In light of recent movement in the Flames organization…
Some fans are wondering if Sutter’s perhaps taken a leap
Off the Sanity Bandwagon lol.
First..there’s the change up in Head coaches, bringing
Keenan behind the bench, and now..the trade of Andrei
Zyuzin for Adrian Aucoin from the Chicago Blackhawks.
Now it appears…most Hawks fans are happy to see Aucoin
Go, and his 4 million dollar salary freed up.
The time he spent in the Hawks organization was full of
Injuries, and he didn’t have a great year besides the
Injuries.
Now..there’s a LOT of speculation that this move has
To do with Keenan now being the Head coach, because Keenan
Had coached Aucoin before.
Which also brings the concern for the flames fans that
Perhaps Todd Bertuzzi is next.
I think though..the reality of the situation is this:
Sutter has had a basic idea all season long of what July
1st might bring this season, the free agent market.
As the season wore on and it became apparent the Flames
Defense was lacking something, he’s had his eye out for
What defensive players might open up when free agency opened.
I think too, that if he didn’t have his eye on Timonen..
Which I wouldn’t at all be surprised if he did, the Timonen
Signing set the bar for what a Top Defenseman could ask
For in the market, something both Hamrlik and Stuart could
Ask for and GET, from other teams.
So getting a top 4 Defenseman for 4 million, in reality is
A steal.
But I’m not really going to go into the money aspect of it,
More if Keenan really has that much influence when it comes
To Sutter, or if this move would have happened even if Keenan
Wasn’t behind the bench.
Having had his eye on the market all season long basically..
Regardless of the Keenan connection, Aucoin was on of the best,
If not the best he could get this season.
Interviews have also shown that although Sutter may have been
Considering a coaching change during the regular or playoff
Season, that he hadn’t started talking with Keenan till after
The flames season was over. What I gather from the interviews..
The decision to bring him up to coach the flames went down
Pretty quickly, within a couple weeks of the time they announced it.
And if that’s the case…and Sutter’s had his eye out for most of
The season for a top D man, and with the good possibility of already
Having narrowed it down to just a handful of players if that..
Then really the fact that Keenan has previously worked with
Aucoin had little..or no bearing on the decision. It *may* have
Been the final deciding factor, but I highly doubt it was
Something that Keenan went to Sutter about. I’d place bets
Aucoin was already under serious consideration before Keenan
Was brought in to coach the team.
There’s a strong possibility that the Keenan connection has been
Largely blown out of proportion
As for being worried about someone like Bertuzzi making it to
Calgary because of his Keenan connection, I honestly don’t think
That Keenan has that kind of power with Sutter so to speak.
They may be friends, they may have worked great in the past, but
This is now, and this is Sutters team, This is what he’s worked
So hard to build the last several years, and I don’t think he’s
About to let anyone come in..and push him around.
He might not always be outspoken, but he’s no fool.
Has Sutter taken a flying leap off the Sanity bandwagon?
I don’t think so, Sutter knows what he wants, and has made the
Moves to get there.
There’s no doubt the flames needed a tougher more experienced
Coach behind the bench, and they got him.
They needed an improvement in their defensive zone, and Sutter
Believes Aucoin will at least partly fit the bill.
The bonus being that Aucoin played some of his best seasons under
The flames new head coach.
NOW…onto the other signings that have happened:
David Moss:
IMO a Sutter resigning Moss is a great decision, for his first
Season in the NHL, he’s definitely proven he’s ready to play at
This level. He plays hard, with allot of grit. At 6’3 203 lbs he’s
A big boy, lol..he sure as heck don’t look 26 though.
With 8 goals and ten assists from Jan till seasons end, I don’t
See why he couldn’t easily be at least a 20 goal scorer for the
Team. I’m actually surprised looking now, that he was a 7th round
Draft pick in 2001, 220th overall. Then again..it’s taken him till
Now to play at the NHL level I guess.
Brent Krahn:
The resigning of Krahn perhaps indicates that McClennan won’t be
Returning as a Calgary flame next season.
Rather that both Curtis McElhinney and Brent Krahn could end up
Vying for the position of backup goalie for Kipprusoff.
McElhinney has been a pleasant surprise for the flames, Taking over
Top spot in the AHL from Krahn.
However it goes down…it seems there’s a good chance that One of
The two will back up Kipper, and one will stay in the AHL for
A while longer.
Either way..Calgary is in great shape for goalies for the next
Several years it seems.
The flames also resigned Lombardi and Nilson after their season
Had ended, Lombardi IMO was a great resigning, he had a great year
Last season, and his incredible speed, though he needs to learn to
Use it on a consistent basis.
Nilson, he’s a good player, but I’m not 100% sold on this
Signing. 5 goals and 10 assists in the ’07 season doesn’t convince me
He’s worth resigning. He had some decent seasons with the Panthers,
But hasn’t seemed to show what he’s capable of in his 3 seasons as
A Flame.
The flames drafted 5 prospects in the ’07 draft, the most exciting
Prospect being Mikael Backlund, a strong Center with allot of skill.
Drafted in the 1rst round, 18th overall, he’s got 20 goals and 26
Assists in his Swedish League.
They also drafted Defense-man John Negrin in the 3rd round, 70th overall.
A decent size defense-man who will only get bigger as he matures, 6’2
195 lbs. 1 goal and 15 assists on his WHL team last season.
What happens now for the Flames? well…lol, that’s really anyone’s
Guess since we are talking the team that Darryl Sutter manages, and
He keeps everything airtight till the last minute for the most part.
HOWEVER..I don’t think he’s done on the back end of things..especially
With the signings of Stuart and Hamrlik not completed yet, if there’s
Going to be one. If both players end up going, the flames will likely
Be in the market for another top Dman, with Hannan being a possibility.
Though.. I’m still hoping against the odds that the rumors are NOT true
About Stuart, and that he decides he’d like to stay in Calgary.
If not… I may just have to kick his 6’4 ass 😛 lol.
One thing is certian…it could prove to be an interesting off season
For the flames once July 1st gets here.
