The Winds of Trade Continue in Calgary

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.

The Kovalchuk Factor

It's no secret that it's highly unlikely Thrashers' star forward Ilya Kovalchuk, won't be dealt some time between now and March 3, in a trade that will surely be the blockbuster deal of the season. The services of the 2001 #1 overall draft pick will be highly sought-after and with good cause. At this point in the season he has managed 31 goals and 57 points with the 6th best pts/gm average in the league. When you consider the quality of the linemates the 5 men ahead of him (Ovechkin, Daniel & Henrik Sedin, Crosby and Thornton) have compared to Ilya Kovalchuk's, it's pretty clear this is a player every team in need of scoring touch would like to have. He's just one of those unique forwards that makes his linemates better.

Speculation from one of my favourite hockey reporters, Bob McKenzie suggests Calgary and Chicago are two teams likely to pursue a deal for the talented winger. The benefits the Flames might see from Kovie's services are obvious.

Expectations were high in Southern Alberta prior to the commencement of their 2009/10 campaign, and as we near the Olympic break it's safe to say those expectations have not been met. Shockingly, Calgary sits outside the playoffs (albeit by a single point) in 9th in the highly competitive Western conference. GM Darryl Sutter may be feeling deja vu because the apparent panacea for Calgary's ailment is once against scoring. Last year Sutter hoped Olli Jokinen would be the answer but the impact of the tricky ex-Coyote was fairly underwhelming.

If somehow, 12 months later the Flames GM was able to synergise with Don Waddell and get Kovalchuk in a Flames' uniform, the same disappointment would not be seen. Calgary could potentially ice one of the most dangerous lines in hockey. Daymong Langkow and Olli Jokinen might get light-headed at the thought of centering Iginla and Kovalchuk, as would any centre in the NHL. But of course, the negative affects of such a monumental trade need to be equally assessed.

Don Waddell is certainly not going to give away his franchise player for nothing. One would expect the Thrashers' GM to be in search of at least one key player along with a mixture of high draft-picks and prospects. The speculation about Dion Phaneuf's possible movement before the deadline certainly makes sense and in this scenario it makes sense for both parties.

The Chicago Blackhawks on the other hand are not in need of scoring. Boasting arguably the youngest and deepest core of forwards in the league with the likes of Toews, Kane, Hossa, Versteeg and Sharp to compliment the [statistically] stingiest defense touring the continent, this trade doesn't make as much sense to me.

While there's no doubt the addition of Kovalchuk would certainly make them an even scarier opponent to deal with, it seems an unnecessary risk for Stan Bowman to take. We've all heard the saying 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it', and with this in mind any sort of major deal does seem somewhat risky. Joel Quenneville's team has displayed that they are the most balanced and consistent team thusfar in the season. While they can't claim to have the "score-at-will" ability of the Washington Capitals or San Jose Sharks, a consistent, discipled defense is perhaps the most valuable virtue a hockey team could hope to possess come playoff time.

Further to the risk of altering an obviously strong team chemistry, does it seem necessary to trade away young talent and/or draft picks for this risk? It should also be mentioned, that Bowman will need to off-load salary for Kovy's $6.4m annual cap hit and I'm guessing the Thrashers aren't interested in Brian Campbell.

Trades like this are best suited for teams that are 'on the bubble' so to speak, and require that added injection to get them from competitive to contending. Some of those teams could include Vancouver, Philadelphia, Colorado and the aforementioned Calgary. In my estimation, Chicago will not and should not be in that mix.