Jay Bouwmeester flourishing in St Louis

[vicarious]

20 GP, 1 G 15 A 16 P, +10.

As much as I both loved him for his speed and smooth skating while at the same time hated him for his soft play along the boards and complete inability to be a big difference maker as a Flame, it is nice to see him succeeding.

The big reason for his apparent lack of bang for buck while he was here was that Sutter didn't understand how to utilize his skill set properly. Obviously in St Louis playing with a strong supporting cast and within a successful system he is apparently thriving.

Good on ya J-Bo, all you have to work on now is trying to find a way to show emotion for the first time.

[Vinny01]

Good for Bouw glad he is playing on a solid team. He was once considered a boat anchor contract here but Hartley got a hold of him and got us a 1st in a good draft and we have an exciting prospect in Poirier.

I know it was a trade but still Bouw was the highest profile UFA in his year and he chose calgary. I wish him the best

[powderjunkie]

He was a very good player on an underachieving team. He is now a very good player on a very good team.

[Calgary4LIfe]

Couldn't stand him until Hartley arrived. Was a bit sad to see him go then, though definitely the right move. Glad he is doing well in St. Louis. I am happy enough to not hear Kerr and the Ironman streak 3x/game any longer.

[Mister Yamoto]

I am so glad he is gone. The direction of Flames turned 180 degrees when he came on board.

But good for him, I wish him nothing but the best.

[puckluck2]

Adam Pardy would flourish in St Louis's system.

[Bertuzzied]

Originally Posted by puckluck2

Adam Pardy would flourish in St Louis's system.

Come on man. Lets not get carried away here...

[FlamesAddiction]

He was totally misused for the 1st couple of seasons, but he accepted the coaching like good professional. It was not surprising to see him turn it around last season and to see him flourishing now.

[SeanCharles]

I liked him but I think Brodie's emergence made him expendable. They are similar players except Bouw had the size and reach that he never fully used to his advantage. Brodie is young and has lots of potential so I was fine with JBow leaving.

It was more frustrating how Sutter didn't play his players to their strengths than JBows big contract

[Oling_Roachinen]

He was a North-South player forced to play an East-West game.

It was obvious any team that would utilize his speed and outlet pass would be a much better fit. Hartley helped but he wasn't a Sutter player and it showed.

[Jacks]

He took way too much abuse around here, he's an excellent player when used properly.

[HighLifeMan]

Brent Sutter totally misused and underutilized Jay Boumweester during his three seasons here and in the end depreciated his value as an asset to this organization. He is a legitimate top pairing player on every team in this league and should absolutely play for Team Canada in Sochi.

We saw what he was capable of under Hartley (on pace for 14 goals..) and now he is reestablishing himself as one of the better defensmen in the league in St. Louis. I am extremely happy for him. He took a lot of undeserved criticism here in Calgary.

Hopefully he can keep it up!

[strombad]

You know what, if you asked me today whether I'd rather have Bouw and a 5th round pick, or Russell, Poirier, and Berra on a rebuilding team? I'm taking the 3. No question.

I mean I know we got Cundari too, but blegh, I don't care.

Good for him though, had a fine season for us last year.

[Mike F]

Both he and Stajan suffered greatly under Sutter, re-emerging as very solid players under Hartley, and now Bouwmeester is back to an elite level player with the Blues.

Unfortunately I see Backlund suffering under Hartley in a similar way.

[Tinordi]

Good for him. Always thought he was put in a tough position here in Calgary.

[$ven27]

Originally Posted by Mister Yamoto

I am so glad he is gone. The direction of Flames turned 180 degrees when he came on board.

But good for him, I wish him nothing but the best.

Green text?

[Bertuzzied]

Originally Posted by Mike F

Both he and Stajan suffered greatly under Sutter, re-emerging as very solid players under Hartley, and now Bouwmeester is back to an elite level player with the Blues.

Unfortunately I see Backlund suffering under Hartley in a similar way.

And Sarich too. But Hartley misused Sarchy as well.

[bubbsy]

completely misused by Sutter.

that being said, he's also playing on a much better team, and is looked at as a #2 dman, and is performing really well in that spot.

really like the blues, the way they have rebuilt, and the way they play the game.

[Erick Estrada]

Every defenseman will look better on a team where the forwards play responsible which hasn't happened in Calgary since 2006. Brent may have not let him play to his strengths but it appears some of us have short memories as he was pretty good for the Flames until the games got important late in the season when he was awful. He looked better under Hartley but that was on a team that was never in playoff contention from day one. IMO playing in Canada isn't for him and he's one of those guys that performs better when there's little to no pressure.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by Bertuzzied

Come on man. Lets not get carried away here...

What about Chris Butler?