[Mathgod]

It's been a difficult 48 hours. Last night I posted quite a number of things that were way over the top and unnecessary. I've since removed those comments from my posts (though they may still appear quoted in others' posts) and I sincerely apologize for my obnoxiousness.

Whatever Johnny's reason for leaving Calgary, the fact of the matter is the world did not end, the sun came up this morning, and a new era of Calgary Flames hockey has begun. Keeping Johnny at 8x10.5 may have been best for the team in the short term, but would have been risky in the long term. As some have stated, perhaps his departure is a blessing in disguise. This frees up valuable cap space that can be put to good use to improve the team in other ways.

That said, one valuable lesson that I do hope ownership and management take away from all this, is that it's time to cut it out with all the touchy-feely stuff when it comes to managing this team's assets.
- If a player doesn't seem extremely committed to staying with the team long term, don't be afraid to listen to offers from other teams.
- If it's felt that a player's level of play is at a high point now and is likely to decline in the near future, don't be afraid to listen to offers from other teams.
- If for whatever reason you feel a player is not the right fit for the team, don't be afraid to listen to offers from other teams.
And if a team is willing to pay a price that is suitable, go ahead and make the trade.

The other thing that I wish management would give some thought to is perhaps putting a bit less emphasis on always trying to win now win now win now at the expense of the team's pool of futures. Going back 20, maybe even 30 years, it feels like this team has been rather fast & loose when it comes to trading away first round picks. The trend, IMO, needs to stop.