Quote:
Originally Posted by Jimmy Krack Korn
Regarding last season, I think they should have traded Camalleri for whatever they could get because we all knew the team wasn't making the playoffs and I don't know about you, but I suspect the team's braintrust had a pretty good idea by the deadline that he wasn't going to re-sign with the Flames.
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Since the thread is already fully derailed... My biggest problem with your logic is that you are looking at it strictly as playoffs/extension vs. lost asset.
First of all you need to consider the value Cammalleri gave the Flames between the trade deadline and the off-season. He helped make games more exciting, and gain a few more wins. We saw first hand how vital is hope and excitement during a rebuild. It is what keeps the average fan paying attention during a 'planned' playoff-less season. That attention converts into hockey tickets, extra viewers and merchandise. It is not something I can gauge, but the GM and president have their own estimations.
Second of all no one knows exactly what the deal was, it might have included taking a contract back. It could have been a depth prospect. Also, at the time we had Burke at the helm, so perhaps he wanted to leave the decision regarding the extension(at a higher cap value than he offered) to the new upcoming GM.
Finally third, Cammalleri is a person not a chess piece. A minor return might not have been significant enough to ask him to move. It would've probably meant leaving his wife and three year old daughter for a few months, or uproot them at a moments notice. Such is the hockey business and Cammalleri is compensated well for it, but why trade him just to claim you made a trade?