Calgary Flames forward Matt Stajanis knocked over by Philadelphia Flyers goalie Ray Emery during the third period of their NHL hockey game in Calgary, February 1, 2010.TODD KOROL
In time, Matt Stajan might feel like a lottery winner for getting traded to the Calgary Flames from his original NHL team, the Toronto Maple Leafs, whom he cheered for as a youth.
But yesterday, it was too soon for Mississauga-born Stajan to think that way, even after it became clear that he would make his Flames debut against the Philadelphia Flyers on a line that included Jarome Iginla, a two-time NHL goal-scoring champion.
For a playmaking centre, there aren't many better gigs than that.
"It's pretty crazy to think about it," said Stajan, of playing with the Flames captain. "I'm pretty excited. The main thing for me is to play my game. That's when I play my best. I've played with Phil Kessel in Toronto. When I play my own game, it complements my wingers the best. Hopefully we can click right off the bat."
The Leafs sent Stajan, Niklas Hagman, Jamal Mayers and Ian White to Calgary in exchange for Dion Phaneuf, Keith Aulie and Fredrik Sjostrom on Sunday.
Normally, on the day after a blockbuster trade, the focus is squarely on the new players, but that was not the case here yesterday. TSN reported that Flames general manager Darryl Sutter was not done with his wheeling and dealing, and that he would trade Olli Jokinen and Brandon Prust to the New York Rangers for Ales Kotalik and Chris Higgins.
Jokinen and Prust were scheduled to play against the Flyers here last night, but there was palpable tension right up to the dropping of the puck. Neither Jokinen nor Prust spoke in the dressing room following the morning skate.
Sutter wasn't around, and his brother, Flames coach Brent Sutter, dismissed a question about the possible deal by saying he wouldn't address rumours. That left it Iginla to speak as the team captain.
"It happens a lot, it happens every year at the trading deadline," Iginla said. "That's part of the business. I have no idea if it almost happened, why it didn't happen, what was the case, or if it was just a rumour. I don't know, but we as players deal with that. You don't like to see your teammates in that because we're together every day and we play alongside each other and compete together. But we don't have any control over that.
"We look at it, that this is our group, and until we're told otherwise, our job is to prepare for the game."
Iginla paused for a deep breath before continuing. "It's easier said than done."
A more immediate concern for Iginla was to see how his new partnership with Stajan might unfold. For years, the Flames have been trying to find the right centre to play with Iginla.
Craig Conroy was that for a while, but he is now 38 and not in a position to play first-line minutes any more.
Marc Savard was that once and Stajan actually shares some qualities with Savard, especially the ability to make plays. As a left-handed shot, Stajan should be able to get the puck on Iginla's stick in a shooting position more often.
With Stajan set to become an unrestricted free agent following the season, the two have roughly a third of a season remaining to work things out. If chemistry emerges, then both sides would be more inclined to negotiate a contract beyond the season. If not, the search for Iginla's running mate will go on.
For his part, Stajan noted that he had played much of the season with Kessel, another natural sniper. However, Kessel and Iginla have different styles. Kessel is faster, while Iginla clears more space with his physical attributes.
"It's too soon to tell," Stajan said before the game. "You'll have to ask me after we play a game together. I've obviously watched Jarome a lot. He's one of the best players in the world. I'm just gonna get my feet wet tonight and hopefully get off to a good start."
For the game last night, Jokinen was tentatively set to play with Hagman, a fellow Finn, and Jamie Lundmark on a second scoring line. Mayers was practising on the fourth line with Prust and Eric Nystrom. The other unit featured a trio of holdovers - Daymond Langkow between René Bourque and Curtis Glencross. Calgary has three forwards on the sidelines with injuries: Nigel Dawes, David Moss and Conroy.