In Defense of Deadline Broadcasts

While the Trade Deadline was pretty much a dud except to the last hour, I have to say something that was more annoying than the lack of movement was the people complaining about the over-covering of the deadline, knowing that it'd be very slow.

Even with it being very slow, what does it matter-- it leaves more time for things to breathe and more people to actually talk rather than a select few and then having to cut them off to get reactions from management or the traded players themselves. Hell, the all-star casts that both TSN and Sportsnet had was something to keep me tuned in, even if some of the things they had were very inane and unnecessary on a day like this.

Granted, having a show that goes from 8 AM Eastern Time until 5 PM is a bit insane, regardless of how busy the day might possibly become. Notwithstanding, you have to realize that sometimes the tradition is hard to actually kill off or actually tone down. With sponsors and analysts and all kinds of special people going into the studios to give their two cents to the situations, you almost need all that time in order to justify their presence or just travelling them up there in the first place.

If the show was truncated to 1 PM to 5 PM, it would be too short for some people. While that would have been the perfect timing for this year, you can't always predict it and you can't change something on a dime like that when you have sold the advertising space and actually got in-show sponsors to give up their money in order to present the show and have their brand all over the place-- like Tim Horton's mugs everywhere on the TSN set.

The best part about having the coverage as it is has to be the fact you can see the person on the TV and have them rely true or false information. With Twitter being the crapshoot as it is, many have been duped by fake accounts of real people, fake insider accounts, and just other craptasticness on the internet. With those talking heads actually being accessible for an extent amount of time on the TV, they can almost instantaneously shoot down the false information or confirm it was actually them saying it.

Despite the coverage being overkill and going to some things way more than they should have with way more people than a company should have had up there-- it was a success for both sides of the ball. Many tried-and-true people stuck with TSN, as it seems to the gold standard for shows like this with their connected insiders and cast of analysts; but Sportsnet did have a solid panel with their Strategy Room being another great gimmick, as well as the inclusion of Greg Wyshynski to break up the monotony of serious and sometimes hypothetical talk about what possible trades could come.

There's definitely something for improvement when it comes to timing and how much air-time should actually be given in times like this-- but the more hockey that is on TV, game-play or otherwise, is never a bad thing and it engages some people into discussions and situations they may not have thought of when socially networking with others online.

How Howson Was Hooped From The Start

He had to do it. The franchise face wasn't happy and he needed to deal with his unhappiness accordingly. For that, it seems that Scott Howson's future is on the clock-- if it wasn't already. While he didn't get a bad deal for Rick Nash, you have to wonder if he could have gotten more from the Rangers or someone else. The return of Brandon Dubinsky, Artem Anisimov, Tim Erixon, and a first round pick is definitely an investment, can you actually draw people in with a team without one or two big stand-outs??

In any case, the big issue is what Howson needed to do-- because as I've said in the past; he was damned if he did, damned if he didn't. He probably didn't wanted to be known as the man who shipped away the franchise player in Columbus, but with Nash coming out before the trade deadline last February saying he wanted to be deal-- Howson really had no choice in the matter.

Yet, when you look at what he got back in returns and then remember when some GMs said that Howson was asking for the moon and more-- it makes you wonder if Howson really wanted this deal or if he settled. That will probably stream out in time, but as I alluded to earlier-- you have to think that Howson is on the clock with these moves. Not so much because it was a bad deal, but it's not the blockbuster that some were expecting from a name like Rick Nash, especially after the buzz that created from it all.

Then you have consider the deals that Howson made in his tenure and what they really brought to the grand scheme of the team, it seems like Howson has been way over his head from day one. In fact, this is the second captain that Howson has traded-- as he traded Adam Foote in 2008 back to the Avalanche. Overall, the trades that Howson has made have been spot deals that may help in depth and in the short term, but nothing that is ground breaking. In all honestly, the biggest deals the Blue Jackets have really made were maybe acquiring Sergei Fedorov and Darryl Sydor, both under Doug MacLean's tenure. You can make the case for Jeff Carter, but his tenure was unspectacular and he was moved less than a year into it; so it's up to Jack Johnson to make that trade solid.

Which makes me wonder if MacLean wasn't that bad of a GM, if it's the actual location of the team and the onus that the Blue Jackets have that makes them a bad destination for trade recipients and for free agents. This is a team that is very east for a Western Conference team, they are in one of the toughest divisions in the league, and they overall don't have a desirable reasoning for actually coming to one of the last expansion franchises that really hasn't show too much improvement, sans for their one playoff season.

With that as the possible reasoning, the fault really can't lie on the GMs, as their hands are really tied due to their small market appeal. Whether it be the money not being available to shell out to the free agents or just the area not being where players want to go to-- it's a damning thing for the franchise. Especially with trades, they are very underwhelming because the Jackets don't have the parts needed to bring in anyone who will contribute solidly, unless it's a salary cap dump for the other team-- see: Jeff Carter.

Scott Howson did what he could and even if it does improve the team the smallest amount, odds are he will be criticized and would have been regardless of what he got back in return or if he hadn't made the deal in the first place. It was a lose-lose situation and any GM in the position he was in wouldn't have been able to recover from it all. Not just because the franchise player has been dealt, but because the franchise itself couldn't attract the players to compliment the franchise player and entice him to want to play out the bulk of his career there.

Risk of the Reunion

With the trade that will bring Jeff Carter back to Mike Richards' side, you have to wonder if this is a smart move to try and get Richards, Carter, and the Kings going offensively. As much as people say that the Carter/Richards combination is poisonous because of their off-ice antics in Philadelphia-- the fact they were two wins away from a Stanley Cup with the Flyers should say more than whatever they did on South Street on any given night.

Though at the same time, you think through hockey history and the number of successful reunion moments aren't as memorable as the ones that tank.

One of the more famous duds of duos coming back together was Paul Kariya and Teemu Selanne's short tenure in Colorado with the Avalanche. While the two of them were 1-2 in scoring for the Anaheim Mighty Ducks for three of the four full seasons they played together between 1996 and 2000; the trial in Colorado was less than stellar. That 2003-04 season resulted in 36 points for Kariya and 32 points for Selanne. Granted, Kariya only played 51 games that season, the fact that it's a forgetful part of both of their careers shows that you can't trap lightning in a bottle all the time.

Looking back at one of the most dynamic combos in the 1980s was that of Wayne Gretzky and Jari Kurri, who put up five 100+ point season when they were on the fire-wagon Oilers, winning four Stanley Cups in the progress. However, when they met up again with the Los Angeles Kings, Gretzky still had his magic, but Kurri seemed to have dropped off, especially with Luc Robitaille coming into his own. Not to say that was a bad reunion, just didn't have the desired results many would have thought. 

You could almost say the same for Jaromir Jagr and his combination with Martin Straka, but had some success with Robert Lang. Though Jagr ran the Penguins team, Straka was a guy that many thought could play alongside him  and make him effective-- which is why the Rangers went out and got Straka after the lockout. Yet, while Jagr succeeded at first and slowly declined-- Straka could never really get going and Michael Nylander would take the running-mate job from Straka. With Lang, he was steady with the Penguins when Jagr was there and stayed steady when the Capitals acquired Lang-- though he wouldn't get much of a chance before Jagr was shipped out of Washington.

Dean Lombardi and the Kings had to do something to jump-start their offensively challenged squad because there's only so much Jonathan Quick can do without goal support. Here's hoping it pays off for Carter, Richards, and the Kings-- mostly because those two are in La-La Land until at least the end of the 2019-2020 season, which is when Richards' contract runs out-- and heaven knows there won't be many suitors to take either off of the Kings' hands-- especially when they amount to almost $11M against the Kings' salary cap. Should be fun times-- whether you like watching the Kings becoming an exciting team or just enjoy the comedy of errors that could follow.

The Summer of GMGM

Say what you will about the on-ice results, but the moves the Washington Capitals have made this off-season have been nothing short of spectacular. Most of that can be credited to the slyness of one General Manager George McPhee; or GMGM, as the kids call him.

First off, it started with the firing of Arturs Irbe and bringing back Dave Prior as the goaltending coach and Olaf Kolzig as the assistant goaltender coach, probably laying the ground work for Kolzig to take the reins later on down the line. That was also something that set-up Semyon Varlamov to get dealt, since he had fallen behind Michal Neuvirth and even Braden Holtby; but there was no deal for Varlamov in June.

Fast-forward to the Draft, where there wasn't anyone the Caps wanted, so GMGM made the move to give up their 26th pick in the first round to the Chicago Blackhawks for Troy Brouwer. That's a move that kind of solidified the end of Matt Bradley's tenure in DC, but Brouwer is a guy who has playoff experience at a young age, that it could help the team-- if they can get him signed.

Move a couple days ahead, and some people say this was a little bit of a slip-up, giving Brooks Laich a long-term deal for big dollars to keep the fan-favorite in Capitals red. In the end, with the cap going up and salaries probably doing the same-- it could end up being a steal when all is said and done. However, at the moment-- it doesn't play out to some fans liking.

Then July happened....and GMGM got cold-blooded.

It started off for GMGM by signing old Capital Jeff Halpern to a one year deal, bringing in some leadership that some thought was lacking in the dressing room. Then, he signed Joel Ward, a gritty forward, from Nashville for four-years, then got a veteran defenseman in Roman Hamrlik for two years, probably to help mold the younger defensemen on the squad.

But that was not the biggest move of July 1st for GMGM.

I don't know if it was knowing there was desperation or if it was his cutthroat ways-- but McPhee got rid of Varlamov and sent him to the Colorado Avalanche...for a 1st Round Pick in 2012 and 2nd Round Pick in either 2012 or 2013; the Caps choice. The 2012 Draft is supposed to be much, much, MUCH deeper than this year and with the Avalanche possibly being as bad as they were last year-- could be a HUGE pick-up for the Caps.

But wait-- there's more.

While many thought that GMGM could be mad to go with two rookies in the NHL.....July 2nd, McPhee addressed that-- by signing the highly touted free agent goaltender Tomas Vokoun to a one year deal....worth $1.5M dollar, which is a paycut of over $4M from last season. I don't know what voodoo McPhee did to make this deal happen; but he could have pulled off the biggest shock of the free agency period. Not only does Vokoun provide a veteran presence and can stop a lot of shots; but he'll be able to mentor his fellow Czech Republic native, Neuvirth-- which could prove very invaluable down the line.

However, with only $500k left of their cap, you can bet that McPhee will probably deal someone to free up some space and sign the likes of Brouwer and bring up some of the guys from Hershey to try their hand-- but at the same time; he's done a lot of amazing things in order to make his team better and get all the parts he thought was missing and got them ousted early for the past two playoffs.

The pressure is on the team and coaches now, though. GMGM has done his part and you really can't fault him too much for the results that happen on the ice. Yet, with the group he's compiled, it's almost to the point where not much could go wrong unless the chemistry just goes awry.

But, if he does get the brunt of any failure, he can definitely fall back on his new stand-up comedy career, as you see here; working out material during a press conference.

On the Topic of the Trade Deadline

You've gotten through it and now it's time to analyze and over-analyze the trade deadline. Thanks to working graveyard, I'm probably the last to actually do something like this-- so.....huzzah?? In any case, this will probably be along the lines of what others have done so......deal with it.

First, the biggest deal had to be the Dustin Penner deal to Los Angeles. Many thought Penner was on his way out, but it was a matter of where. The destination could be a great fit for him, especially considering he's a guy that can definitely fit what the Kings need; plus they didn't give up the farm in order to get him. It didn't seem like Colton Teubert was going to fill-out to what many though, therefore he was easily expendable. However, the question now is where Penner can regain the hot streaks he had at the beginning of the season and at the end of the calendar year and into 2011. He'll definitely have the scoring chances now and should be the big body for the scoring aces-- but can he actually cash in on it.

Another active trader because they seemingly had to be was the Washington Capitals, who picked up an insurance defenseman in Dennis Wideman and a veteran center, Jason Arnott. With Wideman, while the plus/minus isn't the best (minus-26), he can be an asset on a very stagnant Caps power-play. In fact, Wideman has more power play goals than Alex Ovechkin (8-to-5) and could change that whole game-plan around for them, as well as be an insurance piece for the injuries the Caps seem to have on the blueline. And while Wideman has another year left on his deal, Arnott is a rental and one that I'm not in full agreement with when it comes to response. I can understand that Arnott brings a veteran presence; but at the same time isn't the second-line center that will put them over-the-top. Maybe he could teach Nicklas Backstrom how to get out of a slump and guide Marcus Johansson; but with his recent lack of performance in the playoffs with the Predators; I doubt it'll get the Caps too far.

An active player in the negative sense was the Florida Panthers, who were heavy sellers in their third straight rebuilding campaign. Along with Wideman, Radek Dvorak and Bryan Allen were moved out of Miami-- which also means that there are no pieces left on the Panthers from the Roberto Luongo trade. Yet, the big thing is that Stephen Weiss and David Booth are still a part of the team, even though they were rumored to be on the block; so that's something at least-- yet they probably could have entertained more offers for Tomas Vokoun, because I don't know how much they'd want to re-sign an older goalie who doesn't have much in front of him. With the issues the Panthers have off the ice, you have to wonder how much they're willing to pump into the on-ice product because of it.

One of the more surprising notes was that Ty Conklin was able to seep through the waiver wires unclaimed. You'd think for a low price, some team in need of net insurance would claim him just to be there. He's a decent goalie who could really come in and have a hot streak when called upon. Other teams' lose is the Blues gain, I suppose.

While it was probably one of the most uneventful trade deadlines ever, it's always good to play armchair GM after the fact. Whether this pans out or not remains to be seen, especially trying to deal with chemistry and all of that. Which makes me wonder if the NHL will move the deadline up every year, but at the same-- you like this stuff going down to the wire. Granted, this deadline really happened in the 10 days leading up to it, more specifically the 18th, but still.

I have no real end to this. Thanks for reading.

Friday Five: Trade Bait and Release

After another crazed week that was in hockey-- we move forward with another edition of the F5 and try to wonder about what you're secretly thinking.....or not thinking and will be thinking because it was brought up here.....or not at all.

1. With all the trades that are going down now-- what's going to be left for the Deadline??

It'll be slim and none. Yet, I can understand people freaking out by the domino effect. You never want a team to get the jump on you because they will leave you in the dust. Granted, the fact is that some teams are really getting the better of some deals-- but that's the nature of the business and you may have to give up way to much to ship off something you don't want anymore. People will get hosed and people will get deals-- though if most of them are UFAs at the end of it and don't resign with the team they're traded to-- no harm, no foul.

2. If you're a fledgling team and have a no-trade or no-movement clause-- would you waive it to go somewhere that you have a chance or do you stick around and hope for the best??

You have to wonder the situation the player is in. If they are older, odds are they would move it to trying and get that last grasp at the Cup ring; but if they're a younger guy or in their "prime" as a player-- they'll probably be more hard-pressed to move it because of the fact they do want to win the Cup, but they don't want to move from this place they're establishing themselves and are comfortable in. I guess it's depended upon the pressure the management puts on the player and tries to convince that they'd be welcome back in the off-season or something. It's a hard-sell and usually creates rift between fans and the player because of it.

3. Is there a chance of any shockers happening this coming Monday, or will it just be the role guys like has been discussed in the past??

There could be something like a Bryan McCabe or Michael Ryder to get dealt-- but at the same time, I don't think the big money names like Brad Richards or J-S Giguere traded. There's going to be the role players that'll be moved, but we won't have much (if any) blockbusters for the Monday and if it happens early enough in the day-- you could see a ripple effect, but it's highly doubtful. There's a lot of close races in each conference, so I don't think many teams will want to give up their role guys for a marquee name just to match another team-- because it'll ruin chemistry.

4. The Devils and Maple Leafs are streaking and streaking hard. In the end-- will they have a shot??

I think the Devils have a shot, but I don't know how much longer it'll be able to last. As much as they are on this massive high-- there has to be a down-turn, as even the most hardened of Devils' fan will be one to reel people back into the myth of going from laughingstock to dark horse contender. The Leafs are the same way-- however, there's been many years that the Leafs have given hope late in the season just to have it dashed. James Reimer is going through the "Unknown Goalie Syndrome" where players don't know how to beat him-- which gives the team and fans a false sense of greatness. It could keep going, but I don't think I would put money down on it.

5. The IIHF have shelved the idea of relaunching their Champions League. How good of an idea is this to begin with??

I love the idea of a Champions' League in hockey or some kind of super league. It's also something that could be used to take on one of the NHL teams that come over to play for their first two games and compete for the Victoria Cup. At the same time, I can understand why they wouldn't be able to agree to some kind of an agreement, as it's hard to deal with a championship race in one league and have to play in another league and risk potential injury and ruin a run in the league that's most important. It's a great idea in theory.....but we all know-- in theory; Communism works.

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That's the week-- you want something for me to talk about-- Scotty.Wazz@Gmail.com is the place to be, folks. Tell me of a topic you want to be covered or whatever and I'll do what I can to be as wrong as possible.

Friday Five: Returns and Reunions

It's been quite the week.....and yet another goalie fight, so it just shows that I'm an idiot and really don't know anything about hockey and how it works. Why are you even reading this?? Oh well, time for the F5 because it's Friday.

1. With the rabble-rousing of Carrie Underwood husband's being traded to her locale, how rough it is for the Ottawa Senators to get nothing in return??

If I'm playing on the Senators (and if things get bad, I actually may) I'd be a little disillusioned with the situation. Sure, you expect trades to happen and maybe some of the bigger named guys-- but getting an unknown in return is a bit disheartening. Fisher wasn't the flashiest guy, but got the job done and helped that team in any chance he could. With getting only picks back, coupled with an 11-game losing skid, as well as a regime that is almost guaranteed to be ousted at season's end (though it should be sooner), you almost have to think Eugune Melnyk is playing the role of Nero as his Rome burns (rack 'em).

That said, it seems par for the course for the Sens since they made it to the Stanley Cup finals in 2007 and nothing has seemed to get better or easier-- from goaltending, to coaching, to guys leaving-- it just snowballs into something worse; and you can't blame the fans for being rageful about the direction of this team.

2. With all these trades with some decent profile names, will this Trade Deadline Day be more about names moving or just upgrading role players on the roster??

This one could be all about upgrading the role players on the team. While there's decent UFAs for the summer, odds are you aren't willing to pay a lot to get them as a rental player. Basically teams are going to just tie up their loose ends when it comes to mucker and grinders, with maybe a decent size name going in the process. Yet-- I don't know if teams will wait for the 28th, as the gettings are good right now.

3. Ilya Kovalchuk is on a tear and the Devils continue their rise. Wishful thinking or was this a sign of waiting too long to replace John MacLean??

This was definitely something where they waited a bit too long to fire their coach, but they are showing they aren't the big bust many people thought they were. Kovalchuk, despite the minus-22, has been hot with five goals and five assists in the last eight games and showing he's worth his money. Even with Martin Brodeur dealing with injuries, the team has played well around Johan Hedberg recently, which is something they didn't do too much with MacLean behind the bench. While they're 13 points out of a playoff spot and have to keep an unimaginable pace to even keep up....some are keeping the faith.

4. Peter Forsberg returns tonight against the Columbus Blue Jackets-- injury happens...??

I'd say before the month of February ends. While it's a solid story if he does come back and plays well enough to get a contract for next year-- but the reality of the situation is he'll play a couple minutes tonight and in a few more games before he realizes he can't keep up with the speed and then retires for good....until October when it all starts again.

5. Quebec city is getting a $400M arena built. How much will this be like the Kansas City/Sprint Center fiasco??

With no team in sight for expansion or relocation (so they say) it could be a big deal for building such an expensive arena and not have anyone to house the arena after it's built. While hockey is very prevalent in Canada and a junior team could probably house that arena-- it's not what they want. The Canadian Olympic Committee President and former Quebec Nordiques' president and club owner said the NHL will be back in three years. Wishful thinking, but you may need that kind of over-the-top positive attitude in order to make something like this succeed.

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That's another week and if you want to get in contact with an idea for a topic-- Scotty.Wazz@Gmail.com is the place to send it over to. It'll be a riot if you see your topic here and you can tweet all your friends about it too....or not.

Absurd Goalie Monday: Stephane Beauregard

Definitely, this week's AGM completely goes with the equation of the past AGMs where they are solid in their amateur career, but when they got to the show-- they wouldn't live up to the hype. However, this week's AGM has the distinction for being traded for Dominik Hasek, as well as being named for the janitor on the Muppet Show. This week, we look at the career of Stephane Beauregard.

Starting off in Midget AAA with the Richelieu Riverains for the 1985-86 season, Beauregard went 10-11-0 in 21 games, while going 3-2 in five playoffs games. The 1986-87 season saw him go into the QMJHL with the St-Jean Castors in a back-up role. He would go 6-7-0 in the season and would take over the starting role in the playoffs, but would only go 1-3 in his five appearances. The next season, Beauregard would be the starter and break out in a big way. For the 1987-88 season, Beauregard would go 38-20-3 for his 66 games, although he would only go 3-4 in seven playoff games. Despite an early exit, Beauregard would be on the QMJHL First All-Star Team, QMJHL Defensive Rookie of the Year, and Canadian Major Junior Goaltender of the Year.

With the buzz around him, the Winnipeg Jets snagged Beauregard in the second round of the 1988 Draft; which allowed him to make the jump to the AHL with the Moncton Hawks in the 1988-89 season. Beauregard would start off with Moncton, playing in 15 games, going 4-8-2 before being sent down to the IHL's Fort Wayne Komets, where he would play another 16 games, going 9-5-0. He would play in the 1989 Playoffs, going 4-4 in nine games with the Komets. Beauregard would start the 1989-90 season back with Fort Wayne, playing in 33 games and going 20-8-3 before he would receive the call up to Winnipeg. With the Jets, he would get 19 games in behind another AGM, Bob Essensa, going 7-8-3 and would go 1-3 in the playoffs for the Jets. At the start of the 1990-91 season, Beauregard would be in Winnipeg behind Essensa-- but after 16 games and a 3-10-1 record, he would be sent down to Moncton for nine games (3-4-1), then ultimately heading back to Fort Wayne. In Fort Wayne, he would go 14-13-2 in 32 games and lead the Komets to the Turner Cup Finals with a 10-9 record, but would lose in the Finals to the Peoria Rivermen. With the 1991-92 season, Beauregard would deal with not only injuries, but the carousel of goalies of Essensa and another AGM, Rick Tabaracci. Even so, Beauregard got 26 games in with a 6-8-6 record for the year.

The summer of 1992 is one that had Beauregard go everywhere and nowhere. Beauregard was first traded from Winnipeg to Buffalo for Christian Ruuttu and future considerations in June. Then, from Buffalo, Beauregard was traded with Eric Daze to Chicago for Dominik Hasek on August 7th, then on the 10th; Beauregard was traded from Chicago BACK to Winnipeg for Christian Ruuttu....again. Finally, on the eve of the season, Beauregard was traded from Winnipeg to Philadelphia. Got that??

So, Beauregard was with the Flyers, playing behind two other AGMs-- Dominic Roussel and Tommy Soderstrom, but would be send down to Hershey mid-season to play with the AHL's Bears. In Philly, Beauregard would play 16 games, going 3-9-0, while the story in Hershey wasn't much better; as he would go 5-5-3 in 13 games there.

The summer of 1993 was a little more tame, as Beauregard was traded from Philadelphia back to Winnipeg for future consideration. However, he would only spend 13 games, mostly in a replacement role, in Winnipeg-- going 0-4-1. The bulk of the 1993-94 season had Beauregard in Moncton of the AHL, playing 37 games with an 18-11-6 record. Beauregard would help the Moncton Hawks get to the Calder Cup finals with a 12-9 record, but lost in the Finals to the Portland Pirates. Beauregard would play for the Springfield Indians for the 1994-95 season, playing 24 games with a 10-11-3 record in the season.

Starting in the 1995-96 season, Beauregard would play in the IHL, first with the San Francisco Spiders, playing 69 games for the team and going 36-24-8 on the year, allowing him to take home IHL First-Team Honors, as well as the IHL MVP award for the season. The Spiders disbanded after that season, which led Beauregard back to Quebec with the Rafales in the 1996-97 season. While in Quebec, Beauregard played 67 games with a 35-20-11 record. Beauregard sat out most of the 1997-98 season, but would pick up with the Chicago Wolves to fill in for yet another AGM, Wendell Young, and would play 18 games with a 10-6-0 record and then a 10-4 record in the playoffs, as the Wolves would win the Turner Cup championship.

Beauregard would set out for a European adventure in the 1998-99 season with Switzerland's HC Davos, where he would play 45 games in the regular season-- sadly there's no record online of it all. Beauregard would then move to Germany to play with Schwenninger Wild Wings, playing 58 games with four shutouts, before call it a career after the 1999-2000 season.

While he got lost in the shuffle during the NHL part of his career, he did seem to find a niche while playing in the IHL, where he had most of his success. But, like I said, he did follow the formula of past AGMs and did unintentionally cross paths with other AGMs in the process.

Friday Five: Lingering Over the Panic Button

It was kind of a slow week writing on TSOoA, but that's the breaks some week. Luckily, we can round out some of the stories in one fine package here with the F5.

1. Lou Lamoriello said that John MacLean doesn't have to worry about getting fired. Coming from Lou, how worried are you about this vote of confidence??

The "Vote of Confidence" is almost always a death kiss for some coaches, but I think this could be genuine for MacLean....at least from Lamoriello. He's the guy who really put MacLean in a roster squeeze with his deals. Plus, he's a first year guy still trying to get the hang of this thing, so to fire him after 10 games seems a bit extreme. Not saying that owner Jeff Vanderbeek couldn't overrule and get rid of them both, but it'd be pretty crazy to do that knowing how rough it is to deal with a team that's flying so close to the salary sun on paper wings...or something.

2. If not MacLean, who would be the first coach in the hot seat for being replaced??

There's not one coach out there who I think could be in-danger, but not saying a team couldn't pull one out of left field. There's a lot of guys who are under pressure, but I don't know if 10 games is really the starting point to be threatening jobs. That said, I believe that after ten games, the kid gloves are going to be taken off and that the coaches are going to have to adjust on the fly very quickly and start to produce results or else risk getting the ax.

3. As it stands right now, all the Central Division teams are in the playoffs in the West. How long can this hold up for this division??

You have to expect the Columbus Blue Jackets to really drop off if any of the Central teams drop off, but they have a strong division. Home of the Cup champion Blackhawks, the Blues are looking like a team off the fringe loop with Jaro Halak in net now, the Red Wings-- regardless of age-- always seem strong, and the first-place Predators seem to have found their stride and really look like they are going to make a strong run, if they can stay healthy. With a lapse in other divisions, you can say that the Central is the hardest division to play in right now.

4. Is there ever going to be a chance where all five teams from a division make it into the playoffs??

It could happen this year, if the Blue Jackets can keep stride for stride, but it's a difficult task. The other teams definitely have to really tank out in a conference for a single division to run the table and have over 50% of the playoff teams. If that does happen, you have to wonder if the NHL would worry-- they want parity and having all teams in a division in the playoffs-- I don't see that as having too much parity. Of course, that division could rightfully claim the best division in the league-- so that's something.

5. With some people claiming victory in the Tyler Seguin/Phil Kessel trade; when can you actually declare victory in any deal??

It's definitely silly to battle on a trade after one game, but in the long-run the overall numbers could be a factor, but you should have to factor in head-to-head in all of that. Luckily, both Seguin and Kessel are young enough and will face-off against each other a lot while being in the same division, but I don't know how you can truly gauge a trade unless you use WhatIf Sports in order to put them in different scenarios with the team they would have been on if the trade didn't happen; but it's tough to definitely value a trade like that.

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That's another week in the books, if you have any topics or whatever, email Scotty.Wazz@Gmail.com to put your two-cents in or something. Like I say, if you don't like these topics and didn't contribute.....well, you should have done more to contribute. Jerkstores.

Spakle and Fade

While the Everclear Draft Weekend doesn't start until Thursday for the FOHS fateful, that's what June 22, 2010 was for most people. Probably the most exciting non-game/event day in the recent memory of the NHL; thanks to all the news made. It had everything, but when it came to the main cog-- it fell a little short.

-First, it's started with the NHL schedule being released, the earliest in a while. While I personally didn't care, most NHL road-trippers did. I just wondered the start time of the Heritage Classic and to see if I can weasel my way into the event in some way, shape, or form. Other than that-- check out the Sensational Sean Leahy's write-up about anticipated games.

-Then, we had the trade that had the Boston Bruins picking up Nathan Horton and Greg Campbell from the Florida Panthers for Dennis Wideman, the 15th overall pick in the Draft, and a third-rounder in 2011. For the Bruins, the acquisition of Horton is an improvement, considering he has five straight seasons of 20 goals or more, something the Bruins have missed-- although the injuries issues is something that the Bruins could and should be concerned about. At least they also got the disciplinarians son in the deal as well. Wideman had a season to wipe-away, though he will be the cornerstone in the Panthers rebuilding defense. If he can improve his +/-, the Panthers may have something.

-At the same time, the Edmonton Oilers announced that Pat Quinn had stepped down as head coach and moved to Senior Adviser to the GM, making way for co-coach Tom Renney to take over. Renney was going to get this job eventually, but the fact the rebuild is in full swing, it's better they did this sooner than later. Renney's last job was with the New York Rangers and replaced Quinn once before in Vancouver. While his style isn't exciting, it's often successful for Renney. Whether it will work with the new look Oilers will remain to be seen.

-After that, the NHL said good-bye to Scott Niedermayer; as the defenseman called it a career after 18 years and leaves on 42 players left from NHL '94. Niedermayer won wherever he went and really shouldn't be waiting long after the waiting period to be elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame. I mean, four Stanley Cups, two Olympic Gold, World Juniors Gold, Memorial Cup Champion, World Championship Gold, and he ate the bowl. Not much else you can say, because it says it all in his stats and what he did when he was there. Sadly, we'll miss one of the best playoff beards ever because of this retirement.

-Then the main event-- the Hockey Hall of Fame nominees. This year, it was an allotment for four players, two women's players, and some builders. There was a lot of ruckus around who was going in, who wasn't-- but it created for great off-season debate.....but seemed to be a huge letdown in the end.

Though it is fitting, the first year that the women are introduced, they will be the majority as Angela James-- the Gretzky of women's hockey to start off with; and Cammi Granato will be going to the Hall. James was an innovator in the women's game for Canada, where she was a big fish in a developing small pond and really gave something younger girls could aspire to in Canada. Same goes with Granato, who was basically the USA version of James, only on a smaller scale. Granato did a lot for the women's game in the US and really helped pass along the torch in these new times.

That being done, only ONE spot was filled in the male side, that being Dino Ciccarelli. For a long time, many have wondered when he would get his chance. 600+ goals, 1200 points on the nose; but for some reason-- mostly media unfriendly and a bad rap from the ice-- Dino was always overlooked and pretty much pushed aside. However, in a seemingly weak class; they couldn't avoid him or the outcry of some fans now. Even though he never won a Cup, he did well on so-so teams at the start of his career, but couldn't be a hanger-on in his later years. He did enough to be the Hall of Famer he is now.

It's sad that there's only one. The debate about Adam Oates, Joe Nieuwendyk, Pavel Bure, hell-- even Eric Lindros being on the dias this year, and nothing came of it. Is it something where it was a wide-open field and other votes canceled out others?? Was the hype about this year's class something that was overdone and they weren't the spectacular to begin with?? Maybe we'll find out soon, but it seems like that many could have been looking too deep into the whole thing and overestimated the voters of the Hockey Hall, per usual.

Another thing I'm ticked about is the exclusion of Pat Burns in the Builder's category. We all know that Burns is dealing with Cancer and it would have been the best time to put the great coach into the Hall, but the voters did not. Sure, we shouldn't dismiss the fact of Jim Devellano of the Red Wings and the late Daryl Seaman of the Flames should be there-- but you would have hoped that the voters in the Hall had some kind of heart to include Burns....but....here we are.

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That was the day it was. A lot of opening acts and a somewhat disappointing headlining gig. In the end, it'll only create for more of a debate in next year's Hall of Fame-- but that's what the off-season is for. We saw new beginnings, transitions, endings, and the map for next season. It was every possible emotion fans could have in one day and not have any games played. Hope fans savored it, because it could mean we're in for a long off-season if this is the most exciting day.

Halak to St. Louis; The (Carey) Price is Right for Montreal

In what could just cement the thought of John Davidson's hockey mind being one of the best out there; his St. Louis Blues come out of nowhere to acquire Jaroslav Halak from the Montreal Canadiens for Lars Eller and Ian Schultz, two of the Blues prospects.

With all the Blues have done in their short time of rebuilding, this is a PERFECT part to fill out the roster. Nothing against the possible goaltending, but the addition of Halak is going to give the Blues a shot in the arm they need and probably something they will need in order to finally move onto the next step. Granted, that is if Halak's run with the Habs last year was any indication of what he could do throughout the whole year. Odds are the Blues will be able to sign Halak, as Mason is a UFA and Conklin still has a year left, while the Blues has $28.5M locked up in 11 players thus far. John Davidson will find a way to get Halak signed.

That said-- it's now up to Carey Price to carry the Canadiens....that is if Cedric Desjardins doesn't bypass him during training camp and becomes the starter that way. This is such an interesting news for the Habs and their fans, as it seemed primed for Halak to re-sign and be the starter for the foreseeable future. Halak was the one who pretty much carried the team with his play, but maybe because of that-- he priced himself (no pun intended...if there is one) out of the Canadiens' long-term plans, especially with the Habs doing so much with Price and putting so much into his future over Halak, even though it seemed a scenery change would have been the best of Price after his struggles this season. Time will tell if that's still the case.

However, the Habs get two decent prospects. Eller is one of the top ones for the Blues and he has had two goals in his seven games with the Blues, while putting up 57 points in 70 games with the AHL's Peoria Rivermen in his first pro season in North America. Eller was highly touted when playing in Frolunda in Sweden and really turned it on once he got more time with the team. You can expect the same if he's in the top-6 fold for the Habs. Ian Schultz is like a Dustin Byfuglien mold-- a big-body forward, who's not afraid to mix it up in front or drop the gloves when needed. Plus, he has some decent hands and could create some plays, as well. It's not like the Habs are getting completely hosed, but it could take some time to bring these guys up-- which is something that won't go over well at all with Habs fans.

Rioting in Montreal is happening through Twitter and probably in sports bars in the area. This is not going over well and nor should it. That said, it will be a wait and see. Halak's heroics could be a one-time deal and he may lose his luster, while Price gets confidence back from this and actually lives up to expectation. Hey, crazier things have happened, but you can't do anything until the first year is done on this trade. At least this will be actual news before the draft happens.

Awkwardess of Hanging Around

As we see the smoke clear from the trade deadline and the new acquisitions don their new duds, more and more reports are coming out about trades that didn't happen and players who were so sure that they were going to be moved and then didn't; you have to wonder if there's any kind of awkwardness in the room or resentment from some guys in the long-run for not asking to be moved at all.

For instance, Brian Burke came out after the deadline was done and mentioned that Tomas Kaberle had three teams he'd be willing to waive his no-trade clause for. While speculation about the teams will go on and could be obvious, the fact Burke and Kaberle went back and forth about either Kaberle would be moved during the day could have put some weird vibes in the Leafs room, although most of the faces have changed and probably wouldn't have too many issues with the whole thing as some other teams would. If it were another team with a tighter bond, the awkwardness of this guy wanting out and not getting it could have been disaster for chemistry.

Moving onto reports out of Minnesota about Owen Nolan willing to be traded to two teams, San Jose and Washington, if GM Chuck Fletcher got the call from either team. This issue is a bit different, as Nolan said he believes the Wild has a chance at the playoffs; but Fletcher was willing to give Nolan the option because he hasn't won a Cup and Fletcher wanted to give him the chance to have his moment. For a team like the Wild who is still trying to find their identity, I don't think many people would be against Nolan leaving-- especially with what's he put into the league and knowing he doesn't have much time left to play on a contender.

Even though the two names above wanted out-- what about the guys who were pretty much rumored out the door, but stuck around. Especially in the goalie department where the likes of Cristobal Huet, Martin Biron, and Dwyane Roloson were rumored to be moving, but just a matter to where. In the Biron and Roloson case, the news of Rick DiPietro being done for the year, their plans got changed. But with Huet, how much could you prove to a team that seemed willing to dump you at the drop of a hat. Bruins goalie Tim Thomas was in the news because of the fans not accepting him anymore and him losing some playing time to Tuukka Rask, and while there were rumors of him getting dealt, nothing happened. Thomas was then quoted of saying he hopes he can play well enough to shove all the negativity up the arse of the media and fans who doubt him. Nicely played.

Plus, as mentioned on the show; there was something posted on Twitter about a Caps forward, with his number in the teens, having his bag outside the Caps locker room in Buffalo because he was being dealt. That cause rumors about about two players-- Eric Fehr and Tomas Fleischmann-- being moved for something big. In the end, it was a false alarm as neither were moved. At the same time, how could you go back into the room and have to look around and feel sane with the idea of thinking the team was going to move you somewhere else-- the uneasiness of the whole ordeal would be a little much and with a team on a stretch run and wanting to get to the Cup Final; that could disrupt some chemistry. Or it could cause the rumored traded player to show his team he's worth it and prove to other teams they could have had him if they had offered the right price. Or not-- I don't know-- I wish I knew how these things go.

As it all clears out, we see more and more stories come out of this nature. It's always an interesting thing about guys not going places when they were 95% out the door. How that effects chemistry with the team and how that effects relations between the player, his agent, and the upper management is always something that brings interesting subplots to what will happen to it during the summer or other contract negotiations that happen in the future. Though, in this profession, you have to have a short memory, especially when it comes to trades, contracts, etc. It's only business.

Trade Deadline 2010: Will Cause Drowiness

Even with the record of 30 trades made in the day. Even with the record 53 players getting plane tickets elsewhere. Even with the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames actually trading with each other....the NHL Trade Deadline of 2010 will be one that has very little excitement to it and very little shocking moments to it.

To that end though, there weren't many blockbusters to be made, actually. With the salary cap being as it is, odds are that things weren't going to come as a huge shock and big names wouldn't be changing addresses. In fact, the biggest name dealt was moved about a month before the deadline came to be, Ilya Kovalchuk. That shows you what the deadline day brought to us.

Yet, one of the more talked about moves was the Phoenix Coyotes trading Peter Mueller and Kevin Porter to the Colorado Avalanche for Wojtek Wolski. The idea of a scenary change helping both Mueller and Wolski is in effect-- especially for Mueller, who had troubles in finding his niche with Dave Tippett behind the Phoenix bench. Wolski was the second leading scorer on the Avalanche and seemed to be coming on his own, but one reason or another-- the Avs thought he was disposable. A move to a young Coyotes squad could help Wolski continue to excel and stand-out. Porter had been pretty solid in the AHL with the San Antonio Rampage, but who knows if/when he'll crack the Avs roster.

Another shock was the lack of goalie movements, especially with the rumors surrounding the New York Islanders and their trio of goalies, but I guess with Rick DiPietro shutting it down again; not an option. Also, questions about the Flyers and Blackhawks goaltending was called into question, but neither team made a move. The only big goalie deal was Calgary sending Curtis McElhinney to Anaheim for Vesa Toskala; reuniting two former Sharks goalies Toskala and Miikka Kiprusoff. As well, Justin Pogge on the move again, this time heading to Carolina from Anaheim.

The Capitals were busy adding the grit upfront with Scott Walker and Eric Belanger and some help on the blue-line with Joe Corvo and re-welcoming Milan Jurcina. While many will say the Caps were the "winners" of the deadline, the fact remains they were the only real contender who did anything worth noting. Therefore, by default they seemed to come out on top. While these four do prove an upgrade, the Caps didn't address their suspect goaltending and lack of a shutdown defenseman. These moves were needed, but at the same time-- may not get them that silver chalice.

To be honest, that's really all there was to talk about. It shows that there was so much build-up for a day that usually exciting for all involved, but to be honest-- total letdown. The fans and watchers could all be considered "losers" in this deadline, but what can you do-- right?? Sometimes you'll have a big party, others you'll be the only one in the conference room waiting for others to show up. The sad thing is that it didn't really get Twitter buzzing completely; other than people complaining about how boring things are.

Maybe next year.

Deadline Expectations

With the Trade Deadline about 24 hours away, you can bet teams will be hustling and bustling trying to get their teams set for the last part of the season and into the playoff run. Of course, some teams will be doing more than others; then the hindsight will set-in minutes after the deadline lapses. Here's some of the things I think may or may not happen as planned, as some are serious and some not. You can pick out which is which.

-Edmonton has already started to blow up their team with dealing Denis Grebeshkov to the Nashville Predators. While the Oilers have a lot to give up, the asking price may be a little too much for some teams. Plus, with all the injuries they've had, who knows how many teams will be chomping at the bit to deal with Edmonton and then realize they were sold a lemon.

-There's a lot of talk around the Toronto Maple Leafs and some of their players. While they shed some dead-weight in Vesa Toskala and Jason Blake, many wonder what Brian Burke did to con the Anaheim Ducks into that. Because of it, the GMs are unsure about dealing with Burke due to his Jedi mind-tricks or blackmailing photos he may possess.

-While there's not much to improve, the Washington Capitals could look for more help in the blueline, maybe a Steve Staios type player; mostly to help along the young guys. Some grit wouldn't hurt, but odds are they won't be able to get their dream acquisition, 1984 Rod Langway, mostly due to time travel and cloning not being readily available.

-Realizing they really don't have much after Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, the Pittsburgh Penguins loaded up on another defenseman in getting Jordan Leopold from the Florida Panthers. This way, they'll be able to dress 18 defensemen and hope the two forwards can come up big for them.

-The Florida Panthers started their fire sale with the Leopold move and you can almost assume that other big names will be moving before 3 PM Wednesday. With all the names being throwing out in terms of who's being moved out, it seems to be the first time the Panthers have been really relevant since the Jay Bouwmeester sweepstakes and before then-- the 1996 Stanley Cup Final.

-Figuring that they're okay with what they've got-- the Carolina Hurricanes will stand pat and not move anyone. Even though many players are begging to get out of Carolina, GM Jim Rutherford made his decision on whether to trade a player using Jo Dee Messina's "Heads Carolina, Tails California" and a two-headed coin.

The one thing that will be agreed upon is that there will probably be a lot of moves of role players and minor league deals-- and maybe some few bigger names thrown into the mix-- but it will be active with a lot of speculation of the sort. Also, plenty of mis-announce trades that are said to be done, but never happen.

As for me, we'll be doing a wrap-up on Face Off Hockey Show Wednesday night and I'll be on the panel of Hockey Independent's trade deadline live chat/blog going on over there. Be sure to check both out, because they'll be fantastic.

The Devil You Know

It's finally over and we can move on with our lives.

That's right, Ilya Kovalchuk has been dealt to the New Jersey Devils with Anssi Salmela for Johnny Oduya, Niclas Bergfors, Patrice Cormier, and the Devils' 1st round pick. When you look at what was given up by the Devils, you can just think about how Devils' GM Lou Lamoriello basically stole this deal from Atlanta.

Any team who got Kovalchuk was going to win the deal, it's hard to beat something like that. But for Sweet Lou to give up what can be called very little (especially when you look at the speculation being tossed around), it's almost a shame the Thrashers had to go down like that. Sure, they get a good defenseman like Oduya to help guys like Zach Bogosian and Tobias Enstrom out in the long run, but what does it mean for the future of the franchise as a whole?? I'll touch on that later.

The posturing is something that was epic in the past 48 hours, but the Thrashers ripped it out today-- saying that Kovalchuk turned down two offers-- one of seven years at $70M and another at 12 years and $101M, which is almost insane to turn down. I mean, Kovalchuk is one day older than me and to be turning down that money when I won't see anything close to that makes me shake my head. Then, yesterday-- Atlanta's GM Don Waddell saying how he told Kovalchuk was going to be move, which was a signal to the teams on the fence to make a final move or move along. When you look at it, the bridges were burning in Atlanta, much like in 1917.

The Devils really were a dark horse, in terms of they were mentioned, but no one expected them to be a big player. That's one thing people shouldn't do-- count Jersey out. And while I mentioned that teams may have to trade the farm, the Devils didn't have to do that. Sure, Kovalchuk is a rental in this case, barring any unpredictable occurrence, but the Devils have plenty to play with and giving up who they did won't paralyze them in the long-run. The Devils now have a prolific scorer in their line-up for the first time in a while. Also, they have the greatest goalie of the modern era. This team is scary right now.

Yet, it was mentioned on FOHS from Spector's Hockey's Lyle Richardson that this move could be the deathblow for the Thrashers franchise in Atlanta. When you lose a guy like Kovalchuk, who has been the only real face of the franchise, it's hard to come back from if you don't get someone of his stature to replace him. Especially in an unconventional market like Atlanta, you're going to need something to keep people interested and into the game. While a lot of that will hinge on what the crazy ownership situation does or doesn't do this off-season, but the fact remains that when you deal a franchise player like this and don't have anyone waiting in the wings to pick up the PR slack; it's a tough sell for fans already wondering what a team is doing there in the first place.

All is said and done until the summer for Kovalchuk, but at the same time-- could this be as big as the trade deadline gets for people?? The big names seem to be moving out early and it could be a lot of role players being shuffled at the deadline-- not the sexy thing you like to see or deal with. In any case, now Kovalchuk is a Devil and we have to wonder how much offense he'll be able to produce for a team that many have questioned in terms of scoring prowess. The East just got more interesting.

The Fine Art of the Early Trade

You can say what you will about the moves that have been made (and by the looks of it, who hasn't), but what has gone on with the Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs, and New York Rangers is the correct way to go about the trade deadline. Especially with a prolonged break with the Olympics heading up; they are trying to set-up their teams nicely and get some kind of chemistry going prior to the break.

Also, this is economically responsible of them. There won't be much time to make a deal after the Olympic break, as the trade deadline is three days after the trade freeze is lifted. So, even if these teams are going to make another move-- they have a month's time to actually look at their team play some games with their new rosters, they can assess their situations accordingly, and then think about who they'd be able to get with the money they have remaining and who they could be willing to part with.

You have to believe that Darryl Sutter isn't done in Calgary. With all that he's shipped off, there must be a method to his madness and could be in a position to make another deal. While the thought of Ilya Kovalchuk is a long-shot at this point, some kind of minor move may be coming from Calgary. Unless Sutter has completely lost his mind and just is making himself become the Mad Hatter and moving people for the sake of moving, there has to be a meaning to all these moves he's making.

Then you look at Toronto, who seems to be making good moves in terms of trying to move more contracts that are an albatross around the neck of the team. With their acquistions, especially of Dion Phaneuf; it's makes a statement that they will beat you up if they can't beat you on the score sheet. The only need to be addressed would need to be some support for Phil Kessel, which should come in time with their younger guys developing in the minors and juniors.

As for the Rangers, Brandon Prust brings about a younger, less cocky version of Sean Avery; with actual skill and putting it to use every night. Olli Jokinen could be the wild card. He's only netted 11 goals this season and could be sought after because of his past performances. Of course, his past performances were on craptastic teams and may not actually reflect on his skill level. If he can't make a big points push with Marian Gaborik on his wing, it'll show that he's not as good as people think he is. Who knows, considering he couldn't spark Jarome Iginla in Calgary.

Either way, the fact these teams made these deals this early, they have a window to see how the new team gels and will have time to make adjustments accordingly. It has proven successful before when you look at moves like the Hurricanes made to get Doug Weight and Mark Recchi in 2006, before they made their run to an eventual Stanley Cup championship. Plus, it fires the first salvo to the other teams who may have been waiting until the 11th hour in order to get something done-- this could make them maybe rush themselves to make a move earlier than they would have liked, which could be great or disastrous.

Kessel Runs to Truculence World Order

Another week down and another saga is put to rest. Phil Kessel was sent to Toronto from Boston for a first and second round pick in 2010 and a first round pick in 2011. Kessel then signed a five-year, $27M deal with the Leafs. Thus ends the longest speculation this week.

Now, Kessel was pretty much bumped out of the Boston roster with their spending this off-season, but doesn't mean he wasn't a valuable asset. Even though he's not available until November due to rotator cuff surgery, Kessel is going to add to the amount of young talent the Leafs have stacked up on their roster right now. At 21, Kessel will probably be the focal point on an otherwise lacking Leafs offense.

However, you have to wonder if Kessel will be able to carry the work load of an entire offense right now. While he did pretty well in Boston, he had plenty of help around him. And while on the surface, the Leafs have improved for the short-term in the pre-season, who knows what's going to happen when there's actually competition on the ice playing at top-form. Of course, this is also pending on how he's going to do coming off the shoulder surgery; though his youth could definitely help him in the healing process.

But it comes back to who's going to be dishing him the puck. Kessel undoubtedly benefited from Marc Savard being his centre, but who's going to be the key guy to pass Kessel the puck and give him all the chances to score?? Will Mikhail Grabovski and Jason Blake be capable enough to give Kessel the puck enough for him to be effective in the role?? Obviously there's people smarter on the topic than I am, like those folks at Pension Plan Puppets, who will definitely give you a great fan perspective of the whole thing-- good and bad.

Until then, I have to say that Brian Burke does it again. With the youth movement already via free agency and all, he could give up the picks and get some rostered talent in return. Who knows what those picks could turn out to be, but as it stands right now-- Burkie continues to be one of the smartest men in hockey today.

Heatley Gone From Ottawa, Finally

After months and months of bickering, bitterness, and speculation, the Dany Heatley saga is finally over, as the left winger was traded from the Ottawa Senators to the San Jose Sharks, a team said to be the destination for Heatley for the longest time. In return, the Senators get right winger Jonathan Cheechoo, left winger Milan Michalek, and a second round pick. The Sharks also obtain a 5th rounder.

Citing unhappiness in his role with the team, something disputed by everyone within ear shot, Heatley had asked GM Bryan Murray for a trade in May, for which the news got out and started to spread like wildfire after the playoffs had ended. It was hard to move Heatley, as he had a no-movement clause in his contract. A clause that had twice nixed a deal the Senators had with the Edmonton Oilers.

For the Senators, they get two solid forward, but two that can be very streaky at time. Cheechoo has the ability to be a big points guy, but needs the right chemistry to do so. Especially considering how flooded the right side is for the Sens, with Alex Kovalev and Daniel Alfredsson ahead of the pecking order, he'll have to adjust his game to more of a shut-down role if called upon. With Michalek, he's a solid winger on the left side with three straight 20+ goal seasons and a solid plus/minus rating of +47 in that time, as well. He'll probably be up for the top slot on the left side, which could see a bigger output in his production.

As for the Sharks-- they better hope that Heatley doesn't add to their playoff heartache they've been accustom to. However, Heatley does add another scoring option for an offensively sound line-up. With Joe Thornton as his center, you can believe he'll be somewhat revitalized and get plenty of chance to get back to his 50-goal form from a few seasons ago. Plus, odds are he may get the same amount of ice time he's looking for, though the Sharks are somewhat deep in all positions, so you wonder if this will pose a problem at all should he slump and lose some ice time.

Whatever way you slice it or dice it, the fact is this drama is over. For all the speculation, hearsay, and everything but the kitchen sink; the deal is done and the final destination is where many people thought. Even with Bryan Murray and Doug Wilson denying, they knew that it would come down between them to get a deal done. Also, you have to wonder how seething Murray is and if we would need a rain-slicker to get through his rage. I mean, Murray lost out on valuable free agent time because of not getting a deal done sooner, he missed out on resigning someone like Mike Comrie, who could have given some spark between the second and third lines. I guess it's hindsight now, but Murray must be hoping ownership gives him a mulligan on this off-season in hopes of keeping his job on a possible disappointing season.

Now, Sens fans can move on with their lives for now and get ready for the new season. The only time they'll see Heatley is if the two teams meet in the Cup Finals, a match-up that doesn't seem likely if recent history has shown us anything.

Looking For a New Suitcase

With the retirement of Mike Sillinger, we are now on the look out for the newest player to receive the moniker of Suitcase. Of course, Sillinger played for 12 of the 30 NHL teams out there, as well as being traded nine times, holding the record with Brent Ashton. Now, the reasoning for Sillinger to be treaded was the fact that he was a great asset to the team, not only with leadership, but also for his role in the face-off cirlce and able to chip in a point or two here and there, which made him very desirable at the trade deadline.

Yet, with the departure of Sillinger, there's a void for the frequent flyer in the NHL roster list, via the trade list. You can pull the gimmick of who's been with the most teams, but in the age of free agency, it's a bit trite. In the salary cap age, to figure out who's been traded the most is a bit more interesting to look at. However, through the minimal research I've been doing (it's been documented before, I'm lazy), the fact of the matter is that there's not many big name guys or even role players with the street cred of Sillinger to really say that they are worthy of the suitcase moniker.

Just on a brief look at NHLers, Brandon Bochenski is leading the way, being traded four times throughout his short career (Ottawa to Chicago to Boston to Anaheim to Nashville), but you'd hardly call him someone who is very sought after or possess skills like that of Sillinger. Jim Vandermeer also has been traded four times (Philadelphia to Chicago to Philadelphia to Calgary to Phoenix), but in the same boat as Bochenski; not a Sillinger kind of player. The one guy who could come close to something of worth of a Sillinger could be Olli Jokinen, who also has the four-time ring (Los Angeles to Long Island to Florida to Phoenix to Calgary), which could be excelled to five depending on what Calgary does during the season and what they can do to try to get him re-signed to a new deal or trade him just to get something back.

The one name that pops up in the record amount of times is a man who is still playing, but not in the NHL right now: Anson Carter. Carter, who of course roomed with Jeremy Roenick, has been traded seven times (Colorado to Washington to Boston to Edmonton to New York Rangers to Washington to Los Angeles; then Columbus to Carolina) in his NHL career and has played on eight teams (Washington, Boston, Edmonton, Rangers, Los Angeles, Vancouver, Columbus, Carolina). Carter has the ability to be a decent role player, but as seen in Vancouver-- he can succeed in the right situation. We need a GM to get Carter out of Switzerland, where he plays for HC Lugano, and get him on their roster and trade him. Make the folklore continue on and make Carter the new "Suitcase."

However, the search continues. I don't know if we'll ever get the player the caliber of Mike Sillinger to receive the "Suitcase" moniker or deserve it, for that matter. Sillinger is a class guy and was always willing to do what was needed in order to succeed. If not for his injuries, who knows how many more teams he could have been with. Best of luck in Sillinger in his transition from playing to whatever else is out there. More than likely, he'll get offers to a coaching spot or a leadership role in some capacity.

EDIT: As brought up in the comments by "SL", Jon Sim name will have to be added to the list. Sim has played for eight teams (nine including the 20 minutes spent with Phoenix, never played a game with them though), but he's only been traded twice (Dallas to Nashville; Philadelphia to Florida). The other times, he was claimed on waivers by the teams during the middle of the season. Still an interesting stat for number of teams.

Ups and Downs to Reuniting

Habs fans' hearts are a-flutter with the moves made by Bob Gainey in the past week. First, it started with Scott Gomez being traded to Montreal and has followed with the signings of Brian Gionta and Mike Camalleri, which could be a sign of a new offensive outlook for the Habs. Of course, their loss of Mike Komisarek is a hit on the defensive side, but the lack of sturdy offensive production needed to be addressed....apparently.

However, the thought of a reunion of the magic that Brian Gionta and Scott Gomez had in New Jersey could give the Habs faithful belief that it is still there even though they had spent two seasons apart. Considering they were solid the year after the lockout, but crashed the next season-- why is there such a buzz about the magic they had-- it was one good year. Albeit, the one good year is all it takes in some cases, but we're getting away from the point.

Was this move to sign Gionta after the trade for Gomez used in order to get the tandem back together?? Because if it was, it may have not been the best move. Sure, the chemistry they may share is a nice tool to have, but to believe that lightning can strike more than once is a little silly and short-sighted. Lest we not forget the fiasco that happened in Colorado with Teemu Selanne and Paul Kariya in '03-'04 which was going to be used to spark the offense, but turned out to be a horrible, failed experiment.

While there are other tandems who were successful at the end of the day, odds are that if they have been apart for a time; the magic doesn't come back as it once did and will hinder a team's fortunes rather than help them. With the pressure to successed coupled with the pressure put forth by the media and fans alike; you can almost think that this is a recipe for failure for Gionta, Gomez, and ultimately the Habs. Of course, that failure could be Gainey's last stand-- but only time will tell if it'll be a risk that pays off for Gainey or not.