Jackman vs Alberts | Photo by Mike Ridewood/Getty Images
A short time after calling out his players publicly, Jay Feaster only made one contract-related move before the NHL trade deadline. Feaster re-signed tough guy, Tim Jackman, to a 2-year contract extension worth $612,500 per year.
I’m happy with this signing as it’s not a lot of money for a guy who gives 100% every game. This type of thing is is something that the team needs more of and I believe in rewarding guys who work hard, contribute and complete their roles on the team. Jackman isn’t a one-dimensional goon either. He is aggressive on the forecheck, responsible on defence and puts the puck in the opposition’s net every now and then.
As is usually the case, there were a handful of Flames fans who became whiny (yes, you were… don’t deny it) because we didn’t make any major moves. I don’t think this is a big deal though. While I’m not 100% happy with our current lineup and don’t think it’s a championship team, I don’t believe that there is much value in making big splash trades on deadline day.
We’ve been burned a lot more than we’ve been successful during the Darryl Sutter era and we’ve also been saddled with too many expensive contracts by being overly aggressive on trade deadline day. The salary cap situation is becoming increasingly important for the Calgary Flames, and we can’t afford to make stupid moves just for the sake of making some fans happy.
There is one thing that I would have done if I were in Feaster’s seat: I’d have claimed Grant Clitsome off waivers. Clitsome is a solid D-man and to get him via waivers would have been a steal. If we needed to free up some cap space, there’s always Butler and Sarich that I could do without. Send ‘em to the minors, trade them for a bag of pucks… whatever you need to do.
What did you think of this deadline? Leave a comment.
Greg is the founder of Red Mile Blog has been following the Flames through good times and bad since they arrived in Calgary in the early 80s. He has written hundreds of articles on the Flames since 2005 and considers himself an expert on hockey inconsistency and frustration. He shoots right and usually plays defence, but has been known to jump up in the rush. He is a 2-time CAHL men's league champion and knows the sweet taste of beer from a Cup.
