Flames trade Primeau for Stralman and Stuart

After an unsatisfying 2008-09 season, the Toronto Maple Leafs continue being active in the off-season. More specifically, the franchise announced that they were able to agree on a multi-player deal with the Calgary Flames. The Flames will receive Colin Stuart, Anton Stralman and a 2012 seventh round pick from Toronto and will give up their 2011 second round pick and center Wayne Primeau.

Throughout his 15 years in the league Wayne Primeau played for the Boston Bruins, San Jose Sharks, Pittsburgh Penguins, Tampa Bay Lightning, Buffalo Sabres and Calgary Flames. He appeared in 715 NHL games and was able to score 66 goals and 120 assists for a total of 186 points. Moreover, he has proven to be a physical player on the ice and collected 754 penalty minutes in his NHL career. In contrast, Colin Stuart only appeared in 51 NHL games where he scored 8 goals and 5 assists. Unlike Stuart, the 22-year old Swedish defender Anton Stralman could turn out to be more than an additional role player. He played in 88 regular season games during his two years in the league and scored 4 goals and 18 assists for a total of 22 points.

Taking everything into consideration, the Maple Leafs were able to acquire a decent veteran center in exchange for two rotation pieces at the end of the bench. Moreover, GM Brian Burke managed to convert a seventh round pick into a second rounder in 2011. Nonetheless, the Flames might have gotten themselves a promising young defenseman who has yet to reach his full potential. To what extent this move makes either of the two teams significantly better next year remains to be seen. While there are a still a few weeks left before pre-season camp starts, both franchises might make more adjustments before the start of the 2009-10 season.

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