Official Flames 2009/2010 Thread

[rehsifylf]

Could be worse I suppose. Could be a San Jose or New Jersey fan.

 

Disappointed that Ken King let Sutter off that easily. Seems certain that Iron Mike will be moving on. While I didn't like the decision to bring him in originally - I strongly suspect he wasn't given much opp to do some of the things he wanted. Firing Keenan is wrong IMO because it will do nothing to address the root problems (other than pehaps working on the PP).

 

Arm chair GM Off-Season Changes .

 

1) Get a plan in place that counts on no more than 60 games from Kipper next year. Ideally - Irving or Keetly gets the nod. I suspect that if they go head-head with Kipper, Irving could win the starter role

2) Going & Good Riddance- Bert (please, please, please), Aucoin - $4M a year - nuff said, Jokinen - he has a year left at $5.5 - either he or Langkow needs to go to free up some space (I'd keep Langkow and toss egghead), Leopold (Sutter will probably re-sign - but it'll be yet another in a string of bad decisions)

3) Going - Too Bad. Cammalleri (he played too well in reg season and then did nothing in the Playoffs - can't afford him), Lundmark - he is a UFA and someone will pick him up - solid player and his salary was $600K this season - wasted by the flames), Rhett W- he played better than most this preseason - his salary this year was $2.5 - someone will pick him up for cheap, Pardy - he is a UFA VI and I expect someone will make him a large offer. Flames should try to keep him, but not sure they'll be able to. Curtis McElhinney - for the love of god give this guy a chance to play somewhere else - at $500K he was only $25K higher than the lowest paid player on the team.

4) Trades Out - Wayne Primeau - for some stick tape,

5) Fix/re-sign/extend. Nystrom - re-sign for 2 years at 1.2 per year (next year is his last year and at $.775, Bourque - give 2 year extension at $2-$2.5 (yes I know he is injury prone, but a great player), re-sign Roy ($550K is a bargain - look what happened against Chicago without some size in the line-up no-one could move Buffoon). Boyd (RFA) - resign for 3 years - $1.2-.14.

6) Signed - do nothing. Iggy, Langkow, Glencross, Conroy ($1M is a bargain), Moss, Phaneuf, Reggie, Sarich, Vandermeer (not my fav but played well at the end of the year), Giordano, Kipper

7) Bring up - Backland (he made 875K this year that counted against the cap - use him), Negrin and or Pelech, Irving (He is the future and the higher prospect of between him and Keetly). Peters - keep him up. Chucko - do or die with him. He is an RFA this summer (amazingly made $985K FOR THE LAST THREE YEARS that counted against the cap).

8) Free Agents to go after. If not willing to commit to one of the young goalies - go for Labarbera. Defence - One or max 2 of: Oduya (everyone will be after him - 29 points, +21, made $600K this year), Ohlund, Hnidy, Spacek. Forward - Fedotenko, Jason Williams, someone big for in front of the net.

9) Coach - I'd stand pat, but assuming they fire Keenan, consider a successful Junior Coach (Lowry may not be there yet, but he is already in the org) - do not go for Brent Sutter or any other has-been (if they hired Crawford, I'd burn my jersies).

10) GM - Best thing they could do is to say goodbye to Sutter. Look at his record. Two teams, 10 years - underachieved in 9 of them.