I remember a time where we were short on centres

Yelle
Langkow
Conroy
Nolan
Lombardi
Primeau

Who is going? Who is staying? What are we getting?

Let's have some late-night fun with these questions:

Primeau: Seeing as he just signed a new contract, I'd reckon he's staying. (Projected: 4th line)
Nolan: Seeing as he just signed a new contract, I'd reckon he's staying. (Projected: 3rd line) [Edit: He's a RW, not traditionally a centre. My bad.]

That leaves us with two more starting centers to place, and four players: Conroy, Langkow, Lombardi, Yelle.

Lombardi: I have to believe he's staying, because I love him. The other part of me thinks he's probably going to be traded. Lombardi was never really a Sutter type of player...and he's certainly not a Keenan type of player. Plus after the Conroy acquisition he's sort of been the odd man out. [Edit: Seeing as Nolan's not really a centre, I say Lombardi stays.]

Yelle: I love the guy, but I think Primeau's liable to replace him, seeing as he's younger, potentially more durable. A lot of teams could use Yelle's PK expertise and leadership, so he may be moved. My prediction is he is going to be moved this summer.

Langkow: He's going to stay. (Projected: 1st line)
Conroy: He's going to stay. (Projected: 2nd line)

Now, I'm well aware Primeau is also listed as a LW...so potentially one of these guys can stay for 5 centres. But 6? There's no way. Expect a trade.

It's not that easy being green...

Wow.

At least Dave was gracious enough to not mention my having a bad reaction to something I ate in Buffalo...nuff said.

Was the game that vomit-inducing? Not really. A couple of points.

The staff at the HSBC arena is incredibly friendly. They definitely make your evening better, even if it's clear you're pulling for the other team. And there were a LOT of people pulling for the other team. Flames fans of Southern Ontario, unite!

I'm worried yet not worried about our play at this point. I don't like that we've blown three late leads in a row now. There's our shootout record, sigh. It's pretty clear Iggy doesn't have his pop back yet. He's just a touch slow and a touch tentative. Sort of like the way he habitually starts his seasons. Hopefully he'll shake it off soon.

But. Buffalo is no walkover, and the game felt even for both teams to me for the longest time. Shots were even for most of the night, and so were scoring chances. There was never a point when we were out of it, or were clearly outclassed (doing dumbass things, sure, but not outclassed). And despite his inability to win shootouts, I think Kipper clearly outfought Miller today.

Did Ference know a trade was up? There were times when I can wonder whether that affected him tonight.

And ohhhhh, the Flames' green non-giant. I'm going to miss how quotable, how thoughtful, how different he was compared to most of his teammates. If this is the year we go far, I'm going to regret very much he isn't around to be part of it. We're talking a guy who gave his team a discount on his services in return for a long-term deal. We're talking a little guy who plays bigger than anyone gives him credit for.

But he'll have terrific opportunities in Boston, ones he won't get behind Regehr and Phaneuf, especially in years to come.

And Kobasew. So much potential. He's maybe one of the grittiest players we had, willing to crash and take the hit in order to finish a play. But also frustrating, since he wasn't producing to the extent that his willingness to sacrifice indicated. Hopefully his arm heals soon, and he'll be able to show Boston some l33t moves.

I see Sutter's logic in getting Stuart and Primeau. Brad Stuart used to play on the Hitmen, back in their fanastic days in the, what, mid-to-late 90s? I remember watching him back then. It's not like he'll get lost in the Saddledome. And like Kobasew, he's another player (not quite as young, duh), who never has quite been able to live up to his press. Hopefully he'll be excited enough about being back in Calgary to change that. And more to the point, Stuart and Primeau are Sutter men. They played for him back in San Jose, and were a huge part of the team.

Stuart beefs up an already impressive (on paper) Calgary defence corps - the one that should be amassing miracles but really has been quite mortal this year. Primeau - to be honest, he's not a guy I'm that familiar with - but if Sutter is willing to snag him for another of his teams, you know he'll fit in just fine.

Both are UFAs come summer - I can't imagine we'll be able to afford Stuart, in particular. So I wonder if he's really a just a rental.

With the committment Ference has made to being part of the Flames, somehow, I don't think we've seen the last of him.

Buffalo Post-Game, and a trade out of left field

I was at tonight's game in Buffalo with Leanne. I was blown away how many Flames fans there were, I'd guesstimate about a third of the entire crowd were adorned with Flames paraphernalia. Virtually our entire row was solid red as well, and a bunch of people in the rows ahead and behind as well. There were several instances of loud "Go Flames Go!" chants that embarrassed the Sabres fans who then countered with Buffalo chants. We tried to make it feel like a home game, but the vibe just isn't there. The AC/DC of the Saddledome is replaced with 90s pop music at HSBC Arena. It just ain't the same.

That said, it was a typical game for the Flames lately. Grab a narrow lead, squander it, then take it to a shootout. From what we saw on the shitty HSBC jumbotron, our first goal was a gooder...need to see a replay on that. Still, "we got a point". Vancouver got two, I see, which is not so cool.

I was all depressed coming home when I saw some startling news on TSN. The Flames are now short a Team Hippy and a perennial underperformer/ragdoll (Ference and Kobasew -- signed beyond this season), and we received Brad Stuart (a UFA at the end of the year), Wayne Primeau (a UFA at the end of the year), and a "conditional draft pick". Interesting trade.

For one, every year I say "this will be Kobasew's breakout year". Every year he disappoints. I believe I've pinpointed why he can't translate his AHL scoring prowess to the big leagues. He simply gets pushed around a lot. Each game he plays, he's always falling on his ass on the ice...I think he's one of those guys who tries hard but just can't become an impact player in the big leagues.

Ference was interesting. He was a genuinely intelligent guy, for the most part, but one who perhaps smoked a bit too much dope while watching Al Gore and Michael Moore movies in the offseason. He usually tried hard, put in good efforts, but he's always been a "meh" d-man. Most of the time I barely noticed he was on the ice, unless he screwed up. Gonna miss him, but I'll live.

As for our new acquisitions...I think we got the better end of the deal, presuming we're going for the cup this year (which, duh, is what Sutter is indicating). I think he'll add depth to our blueline, definitely an upgrade over Ference, and probably help our powerplay as well. Solid.

Wayne Primeau? Like Stuart, an early first round pick. Unlike Stuart, Primeau is clearly in the decline of his career. Still comparable to Kobasew in output this yeare, but let's see how he blends in with the team.

Stuart is the biggest news here. His name was floated around quite a bit as someone Edmonton had their eye on. Because, let's face it, you can't make the playoffs with the AHL-calibre defense they have right now. The Stuart pickup is a giant middle-finger to K-Lowe fans, and that's what makes me smile tonight.

Also, props to mc79 who noted that Andrew Ference was a quasi-regular poster to CalgaryPuck.com. Here's his "goodbye post":

Wow, I am sitting in a hotel room in Buffalo just trying to register everything right now. I really appreciate the kind words in the other thread, it means a lot to me to hear that. I honestly could not have been caught more off guard or thought I could be so sad to say bye to the guys. I have so much respect for the players in the locker room and if I can’t hold the cup I would love nothing more than to see my good friends do it there. Thanks again for all of the kind words and for being such great fans, it was truly special for me to play for the Flames and come across so many wonderful people during that time. Thanks, Andrew Ference, Go Bruins