Old is new... again?!

It's that time of year again, just over halfway through the regular season and also days away from the NHL All-Star game (which just happens to be on my 20th birthday!).  It's the time of year where based on how each team has played, they make decisions that will effect the remainder of the season, whether it's making the big trade that lands you a star player for playoffs or clearing up salary cap space for the off season.  The Calgary Flames were one of the NHL's clubs that made a decision to add a boost to their team, and help to potentially land them in a playoff spot.

During the off season of 2010, after the Chicago Blackhawk's anti-climatic and yet glorious win over the Philadelphia Flyers for the Stanley Cup, the Flames made two acquisitions.  What made these acquisitions notable is that before that time, they were both Flames forwards at some point.  The players I am referring to are Alex Tanguay and Olli Jokinen.  Both of these players had some of their best statistical seasons with the Flames, but neither changed the outcome of the team as a whole, and just as they did the previous year without these players, the Flames fell short of a playoff spot. 

On Thursday January 12th, the Calgary Flames announced late within the evening that they had acquired Mike Cammalleri from the Montreal Canadiens.  The notable player from the Flames that was sent the opposite way was Rene Bourque, Alberta native.  Bourque was currently serving a five game suspension.  Like the players mentioned above, Cammy had spent a season in Calgary previously.  He is also the only Flame that I can remember, in all of the seasons of hockey that I've watched, to outscore Jarome Iginla.  This trade sparked many questions.  Does Jay Feaster (Calgary Flames General Manager) think that Cammy will be able to get the Flames in to a playoff position?  Why was the trade executed so quickly and with little marketing done by the Canadiens?  Did the Canadiens see something they liked in Bourque or did they just want Cammy out as soon as possible?  Some of these questions have been answered, others will be based on the results of this newest Flame's play.

Cammy is one of my favorite players to ever wear a flaming "C" but even I am skeptical of this move.  There is no question that Calgary benefited from this trade more than Montreal, but is it what they needed?  The Flames need to score goals more than anythings else.  They are solid defensively but they need more offense from their top two lines.  Cammy has the potential to be a goal scorer, but it hasn't been shown this season.  When you look at Cammy's contract and salary, you sure hope he starts to net more pucks.

In conclusion, it seems like the strategy Jay Feaster is going for is to take the key players from previous years and combine them to make a successful team.  Personally, I believe Tanguay and Cammy will be spending the later part of the season fighting for the left wing position on the first line, due to Calgary's abundance of centers.  That is, of course, when Tangs returns from injury.

Below is a picture of Cammalleri in a shootout while he played for the LA Kings.  The picture was taken in 2007 by Connie Kim.