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Sutter speaks more. Good insight into the mind of a GM.
Hold off on the welcome Mats
Jean LeFebvre, Calgary Herald
Published: Thursday, January 24, 2008
Naturally, amateur bean-counters use Calgary's payroll commitments for 2008-09 -- approximately $39 million for 13 players -- as the basis for predictions about the fate of the Flames' free agents.
Big mistake, says the GM.
"That's another thing people don't understand when they're saying we have this much money left," said Sutter. "Well, they're assuming that everybody who's under contract will still be here. As much as they want to be general managers, they certainly haven't put their head into it. They must know what (next season's salary) cap is going to be and what our team is going to be."
"I couldn't even tell you anything about Peter Forsberg and I haven't talked to Toronto," Sutter insisted.
"I talked to (recently fired Leafs general manager) John Ferguson to give him support in the past two weeks, but I can't imagine they're going to trade Mats Sundin. Because (the player and the team) have such a close relationship, I can't imagine they'd trade him.
"He's having a helluva year. You talk about No. 1 centremen? That's a No. 1 centreman. That's about as far as it goes."
So what are the Flames focusing on?
"It's prioritizing," said Sutter. "Who's the key guy to sign on our team? Clearly, it's (impending restricted free agent) Dion Phaneuf. After that, it's what (money) is left and how bad the player wants to play here. It's that simple.
"Hey, any UFA who doesn't want to stay here . . . they can say all they want publicly, we've been down this road before with guys who have left and said, 'Oh, we love Calgary.' You know what they love? They love more money. There's a point where if you want to be in a good town and with a good team, you make a choice that is a good one. You can't say that for some of the guys who have left here."
Because of his robust scoring pace since Dec. 1, his flashy style and the fact he shares an agent (Don Meehan) with Phaneuf, Huselius is Calgary's most frequently discussed would-be UFA, but the steady Langkow is just one goal and four points behind the Swede.
"Daymond is absolutely a guy we'll make every effort to try and keep," said Sutter. "He's a really good player, but you have to find a way to make it work. He's not a No. 1 (centreman) and he's not a No. 2 guy. He's somewhere in between there, so how are you going to figure that out?"
That brings us back to the flavour of the week. One of the strongest arguments made by the trade-Tanguay advocates is that the deal would clear more than $5 million off the books for next season.
Then again, until those UFAs are under lock and key, getting rid of a player who is already under contract seems foolhardy. Also, should salary room be needed, Tanguay or another player's contract could be far more easily unloaded in the summer, when there are no immediate cap implications and more potential trading partners.
"You're going to get as much value for a player as you can," said Sutter.
Oh, and there's one more little detail.
"Hey, we're not a selling team," noted Sutter. "We're a good team. Those guys who can't wait for us to do bad? They should have looked (at the standings) and seen that we're in first place after 50 games."
It rankles Sutter that all efforts to deny the Tanguay gossip have had little effect on the volume level.
"What more is he supposed to say?" Sutter wondered. "I think he's handled it really well. It's exactly what he said -- 'I'm being very professional about it and I'm trying to play hard.' And that's what he's doing.
"The time off (for the all-star break this weekend) will be good for him. Then, hopefully, it's not on the front page when he comes back."
Jean LeFebvre, Calgary Herald
Published: Thursday, January 24, 2008
Naturally, amateur bean-counters use Calgary's payroll commitments for 2008-09 -- approximately $39 million for 13 players -- as the basis for predictions about the fate of the Flames' free agents.
Big mistake, says the GM.
"That's another thing people don't understand when they're saying we have this much money left," said Sutter. "Well, they're assuming that everybody who's under contract will still be here. As much as they want to be general managers, they certainly haven't put their head into it. They must know what (next season's salary) cap is going to be and what our team is going to be."
"I couldn't even tell you anything about Peter Forsberg and I haven't talked to Toronto," Sutter insisted.
"I talked to (recently fired Leafs general manager) John Ferguson to give him support in the past two weeks, but I can't imagine they're going to trade Mats Sundin. Because (the player and the team) have such a close relationship, I can't imagine they'd trade him.
"He's having a helluva year. You talk about No. 1 centremen? That's a No. 1 centreman. That's about as far as it goes."
So what are the Flames focusing on?
"It's prioritizing," said Sutter. "Who's the key guy to sign on our team? Clearly, it's (impending restricted free agent) Dion Phaneuf. After that, it's what (money) is left and how bad the player wants to play here. It's that simple.
"Hey, any UFA who doesn't want to stay here . . . they can say all they want publicly, we've been down this road before with guys who have left and said, 'Oh, we love Calgary.' You know what they love? They love more money. There's a point where if you want to be in a good town and with a good team, you make a choice that is a good one. You can't say that for some of the guys who have left here."
Because of his robust scoring pace since Dec. 1, his flashy style and the fact he shares an agent (Don Meehan) with Phaneuf, Huselius is Calgary's most frequently discussed would-be UFA, but the steady Langkow is just one goal and four points behind the Swede.
"Daymond is absolutely a guy we'll make every effort to try and keep," said Sutter. "He's a really good player, but you have to find a way to make it work. He's not a No. 1 (centreman) and he's not a No. 2 guy. He's somewhere in between there, so how are you going to figure that out?"
That brings us back to the flavour of the week. One of the strongest arguments made by the trade-Tanguay advocates is that the deal would clear more than $5 million off the books for next season.
Then again, until those UFAs are under lock and key, getting rid of a player who is already under contract seems foolhardy. Also, should salary room be needed, Tanguay or another player's contract could be far more easily unloaded in the summer, when there are no immediate cap implications and more potential trading partners.
"You're going to get as much value for a player as you can," said Sutter.
Oh, and there's one more little detail.
"Hey, we're not a selling team," noted Sutter. "We're a good team. Those guys who can't wait for us to do bad? They should have looked (at the standings) and seen that we're in first place after 50 games."
It rankles Sutter that all efforts to deny the Tanguay gossip have had little effect on the volume level.
"What more is he supposed to say?" Sutter wondered. "I think he's handled it really well. It's exactly what he said -- 'I'm being very professional about it and I'm trying to play hard.' And that's what he's doing.
"The time off (for the all-star break this weekend) will be good for him. Then, hopefully, it's not on the front page when he comes back."
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