progress of the deal could be Ales Kotalik himself. With the advantage of a no-trade clause in his contract, it was mentioned on Kukla's Korner that perhaps Calgary was not on his list of future hometowns. This seems somewhat odd given his consistent trips to the press box and alleged rift with Rangers' coach John Tortorella. But maybe Kotalik is just unwilling to head south to Georgia.
To me, a transaction of this sort makes a whole lot of sense for the Flames as Kovalchuk could provide that consistent scoring they so desperately need. Not only does it allow them to dress one of the most feared powerplays in hockey but consistency from their top guys also relieves pressure on secondary scorers like Bourque, Dawes and Glencross. Jarome Iginla as always, has been great but he needs help that Olli Jokinen just could not provide.
Whether these effects are realised, or even if the trade takes place at all are looming questions, but one undeniable truth remains: The Calgary Flames must improve their roster to win the Stanley Cup.
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