Olli sure could use a friend right now...

Defending the defenceless?

Sounds like a noble cause, doesn't it? Until you realize that I mean that he can't play defence as opposed to can't defend himself...

I've spent a fair bit of my time all over the Flames blogosphere lately trying to defend the Olli Jokinen trade from deadline day (which the rest of the NHL deemed a great pickup for the Flames, but then again, they don't know Lombardi like we do). I've been arguing that this could be a great addition for Calgary, but he needs one big thing to happen first...

Calgary's walking (skating?) wounded need to return from the injured reserve to bolster a lineup that is remarkably weakened right now, what with having no second line whatsoever. When Langkow returns to the Flames lineup, and hopefully Bourque sooner than later (Bertuzzi can take his time), I have a feeling that the Flames will see a bit of a resurgence in scoring. When the LA Kings brought in Wayne Gretzky, it marked a huge up shoot in points for Bernie Nicholls, who got shifted back to the second line and had a record year of 70 goals and 80 assists, up from only 78 points the season before (and he subsequently got traded to the Rangers halfway through the next season). Now, I'm definitely not saying that Jokinen is anywhere near the talent level of Gretzky, but I do think he is closer than Lombardi (nor do I think Langkow is as good as Hollywood Bernie, nor would he wear a hot pink suit). But I have always been of the opinion that having a second solid scoring line will do wonders when it comes to forcing opposing teams to pick one line to defend over the other...

One complaint about Jokinen that was heard often on trade deadline day was his reputation as a clubhouse cancer, especially in regards to how he deals with the younger players, but I just don't think he had a solid example to learn from. I tried a few times to demonstrate that he hadn't had a solid leadership example to follow during the developing stages of his career (admittedly sometimes more effectively than others), and now that he is in an organization that seems to be hemorrhaging leaders with Iginla, Regehr, and Conroy to an extent, he won't be looked upon for that role. When he was with the Panthers, he didn't really have anyone and I don't think he knew what he had to do when he was thrust into the spotlight there...

Sure Jokinen will never be the own-zone presence that Lombardi was, but we have other guys on their way up that can take over that role (I'm looking at Boyd and Nystrom here). I don't see anyone in our immediate pipeline that can add the scoring touch that Jokinen has always exhibited. And I don't consider Backlund on the same level yet...

And you know he has to be happy to be playing somewhere that hockey is very much a part of everyday life (at least, he's happy right now)...

The Flames played horrible in the last couple of games on the road, but that can't be attributed solely to Jokinen. Let's see what he can do against the Devils in Jersey tomorrow night against a good (great?) goaltender and a team that plays solid defence. Not to mention a real playoff contender...

For now I'm still trying to reserve a little judgement...

Looking at the pick ups...

So far it looks like the Flames have grabbed a couple of players to make the push toward the playoffs and to strengthen the injury-depleted lineup...

Calgary re-acquired blueliner Jordan Leopold from Colorado for a guy they claimed off waivers yesterday, a prospect that's playing in the 'O', and a second round draft pick they got off of Montreal in the Tanguay deal. Which is a little of a full circle thing, since the Flames sent Leopold to the Avalanche in a trade for Tanguay in the first place...

Can't really complain about this deal at all, since the boys didn't really give anything up from the current roster...

The Flames also picked up Olli Jokinen from the Phoenix Coyotes in return for sending Lombardi, Prust, and a conditional first rounder back to the desert. Which re-unites Jokinen with Mike Keenan, who should be able to control Olli's apparent clubhouse cancer reputation...

Its tough losing Lombardi, but he wasn't really living up to the potential we all had for him (although he has been playing well of late, which may have helped in the deal). Prust is out for the season, so it doesn't really take away from the Flame roster at this point. And the first round draft pick is at Calgary's option as to whether its this year or next year, but I'm thinking you take that option for this year (given the fairly high finish they are looking at), rather than take the risk of placing even better next year (which they would be very hard pressed to do). The only way you don't is if you have a player that you really want still left in the draft this year, but when you are picking in the 24-27 range, I don't really see that happening...

Also of note is that the Flames still have to do something to clear up the cap overrun that they just created...

Deadlines...

To Deal or not to Deal

With the arrival of trade deadline day, I figured it was time for me to ignore one deadline to concentrate on another. The last couple of months I've been working towards a huge deadline at work, where I've been asked to do 3 years worth of work in only 6 months...

So you'll have to excuse me for not chiming in lately, what with working overtime and still playing hockey five days a week. My mind just wasn't into it. I could probably have written something while watching the games, but at that point I was just content to sit there and not think...

So over at Five Hole Fanatics, Kent has a little contest going to see who can guess the first player that Darryl Sutter trades for leading up to the deadline. Now this 'contest' started over a month ago, but as everybody knows there hasn't been a whole lot of action on the trade front since then...

The major problem being that there isn't a whole lot of separation when it comes to the playoff bubble and the teams at the bottom of the rankings. At one point in the Western Conference a few weeks ago, the 15th place team was only 5 points out of a playoff spot. So most teams are still trying to figure out if they are a buyer or a seller...

Even now, there is only a 10 point difference in the Western Conference between St Louis in 12th (64 points) and Vancouver in 5th (74 points). Even Colorado at the bottom of the West is only 11 points out of 7th place, but with only 18 games remaining and that many teams left to jump, they are essentially out of it...

The Eastern Conference is a little bit easier to figure out, with a bottom tier of 5 teams including the Islanders, Thrashers, Lightning, Senators, and Leafs all being pretty much out of it at this point. But that still leaves 10 teams vying for 8 spots with only a month to go in the season, and there is only 9 points separating Buffalo (69 points) and Philadelphia (78 points)...

If I had to make a decision in regards to buyers, sellers, and standing pat, the lists would look like this...

Standing pat: Sharks, Red Wings, Bruins, Blackhawks, and Devils...

Sellers: Islanders, Thrashers, Lightning, Senators, Leafs, Avalanche, Coyotes, Kings (okay, those were the easy ones), Blues, and Ducks (they are on the bubble and have been dropping a lot lately, not to mention that they have the fewest games left)...

Buyers: Flames, Canucks, Blue Jackets, Oilers, Predators, Stars, Wild, Capitals, Flyers, Canadiens, Panthers, Rangers, Penguins, Hurricanes, and Sabres...

They don't look so bad...

While watching the Flames get beaten by 'a team that they should destroy' on Saturday night, I couldn't help but notice that this year's Phoenix Coyotes squad looks a lot like last season's Chicago Blackhawks...

A lot of young, early first round draft picks surrounded by some experienced guys that you feel are still a little bit too young to be called veterans. When a team is so bad for such a long time, you know that one of these years, if they make decent draft choices, they will eventually get out of that basement and become a legitimate contender (note: not a favourite)...

It happened with the Penguins a few years ago (although they seem to be struggling a little right now), then it happened with the Blackhawks last year, and this year it seems to be happening in the desert...

Granted, you occasionally get those teams that can't seem to pick up the right guys and seem to stay on the bottom for eternity, like the Islanders, Kings, and Thrashers, but those teams also don't tend to hang onto their young guys long enough to see how they can mesh together. Either that or they tend to draft players that start their careers off overseas instead of in the North American farm system...

The Phoenix roster only has six players over 30, the oldest being Ken Klee, born in 1971. And two of them just turned 30 in the last 6 months (Derek Morris and Olli Jokinen). The other three guys, all born in 1976 (the same age as me, incidently), are Steve Reinprecht, Ed Jovanovski, and Shane Doan. Not a bad bunch of 'veterans' to have on a team at all..

And three of those 'over the hill' guys have expiring contracts (Reinprecht, Morris, and Klee)...

Not to mention that a good chunk of the key young guys (Turris, Mueller, Boedker, Hanzal, Tikhonov), all still have at least one year left in their entry contracts...

This team is going to be very good next year, and I'm actually thinking that they will be a tough team to face down the stretch, as they start to gel more and more...

No longer just another notch in the win column...

Yes, I may have a problem

So a friend of mine sent me an email on Monday afternoon, asking if I would play net for a friend of hers on Tuesday night for a pickup hockey game on some ice they'd rented. My Tuesday night hockey league doesn't start up until next week, so I said "Sure, why not!"...

At which point you are probably thinking, "yeah, that sounds rational"...

But maybe I should be more specific...

The pad of ice that they had booked was from 8:30 to 10:00... outside... down by the beach, where its nice and windy... and the windchill took it down to a nice and toasty -25C... and did I mention I'd be playing net, which meant very little moving around for extended periods... and I was travelling over an hour to go do this... and it was just pickup...

I was actually all ready to go, with my bags packed and everything, when I called to ask if my brother could come too (he's not a goaltender, so he's not quite as crazy), when my friend told me it was cancelled since there was a mixup with the permit... but some people were still going to head there regardless...

If I lived closer, I most likely still would have gone...

And now you are probably wondering why I told this story and what it has to do with the Flames...

Its quite simple really, when you think about it...

As I sit here typing the Flames-Sharks game is playing on the TV beside me. If I'm home and Calgary is playing, its on television, I don't care what time it is. This game didn't start until 10:30 EST, and yet I'm going to stay up until its over, blowout or not...

Oh yeah, I also play hockey four nights a week, sometimes five. I actually PVR'd the CHL prospects game. Last year I went to a hockey game in Aurora because a kid my brother teaches is supposedly a phenom in the vein of Tavares or Spezza (did I mention he's still only 10)...

So yes, I may have a problem...