In 2002, the Avalanche looked to the Calgary Flames for a young, offensive defenseman to anchor its blue line for years, sacrificing young offensive talent to get him. That player, Derek Morris, found himself a member of the Phoenix Coyotes after a season and a half.
On Saturday, the Avs tried again with Calgary. Making a similar deal, the Avs traded left wing Alex Tanguay to the Flames for 25-year-old defenseman Jordan Leopold, plus Calgary’s second-round pick (59th overall) in the NHL draft Saturday and a conditional second- round pick in 2007 or 2008.
In Leopold, the Avs get a former Hobey Baker Award winner as NCAA college player of the year with the University of Minnesota in 2002, a player who did not fit in anymore in the stifling defensive system of Flames coach Darryl Sutter. Considered an offensive defenseman coming out of college, Leopold led the Flames in scoring among defensemen in 2003-04 but had only two goals and 20 points in 74 games this past season, rarely playing on the power play.
“There were some things behind the scenes,” said Leopold, who has one year left on a contract that will pay $1.295 million. “Do I wish I’d had a better year? Yeah, but that’s all passed. I’m excited to have a fresh start, with a great organization. Things were different there. I was killing more penalties than playing on the power play. I get another chance here.”
The deal might come as a shock to the many Avalanche fans who have seen Tanguay skate in Denver since 1999 and regarded him as a building block for the future, at age 26. But money was a major factor in his departure.
Tanguay made $3.23 million last season and was due a new contract. An NHL source said Tanguay was asking for a long-term deal averaging about $5 million a season, a price new Avs general manager Francois Giguere found too high. But Giguere said he never had any actual contract talks to retain Tanguay.
Tanguay wanted a long-term deal at a high-dollar amount partly because he would be eligible for unrestricted free agency after next season – a fact not lost on Giguere. Tanguay also was eligible for arbitration this summer, and Giguere said he “studied the situation” and came to the conclusion his awarded price might be too high.
“We felt with three (defensemen) unrestricted free agents coming up this week (Rob Blake, Karlis Skrastins and Brett Clark), we wanted to cover our bases. Alex was going to be unrestricted next year,” Giguere said. “(Leopold) is only 25 and has a bright future ahead of him.”
Said Tanguay: “I’ve had a great time in Colorado. I was in a little bit of shock when they announced to me I was traded, but when they told me where I was traded, I was excited. If I (had) to choose, Calgary would have been right at the top of my list, for sure. This is a team that I think is one step away from the Stanley Cup. You play to win the Stanley Cup and hopefully I can help the Flames get there.”
Tanguay, who had 29 goals and 78 points in 71 games last season, probably will best be remembered in Denver for scoring two goals in Game 7 of the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals against New Jersey.
He was prone to occasional slumps and suffered nagging injuries in recent years – unfortunately for the Avs, close to playoff time – but is considered one of the more skilled left wings in the NHL.
Previous trades with Calgary have not gone well for the Avs. In 1999, they dealt Robyn Regehr, Rene Corbet and Wade Belak to Calgary for Theo Fleury and Chris Dingman. Regehr is a top- flight defenseman still with Calgary.
In 2002, the Avs traded Chris Drury and Stephane Yelle to Calgary for Morris, Jeff Shantz and Dean McAmmond. Morris would be a potential Norris Trophy winner, the Avs said, but he was dealt a year and a half later to Phoenix. Drury and Yelle each played on conference finalists the past two seasons.
“I wasn’t there when Derek Morris was (acquired), so I don’t want to talk about that,” Giguere said. “I just feel that in this game, Leopold fills what we’re trying to do; be a puck-moving defenseman. We also added two draft picks to add to our depth level.”
Staff writer Adrian Dater can be reached at 303-820-5454 or adater@denverpost.com.
