GM Darryl Sutter should take a lot of blame for that.  His team is in a tight race for their division lead and due to his mistakes, they cannot even dress a full roster.

Just to clarify, what mistakes would that be?  Trying to make his team better by taking on additional salary in the form of Jokinen and Leopold at the trade deadline and basically putting the team right up against the cap?  Or having a malfunctioning crystal ball that couldn’t foretell key injuries to Regehr, Aucoin, and Sarich in the same game (that being the game last week against Dallas).  The only way around the cap would be to put one of more of these guys on LTIR, however then they would be ineligible for the opening round of the playoffs.  Regehr may miss the opening round regardless, but Aucoin is already back and Sarich hopes to be ready for the playoffs.

As for last than best effort, based on what?  Blame cockamamie NHL scheduling for the last six game of the Flames schedule being 3 back-to-back games.  The Flames effort in their last two games have been very good, if it were not for Bobby Lou standing on his head, the result would have been a Flames victory at GM Place on Tuesday night.

No, I don’t believe fans in Calgary should bring out the torches and pitchforks or hang Darryl Sutter in effigy for circumstances beyond his control.  That’s more of an Edmonton thing

Posted by dash_pinched from Rumour Mill Bay on 04/09/09 at 08:41 AM ET

The mistake is running so close to the salary cap that he cannot afford a full roster in some key games and that is despite having four players he signed not counting against the cap even though Calgary still holds their NHL rights.

Every GM needs some wiggle room in case things don’t go according to plan.  Sutter didn’t leave himself enough.

Only one GM finds himself in this situation.  The one who didn’t properly plan his finances this season.  That is a mistake.

Posted by PuckStopsHere on 04/09/09 at 08:49 AM ET

Well, the Flames have clinched a playoff spot, and control their own destiny regarding winning the NW division.  If the Flames don’t advance past the first round this season, the axe may well fall on Sutter.  I think then you will see more attention being paid to this salary cap management issue as additional justification/ammunition to terminating Sutter’s services with the Flames. 

The irony (if Sutter is fired) is that I think he has done a pretty good job this season (bringing guys like Cammalleri, Bourque, and Glencross on board).  Again, if three key defensemen don’t get hurt in the same game, this is a non-issue.

Posted by dash_pinched from Rumour Mill Bay on 04/09/09 at 09:01 AM ET

Where did you get the idea I was suggesting firing Darryl Sutter?  Acknowledging he screwed up in this case and firing are hardly the same thing.

Posted by PuckStopsHere on 04/09/09 at 09:02 AM ET

Ugh, it’s like beating my head against a brick wall with you…You say that Sutter didn’t plan his finances properly this season?  You do realize that Sutter had to go to ownership and get their approval to bump up right against the salary cap prior to the trade deadline before making the trades to get Jokinen and Leopold, right?  How do you plan on that prior to the season starting?!?  The only reason that Sutter went out and made these moves is that he feels the team has a chance to go deep in the playoffs.  If he doesn’t feel that way, you would have seen minor moves for depth purposes that would have left plenty of wiggle room.

However, the fact remains that his job is a results-oriented position, and the Flames have under-achieved in the playoffs the past three seasons.  If they bow out in the first round again this season, I would not be surprised to see Sutter fired.  That’s all I’m saying.

Posted by dash_pinched from Rumour Mill Bay on 04/09/09 at 09:13 AM ET

I would argue that Sutter’s job is safe in Calgary.  I would use these events as evidence. 

Darryl Sutter has clearly done something that can go in a “Pearl Harbor file”.  Any idiot can look at the fact that his failure to manage the salary cap is forcing the Flames to play some games with less than a full roster.  Arguing the extenuating circumstances around it or arguing that despite his mistake he is a good GM is where it takes intelligence.  That said, no Calgary writers are making the argument that Sutter screwed up so he must go.  That argument doesn’t exist.  In a Canadian market where the media is usually spending far too much time raking mud and rumor mongering, this argument is not being advanced at all.  In fact, the fact Calgary is playing with an incomplete roster is being swept under the rug and not reported.  That makes Darryl Sutter’s job look pretty safe.

Mike Keenan is another story…

Posted by PuckStopsHere on 04/09/09 at 09:29 AM ET

Any idiot can look at the fact that his failure to manage the salary cap is forcing the Flames to play some games with less than a full roster

Ah yes, the last defense when you know you’re in trouble in a debate, resorting to name calling.  Pretty sure Paul Kukla would frown upon that type of exchange on his website.  I’m thinking he wants more traffic, not less.

Tell you what, keep on writing your articles, they do give me a good chuckle.  If you can’t handle someone having a different opinion, then maybe web blogging isn’t your forte.  Another option would be to turn comments off.

Posted by dash_pinched from Rumour Mill Bay on 04/09/09 at 09:42 AM ET

I find that amazing.

I called you intelligent (admittedly in a round-about way) and you immediately came back with evidence of the contrary.  Such strong evidence that I don’t imagine there is any way to argue with it.

Posted by PuckStopsHere on 04/09/09 at 10:41 AM ET

Only one GM finds himself in this situation.

The Red Wings have been up against the salary cap all season due to the Marian Hossa signing last July. As a result of that and several non-LTIR injuries, they have not had a full, 23-man roster for most—if not all—of the season. They have:

- Not been able to carry players they would like in the lineup (e.g., Ville Leino, Darren Helm)
- Been forced to cut Kyle Quincey loose via waivers (pretty much everyone’s heard how well he did for LA before succumbing to a back injury)
- Constantly juggled D-man Derek Meech back and forth between forward and defense (mostly forward)
- Not dressed a full team on at least a few occasions (including Gary Bettman’s ludicrous “non-suspension” of Nick Lidstrom and Pavel Datsyuk for missing the All-Star Game with legitimate injuries)

Somewhat ironically, long-term injuries have been the only thing that gave the team some cap relief and allowed NHL-ready youngsters like Leino, Helm, and Jonathon Ericsson to be called up. The alternative, however, would have been to tell Hossa “thanks, but no thanks.”

Ken Holland and the Red Wings braintrust made a calculated decision based on what they felt provided the best opportunity to win the Stanley Cup. Darryl Sutter and the Flames did the same thing, just later in the season. I’d expect to see more and more teams making similar tough decisions under the cap system, especially if the cap goes down as rumored.

Posted by YzermanZetterberg on 04/09/09 at 02:22 PM ET