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 top honourable mention, Martin St. Louis.
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 NHL games, the Flames moved on from the players in their mid-20s, and the players had a noteworthy career after leaving Calgary.
Why is St. Louis an honourable mention?
Yet another player who makes the honourable mention roll because the Flames didn’t draft him. The Flames signed a 22-year-old St. Louis in February of 1998, and he played 13 games with the team that year. He spent most of that season in the AHL with the Saint John Flames, scoring 28 goals and 62 points in 53 games.
The following year—the 1999–00 season—St. Louis got more of a look in the NHL. He suited up for 56 games with the Flames, scoring three goals and 18 points. Not much to write home about, but it would be just the tip of the iceberg for what we’d see from St. Louis. He did, however, score 15 goals and 26 points in 17 AHL games.
Flames General Manager Al Coates picked up the contract option to retain St. Louis for the 2000–01 season. Unfortunately, Coates and his staff were replaced after the season, and the new management—headed by Craig Button—did not think as highly of St. Louis. They exposed him in the 2000 expansion draft and subsequently bought him out when he was not selected.
St. Louis signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning in the summer of 2000 and spent the majority of the rest of his career in Florida. He captained the team in 2013–14 and was an alternate captain for them for seven years.
Over 972 games across 13 years with the Lightning, St. Louis’ stats include 365 goals, 953 points, 300 power play points, 2,616 shots on goal, and a plus-minus rating of +31. His accolades with the Lightning seem endless:
- two-time Art Ross Trophy winner as the NHL’s top point-scorer,
- three-time Lady Byng Trophy winner as the NHL’s most gentlemanly player (combined with a high standard of playing ability),
- one-time Hart Trophy winner as the NHL’s Most Valuable Player,
- one-time Ted Lindsay Award winner as the NHL’s most outstanding player as selected by the NHLPA,
- five-time NHL All-Star Team, and
- many other votes for the Selke Trophy as the NHL’s top defensive forward, Lady Byng, Hart, and All-Star Teams.
At age 38, St. Louis’ incredible career with the Lightning ended as he was traded to the New York Rangers. Fittingly, the Lightning dealt St. Louis and a 2015 second-round pick to the Rangers. That second-round pick made its way to the Flames, who drafted Oliver Kylington.
Of all the impressive statistics I’ve mentioned so far, I haven’t even mentioned some of his best. St. Louis is also a one-time Stanley Cup champion, having helped the Lightning douse the Flames back in 2004. In 2017, his number 26 became the first number ever retired by the Lightning. A year later, he was—deservedly—inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
What did the Flames have to show for St. Louis?
Nothing. The Flames let a future Hall of Famer walk away for nothing. And to add insult to injury—or salt to the wound—he was a key contributor (along with Cory Stillman) in beating the Flames in the 2004 Stanley Cup Final.
Summarizing how costly the Flames’ mistake was
The one saving grace in all of this is that the Flames initially spent no assets to acquire St. Louis. It’s sort of like he was never there. Sadly, that’s not the case. Imagine what the Flames could have had with St. Louis, Stillman, Marc Savard, and Jarome Iginla at forward? I try not to… but what if?
At the very least, the Flames could have given him a longer look. It’s especially painful to know that the team initially tried to retain him. It’s not like he wasn’t producing in the AHL because he was consistently over a point per game there. At worst, the organization had a high-level AHL scorer. If he developed into a top-six forward like he did in Tampa over the next couple of years, then the Flames could have traded him for something if they still wanted to move on from him.
Do you agree with our assessment of the Flames’ handling of St. Louis? 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
