Quote:
Originally Posted by ComixZone
The summer of 2009 was the biggest, most damaging overreaction to a season getting ruined by injuries that I've seen. Sutter followed it up with his horrid Phaneuf trade in early 2010.
That 2008/2009 team was great, and playing pretty well, and got entirely destroyed by injuries in the last 1/4 of the season and leading into the playoffs.
Really, from Summer 2009 to trade deadline 2010, Sutter undid years of good work out of what must have been pure frustration.
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The 2009 team should’ve won the division and would’ve if not for the Jokinen acquisition capping them out and rendering them unable to ice a full lineup.
Gio also got injured right around the deadline, and this was the year I think he asserted himself as a core player.
Bourque also wasn’t healthy, and though we are more prone to remember his disinterested conclusion, Rene Bourque was a damn good player his first couple seasons in Calgary - his loss was not nothing.
That summer, Sutter should have:
A) traded Phaneuf - Keenan relied on Dion way too much, and he had never shown himself an effective playoff performer in three successive years.
B) not fired Keenan
C) re-signed Cammalleri - Mike Cammalleri is the single best line mate Jarome Iginla ever got to play with in a Flaming C, and Jokinen/Iggy/Cammy would’ve had a huge year had they been given a full off season to prepare for playing with one another.
D) still acquired Bouwmeester
E) spent money on a backup goalie who was legitimately capable of starting 30 games.
What might have been...