I think it is safe to say, that shopping that group of players, along with Cammallari, means they are not in the Flames long term plans.
What I find interesting, is some of the players not on that list. Like Stajan. He gets no respect but he put together a pretty decent year considering his time on ice was as low as it was.
Overall, I think a number of decent players with some upside potential, were limited in ice time in order to appease vets who were under performing. Perhaps Kipper was the best example of this. And even though Bouwmeester had the best year he ever had in Calgary, Brodie brought more this year once Bouwmeesters ice time was available and he has shown some excellent upside.
More ice time for players like Hudler, Backlund, Stajan or Giordano will pick up some of the slack.
Then there are players like Brodie or Baertschi. There is a log jam at left wing. Does that mean we keep a veteran and limit Baertschi's ice time? You have to move some vets.
I don't see the players being made available as a stripping of the club's skill or experience. Bringing in a top draft pick, a good free agent/trade player or two, along with some potential growth from within the organization will give this team a long needed shot of adrenalin.
And trading players like Cammalleri, Tanguay, Stempniak or Sarich could bring in many more prospects which could deepen the talent pool considerably.
When you compare the Flames with Edmonton and how they have been mired in mediocrity for such a long time, one of the major things that kept them there, was holding onto players who lost interest years ago.
|