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Going forward - Flames trade targets


Assuming Sutter sees what I see, the lone significant move of the off-season is moving Cory Sarich for either cap space or, if possible, a decent scoring forward. While the list of potential UFA's who could fill the Flames needs is brief (listed in the post below), there are actually several trade possibilities that come to mind:

Star-divide

1.) Simon Gagne for Sarich +

The Flyers are one fo the few teams in bigger cap trouble than the Flames and may be looking to move one of their big tickets. They also have a very young defense corps behind elder statsment Pronger and Timonen. Making this move would require Wayne Primeau being replaced by someone around league minimum, of course.

2.) Patrice Bergeron or Phil Kessel for Sarich +

It's been rumored that RFA Phil Kessel is up for grabs out of bean town, mainly because the Bruins have all of 5.34M in cap room, half of which is "bonus cushion" which can evaporate. Moving Kessel or Bergeron (the only Bruin to have a lousy season last year) so the team can keep one or the other probably makes sense. Marco Sturm may also be available, although his littany of severe injuries last season marks him as damaged goods.

3.) Patrick Sharp for Cory Sarich

As of right now, Sharp is the second highest paid Blackhawk behind newly signed Marian Hossa at 3.9M/year. That's no a big deal this season, but next year the Hawks will have to re-sign pending RFA's Andrew Ladd, Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith and Jonanthn Toews.  

While Sharps' and Sarich's contracts basically cancel each other out, the move would balance out the Hawks salary structure somewhat - it would also mean not paying a 3rd line player 4M/year. Their blueline is also in need of some reinforcing; they currently have 4 established NHLers signed and one of them is the useless Brent Sopel. More than half of their defense corps is under 25.

4.) Colby Armstrong + for Cory Sarich

The Atlanta Thrashers still have't re-signed Armstrong who is RFA and have a woeful blueline outside of Hainesy, Kubina and Enstrom. Bogosian has definite promise, but the guy is 19 years old, while Anssi Salmela is the only other blueliner currently under contract.

Armstrong isn't a name that leaps to mind when it comes to offense, but he had a really good year last season considering his surroundings. He played the toughest competition on the team, managed a positive corsi rate (+0.8/60), the 3rd highest ESP/60 number on the club (2.13) and a miserly 2.13 GA/60. That seems like a guy who has figued things out to me and is just 26 years old.

As an added bonus, the Flames recently signed his bother Riley!

5.) Ray Whitney for Cory Sarich

The Hurricanes have 8M in cap space remaining with RFA's Tuomo Ruutu and Anton Babchuk left to sign. They also (still) have an extremely underwhelming blueline once you get past Pikanen, Gleason and Corvo (and even that's not terribly impressive).

Whitney is old, but has just one more year left on his 3.55M deal. He's still an extremely effective scorer, however, gathering 83, 61 and 77 points in the last 3 seasons respectively. He also played the toughest competition out of CAR forwards last season and still managed a positive corsi rate (+8/60) and more than 2 ES points per hour.

This is all fantasy and speculation, so feel free to add your own!

0 recs  |  Comment 32 comments |

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If Colby Armstrong can play the left side in the top six (he’s a R shot), yes, please. The only “plus” I’d want from that deal would be that he signs a contract that is 2 million or less per year, so that the Flames could get one more decent veteran D from the bargain bin. I like Matt Pelech. I think I’d like him better as the “7th” defenceman who just happens to play in the first pair every night in Abbotsford this season.

by Robert Cleave on Jul 3, 2009 10:00 AM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Yeah, fair enough. Dealing Sarich does create something of hole in the roster.

by Kent Wilson on Jul 3, 2009 10:04 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Patrick Sharp is terrific, BTW. I just think the Hawks will be a handful as it is, and I have enough respect for Sarich that I’d rather not have him in the conference on a high-quality rival.

by Robert Cleave on Jul 3, 2009 10:09 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

i think pelech could make the jump this year, but figuring out where to put him is problematic at best. if you keep him in the third pairing, then you’re probably pairing him with pardy (yikes ?). this would, however, keep gio with dion and reggie with jaybouw (which i think is best).

by walkinvisible on Jul 3, 2009 11:02 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

I like what you’ve done and I’m going to take a spin through the rosters later and see if anything else jumps out. As for these particular moves, with no justification except gut feel, I’d say qualified yes to #1 (depending on what + needs to be), yes to #3/#4, no to #2/#5.

by maimster on Jul 3, 2009 10:14 AM PDT reply actions   0 recs

I’d vote no on Armstrong, probably no on Kessel (simply because we don’t know what he costs), and Yes on the rest of them. Pending of course, as maimster notes, what the “plus” is.

Love Bergeron, but I’m not sure exactly where he fits… I think the Flames need a W a lot more than a C, as Langkow/Jokinen are pretty much firm in the 1/2 centre slots.

Gagne or Whitney would be great news… their money and Jokinen’s could buy a seriously quality forward next off-season, whether by trade or the UFA route.

by MattF on Jul 3, 2009 11:02 AM PDT reply actions   0 recs

If you want to use Gagne’s money next summer, you’ll have to trade him again. He’s not UFA until 2011.

Patrice Bergeron? Boy, I don’t know about that. Head injury, plus 2 more years on a contract that isn’t cheap. He probably won’t have another 5% SH year, I suppose. Financially, I guess I have the same objection to Gagne, because either one of them means a hole on D or on the bottom of the roster. Very good players and all that, but you still need productive NHLers in other roles, and I don’t see the farm supplying good cheap forwards other than maybe Backlund at some point. If they get rid of Kiprusoff’s deal, then maybe these sorts of things are in play.

Of course, your “Phaneuf for Nash” suggestion would be worth a look-see, but that’s another matter entirely.

by Robert Cleave on Jul 3, 2009 11:49 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Also, on their website I see that the Flames have updated the roster to include Sjostrom and Murray, but still have not taken off Bertuzzi (“A”) or Roy. This is getting really… vexing?

by MattF on Jul 3, 2009 11:04 AM PDT reply actions   0 recs

yes. vexing. ugh.

by walkinvisible on Jul 3, 2009 11:09 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Yuck. That’s information I didn’t need to hear (read).

by Kent Wilson on Jul 3, 2009 11:48 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Oddly enough, neither Bertuzzi nor Roy have their age listed on the roster page. I have no idea what that might mean.

by ngthagg on Jul 3, 2009 12:24 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Mike Board is probably just making line by line changes as needed. He’ll dump Roy and Bertuzzi off the list when they sign somewhere else.

by Resolute on Jul 3, 2009 1:54 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

this seems logical, except that aucoin,and cammalleri disappeared long before they signed elsewhere, and if your theory was accurate then warrener should still be on there, non ?

by walkinvisible on Jul 3, 2009 3:04 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Ok, how about this: The roster has been haphazardly updated ever since it was added? ;)

I don’t see either of them back, myself.

by Resolute on Jul 3, 2009 3:50 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Apparently Fedetenko is back with Pittsburgh. That makes a trade to fill our roster much more likely.

by ngthagg on Jul 3, 2009 12:20 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Or……..can Sundin play wing???

by Kent Wilson on Jul 3, 2009 12:47 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

hahahahahahahaha !!!!
hey, how come nobody’s reading my photo-essay over at hitthepost ? i spent all morning writing it….. :(

by walkinvisible on Jul 3, 2009 12:56 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

(and the last eight years compiling jpgs !!!)
;)

by walkinvisible on Jul 3, 2009 12:57 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

As you were writing these comments, I was commenting on your post…

by Kent Wilson on Jul 3, 2009 1:08 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

hahahaha…. well, nobody ever called me patient. ;)

by walkinvisible on Jul 3, 2009 1:17 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

1.8 million for one year. Damn. Right in the financial wheelhouse. Ray Shero’s no dumbass.

by Robert Cleave on Jul 3, 2009 3:14 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

I can’t blame him if he signed for a bit of a discount. He just won a cup there, and Pittsburgh seems likely to be at least as strong next year.

by ngthagg on Jul 3, 2009 3:45 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

No blame at all. I never blame players for doing what works for them, and Fedotenko is a good player who has a good deal there, no question. What’s not to like about playing with Malkin on the Cup champs? It isn’t like the Flames had the cap space to give him much more than what he got from the Pens.

by Robert Cleave on Jul 3, 2009 4:20 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

The Kings have picked up Ryan Smythe and traded 2 defensemen, Quincey and Preissing. I was already figuring them as good candidates for a Sarich trade, and that’s amplified now.

I can’t figure out who they’d give up. The Kings have a pretty sharp drop-off from their top scorers, and it’s even steeper if you ignore Stoll and Handzus, both wingers. I can’t see LA giving up Frolov or Brown.

by ngthagg on Jul 3, 2009 10:06 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Er . . . Stoll and Handzus are both centers.

by ngthagg on Jul 3, 2009 10:07 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Hawks are in trouble with the Cap and the NHL/NHLPA are investigating they could be facing the loss of some RFA’s oh hey Kris Versteeg maybe in my dreams.

Home of the NHL's Best Defense.

by CofRed on Jul 3, 2009 10:23 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Don’t bet on it. Neither the NHL nor the NHLPA would allow the Hawks to get slapped around like that. Even if they did, other teams could offer them way more than we could.

by Resolute on Jul 4, 2009 7:50 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Troy Brouwer and Cam Barker might be interesting targets should they go UFA.

As for the LA trade – grand larceny to move Tom Preissing and Kyle Quincy for Smyth. I’m not a big fan of his contract, but he’s the best player in the deal by a country mile.

Nthagg’s right though, the Kings might to need a defender now. Especially since I think they’ll eventually move Jack Johnson for whatever they can get.

by Kent Wilson on Jul 4, 2009 9:49 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

I’ve always had trouble understanding the hype around Smyth. I’m not saying he isn’t good but I think he gets too much credit.

-Colin

by Colin S on Jul 4, 2009 5:21 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

If the league ever cracked down on his goalie interference, he’d be screwed.

by Resolute on Jul 4, 2009 6:32 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Smyth is aging and injury prone, but he gets his points against good competition and he’s been doing it for years. He was probably one of the best players on a very bad COL team last year. If there’s any tread left on the tire at all, he’ll make LA better – even though he is pretty expensive.

by Kent Wilson on Jul 5, 2009 9:21 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Looking at the list of teams that need D – according to Mirtle, he noted Ducks, Bruins, Jackets, Devils, Flyers, Pens, Blues – it is difficult to see much in the way of other targets for Sarich. Not sure I agree with his list, but on those teams, other than guys you’ve listed, I’d love to pry Kennedy away from Pittsburgh (highly unlikely) but don’t see other possibilities. I’d say better than 75% chance he’s not going anywhere.

by maimster on Jul 7, 2009 10:40 AM PDT reply actions   0 recs

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