During the pre-game last night, Pierre McGuire mentioned that Florida has begun to solicit offers for Jay Bouwmeester. Lowetide talked about the Oilers potentially making a run for him, with potential parts being Cogliano, Gilbert + prospect.
Let's just establish that Bouwmeester is probably one of the top 5 defensemen under the age of 25 in the league. He leads the NHL in terms of ice time per game. He leads his team in terms of quality of competition and (currently) scoring. He's huge, but has the quickness and stride of a man half his size. Bouwmeester is the real deal and is no doubt right at the top of Darryl Sutters Christmas list (he's native Albertan, afterall).
Im not sure what the asking price will turn out to be for a guy like JayBo, but the Flames have some pieces up for grabs. With half a dozen centers in the mix, one of Langkow or Lombardi is probably expendable at this point (especially with Boyd's step forward this year). Cory Sarich looks more and more like a guy who should be moved lest his 3M+ contract end up on the third pairing for the next 4 years. And available prospects probably include just about everyone except Negrin and Backlund...plus we all know Sutter isn't shy about moving draft picks, as long as he wants the player in question enough. So:
Lombardi/Langkow+Sarich+Pelech/Chucko/Ryder/Irving/draft pick For Bouwmeester? Too much or not enough?
The resultant blueline would be:
Regehr-Bouwmeester
Phaneuf-Giordano
Vandermeer-Pardy/Aucoin (till end of season)
Does that top four set anyone else's groin a'tingling?
I expect Sutter to make a very real bid for Bouwmeester in the coming weeks. His addition would give Calgary the kind of back-end they've been paying for (but not getting) the last few years. Even if Langkow is part of the package, I suspect it would make Calgary a better team in the long run. Thoughts?
