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As I reported last night, the Flames have made their first move since Brian Burke’s trade freeze has been lifted by moving prospect Greg Nemisz to the Caroline Hurricanes, in exchange for enforcer Kevin Westgarth.
Expected to be a team busy in terms of trade talks this year, Brian Burke and the rebuilding Flames are likely to have another move or two come about over the next week or two. The question then becomes, who is next to be moved out? Who is either expendable, no longer part of their plan, or a type of player who Burke & Co. may not favour?
I suppose in order to answer these questions, you will first need to assess where you feel the team sits in its current state of rebuild, and how long you expect them to remain in said state. For me, the team continues to maintain that they will be competitive throughout their "reconstruction", and as such, bringing in players who can help now and down the road is a safe bet when discussing trades.
While many fans seem to think that teams in similar positions to that of the Flames will do anything to move older players in exchange for draft picks, I am not convinced that this will be the route taken by Burke who can be an impatient man. But don’t get this confused with me saying that Burke is going to make hasty and uncalculated moves – because he won’t.
Rather than sitting around and waiting for things to develop on their own, ala Edmonton Oilers, Burke likes to try and speed up the process by bringing in players who can help mold his team into one that fits his style, in addition to ridding himself of players who, well, do not.
That said, there are a few players who remain on this current roster who I feel that Brian Burke may entertain moving fairly quickly. And those players are as follow; Mike Cammalleri, Mikael Backlund, Sven Baertschi, Chris Butler, TJ Galiardi, and perhaps Kris Russell.
While the first couple names listed are no surprise to anyone given our discussions this year, a few names I threw in there may however be of surprise. While most fans were screaming for Butler’s head not too long ago, his game has steadily improved and it appears that he may be able to maintain the minutes afforded to him without causing the number of turnovers and overall mistakes he was ever so credited for just last year. That said, he may have some value after all. Who knew!?
The real name which I’m sure a few of you are surprised to see is Kris Russell. Let me go on record to say that I really hope that the Flames keep Russell around and are able to sign him to a solid contract, however with his size and potential value at the moment, do not be surprised if Burke pulls the trigger on a deal to send Russell to a team in need of defensive help.
Aside from these two, I wholeheartedly expect one or two of Cammalleri, Backlund, and Baertschi to be moved. Cammalleri is having a strong enough season with 20pts in 31 games so far that he should warrant some interest from around the league for his veteran services. One team of potential interest which continues to surface is the Pittsburgh Penguins. Not entirely sure how much validity there is here, however.
With respect to what Mike could fetch in the trade market, I feel that unless he is able to really pick up his game, that we shouldn't really expect a large return for him given his sizeable contract and the fact that most NHL teams would need to make a dollar for dollar type move to remain under the cap. As such, it might be worth keeping the guy around and entertain resigning him if he's willing to stay and help mold some of the youth...
That said, who are the players you feel the Flames will either move and further, who do you feel are the untouchables? Are there are trade scenarios you can envision with respect to those you see as expendable?
***
The Calgary Flames will play host to the Philadelphia Flyers tonight, as the home team looks to end their two game losing streak in which they have been held scoreless.
"I think that confidence or scoring goals is something that can become very fragile," coach Bob Hartley told the team's official website "Suddenly you don't think that you'll score another goal ever. That's not the case. I think that we just have to keep going being sharper around the net. We're losing lots of loose pucks around the loose paint. I think that's where the vast majority of goals are being scored in this league.
"Just come back to basics and believe in yourself."
Tonight could be disastrous for the Flames who are 3-5-2 in their last ten games and have been struggling to find offense, where as the Flyers are on a three game winning streak and are 6-2-2 in their last ten games. For the Flames to find success tonight, they will need to find ways to shutdown Claude Giroux who has been hot of late, registering 11pts in his last five games played.
While the Flyers have been struggling this year, their recent play has been a much more solidified team effort and they will be looking to extend their current winning streak against a “weaker” Flames squad. As with most teams this year, however, Calgary is not often provided with much respect when it comes to competition. The Flames have been able to outskate many of their opponents, and their hard work has earned them with many close games this year.
If the Flames are able to continue their strong team play, they should be able to either keep this game quite close, or put an end to the Flyers current streak. They will need some offense from rookie Sean Monahan who has been cold, registering zero points in his last six games played. The Flames continue to get points from Jiri Hudler who sits atop their scorers with 33pts for the year. He and Cammalleri will need to provide much needed veteran experience toward the younger group.
In terms of goaltending, Reto Berra has been doing very well of late and is seemingly taking over as the starter at the moment. He will also need to play quite well in order for the team to find any success tonight.
Thanks for reading!
Calgary Flames Blogger • 
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