Jim Kelley

Jim Kelley writes regularly on the NHL for Sportsnet.ca and can be heard on Primetime Sports on the FAN590.

Darryl Sutter.

There will come a day -- likely sooner than anyone in Viking, Alb. can imagine -- when Darryl Sutter returns to the family ranch. He'll be accompanied by brother Brent. The other brothers will be there to greet him. There will be slaps on the back and perhaps a rousing chorus of Paul Anka's "My Way" sung in a manner that will have Frank Sinatra spinning. There will be some talk about how the "city people" in Calgary and especially the ones back East in Toronto simply don't understand hockey and the ways of the West. Then everyone will curse a bit, go out back and get back to their first love; the ranch.

Flames president Ken King might even be there, standing by his men and maybe even helping to bring in the second cutting that will feed the herd over the winter before slipping back to town to introduce a new general manager, and possibly, an interim coach.

By then the Flames will be finished with their Sutter fascination and maybe, just maybe, the franchise can move forward again.

That, in three-paragraph form, is the impact of Darryl Sutter's decision to bring Olli Jokinen back to the Flames.

The stakes are truly that high.

You can make an argument that Sutter made a shrewd move here. After all he's not the first GM to give a failed player a second chance. One might even argue he's not the first GM to give a failed player a second chance with the same team though at the moment I am hard pressed to find a relevant example beyond Alex Tanguay.

After all, Olli Jokinen, though not cheap, comes back at a price point much lower than the last time around and if the plan is to use him as a second- or third-line centre -- it could work.

I mean it's not like he's bring back Ales Kotalik? Tell me that's not going to happen. Please!

But what are the odds on Jokinen working out this time around? Surely there are other failed players, players who have actually made a reasonable metamorphosis into some kind of suitable role player, who might have been available at the same price point or even less. Surely inflicting another season of "we know better than you" on a fan base that's been asked to endure endless and arrogant tongue lashings, failed hirings, poor fiscal decisions and countless playoff (and non-playoff) disappointments is pushing things beyond any reasonable limit.

I know I've been criticized in the past for being harsh on the Flames in general and the Sutter's in particular, but how is one supposed to react to statements like: "I believe that Olli and Alex complement each other and it was very important for us to be involved in signing both of these quality players?" These words came from the man who simply made up the statement last year that the Sabres desperately wanted to keep Kotalik when he wasted his time and the Sabres money in Buffalo. "This really ties our centre-ice position together nicely."

Ties it together with what, an aging forward that last year scored 10 goals and 37 points with Tampa Bay and a gut-wrenching disappointment who literally sunk the New York Rangers playoff chances when he failed to score in a shoot-out against the third-string goalie of the Philadelphia Flyers?

Are fans supposed to look at Jokinen and see something other than the living manifestation of a failed deal that set the franchise back faster than a 15-man bench? Are teammates expected to look to him to provide more hope than say, Brandon Gormley whom the Phoenix Coyotes selected with the first-round pick (13th overall) and Matt Lombardi, the two pieces Sutter surrendered to Phoenix to get Jokinen the last time he was a failed Flame?

Or are they just supposed to swallow hard and say "thank you Mr. Sutter and please sir may I have another"?

I understand that Sutter -- as more than one esteemed colleague said -- is "stubborn" and I understand that the man moves to the beat of his own drum. A lot of GMs do that, but most of them earn the right to lead with their chin. Is there something on Sutter's resume that proclaims that no intervention from any clear-thinking employee of the Flames -- and one would hope that King would be one of those--can't say "hold on a minute Darryl, this might be something we want to think about?"

Scotty Bowman, at times in his career, had a reputation for arrogance, but with a Stanley Cup ring for each finger and both thumbs, he's earned some leeway in that regard. Can Sutter or anyone currently associated with the Flames say the same?

There are, after all, other things in play here besides Sutter's ego and his insatiable need to prove he's right. There's a drive on in Calgary for a new building and usually that takes the goodwill of a happy fan, business and political base to bring on line. There's also a burning passion within the community to see something beyond Jarome Iginla and the same old, same old that leads to the same old results year after year after year.

The Northwest division may not be the epicenter of quality hockey in the NHL these days, but it's still no easy ride. Despite some flaws, the Vancouver Canucks are a very good team and likely will be better. The Colorado Avalanche are a good young team that proved to be on the rise. The Minnesota Wild and the Edmonton Oilers likely won't challenge for a playoff spot, but they likely will be improved from a season ago and even be capable of winning a few points from a rival that is forever looking to management for another "what now?" scenario. If you look at the conference standings, no team in the top-eight looks to be in serious danger of falling out of contention and St. Louis, Anaheim and Dallas could all be pushing for a spot.

Hard to see how the Flames are better for these moves. Perhaps more importantly it's hard to see how the players will take direction from a management team that lurches from one self-created calamity to another and has seldom created anything but more unnecessary confusion and more unmitigated pressure. Tell me how that's conducive to getting off to a good start.

If it works, Sutter can take a bow and while he's down there tell the rest of us where we can plant our lips, but if it blows up in his face -- and in every season but one that has usually been the case -- it's likely to cause a serious amount of dysfunction and disappointment, a pair of double Ds that likely won't end with the sacking of a GM and his "family-man" coach. This one could well reach into the President's office and if it does, well about the only thing one can say is that King should have known better.

The ride back from Viking could end up being a trip to nowhere for him as well. If it is, he'll have no one but himself to blame.

Small consolation to Calgary fans who are caught in a time warp and can't even begin to see a way out.