 | Trade Rumors: Another deal on the Flames' horizon? |
 By RANDY SPORTAK, QMI Agency
Flames GM Darryl Sutter has made a couple of trades which make it appear another deal is soon coming.
He’d better be.
Six new faces via trade, and a seventh if you count Mikael Backlund being summoned from the minors just over a week ago, has added up to big changes on the roster, but it’s not enough to seriously call this club a Stanley Cup contender.
Actually, an argument can be made it’s not even a playoff team.
Not when the Flames sit ninth in the Western Conference.
Not when the Flames can lay claim to just one victory in it’s last 11 games — which came at the expense of the lowly Edmonton Oilers — and just two wins in 14 outings.
Not when you start to poke holes in the team.
As they ready for Wednesday night’s clash against the Carolina Hurricanes, the Flames are potentially deeper on the wings, but a few of those — especially newcomers Christopher Higgins and Ales Kotalik — have struggled mightily this season.
The Flames are readying to hit the ice with Matt Stajan, Daymond Langkow, Mikael Backlund and Eric Nystrom as the chief faceoff takers.
Nobody will mistake that for a murderer’s row of centres.
For years, Sutter maintained you build a team from the goal, through the defence and then up the middle. Nobody will argue Olli Jokinen panned out as the top-notch centre the Flames needed, but the club is weaker at that position now that he’s been dealt to the New York Rangers.
http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/NHL/Calgary/2010/02/03/12716941-qmi.html
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