When will a gutsy GM say: “I’d never make that trade again”? And more useless booing...

The much-anticipated "booing" of Dion Phaneuf in Calgary was much ado about nothing, but it helped build anticipation for and interest in a mid-season non conference game, I suppose.  I can't help but feel that booing just doesn't accomplish anything.  (Click here to read my post on how Leaf fans booing Bobby Orr and other visiting stars has had zero impact over the years.)

It was good to see Kulemin score against the Flames.  I still think there's another gear that will kick in that can make him a 30 goal, 70 point guy. (And Grabovski and MacArthur continue to be the most consistent point producers on the team.  Who'd have thought  it?)

For the first 30+ minutes, Giguere looked like his 2003 Anaheim playoff self.  Some of those glove saves were remarkable.  (But again, as I've posted in the past, the difference between being "successful" and not is sometimes a fraction of an inch.  The difference is not always the goalie but where the shot happens to go.  If a couple of those Flame shooters with a wide open top shelf had puck the puck there, Calgary likely would have blown things open even earlier.)

It's amazing how quickly a goalie's confidence can be shaken.  Giggy went from being outstanding to allowing a very weak fourth goal to the Flames.  Confidence for an athlete is often a fragile thing.

Stajan had to feel good about assisting on the Flames' second goal.  The goal triggered the three-goal outburst that put the game away for Calgary.  And another ex-Leaf, Hagman, had a two-point night to add insult to defeat.

For his part, Phaneuf led Leaf defensemen in minutes played and ended the night a plus one.  Small solace on what turned out to be a lousy night.

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Media reports out of Calgary this week indicated that Flames GM Darryl Sutter says he would absolutely do the Phaneuf trade over again.  Similarly, Toronto fans have often heard Brian Burke say he would do the Kessel trade over again.

What else are these guys going to say—even if they felt, in their hearts, they missed the mark?

I mean, c’mon.  When will a GM ever be honest enough to admit, publicly— for fans, the media and his bosses—that he made a big mistake?

Probably never.  And certainly not if they are currently employed—or ever want to get a job in the game again.

GM’s, in their minds (at least publicly) are never wrong, it seems.  I don’t know how Sutter can honestly say the Phaneuf deal was a good one for his team. And I don’t suggest this because Phaneuf has exactly been all-world since joining the Leafs.  He hasn't.

But, despite Sutter's protestations that he had to do it for cap reasons (and that is often a constraint facing GM’s, though usually self-created because of their doling out awful contracts themselves) it’s what he extracted from the Leafs, and his subsequent moves, that made— and still make— no sense.

What did he obtain for arguably a first/second line defenseman?  Ian White, the best guy in the trade for Calgary, who he has already traded; Stajan, a popular player with the Leafs, yet still finding his game in the NHL at the age of 27.  Then there was Hagman, a skill guy who with the Flames has been exactly what he was with the Leafs—hit and miss. And Mayers, also gone.

The desperation trade didn’t get them into the playoffs last spring and they seem little further ahead this season in the tough Western Conference. (Though, for one night, Hagman and Stajan were part of the Flames hammering the Leafs.)

The Leafs received Phaneuf, Sjostrom (billed as an elite penalty-killer but quite replaceable most nights this season) and young blueliner Aulie, who seemingly has the potential to be a player.

Again, it’s not that Phaneuf is playing like an All-Star.  But the bottom line, for me, is that the trade was a disaster for the Flames from the get-go.  Throw in the re-signing of Jokinen and I still don’t get it.

Certainly I’m open to hearing what those who follow the Flames more closely than I do have to say.  They bring a better perspective than I can. 

But my broader point remains:  GM’s seemingly always have to rationalize their questionable decisions.  No one wants to admit a terrible trade, or a high-priced signing that just doesn’t work. (Though interestingly, Indianapolis Colts executive Bill Polian said recently his team made a mistake by not taking a certain guy in the first round of the draft this past June.  You don't hear that kind of candor very often.)

And, when all is said and done, I guess that’s understandable.  Most of us aren’t very good at acknowledging mistakes, especially if our jobs are on the line.