After a few short days evaluating his team, general manager Kieran Thomas has told the Calgary Herald that he's ready to start moving some players and bring in some offense. Thomas identified certain players he considered the core of the team and those he plans on building around. Franchise winger Jarome Iginla features among those deemed untouchable. Iginla is seen as the face of the franchise and he wont be leaving Calgary any time soon Thomas said. Center Steven Reinprecht and defenseman Robyn Regehr, Jordan Leopold and Andrew Ference as well as goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff will also remain with the team.
"We have some good young guys that we can build around, now its time to bring in players to complement their game. With Darryl behind the bench, the team will remain a gritty fast paced team, but more offense will be added. There are some true leaders like Conroy and Gelinas we would like to keep around, but they could prove to be important trade assets. said Thomas.
The fans of the Calgary Flames can expect general manager Thomas to be working the phones during the next few days. He likes the team Sutter has built and is not desperate to make moves, but he would like to bring in a few new faces.
Players like Craig Conroy, Martin Gelinas, Rhett Warrener, Toni Lydman, Denis Gauthier among many others are likely to be available if the return is right. Thomas is keen on bringing in at least 2 top 6 forwards before the season starts, and expect some defenseman and forwards to be packaged to bring in those players.