12/16/2007

McDonald leaves Ducks for Blues

Finally we got to see a trade in the NHL. To no one's surprise, the Anaheim Ducks were involved. Trading off Andy McDonald to St. Louis for Doug Weight may not seem like a great trade at first glance, but in the longer perspective it does make a lot of sense. By letting go of McDonald the Ducks will make room to fit the returning Scott Niedermayer into the budget and the roster. As they also want to sign a new contract with Corey Perry sometime before he becomes an unrestricted free agent, getting rid of an over-prised No. 2 center seems logical.

As for the Blues, I think it's a great trade. They have really turned the franchise around and are building for a bright future for the fans in Missouri. McDonald is six years younger than Weight, and though his stats have not been great so far this season, he will be an important player for this young promising team in the long-run.

What teams are next in line for a trade? My money is on San Jose or Montreal to make a move pretty soon.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well, Boston's got some extra cash to spend now that both Fernandez and (probably) Bergy are done for the year. A stud winger à la Raffi Torres or Cheechoo would be on top of my wishlist. Boston has traditionally always dealt with a select few teams and the Oilers and San Jose both belong to that group. A top-3 defender would be nice too.

On a different note, look for Burke to lock up Perry long-term sooner rather than later just like he did with Getzlaf this year. Losing Perry to a lurking offer-sheet next season will sting just a little more than having watched Penner head north to Edmonton.

BFox

Niklas Olsson said...

I thought Raffi Torres was going to leave Edmonton as a free agent before this season, the Oilers waited for so long before re-signing him, so I think he'll remain with them. Cheechoo seems like a likely candidate though.

Perry will definately be re-signed very soon. Getzlaf and him are the No.1 and 2 the Ducks will rely on for a long time.