Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community - View Single Post - After return to playoffs then disappointing elimination, Phoenix GM revamps lineup

Daradon · 05-21-2013, 10:26 PM

What started out as an experiment in asset value for this new GM turned into an actual trade.

At the end of the playoffs I had placed Anze Kopitar on the trading block just to try and control the direction and feel of the offers which I knew were sure to come my way anyway. I had spent more time than I would have liked this year rejecting offers for the young superstar and felt this might be a good way to at least control the conversation and get all of my information in one place. A large part of me never thought we would trade the current years #5 point getter.

Of course the offers poured in, with probably a third of the league baselining to offering significant and strong deals. Looking at a significant cap decrease I had to take some of them into consideration.

At the end of the day, the deal I chose, ended up being the most 'sideways' for lack of a better term. But I had stated that I wanted a strong center to replace Kopi. Perhaps not a superstar, but someone who was at least a 1B. This deal actually gave me a superstar.

And so it's my privilege to welcome (back) to La Belle Province, Quebec native Patrice Bergeron.

In a season where we scored many goals, but also allowed many, I felt this swap might help us shore up some of our defensive liabilities. Bergeron is one of the strongest 2 way centers in the game and has an outstanding face off presence. He is also a known playoff performer and that's obviously something we felt we needed more of given our exit this year.

We have nothing but respect and admiration for Anze as he leaves this organization. It's no secret that he drew in fans, and we were impressed with his level of commitment to the team and the culture, even forgoing his english lessons to learn french.

The deal also gave me a chance to move up the 2014 1st Phx owed me to 2013, which we feel is a deeper draft.

Thank you to all the GM's for their interest. I tried to do my best to stay in touch with everyone and reply to their offers in a timely manner. But as we all know in this biz, sometimes when you find the deal you want, things move quickly. As well, contact in the offseason is not always the most reliable.

In another move to get more defensive we moved PP quarterback Keith Yandle for Dan Hamhuis. We spent a great deal of effort to secure Keith, and we loved his presence on the point, racking up points in nearly every game, but at the end of the day, the experiment didn't seem to work as well for us as we would have wished.

We wish Yandle all the best in the desert and are very excited to have Hamhuis patrolling our blueline in the new season.

We believe this new mix of defensive prowess will help secure another postseason berth for the Habs and give us the strength to make our run longer this time.

05-21-2013, 10:26 PM	#2
Daradon Has lived the dream! Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Where I lay my head is home... Exp:	Shakeup in Montreal - Daradon What started out as an experiment in asset value for this new GM turned into an actual trade. At the end of the playoffs I had placed Anze Kopitar on the trading block just to try and control the direction and feel of the offers which I knew were sure to come my way anyway. I had spent more time than I would have liked this year rejecting offers for the young superstar and felt this might be a good way to at least control the conversation and get all of my information in one place. A large part of me never thought we would trade the current years #5 point getter. Of course the offers poured in, with probably a third of the league baselining to offering significant and strong deals. Looking at a significant cap decrease I had to take some of them into consideration. At the end of the day, the deal I chose, ended up being the most 'sideways' for lack of a better term. But I had stated that I wanted a strong center to replace Kopi. Perhaps not a superstar, but someone who was at least a 1B. This deal actually gave me a superstar. And so it's my privilege to welcome (back) to La Belle Province, Quebec native Patrice Bergeron. In a season where we scored many goals, but also allowed many, I felt this swap might help us shore up some of our defensive liabilities. Bergeron is one of the strongest 2 way centers in the game and has an outstanding face off presence. He is also a known playoff performer and that's obviously something we felt we needed more of given our exit this year. We have nothing but respect and admiration for Anze as he leaves this organization. It's no secret that he drew in fans, and we were impressed with his level of commitment to the team and the culture, even forgoing his english lessons to learn french. The deal also gave me a chance to move up the 2014 1st Phx owed me to 2013, which we feel is a deeper draft. Thank you to all the GM's for their interest. I tried to do my best to stay in touch with everyone and reply to their offers in a timely manner. But as we all know in this biz, sometimes when you find the deal you want, things move quickly. As well, contact in the offseason is not always the most reliable. In another move to get more defensive we moved PP quarterback Keith Yandle for Dan Hamhuis. We spent a great deal of effort to secure Keith, and we loved his presence on the point, racking up points in nearly every game, but at the end of the day, the experiment didn't seem to work as well for us as we would have wished. We wish Yandle all the best in the desert and are very excited to have Hamhuis patrolling our blueline in the new season. We believe this new mix of defensive prowess will help secure another postseason berth for the Habs and give us the strength to make our run longer this time.