People, Brent Sutter had to approve this trade. The guy who coached Phaneuf in his adolescence, saw him blossom into the dynamo that had him mentioned in the same breath as Crosby and Ovechkin.
Darryl Sutter loved Phaneuf. The man has never smiled so broadly as the day we drafted him. And now ships him off for a package of players.
And some of you really don't think there was fire where there was smoke?
Obviously the ideal scenario would have been Phaneuf to refind his game under Brent Sutter but that clearly wasn't happening. Kudos to Sutter for recognizing the situation and getting back a crop of talented players.
White. 56 GP, 9 G, 17 A, 26 P, +1 With the freakin Maple Leafs!!
Phaneuf. 55 GP, 10 G, 12 A, 22 P, +3
It's only lopsided if you believe Phaneuf will refind his game and live up to his potential. And clearly the Sutters no longer believe it. And that should tell you all you need to know.
The winner of this trade ----> Flames. Not just for this season, but going into the future.
__________________ Would there even be no trade clauses if Edmonton was out of the NHL? - fotze
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I'm waiting to see what happens. Wasn't a huge fan of Phaneuf to begin with, but don't like Aulie going, and not sure if the players we get in return are going to rack up the same amount of points as they did in TO. If we clear enough cap space (and contract room) to get Gio and Borque back when they're free agents I'll be happy.
Location: Wondering when # became hashtag and not a number sign.
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This is worse than the Gilmour trade.
No...it isnt.
I hate the deal as much as anyone, well the return as it stands now anyhow.
But the one HUGE difference between this trade and the Gilmour fiasco, is that back then, Calgary had to make deal to replace him with only the guys coming back. If this one does not work out, which I believe right now, they have that money to spend over the summer in either FA or in another deal to add salary. In 92 that simply was not an option, as the team could not go shopping for big money guys in the summer like thay will be able to this year if they so choose.
Now beyond all that, and best as I can figure, the Flames will be sending both Lundmark and Backlund back down to get to the 23 man roster limit. They added 4 and dealt 2, they were at the max as was, and sans another trade today, they have to send those guys down just to conform to the CBA roster limits.
I love Phaneuf, and I actually really hate this trade. Although, had Phaneuf been traded for someone like Perry or Carter then I can accept the fact. But essentially we left a Top 3 defenceman with Norris potential for Ian White while solid player but no where near as good potential. We have Jamal Mayers as garbage, Matt Stajan UFA...
We lost a lot on this IMO, especially losing Aulie without any significant players in return.
Pretty much - Phaneuf + Aulie for White, Hagman and Stajan. I think we got raped big time
Seriously I don't know exactly how to feel right now,
On one hand I am disappointed that we have dealt Dion. On the other I am quite pleased that he is finally off the team. I have been a great supporter of Dion, even when everyone in the hockey world was bashing him.
I always wanted him to break out and bring his potential to reality, unfortunately his hockey IQ has diminished to below standard levels. His decision making skills for a defenseman are terrible, bad first pass. Very selfish in his own end. A prima donna outside the rink as well. We had Adam Pardy playing on the PK instead of Dion. ( that says alot doesn't it?)
It must be very embarassing for him to have been traded to the Leafs, especially for the supposed "spare" parts that everyone is so quick to post. This is a player who less than 3 seasons ago was supposed to be challenging for the Norris trophy every season.
I truly hope that he gets his E together and lives up to his potential.
I highly doubt this. We don't have much cap space to do another big trade and really we have no one of much value to do such a trade. If anything it will be in the off season... but then this trade doesn't really make sense.
Without getting a star player back for Phaneuf, this trade really blows. I've been a loyal follower of Sutter but this trade really makes me question him.
I'm laughing my ass off @ Gordon for quipping that he'll sell "all his Flames crap" on ebay if this trade is true. Why not sell it on CP Spitfire?
Dion was starting to believe his own press, and acting lazy, which certainly won't endear him to his teammates...Too bad he isn't closer to Hollywood, but hey, it's Trawna! They are practically 'Merican!
Buh-Bye Neon!
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I remember the first game against the Leafs this year in Nov. , and the Leafs totally outplayed the Flames and only lost because of bad goaltending for them and good goaltending for us.
The SOG were 40 - 22 for the Leafs.
I have mixed feeling about Phaneuf. Love the guys some days, hate him others.
I'm going to miss Alisha, but I'm looking forward to seeing how the Flames play out the rest of the season.
I do not post very often, but the meltdown here is out of hand.
This trade is neutral. It accomplishes needs for both teams.
Phaneuf is undoubtedly a very talented defenceman with hall of fame potential. No one is taking that away from him. The problem is that he was not playing up to his potential. He quite literally is your classic "all the tools, no tool box" type player. The hope was that he would develop that toolbox here. At times it looked like he was, at others not so much.
That kind of potential does not come around very often, and when it does, a team should make its best efforts to retain and develop it.
However, at some point the situation transcends talent and other tangibles need to be considered. The problem right now at Calgarypuck is that everyone is looking purely at talent. And only considering talent, I do agree with the logic that such potential should not be traded. But what about his on and off the ice personality, his ability to work on a team with others, his commitment to training, etc..
All these needs to be factored into the decision to trade him.
The trend on this site seems to indicate that there was trouble in the Flames' dressing room. The root of this trouble often seemed to start with Phaneuf. I do not know if these rumours are true or not, but as previously mentioned, smoke is usually accompanied by fire. Even if you watch some of the latest Flames TV shorts - there seems to be a general resentment of Phaneuf from the majority of the team - at least in my opinion.
So the question is, was the team the problem or was Phaneuf the problem? I am inclined to believe that Phaneuf was not the victim. When that many people seem to have a problem with you, it is usually because something you do rubs them the wrong way.
So on the assumption that Phaneuf was a problem in the locker room - what is Darryl Sutter supposed to do? Remove the entire team to accommodate him? Unlikely. Not to mention that it is possible that Phaneuf requested a trade.
We all knew something along this line was going to happen. Sutter has done everything to maintain the "core" since 2005 - changes to coaching and supporting cast. The results have always been strikingly similar - teams with top tier talent who play below that level. The final solution is changes to that core. The obvious choice based on what can be surmised about the Flames locker room is, unfortunately, Dion Phaneuf.
Could this trade look very bad someday? Absolutely. Without a doubt, Phaneuf could come into his potential and achieve the things that we all hoped he would here. However, there is no guarantee in that potential. I believe that if Darryl Sutter felt there was a chance of Phaneuf meeting his potential here, he would have kept him. The problem is that Phaneuf has plateaued in the past two and a half seasons, and nothing (including bringing in a coach who was supposed to be able to connect with him) was breaking the mold. A change of scenery might.
The return, there are some nice pieces. I like the upside of White, Hagman fits the character of this team well, Stajan helps up the middle, and Mayers is, well, he's a plug. As many have already noted though, this move clears up future cap room - we will be able to sign another piece.
You cannot replace a Dion Phaneuf, but you can find a talent that fits better with your team.
In summary, I suppose I should just say that anyone who has played team sports understands the importance of chemistry. It seems that Phaneuf was not conducive to the chemistry in the Flames dressing room. On top of this, Phaneuf has not been playing to his potential for years. Is this a hard move to make? The hardest. But sometimes hard decisions need to be made. For Darryl Sutter, this was one of them.
We will not know the full gravity of this move for seasons to come, but in the meantime let us realize that this trade is not the end of the world. It opens up some very exciting possibilities immediately, and in the future.
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