Quote of the Day

"They have, of course, dealt a significant player - one who may prove to be the best in the deal. Should Dion Phaneuf become the defender many envisioned when he burst onto the scene as a rookie, the Maple Leafs have added a future cornerstone to their roster. The Flames, on the other hand, have Jay Bouwmeester signed long-term and is a more proven hard minutes option besides. They also have a bunch of quality defensive prospects waiting in the wings, to say nothing of the emergent Mark Giordano and, now, Ian White. In short, this probably doesn't do the organization much damage, even if Phaneuf does fulfill his promise. On the other hand if he has truly plateaued and is more Jovo than Pronger, then the Flames have moved a millstone of a contract for a decent value return. The downside from Sutter's perspective is limited.

Lots of enduring talk of Dion being a dressing room distraction in town. I don't know if that was true and therefore the impetus to make the trade (or if it was simple logical chain I followed above was enough). If the rumblings of divided locker room and player conflict are true, that makes the trade just that much more sensible.

On a final note, I'd like to commend Darryl Sutter for this move. It was a ballsy trade. It involved a player he's clearly had an emotional attachment to since he was drafted. It suggests that Daz can dispassionately assess faults in his team and make moves to correct them. The Flames now have greater forward depth, more cap flexibility and have added a nice high potential piece (White) on the back-end for good measure.

PS - When Moss, Dawes and Conroy return to the line-up, the Flames will have a lot of bodies kicking around up front. I would therefore suggest that Sutter isn't finished tweaking the roster."

- Matchsticks and Gasoline