Archive for January 31st, 2010
Big Drill Car
The year was 1992, the day — January 2nd. Otherwise known as the first day of the rest of Bob Cole’s and Don Cherry’s life. The Toronto Maple Leafs and Calgary Flames, two teams looking for a shake-up, decide to deal. Toronto wins the trade hands-down, as they go on to years of almost being good enough to win. The Flames fall back into mediocrity, but no one really notices. As a spin-off of the blockbuster, though, Canadian hockey fans were subjected to almost a full decade of Cole and Cherry over-selling the skill set of a smallish centre with jet-black hair. It was the end of hockey.
To the Maple Leafs:
Doug Gilmour, Jamie Macoun, Ric Nattress, Kent Manderville and Rick Wamsley
To the Flames:
Gary Leeman, Alexander Godynyuk, Jeff Reese, Michel Petit and Craig Berube
This morning, the same two clubs — both reeling this current NHL season — decide to pull off another trade of significance. The TSN Twitter was buzzing this morning, as the insiders put together the pieces of the *blockbuster* deal. This trade wasn’t the same 10-player monstrosity that occurred 18 years ago, but it still has some weight to it.
To the Maple Leafs:
Dion Phaneuf, Fredrik Sjostrom, and Keith Aulie
To the Flames:
Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman, Jamal Mayers and Ian White
On the surface, it looks like the Flames have won this deal running away. That’s right, you heard me. The Flames. Hagman and Stajan aren’t stars, but they give the Flames some much-needed depth up front. And Ian White — the Steinbach-native who was arguably the Leafs best player this season — will be a solid replacement for Phaneuf’s turnover style and poor defensive positioning. Flames fans won’t even notice the difference.
On the flip side, both Flames GM Darryl Sutter and Toronto GM Brian Burke are clearly in desperation mode, despite what some are saying about the Leafs’ boss. Duhatschek undermines his own take by trying to put some lipstick on the pig that is Phaneuf’s game::
As anyone who’s watched him play this year realizes, Phaneuf remains a decided work in progress. Prone to the same mistakes that he made in his rookie year, when he was a Calder Trophy candidate, Phaneuf’s offence has fallen off considerably this year after scoring 20, 17 and 17 goals in each of his first three seasons. A succession of coaches has tried to play Phaneuf with a succession of partners, with limited success. Roman Hamrlik, now with Montreal, was probably the best fit. Still, the operative point about Phaneuf is that he was a Calder trophy contender; was a Norris trophy contender and theoretically could be that again. Who, among the players coming Calgary’s way, fits that bill?
Ah yes, the allure of promise. I’d agree with ED if Phaneuf’s play hadn’t noticeably declined since his rookie year. He’s no longer a trusted player — if he was do you think the Flames would move him? Let’s call it what it is: He played his way off the Calgary roster. Cornerstones of franchises — even potential ones — do not do that.
UPDATE: There’s more! From TSN…
To the Maple Leafs:
Jean-Sebastien Giguere
To the Anaheim Ducks:
Jason Blake and Vesa Toskala
