Are you Jokinen?

Following the aftermath of the Phaneuf trade, late on Sunday night, TSN reported that Olli Jokinen and Brandon Prust had been traded to the New York Rangers for Ales Kotalik and Christopher Higgins. However, by Monday morning there still had not been any confirmation from either team. Was the deal happening or wasn’t it? There had been some speculation throughout the morning that Ales Kotalik, with a no-trade clause, would not approve the move. The trade was eventually finalized late Monday night though and Jokinen and Prust (again) were no longer members of the Calgary Flames.

I have to say I am not impressed with how this was handled by the Calgary Flames organization. After news of the trade first broke, there wasn’t any reaction from the team. This left two players in the lurch, wondering whether or not their tenure with the Flames was finished, and knowing for certain that they were no longer wanted by the team. Now I know hockey players are compensated very well for what they do, and one of the sacrifices is the possibility of being traded to another team, in another city, but this fiasco wasn’t only unfair to the players being traded, but also the rest of the players on the team.

I can’t imagine what yesterday’s morning skate was like for the players and coaching staff arriving at the Saddledome, knowing that two of their players are no longer wanted by the organization. I don’t imagine it would be possible to have an effective practice with that black cloud hanging over everybody. Why even have Jokinen participate? Was Sutter going to be achieving anything? “Hey Olli, you need to keep working on your face-offs; the Rangers will appreciate it.”

However, I think the practice would be a picnic compared to the game last night. Not only is it impossible to expect anything from Prust or Jokinen, it is also difficult to expect anything out of the rest of the team as well. Two players were about to be traded, and four players were playing their first game in a Flames uniform, following the Phaneuf trade the day before. A third of the skaters were either new to the team or about to be off the team and I don’t imagine there was much of a positive attitude around the dressing room. Perhaps Sutter gave a speech before they hit the ice, “Hagman, Stajan, meet your new teammates; but don’t worry about introducing yourselves to 21 and 33 though, they’re going to be traded after the game. Now let’s play great!”

It’s no wonder the team came out flat and uninspired in losing to the Flyers three to nothing. The blame of this fiasco should fall squarely on the organization. First off, the trade shouldn’t be leaked out to the media before it has been finalized. Secondly, after it was leaked, at least one of the teams should have addressed the issue, both for the players and the fans. I typically hear about how “classy” the Flames organization is, and would usually agree, but as it concerns the Jokinen trade, the team really dropped the ball.

-TheRev

Photo from: http://www.calgaryherald.com/sports/Flames+finally+pull+trigger+controversial+Jokinen+trade/2510662/story.html