Calgary Flames center Matt Stajan, who arrived with Niklas Hagman in the now-lamentable Dion Phaneuf trade, said last week of Hagman:
"There's no doubt in my mind he can contribute in this league. For whatever reason, he didn't seem to fit here. Hopefully, he gets a chance somewhere.
That somewhere is with the flailing Anaheim Ducks, who snagged him on re-entry waivers on Monday after the Flames sent him down to the AHL last week. Hagman makes $3 million against the cap; Calgary will keep $1.5 million in dead cap space this season, while the Ducks add $1.5 million to theirs while paying his salary. He goes unrestricted next summer.
Flames GM Jay Feaster promised roster moves last week, and this would qualify — if not exactly the shakeup many Flames fans hoped for. But it's dead weight floated off the Flames roster over to the Pacific.
As for the Ducks … it's a little tremor before the quake. (OK, maybe not the best analogy for a California team.) Anaheim was flat-out "embarrassing" against the Minnesota Wild in the first period on Sunday night, according to Bobby Ryan.
Their win over Vancouver on Friday night was like a stay of execution, having posted just one win in their previous 10 games. Hagman arrives for a little veteran depth at the forward spot and as a knock on the dressing room door by GM Bob Murray that other changes could be afoot.
The good news for Flames fans is that Jay Feaster has a little more money to work with. Oh, right, that might actually be terrible news. Sorry.