[McG]

i was thinking about this. we can debate at length (34 pages and a couple of server lockdowns already) about how good or bad this trade is for the flames. for those that don't think this is shades of gilmour/leeman, i am happy for you because you are trading in the currency of sports fans...hope. i respect that because that is a great place to be. unfortunately, i had "hope" for the leeman/gilmour trade at the time, although i secretly feared the worst.

all of the sutter spin has long since gotten old. the only way that the flames win this deal is if we get out of the first round, this year. i think sutter is under the gun alot and this deal will be sutter's signature deal...either way. i know what i think. i always remind myself that sutter built the sharks, but it took doug wilson to really make that team a consistent threat in the west. the lack of a draft pick coming back, any draft pick, tells me just how desperate sutter is.

i will tell you who didn't lose today. the leafs. the bruins. the leafs got rid of players that had them near the bottom of the league. they replaced them with the best player in the trade. let me say that again. phaneuf in a bad year was still the best player in the deal. all of the justification for 2nd line players etc on a last place team coming to the flames... 2 of the players are UFAs, and could be signed for no player cost in the off season. white is an rfa. hagman is an upgrade on sjostrom. the leafs won't be worse because they lost these players. they are already at the bottom. its like saying that we want oiler 2nd and 3rd line players because they will be better with us. the bruins win for obvious reasons. funnily enough...the leafs also win by tanking. all of their picks that they didn't trade just got confirmed. the leafs kept what would be considered their core today. kessel, schenn, kaberle; they dumped 2 UFAs, an RFA, and a 30 year old. they got the best player in the deal in a bad season. they got the best prospect. they got the most signed contracts.

once i got over the shock of trading phaneuf, i guess i understand why we had to make the trade. what i don't understand is the complete lack of return that we got.

we talk about cap room, and the potential of using that. and yet, we dismiss the potential of phaneuf.

if we don't get out of the first round this season, sutter should be fired. there is no future to this deal for the flames. if we get out of the first round, sutter can stay.

did the flames win this trade? maybe, maybe not.

did the leafs win this trade? they absolutely did not lose this trade.

i have made excuses for the flames because as a fan that is my right. i guess it is also my right to question the return that we got on this trade.