In: Curtis Glencross (1.2M/year), Rene Bourque (RFA), Mark Giordano (800k?), Jim Vandermeer
Other: Pete Vandermeer, Ryan Wilson (farm filler), Kyle Greentree, David Van Der Gulik (retained), Eric Nystrom (retained), Conroy (discount retained)
Out: Kristian Huselius (1.4M), Owen Nolan (likely) (2M), Stephane Yelle (1M), Alex Tanguay (5.25M), Eric Godard (482k), Curtis Joseph (650k), David Hale (590k), Mark Smith (487k)
Other: Rhett Warrener (2.35M), Anders Eriksson (1.5M), Marcus Nilson (1M) (waivers)
Total In (not counting "other"):
Total Out (not counting "other"): 11.859M
Current cap room: 2.171M
Notes:
The Vandermeer contract above is bolded because the number in the Herald today contrasts what was reported earlier:
...defenceman/occasional forward Jim Vandermeer, retained at three years and $4.9 million
EDIT - Apparently that's an error and the previous number (2.3M) is the correct one. Boo!
The Flames currently have 13 forwards under contract, counting Bourque who will no doubt be signed soon. They also have 8 defensemen, including the likes of Warrener and Eriksson, who are still *technically* part of the team and on the payroll despite being put on waivers last week.
Of the Flames 13 forwards, perhaps 4 of them can be considered top 6 players (Cammalleri, Iginla, Langkow, Lombardi), with maybe one or two others with the "potential" to play there now or in the future (Boyd, Bourque). The rest - from Primeau to Glencross to Conroy to Moss - are better suited to bottom 6 ("checking" or "energy") assignments.
From where we stand now, it looks like Sutter realized it was tough to hide the bottom half of the roster on a nightly basis and decided to firm up that portion of the team. Unfortunately, it's seemingly come at the expense of the upper half of the roster, with the Flames shuffling out 3 top 6 forwards (Nolan, Huselius and Tanguay) and adding only one in their stead (Cammalleri). The current party line from Sutter is "the kids have to step up", meaning Boyd, Lomabrdi and Moss (or Bourque) I suppose. If so, some heavy sheltering is going to have to happen if Keenan wants Lombardi-Boyd-Moss (or a similar configuration) to outscore anyone.
Calgary's defense currently shares the same affliction: lots of players, most of them tailored to a supporting (ie; third pairing) role - Aucoin, Vandermeer, Giordano, Warrener and Eriksson (if they stick around - which would be bad). I don't know where Gio is in terms of his progression, but hoping he'll step into the breach is probably betting on long-odds. The other guys have even less hope of doing so adequately (past their prime or too low a ceiling).
That said, I've mostly liked what Sutter's done so far. I have three primary of hopes going forward:
1.) Warrener, Eriksson and Nilson go away somehow. Sutter has said the players wont be bought out and has hinted that they may still be given a shot to "make the team". But he's also suggested they can't all be here come October:
"We're not buying players out," said Sutter, who had raised that very possibility last week. "They sign (contracts), they honour them, it's simple."
Still, it stands to reason the blue-line ranks will be thinned before opening night. "Robyn (Regehr) and Cory (Sarich) and Dion (Phaneuf) and Jimmy and Gio, they're all still young guys and they're all going to improve," said Sutter. "Then you have the three veterans (Eriksson, Warrener and Adrian Aucoin), those three are going to fight for spots to play on our team. And they're not all going to be here, that's obvious."
Let's face it: Only Aucoin has any chance to "play on the team". He's also the only one who would have any value to other clubs in a trade. The only way I can see dumping the likes of Warrener, Eriksson and maybe even Nilson is by giving them up to a club the needs salary to reach the cap floor (LAK, for example).
2.) One of the remaining anchors is dealt. If you look at the Flames salary commitments, 2 players stand out like sore thumbs: Wayne Primeau @ 1.4M (Calgary's 5th highest paid forward) and Adrian Aucoin @ 4M (tied with Regehr for 2nd highest paid defenseman). Assuming Warrener and co. go away, Aucoin and Primeau are the last two bad value deals the Flames have on the books. I'd like to see at least one of them take a walk before the season begins.
3.) One of the big holes is plugged. Be it a top 6 winger or a top 4 defensemen, Sutter should be looking to solidify the top of the rotation in some manner before the season begins. I like the additions so far, and some of the (potential) purges, but the team is going to struggle to compete if it goes into the year with glaring holes in both the front and back-ends.
That's it so far. I didn't get into the cap-space concerns (2.171 remaining with Bourque yet to be signed) because that area is pretty fuzzy. If items 1 and or 2 above come true, the Flames probably dont have any concerns in that area.
Still lots of time and potential moves left. Im worried about the team's competitiveness as the roster stands currently but am liking the general direction of the management thus far.
12 comments:
Fedotenko and Satan are gone.
Well that sucks. I must be behind the news. Where'd they go?
Crap...both to the greedy Pens.
Williams still out there I guess.
I wonder what it would take to rope Shanahan. I'd also consider Bertuzzi depending on the cost. At this point I don't think beggars can be choosers.
Just looking at our division, I'd say only the Oil have improved, but they got softer. The Wild, 'Lanche, Canucks have all slipped backwards I'd say, barring the Sundin deal. I think Calgary has probably treaded water, but scoring is going to be tougher this year, its unlikely Iggy gets 50 again, the games are probably going to be closer and we're not a great OT/Shootout team.
Its tough to see Sutter getting anything for Nilson, Warrener and Eriksson, when any team could have had them for free.
The only obvious puzzle piece is Aucoin: I don't think you could get a top six forward for him, don't think you could get a high draft choice for him, and there's no UFA worth the 4 mill if you bought him out. He may have some value at the deadline, but then I think the Flames playoff fate will have been decided.
I might have to stop cheering for the Flames if they get Bertuzzi. I flat out hate that guy.
Bertuzzi; I saw him good here in Vancouver, and I swear even before the Moore disaster there has never been a grumpier rich guy. He's made millions of dollars playing a game! and I never saw the guy smile once. Grumpy when he's playing well (which was rare), grumpy when he's injured (which was often), grumpy when team winning, grumpy when team losing, grumpy with media (but wouldn't just shut up, instead always had something negative to say) and then after Moore, the guy totally lost his edge, his fitness and pretty obviously the desire to play the type of game that he needs to excel. I guess Keenan probably has a jones on for him, but Sutter has got to just say no. He's not a good enough skater to play with Lombo, so you'd have to stick him with Iggy! Thats just wrong.
I think Sutter is going in the right direction this off-season. Had no cap space, lots of bad contracts, and a middle-of-pack team... with the defending cup champions adding Hossa, any attempt to try and win it all this year would have just been the definition of insanity (you know, keeping doing the same thing...)
Instead, what I think Sutter has done is set us up for a good "re-tooling" year. Not "re-building", just re-tooling. Keep the very-good core intact, and bring in a bunch of youth and give them lots of chances to develop. They'll be crucial peices in an uphill battle for the playoffs which will do wonders for their development. Then next year, when all but Primeau comes off the books, and Zetterberg gets his raise, and there's a (hopefully) better UFA crop, we go for broke. We'll have the same great core, a better supporting cast, and the same 2 holes but significant cap space to do something about it. Why screw that up by tieing up money next year because you wanted to buy someone out to do better on a lost cause this year? Why through too much money at a Shannahan or Naslund or Nolan and take away the development chance for the young guys?
For me, it's Williams or bust. If you can add a young guy like that this year, you can fast track that re-tooling plan a bit. Otherwise, all you are doing is picking up the same tools again. You know, the ones that back into the playoffs each year and can't get out of the first round?
I agree with previous posts here that Sutter has been a mix of brilliant and brutal so far. But this is the first off season that I've completely agreed with his approach. He navigated the cap-crunch, kept the team competitive, and got younger and closer to a bright future. A solid B+ for the GM from me. If Williams gets signed and 1 or 2 Waiver-brothers gets traded (NOT bought-out), it's an A. A+ if he can also address that top 4 d gap, but I'm pretty sure he has Vandameer pegged as Phaneuf's caddy this year (which worked fairly well last year I thought).
Throughing away time or money this year and screwing up the 09/10 season? That grade quickly drops to a D.
Im with you Greg. The Flames need to be low-key and savvy this summer so they can re-load next summer. They won't be winning anything this year, thus the impetus will be on "staying comeptitive" so the fans and owners don't get too pissed off.
This is the tact Sutter could have - and should have - taken last summer. Instead, we were treated to Primeau, Eriksson, Smith and Nilson signings (and Giordano and Taratukhin defections). However, it really looks like Sutter may have learned his lesson.
Is there any chance of Taratyukin showimg up to camp this year??? It looks like he's got one more year on his Russian contract.
Re: Taratukhin.
I dont think there's any chance of him returning, especially this year. He's back at home making more than he could here and the Flames roster is full to the brim with bottom 6 forwards.
Williams: good one...Shanny: that would be great...can anyone say where these guys are rumored to go, or who is interested? But, Bertuzzi: no, please God, no. I'd rather see Iggy in Oiler blue than that messed-up head case Bertuzzi in Flames red.
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