Way, way back in January 2010, the Calgary Flames acquired Matt Stajan from the Toronto Maple Leafs. At first, Stajan was the subject of fan criticism because he was effectively the entire return for Dion Phaneuf. Then, fans really didn’t love his four-year contract extension with a cap hit of $3.5 million from Darryl Sutter, or his four-year contract extension with a cap hit of $3.125 million from Brian Burke. For many reasons, Stajan didn’t seem to be a great fit.
But Stajan seemed to figure things out under Bob Hartley and really seemed to relish his on-ice role as a bottom six, defense-first center and his off-ice role as a mentor to the team’s young forwards.