This comes your way via an email from my friend and sometimes blog-contributor, Chunky Moose:
The Vancower Canucks’ offer notwithstanding, it looks like the Flames have a deal in place to bring heralded Finnish centerman, Olli Jokinen, to the Calgary Flames.
In this 5-player deal (Flames 3, Panthers 2), we would send Alex Tanguay and parts heading the other way. Why would Tanguay waive his NTC to go to FLA you ask? Well, apparently #40 does not like living under the regime of Keenan.
If you are concerned about the lack of news regarding the Langkow signing, apparently word from the inside (and all other CBA PhD’s) is that it has to do with tagging room. His contract is unaffordable until July 1 due to this mysterious “tagging room”, but it should be announced on C-day.
I won’t urinate on the post by giving it a [C4] or something ridiculous like that, but the sources are reliable and from what I hear it will be fairly soon.
However seriously you take the rumor (which seems to crop up every six months), it's an interesting talking point for this dull latent period between the play-offs and the draft.
Here's my stab at the hypothetical deal, based on the parameters stated above:
To Flames: Jokinen + Booth (5.25M+0.7M)
To Panthers: Tanguay + Lombardi + Eriksson (5.25M+1.817M+1.5M)
Thoughts?
EDIT - for those of you confused by the "tagging room" stuff re: the stalled Langkow contract, click here.
LATER EDIT - Darren Dreger appeared on some radio stations today reporting that Jokinen "will not be reporting back to Florida this summer". Maybe this thing actually has legs?
EDIT THE THIRD - George Williams of the Miami Herald says no deal for Jokinen has been reached, though he expects the Panthers Captain to be traded at some point this summer:
People I've spoken to within the organization say no trade involving Jokinen is forthcoming, although there is plenty of interest in the 29-year-old centerman.
...That said, I do think the Panthers and Jokinen will probably part ways in the coming weeks. I don't think Olli and JM like each other very much, and if JM was still the coach, Olli would probably have found himself somewhere else.
Via Spector.
