Flames Trade Regehr to Buffalo, Re-Sign Tanguay

After a bit of a delay, the Calgary Flames were able to complete a deal Saturday with the Buffalo Sabres that sent longtime Flames defenseman Robyn Regehr, forward Ales Kotalik and a 2012 second round draft pick to the Sabres in exchange for defenseman Chris Butler and center Paul Byron. Regehr needed to waive his no-movement clause in order for this deal to be completed, which is what held up the process as Regehr wanted to find out what other options were available. Apparently, there were none.

This is a tremendous acquisition for the Sabres, who gave up some decent talent to acquire Regehr but nobody that can't be replaced. Regehr is a 31-year old veteran of the game who has long been one of the better defensive talents in the NHL. He will bring a great deal of experience and leadership to a squad that could certainly use him for a boost at the backend - and somebody to influence youngsters like Tyler Myers. In fact, it was exactly Regehr's size and experience that general manager Darcy Regier had in mind when making this deal.

“Not just veteran leadership, but the added size as well. With the history that he has and the age he’s at, with years ahead to play, I think he can really do a lot for our younger defensemen,” Regier said. “We think that he can help and do a lot for someone like Tyler Myers. That combination of the youth and experience, that blend will do well for us.”     
This trade also marks a return to Buffalo for Kotalik, who has failed to be the same kind of offensive asset that he was before leaving the Sabres. Kotalik started his career in Buffalo and spent seven seasons with there, posting multiple 20-goal campaigns. But he was traded to Edmonton at the deadline in 2009 and signed with the New York Rangers via free agency that summer. He was then moved to Calgary in the Olli Jokinen trade and split times last year between the Flames and its AHL affiliate, Abbotsford. Perhaps a return to the team that drafted him in the sixth round (164th overall) back in 1998 will boost his performance.

Regehr is still owed a pretty penny money-wise, set to earn $8 million over the course of the next two seasons with an annual cap hit of $4.02 million. Kotalik will also earn $3 million in the final year of his current deal.



And the ability to dump that salary was a big reason why the Flames elected to deal both players. With the cap relief the Flames gained from the trade, they were able to re-sign winger Alex Tanguay to a five-year deal worth $17.5 million - or $3.5 million in salary and cap hit each season. This represents a $1.8 million raise from what he made on a one year deal with the Flames last year.

"As we looked at the potential [unrestricted free agent] market, we didn't see a player that was going to replace [Tanguay] and be as productive as we believe he can and will be," Flames general manager Jay Feaster told the press during the NHL Entry Draft weekend. "So, we're happy to have him back."

Tanguay, 31, made an impact in his return trip to the Flames last season, scoring 22 goals and 69 points in 79 games. It's production like that which made captain Jarome Iginla push very hard, according to Feaster, for his stay in Calgary to be extended.

"I think that the guy with the biggest smile today in Calgary isn't Alex, it's Jarome Iglina," Feaster said. "That's one guy that Jarome has made very clear that he very much wants back and wants to be able to play. And certaintly our entire organization is thrilled to have him back."

Is Fighting Near The End Of A 4-0 Blowout Pointless?

Fighting is always going to be a part of hockey, and that fact alone will always be up for debate. Certainly, dropping the gloves with just about two minutes remaining in a 4-0 blowout is not going to help the side in favor of fisticuffs being involved in NHL hockey.

Thus was the case in the Edmonton Oilers vs. Calgary Flames game on the league's opening night of action Thursday. The Oilers were large and in charge of this game, exhibiting some brilliance in between the pipes from Nikolai Khabibulin and tremendous offensive prowess from rookie Jordan Eberle.

But with the game already in the books, Edmonton's Steve MacIntyre and Calgary's Raitis Ivanans decided to put their own stamp on the contest. for Ivanans, it only added further embarrassment to his team.

For MacIntyre and Ivanans, this is what they do for a living in the NHL and have to drop the gloves in order to be of any value to their respective organizations. But as true enforcers, they should also understand that there is a justifiable time and place to have these heavyweight fights. Near the end of a 4-0 blowout is not that time, especially when it appeared MacIntyre was the more eager party prior to the gloves actually being dropped. His team was going to win the game handily - move on.

Granted, this wouldn't be an issue if Ivanans hadn't been rocked with a knockout blow that hit its mark by MacIntyre. If both men were separated by the linesmen and skated off the ice on their own accord, there would be no discussion. But watching Ivanans have no control over his own facilities makes it even more pointless for the fight to have occured in the first place.

Sutter Loses His Mind: Brings Jokinen, Tanguay Back To Calgary

 

Nobody necessarily classified Calgary Flames General Manager Darryl Sutter as a sane man. So perhaps what went down today with the Flames is called for. But he pulled a move that had pretty much everybody at TSN questioning everything they believe in by bringing back a completely failed player from the past.

After a rather good move on his end in bringing Alex Tanguay back to Calgary on a one year deal worth $1.7 million, Sutter called up Olli Jokinen and got him to return on a two-year, $6 million pact. Yes, that's the same Jokinen that Sutter tossed aside to New York last spring for Rangers castaways Christopher Higgins and Ales Kotalik - neither of which are still in Calgary right now.

As previously stated, the Tanguay deal is nothing to mock because he did produce pretty well with the Flames. His best season came with the team in 2006-07 when he posted a career-high 81 points between 22 goals and 59 assists. With a decline in his numbers over the past few years, it's hard to imagine he will reach that plateau again. But a single year committment at a low pricetag of under $2 million is a low-risk proposition for somebody that should, at the very least, offer around 15 goals and 40 points.

Jokinen's signing, on the other hand, is baffling. An absolute stud when he played with the Florida Panthers (and constant topic of trade chatter during his tenture there), the 31-year old Finnish center has failed miserably to bring his game to the same level in stints with the Phoenix Coyotes, Rangers and Flames. Last year, Calgary thought so little of his non-chemistry with Jarome Iginla that is participated in a cap dump for the Rangers by taking in $5.1 million in salary for Kotalik, who had two years, $6 million still left on his deal, and the pending RFA Higgins in exchange for him.

Apparently, as TSN's Darren Dreger tweeted, Sutter believed he should have never traded Jokinen. And thus, the marriage was reborn.

If it didn't work the last time, it's not going to work this time, either. Calgary was rid of Jokinen, who was pretty much set up to either take a really low offer from an NHL team on a one year basis or become the next NHL alum to head to Russia.

Poor Iginla.

Cheechoo, Kotalik Among Five Players Placed On Waivers

 

The waiver wire saw some activity this afternoon as a reported five players were placed on it, according to TSN. Among those players are Johnathan Cheechoo of the Ottawa Senators, who was part of the Dany Heatley trade with San Jose, and Ales Kotalik of the Calgary Flames, who was acquired by the team in an early February trade with the New York Rangers. Petteri Nokelainen and Jim Vadermeer of the Phoenix Coyotes and Florida Panthers defenseman Ville Koistinen were also placed on waivers.

TSN mentions that if these players were to go unclaimed through the waiver process, it is likely that their respective organizations will buy them out and will therefore enter them into unrestricted free agency.

Cheechoo is entering the final year of a five-year contract that will pay him $3.5 million next season (and count as a cap hit of $3 million.) After posting a career-high and Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy-earning 56 goals back in 2005-06 thanks to be paired with Joe Thornton, Cheechoo has steadily declined over the past four years. A year with just 12 goals and 17 assists in 2008-09 made it an easy decision for San Jose to include him and his salary as part of the trade that brought in Heatley. In 61 games with Ottawa last season, Cheechoo only posted five goals and nine assists for 14 points. He also spent 25 games in the AHL with Binghamton, scoring eight goals with six assists for 14 points.

Cheechoo's time as a hot commodity in the NHL faded almost as quickly as it began, and he is no longer considered a top-six forward. At $3.5 million, it would be hard to justify picking the 29-year old up off waivers. But as an unrestricted free agent, it could be worth taking a flier on him at a price tag of $1 to 1.25 million is he is willing to take a sharp pay cut like that. A buyout would cost the Senators about $1.167 million over each of the next two years.