This or That? is an ongoing feature at Sportsnet.ca that pits two players with obvious—and sometimes, not-so-obvious—ties and attempts to answer the basic question, “Who would you rather have?” Readers can offer their two cents by answering the poll at the bottom.
The Montreal Canadiens’ acquisition of Thomas Vanek was one of the big surprises on trade deadline day last season. Everyone expected the sniper to be moved, it’s just that few people had Montreal circled as a possible landing spot. And while it may not have raised eyebrows quite to the same degree, the Calgary Flames’ decision not to deal Mike Cammalleri was also a significant talking point because, like Vanek, Cammalleri was a pending unrestricted free agent who would soon have the option to leave on his own.
For a limited time get Sportsnet Magazine’s digital edition free for 60 days. Visit Appstore/RogersMagazines to see what you’re missing out on.
Sure enough, both wingers were back in the news again on July 1 after signing dollar-filled deals. Vanek, as had long been rumoured, returned to his adopted home of Minnesota to play for the Wild, while Cammalleri bolted the rebuilding Flames for a veteran-stocked New Jersey Devils team that needs scoring help.
Both players come with obvious upside and their share of questions. Vanek was largely a no-show for Montreal in the playoffs, prompting coach Michel Therrien to banish him to fourth-line duty. That played into the perception that Vanek is a mercurial player who is great at times and invisible at others. Cammalleri, meanwhile, has had real trouble staying healthy. The 32-year-old hasn’t played more than 67 games in a full 82-game schedule since 2008-09.
Vanek is a couple years younger and boasts a pair of 40-goal seasons, while Cammalleri has a history of producing when it matters most. Which free agent would you have signed?
The case for Vanek: He’s a big guy who can be a real load to handle around the net when he’s chugging. The 30-year-old is a shoot-first winger who sniped a career-high 43 goals in his sophomore season of 2006-07. He also hit the 40-goal plateau in 2008-09 but has only scored more than 30 once since then. That’s partially due to the fact Buffalo was an offensive juggernaut in the early part of Vanek’s career, then sank into mediocrity—and lower—as time wore on. The knock on Vanek will always be that he goes dark for extended stretches. But when he flicks the light back on, look out.
The case for Cammalleri: His injury troubles coupled with the fact he’s played on bad teams the past few years make it easy to forget what a weapon Cammalleri can be. He’s not big, but Cammalleri fights for his ice and needs only a sliver of it to make opponents pay. And as Montrealers can attest to, the former Hab’s playoff showings tend to be the complete antithesis of what they saw from Vanek. For what it’s worth, Cammalleri has the best goals-per-game (0.62) and points-per-game (1.12) mark of any player who’s skated in 25 or more post-season contests dating back to 2010. That kind of crunch-time success gets a guy noticed.
Verdict: Vanek is a safer bet for regular-season numbers, but we can’t ignore Cammalleri’s history of playoff production. We’ll take the little Devil.
[polldaddy poll=8298754]