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| Exhibit A: Regehr on Hemsky |
After spending 11 seasons donning the flaming C, Regehr will have a new address in Buffalo, NY.
The durable defenceman (he has only missed 15 games in the last 5 seasons) was one of the Flames true leaders, and the second longest tenured player behind the one, the only, Jarome Iginla.
He will be missed in these parts.
I think the happiest person in Alberta right now has to be Ales Hemsky though. Hemsky will no longer have to endure getting tossed around like a Raggedy Ann doll in the corners by the hulking Regehr. For so many years, Regehr has made it his top priority to ensure that Hemsky can’t even peel himself off the end boards.
This is my fondest memory of Rocket Robyn and I will miss him.
But in saying that, I understand the need to trade him.
The Flames were in a bind financially and something had to be done to gain some flexibility when it came to the salary cap. Regehr just so happened to be the most marketable asset.
Jay Feaster was able to trade Regehr($4 mill) and throw in Ales Kotasuck ($3 mill) and wipe the Flames clean of over $7 million in the process.
In return the Flames received Chris Butler and Paul Byron. An at best 4th defenceman and a forward prospect that no one knows much about, but I’ll get to that later.
The return is not great. In fact, the Flames even threw in a 2nd round pick in the 2012 draft and still only got the two players back. They gave up the best player in the draft and relatively nothing close to fair value in return.
Sounds kind of familiar, doesn’t it?
But this situation was different than the now infamous Dion Phaneuf trade.
This was, and always will be, a straight salary dump.
Feaster has a giant pile of horse manure to sift through thanks to Darryl Sutter, and sometimes to get yourself out of a situation like this, you simply have to eat shit.
And Feaster gulped it down by the spoonful.
Regehr will continue to be a great shutdown defenceman for years to come, but it won’t be for Calgary.
If you want some silver lining it is that Regehr is slow and if he wasn't in good position could be taken advantaged of by speedy forwards streaming down the wing. His game was built for the pre-lockout way of hockey and he has been forced to adapt, which he has, but their are holes in his game.
But this is me nitpicking and trying to justify the loss, as I was and am a Regehr fan.
The Flames depth on defence is diminished, but this now opens the door for some of the Flames young defence prospects to make that jump, and I truly believe they may get a legitimate shot to make the big club.
TJ Brodie, John Negrin, Chris Breen, and Keith Seabrook – I’m looking at you.
So goodbye Robyn Regehr. Say hi to Leo and Monty for us. We will eagerly await your return to Calgary and be cheering when you step on the ice.
So much for my retro 28 jersey (sigh).
A result of the Regehr/Kotalik salary dump was the signing of Alex Tanguay to a five year deal worth $17.5 million.
The cap hit works out to be $3.5 million a season.
Is the deal longer than I would have liked for a 31 year old?
Yeah, probably.
Am I happy they didn’t pull another Michael Cammalleri?
Yes, I am.
It’s been documented that Iginla was very crucial to the deal happening as he was constantly calling both Tanguay and Craig Conroy, making sure a deal was being consummated.
From what I gather, Tangs was looking for a 4 year deal for $4 million per season.
So, you give and take in negotiations. Flames gave another year and Tanguay shed half a million a season. What’s $500,000 between friends anyways, right?
The one thing Feaster didn’t do was give Tanguay a no-movement/trade clause, which Feaster’s predecessor gave out like Kit Kat’s on Halloween.
It keep the ball in the team’s court, which should be the case.
Tanguay finished top 30 in scoring. He would have probably received the same if not more money on July 1st from another team. I’m glad Feaster realized that he was the best option out of all possible other players that might have been available.
The Flames have roughly $7.5 million of cap space to work with and only four defenceman under contract. At least we know what Feaster’s next move most likely will be.
Going back to the forwards. Tanguay and Iginla will be together for a while, and Flames fans should be happy for that.
Now, if they could just find a center to play with them, or is he already right under their nose?
What’s that I smell? A Swedish centerman ready to make his mark.
Newman
Jersey Fouls!
twitter.com/TSRNewman
thesportsroundup@gmail.com
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8 comments:
I would agree with Newman, that the Flames will miss the punishment that Regehr levied on opposing forwards. What we should also realize, is the fact that all the years of physical abuse Regehr subjected on his body, by making all those big hits, also slowed him down over the last couple of years.
This should be a great time to bring up TJ Brodie and wouldn't it be great if we could get a Bieksa to come to Calgary. Probably will not happen, right?
Giordano will now become the leader of the defence in Calgary. What a shame that Sutter chose to go after Bouwmeester in 09 instead of making sure Cammalleri signed in Calgary.
This team needs to somehow find a way to unload Bouwmeester's monster contract. He is a huge dissapointment and I probably would of prefered to lose JBo instead of Regehr.
Give Feaster credit for trying to clean up the Sutter mess! Let's hope they can find some sleepy GM who will take Stajan off our roster.
Go Flames Go!!!!
I personally would never want to see Bieksa in a Flames uniform. What are you thinking???
Ya forget Bieska go after Wisnewski!
I believe tanguay does have a NMC albeit a modified one. He has to give them a list of 10 teams a season that he can be traded to. It's still way better than a straight up NMC but it's worth noting.
Yeah I wasnt sure . Capgeek didnt realy say either way. I'm not sure I realy wanna see Bieksa in a Flames uniform, but wouldnt be surprised if they do go out and sign someone who is semi established. Remember that they will probably sign Pardy this week as well. He's is cheap and fairly reliable on the back end.
As a oiler fan i am very happy to see Regehr go. I have a ton of respect for him although he does give cheap shots once in while and walks a fine line between hard on the play and dirty..hes leadership on the defence will be missed for calgary. although i am not entirly sure the direction the team is headed with these two signings..also hafta note. Hemsky must be in heaven...no longer having to face Regehr regularly and getting Smyth back on his line. it was a good day for a oiler fan
I'm a Sabres fan therefore am very happy with the addition of Robyn Regehr & his shut down/stay at home reputation. Tyler Myers will FINALLY be given the green light to move the puck at will without worry...I don't understand why the 2nd rnd pick was included in the trade though? Do you think it was because we took Kotalik & the extra $3M? (Kotalik will most likely be in the minors or bought out. Can't see him making the Sabres opening night lineup- no way)
The only reason the 2nd rounder was included was so the Flames could include Kotalik, as per Feaster. It had to be done unfortunatly. Enjoy Ales!!
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