This series features players the Calgary Flames drafted and—regrettably—moved on from too soon. Be prepared for pain, frustration, and anger as we delve into what could have been! Next is the eighth player on our list, Travis Moen.
The series will consist of 10 players and five honourable mentions. The criteria for the players selected for this list were that they had a career of at least 500 National Hockey League games, the Flames moved on from the players in their mid-20s, and the players had a noteworthy career after leaving Calgary.
Why does Moen make the list?
Moen was a grit player during his playing days, known mostly for his fighting ability. While he could go toe-to-toe with the best of them, he was also capable of chipping in on the scoreboard:
The Flames drafted Moen in the fifth round of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft, 155th overall. The Flames didn’t sign him to an entry-level contract, and he signed with the Chicago Blackhawks as a free agent on October 21, 2002. Moen made his NHL debut to begin the 2003–04 season at age 21 and played all 82 games, scoring four goals and six points. He collected 142 penalties in minutes that year on the back of 16 fights.
After the lockout season of 2004–05, the Hawks traded Moen to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim/Anaheim Ducks, where he spent the majority of the next four seasons. Moen’s second year with the Ducks marks the best of his career. He scored a career-high 11 goals and 21 points, collected 101 PIM with nine fights, and capped the season by hoisting the Stanley Cup. In his third season with the Ducks, Moen finished 23rd in Selke Trophy voting for the “forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game.” In the playoffs, he scored seven goals and 12 points in 21 games, averaging a career-best 17:19 time on ice.
During his fourth and final season in Anaheim, Moen was traded to the San Jose Sharks at the trade deadline on March 4, 2009. He had a solid season between the Ducks and Sharks, scoring seven goals and 16 points, recording 91 PIM with nine fights, and finishing 50th in Selke Trophy voting.
Moen signed as a free agent with the Montreal Canadiens on July 10, 2009, where he would spend the next five seasons and change. In 328 games as a Hab, Moen scored 27 goals and 69 points, added 279 PIM, and delivered 555 crushing hits.
The Habs traded Moen to the Dallas Stars on November 11, 2014, at age 32. He spent the next two years in Dallas, playing in just 57 games and scoring three goals and 11 points. By this time, fighting had already begun its departure from the NHL—it shows, as Moen registered just three fights in a Stars uniform. Moen hung up his skates after the 2015–16 at age 34.
Moen carved out a nice 747-game NHL career, scoring 59 goals and 136 points to go along with 801 PIM. The NHL didn’t begin tracking hits until the 2007–08 season, and Moen delivered 956 hits in 544 games. He also had 117 takeaways and 15 giveaways; it’s pretty impressive to see that, despite his role, he was still not a liability on the ice.
He was equally effective in the playoffs. In 83 career playoff games, Moen scored 11 goals and 19 points. In the 53 playoff games where hits were tracked, Moen certainly knew his role, delivering 119 hits.
What did the Flames have to show for Moen?
In case you missed it—not-so-subtly mentioned in the previous section—the Flames lost Moen for nothing. They never signed him and let him sign with another team as a free agent. Tough one to swallow, even though he was a depth player.
Summarizing how costly the Flames’ mistake was
Given that the Flames used a fifth-round pick to draft Moen, the low cost of acquisition makes this somewhat bearable. However, while he may not have been the best or flashiest player on the ice, he was nonetheless a positive addition to any lineup.
The Flames missed out on a quality player who had a lengthy NHL career, won a Stanley Cup, and was highly effective en route to said championship. In spite of the low cost of adding him, they have nothing to show for a player who played nearly 750 regular season NHL games and won a Stanley Cup. This is definitely a painful memory to look back on as a Flames fan.
Do you agree with our assessment of the Flames’ handling of Moen? Let us know your thoughts!
Check out all of The Win Column’s posts from this series:
Main list: #10 Jonas Hoglund | #9 Robert Svehla | #8 Travis Moen | #7 Steve Begin | #6 Sam Bennett | #5 Dion Phaneuf | #4 Derek Morris | #3 Jarret Stoll | #2 Craig Anderson | #1 Cory Stillman
Honourable mentions: #5 Michael Nylander | #4 Jean-Sebastien Giguere | #3 Sean Monahan | #2 Marc Savard | #1 Martin St. Louis
