Several NHL Teams Suspect The Rangers “Massaged” NHL System to Steal Erixon from the Flames

Scouts and front office sources from several teams are commenting that the Rangers likely played the system to steal Tim Erixon in a one-sided trade as sourced from ESPN. The trade involved Tim Erixon, an NHL ready top 4 D man and a 5th from Calgary for two 2nd round picks and Roman Horak, a former 5th round pick.

Confirms my previous suspicions on this trade. Lots of reasons to slag Flames management but this particular situation is not one of them.

I'd like to see something done at this point. A compliant filed at least. 

With sources from several other NHL teams weighing in, anyone who says it is sour grapes from the Flames is not on the mark at this point. Do Ranger fans still feel as proud about this Glen Sather "steal" of a trade? 

Imagine first round pick Taylor Hall of the Edmonton Oilers doing this or John Tavares of the New York Islanders. Dangerous precedent set for the post-lock-out NHL. Something for all teams to take note of.

Sourced from ESPN – NHL Insider (June 3-2011)

The Tim Erixon heist (by Gare Joyce)

The Calgary Flames‘ trade of Tim Erixon to the New York Rangers may have been more of a steal than folks realize.

On paper it looks like the trade of Erixon along with a fifth-round pick in this year’s draft for a pair of second-round picks and prospect Roman Horak was a thoroughly one-sided deal in the Rangers’ favor and inexplicable for the Flames. Based on his performance at the World Juniors, Erixon, a 2009 first-rounder, looks like a guy who will play 10 to 15 years in the league and at the bare minimum be a top-four defenseman with at least a shot at being a top-two. In other words, what were the Flames thinking with the trade?

Well, it may have been out of Calgary’s hands. One recurring suggestion has come up from scouts and front office sources with several teams — the Rangers may have massaged the system to pry away Erixon on the cheap.

And that opinion is not solely held by those in Calgary. Hockey men from other clubs had the same opinion though they wouldn’t want their names attached to the accusation.

The Flames thought they had a good working relationship with Erixon when they drafted him out of Sweden and they had kept tabs on him on a consistent basis. Everything seemed hunky dory and neither the team nor the player seemed in any great rush to sign. The Flames figured that he’d be signed this spring and they’d see him in training camp. But just a couple of weeks ago relations chilled when Erixon’s agent complained about the Flames’ treatment of the prospect and various other indignities that the team allegedly heaped on him. The charges were news to the Flames, but the agent’s threat was clear: no signing was imminent and the team was at risk of Erixon re-entering the draft due to league rules concerning unsigned European draft picks.

The compensation to an NHL club for failing to sign a first-rounder is marginal, so the Flames were forced to go to the market even if it meant taking less than equal value in return. There they were again hindered by Erixon’s rep, who allegedly provided the Flames with a very short list of teams that Erixon would consider signing with. Essentially, Erixon wanted to go to the Rangers, where his father Jan played, and that was about it.

Did Rangers GM Glen Sather “game” the system? Several fingers accusingly point that way, though no one can prove anything and the Flames have not filed any official protest with the league. In the end, Sather ends up getting a certain NHLer and his Calgary counterpart Jay Feaster has two picks with, as draft history tells us, about a 5-to-2 chance against coming away with a single NHL player. It’s a cautionary tale for everyone else in the league.

by M Smith