[getbak]

I don't think Jones should even be in this "either or" debate. The Kings weren't going to trade him to Calgary and he didn't go to the Bruins until after the Hamilton deal was already done. The Bruins didn't end up flipping him until June 30, so there was definitely time for Treliving to get in on the action (and I'd say it's safe to believe he was trying to make a deal because Ramo was re-signed the day after Jones went to San Jose).

The "either or" for Jones is more realistically Tkachuk.



I wonder what the Flames were offering for Jones?

The Sharks gave up their 2016 first rounder and Sean Kuraly. Kuraly was a 2011 fifth round pick who was already 4 years from his Draft and could easily have walked away from the Bruins, leaving them with nothing for him. He also could have chosen to sign with the Bruins after his senior year without them trading for him.

From the Flames' perspective, the 2016 first rounders should have had equal value, although, I guess the Bruins may have thought the Sharks' pick had a better chance of being better since the Flames had just come off a playoff season and now had Hamilton. Adding Jones to the mix would have made the Flames a potential Cup contender.

As it turned out, the Flames pick was 6th overall and the Sharks was 29th. Who knows what would have happened had the Flames started the 2015-16 season with Jones as the undisputed starter, rather than the three-headed-monster? It's a safe bet that Tkachuk wouldn't be a Flame right now, even if they didn't trade away the pick for Jones.


You'd think a guy like Bill Arnold would have had more value to the Bruins than Sean Kuraly at the time. Maybe the Flames weren't willing to give up a first rounder. They may have offered a better prospect and a worse pick and the Bruins chose the better pick and worse prospect.