from Mark Spector of Sportsnet,

You can say that this is still the best of Canada’s seven National Hockey League teams — at this moment. But it won’t be for long if general manager Mike Gillis stands pat with this roster. Suddenly it’s obvious what needs to be done here: find a way to move some of these veteran assets, despite the fact almost every pertinent veteran here has some form of no-trade clause.

Calgary sat on Miikka Kiprusoff and Jarome Iginla too long, never won anything, and didn’t get enough back for the assets. So the Flames had to start from scratch.

Gillis has way more assets — defencemen like Kevin Bieksa, Alex Edler, Jason Garrison and Dan Hamhuis; forwards like Ryan Kesler, Alex Burrows, Chris Higgins; Roberto Luongo — but he’s hamstrung himself by giving them all no-trades. And suddenly, those clauses aren’t the worst thing about a few of these deals.

Alex Edler is in his second year of decline, but received a six-year, $30 million deal this past summer anyhow. Daniel Sedin has become a 20-goal man where once he was good for 35. He and Henrik were given four-year extensions at $7 million per, while San Jose GM Doug Wilson got Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau for less money and less term.

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