NHL Draft: Drive for Show
Day Two. This is the time when general managers and scouting staffs grip it and rip it. Forget about course management — just get up there, hit it and see where it goes. Three more thoughts on the 2009 NHL Entry Draft….
1. Can someone please explain the Calgary Flames to me? And I’m not talking about the Olli Jokinen trade at the deadline last season. So they give up a third round pick to Florida for the rights to negotiate with the Jay Bouwmeester camp for the next three and a half days. Forget about the actual trade. Bringing in the underwhelming defenceman makes no sense and here’s why:
Look at the big tickets the Flames have locked up for next year already. Iginla will make $7 million. Kiprusoff will make $7 million. Phaneuf is on the books for $6.5 million. Jokinen is at $5.5 million. There’s $26 million right there. Let’s keep going. Langkow is at $4.25 million. Sarich is at an amazing $3.7 million, while Regehr will pull in $3.5 million for laying on the trainer’s table.
That brings the total up to $37.45 million. For seven players.
Considering Bouwmeester is probably going to fetch a $6.5 million paycheque this season, that would put the Flames at about $44 million. The NHL salary cap for next season is $57.8 million, giving Calgary roughly $13 million to play with. When you think of the problems they had icing a full team at the end of last year, it really makes you wonder how they’ll manage the cap this time around.
2. Mentioned Scott Glennie yesterday, so I guess it’s only fair to give some love to Cody Eakin. The Winnipeg product went 85th overall to the Washington Capitals today. You have to think once the Caps get into salary cap hell with all their star forwards in a couple years, a cheap Eakin could be ready to come in. Ah, the new path to the NHL…
3. One thing I missed and am totally late on from last night: The Flames and New Jersey Devils flipping first round picks. Sutter compensation, perhaps? Has everyone already said that? Shoot. Whatever the reason, it’s not the first time the clubs have done a little pick swapping at NHL drafts.
In 2004, the Flames trade down in the first round from No. 19 to No. 24 and select some scrub named Kris Chucko with the pick. The Devils selection at No. 19? Travis Zajac. In 1990, the Flames moved up to No. 11 (from No. 20) to select Trevor Kidd. The Devils used the Flames former pick to take a flier on some guy named Martin Brodeur. The moral of this story: Swedish centre Jacob Josefson (New Jersey’s first round pick in 2009) is probably going to be the real deal and the Flames continue to burn themselves.
4th star,
You know how much I like Bouwmeester, but I have to agree the Flames trade makes little sense. Unless, say, the shine has come off Phaneuf for them. Just speculation, although I will be twotting, err, I mean twittering this later. Let’s see how long it takes to become “Sources: Phaneuf to be traded”.
And pandering to the one called STP is akin to what the freep does with the Bombers. I want objective journalism!!
NCMF
June 29, 2009 at 9:31 am
[...] Taking a page from the Calgary Flames, the Chicago Blackhawks decide to shoot big money contracts first and ask questions later. Signing Marian Hossa seems smart on the surface — taking a big gun away from a division rival — but much like the Jay Bouwmeester signing in Southern Alberta, the deal just opens up a would of salary cap problems for the ‘Hawks. [...]
Norris Division « the 4th star
July 1, 2009 at 1:42 pm