[JayP]

[QUOTE=DeluxeMoustache;4141252]Fair comments.

The guys I mentioned are all guys playing top 9/top 4 minutes, in the 27-30 age range, and signed through the end of next season. And also the ones that have come up a lot of the time as assets available to move.

As for the flip side you mention -

Sarich - did his value really change that much? Didn't he have a no trade clause last year? Even so, maybe he would have gotten a late 2nd or 3rd rounder. No big deal really. I suspect he would be valued as a depth defender on a team entering the playoffs last year, and probably this year too. (I can say too that I don't get why he starts every year as the 7th d man. He did last year too then proved to be serviceable, and he has an element to his game missing from a lot of guys here.)

Well when you clearly don't have any value placed on a 2nd/3rd rounder so it's tough to debate. Sarich's value has gone from something to nothing - that's not debatable. If you want to bring up Stajan as a valuable asset then Sarich of last season is in the conversation too. Depth d-men are always more valuable than depth forwards. And 25 decent games this year doesn't over-ride two years of crap from Stajan. Add in Stajan's bad contract and Sarich having all the intangibles teams look for and they are similar assets (for their time).

Iggy - There are enough threads about Iggy. I like his game this year for the most part, do not mind if the Flames plan to keep him, and frankly do not think that his trade value is really that volatile.

Enough has been said about Iginla, but it's hard to argue his trade value hasn't gone down. UFA. On pace for 20 goals, 60 assists.

Gio will be fine, he is not on the PP as much with Wideman here, playing tough minutes against top competition, and it appears Bouw has the green light to jump in, so you have seen him stay back more (whereas he was jumping in with a guy like Sarich as his partner). It seems like a development year for him, a challenge to step to the next level. And he is signed for several years, I don't necessarily think he is a guy that we are talking about selling low this year vs last.

He is taking on tougher competition, but I don't see why he's not valid to be brought up. You love to rag on J-Bouw for facing tough competition, but getting schooled by it. Giordando is the exact same this year.

I am not sure what the subject about Hartley improving value of assets has to do with Olli. Last year I thought Olli was mediocre. Bad on faceoffs, terrible defensively, and ok but not great offense for a top line C. Definitely identified as a guy who is not a big game player and not in the plans moving forward. So if you are saying they should have dumped him last year, I agree (especially with the full benefit of hindsight, given his play post trade deadline, down the stretch).

So given all that, I still like overall the maximizing of value of the assets I mentioned under Hartley, he generally uses people to their known strengths.

Well, the topic is maximizing assets this deadline vs. last deadline. You can't simply ignore a guy like Jokinen who would've brought back a lot. Him being gone gives more opportunities to guys like Stajan so is it really a question of Hartley better utilizing players? Like I mentioned, J-Bouw is doing better, but another of our better defenseman in Giordano is doing worse - you can't just cherry pick the positives.