[Phil Russell]

There are a lot of details surrounding the negotiation that we will never know about, but it probably would have gone more smoothly if a list had been put into writing. My guess is that a list was not created because management was giving Iggy full decision making power over his destination--the last thing they wanted was an unhappy Jerome at the farewell presser. Was this the smart thing to do? Who knows. The Flames did succeed in moving Iginla onward amicably and I think that that was potentially more important to ownership than the return.

And speaking of return, many are lamenting that we didn't get the Boston return. But, Wednesday night, most hated the Boston return. I don't see a huge difference in what was being offered--neither package was overwhelming. Two prospects and a pick was what I was expecting. The decision not to have lawyers write down teams--to give Iggy all the decisionmaking power--probably cost us little by way of return. But ultimately, none of us will ever know.