Trade rumblings: Habs move Cammalleri
Trade rumblings: Habs move Cammalleri; B’s, Devils, Wild have tough decisions
The NHL trade deadline got an early jump Thursday night with the Montreal Canadiens shipping outspoken winger Mike Cammalleri to the Calgary Flames.
Just a day after spouting off about his frustrations with the way the team was playing, Cammalleri was gone.
Was it a rash move by embattled Habs GM Pierre Gauthier?
Consider this: One NHL GM told ESPN.com Thursday night he wished he would have known Cammalleri was available because he had some interest in the player.
Whether or not the Canadiens informed a lot of teams, the Flames say this deal was not done overnight.
“It’s been percolating for quite some time, we’ve been having a lot of conversations,” Flames GM Jay Feaster told reporters in Calgary after the deal was announced.
The Habs also dealt goalie Karri Ramo and a fifth-round pick in 2012 in exchange for forwards Rene Bourque, Patrick Holland and a second-round pick in 2013.
The Flames got the better player in Cammalleri, but the Habs will save cap space; Bourque has a $3.3 million yearly cap hit, while Cammalleri is at $6 million.
Will the trade spark more moves? Another NHL GM told ESPN.com before this trade that he thought the chatter had more volume this early on compared with other years.
