Flames Draft Report: Disappointment

With not a single pick in the top 60, expectations could not have been that high for the Flames at this year’s entry draft. The rumour mill buzzed with far-fetched rumours about players like Jordan Staal, Jason Spezza and even Ilya Kovalchuk that some desperate Flames fans (including myself) ate up. But all the Flames came away with after two days in Los Angeles was a possible solution to their backup goaltending problem, and six generally Sutter-like, unexciting prospects. (Please note, the draft is my area of least expertise when it comes to discussing hockey. Please take what I say with a grain of salt, as I am operating on second-hand information.)

The most notable name to come out of the Flames’ draft was a player they didn’t draft. You typically can’t expect great potential with a third round pick, but there Kirill Kabanov was at number 64, practically begging to be taken. And indeed a fair number of Flames fans following Day 2 of the draft probably were begging Darryl Sutter to take the gamble. I knew going into the draft that there was no chance Darryl would take the enigmatic Russian, even if he was available, but I am still a bit angry. If there ever was a time for the Flames to take a gamble on a guy like Kabanov, it would have been this draft. With no top-60 pick, and the primary organizational need being top-end offensive prospects, nobody would have blamed Darryl for momentarily overcoming his Russian prejudice and swinging for the fences. Instead, they picked an ex-Flames’ son, Maxwell Reinhart, about 10 spots off the board, who I have not yet heard has top-six potential. Kabanov went to the Islanders the very next pick, who are certainly another team that can’t be blamed for it.

The best prospect the Flames came away with on paper appears to be Bill Arnold, taken at #108 in the fourth round. It could be a steal, as Arnold was ranked 36^th among North American skaters. Kent Wilson of HockeysFuture and FlamesNation.ca says that Arnold’s comparable is Dave Bolland. Certainly, if he reaches that potential, the Dustin Boyd trade will not look bad anymore (Arnold was picked with the 4^th rounder Nashville gave the Flames for Boyd). Joey Leach, taken 73^rd overall (about 40 spots ahead of rank) looks like an enigmatic defenseman; his most attractive quality is his +33 rating. Probably a worthy gamble, but I just question the need for more defensemen in the system with Matt Pelech, TJ Brodie, John Negrin, and others showing promise, and with the cupboards comparatively bare up front. John Ramage is the other defenseman taken, at #103, and shows less promise on paper than Leach. (On the other hand, Andy Strickland reported that the Blues would have taken him with the next pick. St Louis has been one of the better drafting teams, so perhaps he will turn out alright. Again, though, I must question the need for more defenseman). John Ferland, taken in the fifth round, projects as mostly a fighter. Not much can really be added. Their seventh-round pick, Patrick Holland, is a raw forward taken around his ranking.

The Flames’ lone trade came when they dealt their sixth round pick to the Sharks for goaltender Henrik Karlsson. He has decent enough numbers in the Swedish Elite League, and a sixth round pick is little to give up. Darryl Sutter seems to believe he’s found a solution to the backup goaltender position. This year’s flooded goalie market means that many veterans could have been had at cheap prices, but good on Darryl if he indeed has solved this persistent problem. (I should note, Karlsson has already signed in the KHL, hopefully that won’t be a headache). However, it is only one problem, and of considerable less urgency than the immediate issue of the Flames’ salary cap situation and need for more scoring.

By far the most troubling thing to come out of the draft for Calgary, at least in the immediate sense, was Darryl Sutter’s inability (or unwillingness) to move any big contracts. Cory Sarich, Steve Staios and others remain on the cap. This means that the Flames, unless something drastic happens in the next three days, will go into July 1 with no money to spend. Ian White and his arbitration eligibility, as it stands, eat up most of the Flames’ cap. With this year’s extremely weak UFA class, it’s possible some players may have more value in trades once the first wave of free agents are signed, but until then Flames fans are looking at a team virtually the same as last year’s.

Still, I have to maintain some optimism, so I’ll hold off on officially writing off the 2011 Flames for now. Salary dumps may or may not happen, but I’ll return with an offseason wish list blog soon.

~SKR

(Addendum: I advise all Flames fans who haven’t already to read Kent Wilson’s review of the Flames 2010 draft for more information on their picks this year. I took some information from there for this blog, and didn’t get into too much depth so as not to shamelessly copy…with Steve Yzerman’s risky, off-the-board first top pick, one has to momentarily reconsider whether he would have been a great GM here…what should be entertaining on July 1 is seeing how much Matthew Lombardi will get overpaid…with Jason Spezza apparently staying in Ottawa, the only top-line center available appears to be Mike Ribeiro. Can’t say I’d mind him at all, but I do wonder about the asking price.)

Olympic Thoughts | The Flames at the Deadline

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I originally planned to post a general post-gold-medal game, pre-deadline blog this afternoon. However, though I expected an epic game, I had no idea just how epic. I genuinely was not expecting Sidney Crosby and Jarome Iginla to give Canada a truly generational hockey moment.

The goal will be discussed for years; it instantly joined the pantheon of legendary moments in Canadian hockey (arguably, Canadian history in general). I don’t know if I can put an original spin on this moment. It will be discussed and reminisced upon for years to come. I don’t have a great “where-were-you” story; I watched the entire game in my living room. But it was the most I’ve ever celebrated at a sporting event, and though this may be seen as corny or generic, I soon realized just how special a moment it was. To my generation (I was born in 1990), Crosby’s goal is our Henderson moment. I can’t fathom another international hockey moment in my lifetime being bigger than it. As Bob McKenzie noted, the 2002 Salt Lake City win was also a huge moment, but it wasn’t nearly as dramatic.

The ending of the game reminded me a lot of the ending of the Calgary-Vancouver Game 7 from 2004. A last minute tying goal which seemingly sucked the entire life out of the winning team’s fanbase (of course, the key difference is that the Game 7 was played in Vancouver, so the tying goal had the opposite effect it had on the mostly Canadian fans in the seats this time. My point is, I felt exactly the same as a Canadian fan when Parise scored as I did as a Flames fan when Matt Cooke scored with 5 seconds left in 2004.) On both occasions, when the tying goal went in, I thought the game was lost (especially in Canada’s case since they had basically been trying not to lose rather than going for the kill for the entire third period). But anything can happen in overtime, and Team Canada pulled out the win just as the Flames did. And just as Jarome Iginla played a pivotal role in that Game 7, he did in this game, setting up Crosby for the goal (sadly, Iginla’s role may be overlooked by some). And now Iginla has to go back to Calgary and downgrade from playing with Sidney back to playing with Matt Stajan. And that’s a great segue for me to shift into the Flames part of my blog.

The Olympics were preceded by eight years of hype that sometimes felt like twenty. And now they’re over after two weeks that felt like half that. The NHL’s absence has felt like an offseason, however. As usual, my outlook on the Flames is not great heading into the stretch run. That can make up its own separate blog, but now is a time to focus on the trade deadline and what it means for the Flames.

Simple logic dictates that the Flames have to move a few bodies soon. They have 24 roster players, all on one way deals, and this doesn’t include Mikael Backlund, who was sent down for the Olympic break but who I have heard will be recalled. Hence, at least one player must be removed, with Rene Bourque and Craig Conroy due to return from injured reserve. Darryl Sutter has said that he is happy with the look of his forwards and probably done dealing, but how seriously can his comments be taken after his angry denials that Dion Phaneuf was on the block?

Of these 25 players, 15 are forwards, and 11 are wingers – 3 excess wingers. I think something is in the works a bit more complicated than, say, Brian McGrattan being waived and one other player being traded for a pick. David Moss, in the midst of a quite disappointing season and with two more years on his deal, could be dealt. The inconsistent Nigel Dawes seems a good candidate as well. Another idea is Dustin Boyd, though he’s not a winger. The Flames agreed to give him a one way deal in exchange for a one year contract, which meant they were essentially challenging him to prove himself. He is a pending UFA now, but is still young and could be a decent piece. A more radical idea is still re-flipping Ales Kotalik, but it seems unlikely to me. Ever since the baffling trade of Olli Jokinen’s expiring contract and Brandon Prust for Kotalik and Chris Higgins (and Kotalik’s contract), Flames fans have proposed the idea that Kotalik may be flipped in another deal. Part of this has revolved around the fact that the Flames were supposedly on Kotalik’s three-team limited no-trade clause. (I’d like to note two counterpoints to this, however. First, Darren Dreger said that the trade was delayed not because of Kotalik’s NTC but apparently something from Calgary’s end. Second, if there really was another team Darryl Sutter promised Kotalik he would be traded to, wouldn’t they have been involved immediately? Unless, of course, they couldn’t absorb Kotalik’s salary until the trade deadline, but this sort of delayed 3-team trade is unprecedented.) I wouldn’t be that surprised either way, whether or not Kotalik is still a Flame come March 4^th. However, from day one I have been mystified as to how he fits into the system here, especially given his contract. (I will say this in his defense – he has added a new dimension to the powerplay, which hasn’t looked quite so abysmal since his arrival.) Regardless of what happens with Kotalik, though, it’s apparent to me that Darryl is not done dealing.

I’ll be back after the trade deadline analyzing whatever moves, if any, the Flames made and determining their outlook heading into the stretch run. In the meantime, here’s to a truly unforgettable Olympics and hopefully another exciting trade deadline.

~SKR

(Addendum: I also wouldn’t be very surprised if Darryl indeed simply did something like waiving McGrattan and demoting Backlund, or trading another player for a non-roster player. I consider this a mark of my generally low faith in the man, which has been at an all-time low since the Kotalik trade.)