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It’s fair to say that at this point in time, most NHL fans across the board should understand or be educated on the fact that the Calgary Flames are rebuilding and not retooling. With that being said, the notion of a rebuild has often been a rather subjective matter, as not all fans seem to hold a universal definition.
I have been told by many fans across the board that the Flames need not hold onto to guys like Mike Cammalleri or even Curtis Glencross as they possess more value as trade commodities than serviceable players to the Calgary Flames. I should hope that by now most of my readers can acknowledge that I for one do not agree with this stance, as I have maintained time and time again that the Flames need to keep a certain number of veteran players around to insulate their youth throughout said rebuild.
While I have mentioned a few times that Cammalleri has been shopped by the Flames and further that he could very well be moved, I often find myself wondering if the lack of real discussion with respect to trades is because the Flames covet the winger just as much as other interested teams. At the end of the day, it all boils down to who needs the services of a player like Cammalleri more; a rebuilding franchise with only a few top end scorers remaining on their roster, or one of several playoff contending teams.
I suppose what would be important is determining the type of player Mike represents. A rebuilding franchise requires the presence of players with strong leadership and work ethic. It is important that your experienced players not only have the ability, but also the desire to help mold your youth. Are the above mentioned characteristics of Mike Cammalleri? I’m not so sure to be honest.
Mike strikes me as the kind of guy who goes about his business as a professional, keeping his personal goals ahead of others at times. Despite his successes at the NHL level, I find he may be more of a strong performer on the ice with his line mates, than off - though much of my opinion stems from hearsay and personal observation. I could be very wrong with respect to my scrutiny towards Cammalleri, though I feel the team may be looking to move the forward for more reasons than his cap “unfriendly” salary, despite what he may yield offensively.
The impression is that with his remaining $6M cap hit throughout the 2013-14 season, Cammalleri would be rather difficult to move until at least around the trade deadline where teams may be willing to swallow his cap hit as a rental player. With that being said, Mike is in his final year of his contract before becoming eligible to hit the market as a UFA and the Flames have enough room to eat some of his salary should it be a concern.
Call me crazy, but I would expect this to be an important season for Mike as he battles for a new contract from either the Flames or the rest of the league. Whether this year means he truly displays his leadership qualities or goes into full blown scoring mode is left to be seen, though it’s not a stretch to say that Cammalleri will be showcasing his talents to the world. As the blog questioned though - Will his strengths be displayed on an individual, or group level.
What are your thoughts – should the Flames keep guys like Mike around to help develop the upcoming youth in the Flames system while maintaining a certain level of competitiveness, or should they simply move him as an attempt to acquire more organizational depth?
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