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Feaster on state of Flames: “It’s clear we have to make changes”

Ken King

Calgary Flames’ new acting general manager Jay Feaster addresses a press conference in Calgary on Tuesday Dec. 28, 2010 where it was announced Darryl Sutter had stepped down as executive vice-president and general manager of the Flames. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Larry MacDougal)

AP

If today’s press conference was any indication, the Calgary Flames are in for a major overhaul.

That’s the message GM Jay Feaster delivered in Tuesday’s state of the franchise address, admitting he and Flames brass need to rethink the organization’s philosophy.

“In my mind, what we have to do as a hockey department is we have to change the nature of the debate here – or the discussion, not the debate,” he said. “We have to change the nature of the discussion here. The discussion shouldn’t be, ‘can we assemble a team that’s good enough to be eighth or maybe in a good year get into seventh spot, and then anything can happen.’

“That isn’t what this organization aspires to be. It isn’t good enough.”

That’s a harsh, frank assessment from a guy that pushed hard to make the playoffs this season with the group inherited from previous GM Darryl Sutter. Feaster added veteran presences like Scott Hannan and Mike Cammalleri to a team that was knocking on the postseason door for most of the year but, once again, fell short.

Falling short -- again -- was enough for Feaster to realize a new approach was in order.

“We’ve missed the playoffs for three straight years. It’s clear we have to make changes,” he explained. “We’re going to have to do a number of things this off-season because this is not a situation I want to be in next year, I’ll tell you that right now.

“I have no interest in standing here on April 10th next year and explaining why it is we’ve missed the playoffs.”

Feaster’s quotes have led many to assume that captain Jarome Iginla will be moved, but other franchise cornerstones could also be in play. Miikka Kiprusoff has two years left on a deal that pays $5.8 million annually and is still one of the league’s elite netminders. Hannan, Olli Jokinen, Cory Sarich and David Moss are all unrestricted free agents while Blake Comeau, Mikael Backlund and Blair Jones are RFAs.

Feaster wasn’t quite ready to announce a fire sale on Wednesday, but did say a full-scale review was going to happen.

“I will be sitting down with (team president ) Ken King and ownership, and I will be reviewing every player in the organization and every member of the hockey operations staff,” Feaster said. “And I’ll be making recommendations as it relates to players, staff and coaches.”

Should be an interesting offseason in Cowtown.