Flames Finally Dump Primeau
by Kent Wilson on Jul 27, 2009 4:39 PM PDT
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This summer just keeps getting better and better.
Though it's probably a year later than I would have preferred, TSN is reporting today that Darryl Sutter has traded Wayne Primeau and a 2011 2nd round pick to the Toronto Maple Leafs for minor leaguers Colin Stuart and Anton Stralman as well as a 2012 7th round pick.
The move clears up 1.4M of precious cap room and adds a couple more names to the Abbotsford Heat roster. Perhaps most importantly, it's whittles the Flames forward number down to a sensible 13, clearing space for the yet to be inked Dustin Boyd.
I've been calling for Primeau's departure basically since he was signed to his indefensibly large contract a couple of years ago and it's been pretty clear since the acquisitions of guys like Dawes and Sjostrom that there was little room on the Flames roster for the big vet this year. The assumption was he would be waived and shuttled to the farm a la Anders Eriksson last summer, but it seems Sutter was somehow able to convince Burke to take Primeau. The return, however apparently nominal, is a bonus.
Anton Stralman will turn 23 on August 1. The 6' 1", 200 pounder defender was a 2005 7th rounder by the Leafs. Although a late round choice, Stralman already has 88 NHL games under his belt as well as a couple of double digit goal point seasons in the AHL as well. The battle for blueline spots on the farm just got a bit bigger.
Colin Stuart (pictured above) was a part of the Garnet Exelby/Pavel Kubina swap earlier this summer. A former 5th round ATL pick, Stuart saw action in 33 contests for the parent club last season, scoring 3 goals and 8 points. His stats in the AHL thus far have been fairly underwhelming, so he'll likely be a 3rd or 4th line option for Abbotsford (pretty much eliminating any chance JD Watt had of making the Heat. Sorry JD).
Stralman is on a two-way deal, while Stuart is a one-way, 500k contract. Im thinking the Leafs wanted Calgary to take some salary back in the deal which is fair enough.
Good news, my friends. Sutter got rid of one of the worst contracts on the books, freed up some room on the roster for a more valuable player and added a couple of potentially useful farm players in the process. I can't imagine why Burke wanted Primeau (BIG BODY PRESENCE?) but I'm extremely thankful he did.
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D. Sutter is really kickin’ some serious ass this summer. Get Boyd done and he can take his phone off the hook, put his feet up, and just wait until training camp.
By my count, the oldest player signed so far is Lundmark at 28 years old. The oldest new player is McGrattan at 27. The closest to a reclamation project is also McGrattan, but considering the size of his contract and his relative youth (compared to guys like Bert, Aucoin, or Nolan), that’s an easy deal to handle.
It’s one year later than I would have liked, but this is, in my opinion, how to do a rebuilding season. Starting trading for younger players when you still have your star players going strong.
Kinda funny…I just checked out Pension Plan Puppets and they’re up to 278 comments (and counting) already. Shockingly, most of the ones I looked at are of the “WTF?!?” variety.
I’ve added my comments to the cacophony over there. The best one I’ve seen thus far:
So, you’re telling me that Calgary, a team that is well known throughout the league as way tight against the cap, had leverage in this situation by still getting a cheap young defenseman for a forward that was making more money than he should by virtue of being injured, old, and a bottom-six forward? This is a bad trade simply by virtue of once again, the Leafs being unable to capitalize on their trade assets and trading them at their proverbial worst value. Stralman wasn’t worth much at this point, and this trade absolutely shows that the Leafs didn’t really bother on upping his value. That’s terrible asset management.
I looked to the sky and said thank you when this came across I’m absolutely loving the acquisition of Stralman, Kinda cheesed over the 2nd round pick but I think that’s just fair for Burke taking Primeau who I’m sure will play on the 4th line in Toronto seeing that this offseason for them has just been bolstering the defense for them.
Sutter you’ve done it again :)
Home of the NHL's Best Defense.
It just wouldn’t be a Sutter trade if it didn’t involve a 2nd rounder. The only time in his entire tenure here that Sutter has drafted a player in the 2nd round with his own pick was Tim Ramholt in 2003. Mitch Wahl was the only other 2nd rounder we’ve ever drafted, but that was Montreal’s pick.
As it is, great, great trade for us. I was figuring we’d only get to dump him off for a low round draft pick. To turn him into warm bodies that could play is a bonus. Abbotsford is also looking better and better.
he manages to always get some draft picks back, mind you. so i would think there’s still a return of high-round draft picks yet to come.
by walkinvisible on Jul 27, 2009 7:43 PM PDT up reply actions
I hate to see the 2nd rounder go, but that contract was always going to be a bear to get rid of.
Beyond that, and I mean this in the nicest possible way, how many 26 and under defencemen can one organization have that are at least AHL caliber? The Flames can stock 2 full bluelines:
Bouw-Phaneuf
Pardy-Gio
Pelech-Palin
Negrin-Aulie
Seabrook-Stralman
Brodie-Erixon
Baldwin
At least 9 of those guys look to be about 50-50 to be decent NHLers or better. That’s all but Palin, Stralman, Baldwin and Seabrook, and a couple of them could end up as a bottom pairing guy with a bit of luck. If this team doesn’t make a trade from that depth this season for a decent forward, I’ll be shocked. It’s almost too many for development purposes at this point. Jimmy Canaryshirt is going to have a lot of work, in a good way, mentoring all these young D down on the farm.
You forgot Kronwall!
That was something that occured to me just now too: is there another trade in the hopper? I mean…Heatley is still available last time I checked. The Flames now have 8 defenders with NHL experience, as well as Pelech and Palin who are knocking on the door.
You forgot Kronwall!
It must have been a Jokinen-like mental block ;)
So with that said, here’s a theoretical depth chart:
Calgary
Regher-Bouwmeester
Phaneuf-Sarich
Pardy-Giordano
Kronwall
Abbotsford
Pelech-Palin
Negrin-Aulie
Seabrook-Stralman
Baldwin
That’s the maximum at each place. Cheap veteran AHL defenders are never that hard to find, so yeah, it’s an area where a quantity for quality move can occur.
The only trade that could involve Heatley is one including Phaneuf, but Ottawa is over the cap and doesn’t have a back-up goalie signed yet. Calgary can’t take back any salary either. I could see them moving Sarich at some point, but they wouldn’t clear enough space for Heatley. Unless a third party gets involved to give Ottawa some cap relief, I can’t see how the numbers work. The Flames could also move Jokinen as part of it, but I think they’ll live with his expiring contract and let things play out until some point during the season. If they look like they can score enough to hang in there, they won’t do any thing until either the deadline or next summer.
by Robert Cleave on Jul 27, 2009 6:07 PM PDT up reply actions
this logjam on low-end/prospect defensemen DEMANDS a trade now (actually two, i would think…). while, on first glance, i’d presume stralman/kronwall would be the first to go, there’s definitely a part of me that sees a more formidable trade coming, involving at least one of those guys or (gasp!) sarich, gio or pardy, PLUS a decent younger prospect (negrin/aulie). this would allow the other of stralman/kronwall or pelech to move up into a roster spot on the big club and alleviate the numbers dilemma on the farm.
by walkinvisible on Jul 27, 2009 7:37 PM PDT up reply actions
Well guys, I finally made the team. Dream come true, and I look forward to playing for you this season.
But actually, my name is Colin Stuart.
-Colin
Well guys, I finally made the team. Dream come true, and I look forward to playing for you this season.
Colin, I’m nothing if not a helpful person, so here’s some useful information for your next move.
by Robert Cleave on Jul 27, 2009 6:19 PM PDT up reply actions
HA !!!!
i actually laughed out loud at this…. :)
by walkinvisible on Jul 27, 2009 7:38 PM PDT up reply actions
Thoughts...
a) Abbotsford will be very competitive this year.
b) Sutter continues to maneuver around cap issues (recall warrener/nilson/ericsson last year). A tip of the hat to Michael Holditch the Flames VP of Hockey Operations and ‘capologist’. http://flames.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NHLPage&bcid=tea_hockey_ops
c) The Flames dish another early pick (they already tossed their 2010 1st rounder) which explains why they don’t have too many offensive weapons on the farm. That being said the 2011 draft is looking like one of the bleakest crops of players since ’99. http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/draft/nhl1999e.html
PS welcome aboard Colin! WHO KNEW??
"It's a great day for hockey" - BBJ
by jealous broadcaster on Jul 27, 2009 6:23 PM PDT reply actions
Dude, winter in Calgary isn’t that bad…
I’ll go see the Heat when they come through Winnipeg. I saw the Q-Flames two years ago, but they were so blah last year I didn’t bother. Backlund, the young D and Irving will be worth checking up on.
by Robert Cleave on Jul 27, 2009 6:52 PM PDT up reply actions
i’ll seriously go.
let’s hit up some westjetters for buddy passes.
by walkinvisible on Jul 27, 2009 7:39 PM PDT up reply actions
Is this Sutter’s first summer spent deleting ugly contracts while not simultaneously adding others? Vandermeer and Primeau out the door with Dawes, Sjostrom and a bunch of quality AHLers coming in?
Dare we assume he’s learned his lessons??
…..why does everybody forget about mcgrattan ?!?! okay, sure, he’s one year at league min but STILL !!!!
sutter has dumped all of HIS OWN BAD CONTRACTS, yes. let’s congratulate him for that all the while acknowledging that HE SIGNED vandermeer, eriksson, primeau, and warrener, and we’re awfully lucky that craig conroy is still producing since he’ll be 38 by the time the season starts…..
by walkinvisible on Jul 27, 2009 7:42 PM PDT up reply actions
"Not if we stay in this division," he says of the knuckly Northwest. "You need a bit of that nuclear deterrent when you see that Minnesota has a couple of them, Edmonton had the two guys, Vancouver’s got ’em, Colorado just signed one (David Koci) . . . we were the last team in. If the division was different, we’d probably be different.
"And you know what? As we put younger guys in the lineup, I don’t want anyone screwing with them. Very simple. No one’s screwing with our kids."
That’s from Sutter’s interview in the Herald this past weekend. I don’t really agree with that approach, but that’s his mindset. It could have been worse, I suppose. He could have signed Colton Orr at a million a year for four years.
As to your main point, yes, he only gets half-credit for staunching the results of self-inflicted wounds. At least it’s done. Conroy’s contract never seemed like a poor bet to me, though. A million a year for a guy who was still a good skater didn’t seem all that risky.
by Robert Cleave on Jul 27, 2009 8:26 PM PDT up reply actions
i guess it depends on your definition of “kids,” and whether or not you think mcgrattan’s 4-5 minutes/game for the 24 intra-divisional matchups is worth benching an actual hockey player. realistically, who is mcgrattan standing up for right now ? sjöström ?? 6’4" / 211lb adam pardy ? dustin boyd ?!?!?!!! cause the roster i’m envisionning probably isn’t gonna include a lot of guys under 23….
unless we want to start talking about mikael backlund…. ;)
by walkinvisible on Jul 27, 2009 8:39 PM PDT up reply actions
McGrattan is a one year, 500k contract. While the whole enforcer thing annoys me, as contracts go, that’s the least offensive one that exists.
i understand this completely, and i’m largely arguing for argument’s sake, but when you’re as tight to the cap as we are, that 500K really matters.
i really don’t see any way around sarich moving right now.
by walkinvisible on Jul 27, 2009 8:45 PM PDT up reply actions
The Flames are about 1.4M in the black now. After they sign Boyd and demote Stuart, it’ll be 1 and change, roughly. I can see Sutter going to season with this roster and being comfortable with that.
Last year, the Flames “cap space” was somewhat illusory because it was made of LTIR. This year, the space, although somewhat minimal, is real.
i just see waaaaay too many guys on the blueline in the A.
i also see zero rookies promoted and (barring injury) pelech becoming redundant pretty damn quick.
but i agree, it could (should ?) wait till we get going….
by walkinvisible on Jul 27, 2009 8:58 PM PDT up reply actions
I’m also pretty sure the Flames ran a body or two under the limit most of last year. Pardy got in the line-up during the first part of the season, after the Vandermeer injury. He was the 7th D at the time, and they never called anyone one up. Right now, they could actually have the full complement of 23 guys and be under the cap, which would prevent BS like demoting Dustin Boyd to start the year.
by Robert Cleave on Jul 27, 2009 9:04 PM PDT up reply actions
one (very slightly) contrary comment
Good work by Sutter, absolutely. Presumably the 2nd rder was the sweetener for the salary move, but really, drafting a player of Stralman’s quality (“quality”?) would constitute a decent 2nd rd pick.
The contrary part: Wayne Primeau is a good 4th-liner. He’s a terrible, terrible 3rd-liner, but he’s a good 4th-liner. Combined with his PK skillz, he’s probably useful for the Leafs next year. If they have 9 better fwds…
But yeah, there was no room for him here, esp at that $$.
by MattF on Jul 27, 2009 7:36 PM PDT via mobile reply actions
That’s really the gist of it, Matt. If he was making 700K, there wouldn’t have been any urgency to move him. He certainly would have been a lot better than Andre Roy last year. My objection to Primeau was the same one I had to Jim Vandermeer. They can play a role in the NHL, but you’d have to cut their salaries by 50-70% to match their contracts to their spot in the pecking order. Wayne Primeau would have been the 4th highest paid forward on the team. That couldn’t last.
by Robert Cleave on Jul 27, 2009 7:54 PM PDT up reply actions
jordan leopold was my eriksson.
well, i guess eriksson was my eriksson too.
by walkinvisible on Jul 27, 2009 8:40 PM PDT up reply actions
I might have overstated my case a hair… but, yeah, I came around a bit. Or he played better in his few games last year and made me rethink my assumptions, or something.
As most of us will recall, the 3rd line, aka the Primeau line, was TEH SUCK in 07/08. I was absolutely despondent during last season’s exhibition games. But as it turns out, when he got 7 minutes a night against 4th liners, he wasn’t overmatched. In fact, he was decent. He had some good games last season before he got hurt.
And, I’m ecstatic about this deal.
awwww…. snifff…. remember how fast he skated sometimes ?
by walkinvisible on Jul 27, 2009 9:08 PM PDT up reply actions
Anyone else think Mark Giordano might be dealt soon? I’ll admit I’ve never seen Stralman play but just from what I’ve read it sounds like their comparable players plus he’s a righty and it sounds like he has a hard point shot… what we lost when Aucoin departed.
Not really. Giordano is 25 and an established blueliner at this point. That they may have similar styles doesn’t necessarily make them comparable players. Stralman is 22 and battling with the likes of Pelech and Kronwall.
I mean, if Stralman steps up and is suddenly a 20 minute/night 2nd pairing defender, then all bets are off. But,at this point, Giordano is a far better bet to take that step.
by Kent Wilson on Jul 27, 2009 10:11 PM PDT up reply actions
To put it another way – any player that is acquired in a trade where the primary piece going back is 1.4M Wayne Primeau probably isn’t going to make a big dent in the big league any time soon.
by Kent Wilson on Jul 27, 2009 10:13 PM PDT up reply actions
thanks, kent, for saying this and thereby allowing me to sleep at night…. ;)
by walkinvisible on Jul 27, 2009 11:21 PM PDT up reply actions
If he was a second pairing guy out of camp, it wouldn’t be Giordano who should nervous. Cory Sarich, on the other hand, could call his real estate agent pronto. Stralman’s cap hit is 1/5 of Sarich’s. I guess that plays into my main point, which is Mark Giordano is pretty cheaply priced for what he provides. The Flames are still tight to the cap. Cheap help is damned good to have around. I don’t really see Giordano as someone likely to be usurped by a guy whose cap hit is only 160K less.
by Robert Cleave on Jul 27, 2009 10:29 PM PDT up reply actions
and thank YOU, RC, for the sweeter dreams i’ll have after this comment…. :)
by walkinvisible on Jul 27, 2009 11:22 PM PDT up reply actions
I just read this now and I actually cheered out loud. I feel bad for Primeau due to my reaction towards him, but… that is so freaking great for the team.
um… have we considered at all that maybe gio is still really banged up, and strahlman is a puck moving type stand-in guy ? have there been any injury updates on my boy ?
No, although I do seem to recall he was skating towards the end of the Chicago series.
by Robert Cleave on Jul 28, 2009 12:17 AM PDT up reply actions
yeah but he had a shoulder injury…. he could feasibly have been skating a week later….
my roommate has been hearing rumours. i’m sure they’re all fiction but i find that there is usually a grain of truth in these things…. check hitthepost tomorrow sometime, i’ll write up what he heard…. they don’t make me feel good (if you know what i’m sayin).
good trade
what i see sutter doing is planning ahead. I dont think sutter is happy with sarich anymore as well with his $3.5 million contract wouldnt be surprised if this is sarich’s last year negrin and pelech or pardy are well good enough to replace him in a years time and on a way smaller contract. plus with the 3.5 and 1.4 million combined the flames could get a top 6 foreward (kessel maybe).
Kronwall now Stralman
You guys are picking up all our ex-defensive prospects. I think this was more of a deal to get rid of the excess d-men the Leafs have and to pick up an extra pick, a 2nd rounder, for a player who made it clear that he would leave North America if he didn’t get more NHL playing time.
A Nation of Masochists The waiting is the hardest part.
All your Swedish ones, at least. Backlund will be pretty comfortable on the farm surrounded by his countrymen this year.
i’m guessing that furcifer meant erixon. but spelled eriksson, which of course (in these parts) is a most unfortunate error; one we will surely have to contend with for the next few years at least….
by walkinvisible on Jul 28, 2009 10:00 AM PDT up reply actions
I meant Eriksson. I didn’t realize you had shed him. Good decision.
A Nation of Masochists The waiting is the hardest part.
ah…. then i KNOW you’re not a fan of my team, or you too would have been counting the days until his contract expired at midnight june 30th…. ;)
by walkinvisible on Jul 28, 2009 10:01 AM PDT up reply actions
although
I do have some love for your team. My ex was an Oilers fan.
A Nation of Masochists The waiting is the hardest part.
A+
Like seeing Burke and the Leafs get the short end of the deal for once. Even though Burkie (as Mike Komisarek calls him) will never admit it.
Spreading that Calgary Flames, Montreal Expos, The U, and Orlando Magic love...get it on Twitter : KingJafi29.
Everyone calls him Burkie. It basically was a purchase of a second round pick.
Stuart for Primeau – a wash
Stralman and a 7th (in 2 years) for a 2nd – a wash.
If it wasn’t for the picks it would be a huge advantage to the Flames but with the second rounder it’s a “meh” deal for both teams.
A Nation of Masochists The waiting is the hardest part.
The Burkie/Komisarek thing was a reference to MK’s appearance on OTR after he signed with the Leafs. He must of dropped the Burkie line like 50 times. Pretty funny considering its his new boss.
Spreading that Calgary Flames, Montreal Expos, The U, and Orlando Magic love...get it on Twitter : KingJafi29.
didn’t burke take on a…. tampa bay (?) salary dump on trade deadline day (?) as well ??!? he’s gonna call in these favours some day, i’d imagine.
Well they sort of did it in a backwards way because they approved the trade, let the Leafs take on the salaries of Kolzig et al and then stripped the pick for the earlier signing of Frogren which made little sense
A Nation of Masochists The waiting is the hardest part.
Will Stralman Stick around?
Stralman has previously threatened the Leafs with returning to Europe if he didn’t get more playing time in the NHL:
“I’m going to do this one month,” Stralman said. “If I’m still in the AHL after New Year’s Eve, we’ll have to have a discussion. The hockey isn’t fun in the AHL. I went over to play in the NHL and I know I can do it.”
There’s little chance he’ll start the season on the parent club in Calgary…plus there’s a lot of competition should a spot opening up. Perhaps this is why Burke threw Stalman into the deal – he’s a bad bet to stick around.
Resign Bertuzzi-don't sign Heatley/get a back-up goalie instead
I think that Calgary should sign Bertuzzi, he looked good last year, he has the size needed and can stand in front because of it-he deflects shots in. Heatley would be nice-but the cost is too great unless a trade for one of our top players. What we might consider is a goalie in a trade for whom? A free agent goalie signing?
We need a back up goalie-anyone agree? Go with Bertuzzi and sign a goalie-Kirpusoff needs the odd game rest or he’s gonna get hurt-groin pull etc.-why does he spend hours stretching after a game? He’s not made of steel-he deserves some help.
I like the team so far-but????any ideas?
Ymir BC fan
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