I imagine all the Flames fans out west are still going through a restless night; I’m a Flames fan in the Maritimes which can be a blessing at times like these.
I don’t think it “seemed natural” that the Joker would mesh well with Iggy; they are both shooters. Olli was playing awful in Phoenix, but Darryl Sutter had wanted Olli in Calgary for a looong time (the whole “big-body #1 centreman” myth). I thought the trade was crap then, and I sure wish we still had Matthew Lombardi and that first-rounder.
I’m glad that he is out of Calgary (and so are all the goalposts he hit) , but I would have liked to see if playing with Hagman could have turned him around. At least we could have let him walk after the season instead of taking on two more overpaid underperformers. The prevailing hope at M&G is that they will be flipped for something better (some are praying for Kovalchuk or Lecavalier). Desperate times!
In an interview last night after the trade, Olli admitted that $5 million for a few goals just isn’t going to cut it. I’ll get him credit for having the intelligence to at least see that.

Olli is a very good player, but the problem is that he’s also very limited in where he plays and with whom. Shooting centers are not the norm, and he’s utterly incapable of playing wing. That requires a playmaking winger – also because he’s not a great playmaker himself. Because of that I agree with rich snake that Jokinen meshing with Iginla (or Doan for that matter) never seemed likely to me. He can also be a PP threat if there’s an able quarterback. I seem to remember that the Flames have been going for the point shot more than playmaking from the point, correct me if I’m wrong. So that would also explain lack of success in Calgary (along with a rotten shooting percentage that just can’t stay that low).

For all that, I could see him fitting really well with Prospal as he’s a strong playmaker that can play wing. A Prospal-Jokinen-Gaborik line could be interesting, but it remains to be seen if there’s actually something wrong with Olli this year or if it was just circumstances.

I can’t see Jokinen adding that sort of fire power that the Rangers really need. On a similar note, it’s not like the Rangers gave up big scorers either to pick him up, so in a way I guess it was worth the gamble to see how it pans out for them. It will be interesting to see where they plan on using him and with whom.

Rangers come out on top because they get rid of two of Sather’s bad contracts and pick up a UFA they could drop at the end of the year when (if) it doesn’t work out. Granted, this is Sather, so Jokinen might put up 2 goals the rest of the way and he’ll sign him to a big extension.

As for the questions about Jokinen, I was pissed when he was traded out to the Coyotes for Ballard and happy to see him go (hope the Flames continue to tank and that first round pick gets better and better). He was a terrible fit here, didn’t mesh with the younger players or provide any of the things that the Coyotes hoped he would. In addition, he might be the only player I’ve ever met during a meet the team event that looked downright pissed off to be there – basically refused to interact with the fans other than scribbling his autograph while checking his watch to see when he could leave.

When you get down to it, Darren Dreger has revealed that he is a pathetic piece of shit. Hard to imagine what Prust and Jokinen went through over the last 36 hours because that idiot felt the need to interfere in what is supposed to be private negotiations so that he could get his own name in highlights.

Re: Puck Daddy’s reference to this post and wondering if there will be off-season bidders for Jokinen…

Two words: Wade Redden. Anything can happen in the insanity of free agent day.

It is rather brilliant, but I’m not sure who put that together.