The Tuesday trade deadline came and went, and yes, we did see some pretty stunning moves. Mats Sundin exercised his right to stay with his Maple Leafs, in Denver people are preparing for Peter Forsberg's homecoming, and Brian Campbell has decided to test the waters out west with the Sharks. No huge surprises there, while Philadelphia were favorites among most to land the comebacking Forsberg, Colorado has obviously been frontrunners all along.
Sundin's choice to remain a Leaf did come as a surprise to some and while I believe the best way he could have helped his team was to move, I just don't think he is capable of looking at it that way. If he had chosen to leave for a cup contender he thinks fans would have seen him as a traitor or a captain that leaves his sinking ship. Now they are stuck with the captain while they're going down, only to see him leave the ship for retirement this summer. I'm not saying he will call it quits after this season, but, Toronto are stuck in the shit because he could.
I am wondering if Buffalo got a trade offer from Anaheim, because if they did, I can't really see why Campbell wouldn't want to go there since his chances of hoisting the cup later this spring would increase notably. But, San Jose is a contender and for them this is a great trade as Campbell is a potential Norris winner in the future.
Sundin, Forsberg and Campbell aside, the gutsiest move belongs to Bob Gainey and the Montreal Canadiens. They decided to trade goalie Cristobal Huet off to Washington for a 2009 second-round draft pick. With Huet gone, the job of starting goalie now falls on young Carey Price and, while the Habs have been lucky going with rookie goalies, you can't help but wonder if the Canadiens got enough for Huet. It is a good deal for Washington though. Olaf Kolzig isn't getting any younger and with all the young talent they sport they could afford to lose that 2:nd round pick. I will get back to that in a few years when we realize the Habs used that pick to grab some future Hall of Famer.
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6 comments:
The coolest news of late was "Foppas" return to Denver. Bleepin awesome! Can't wait to see him in Avs' threads again. And Foote tagged along too.
I'm really relieved the Bruins didn't get trigger happy today. Standing pat was the right way to go. This team is on the rise.
Last AND least: the sorry story of Nr. 13 in Toronto. I'll try to make this short.
In 1994, Mr. Toronto himself, aka Wendel Clark, passed the torch to Sundin to his own and the entire city's dismay. But Nr. 17 packed his bags without complaining and off he went.
Now, almost 14 years later, it was time for Sundin to do the same but he refused. A paradigm shift has crystallized in T.O. where management and fans have finally realized that rebuilding with youth is the key to long-term success. Trading Sundin was the first step in that plan but he stayed b/c he was legally entitled to do so. Hope the boo-birds welcome you back to the ACC, Captain.
Think I forgot to "sign" my last comment :-)
BFox
Yeah, Boston really kept a low profile this time. Also, I think a lot of people were expecting Brian Burke to make some big moves, but he played it cool and just his already league-best defense even better.
Washington and Colorado are seriously looking at being in the playoffs. Colorado, especially with all their injuries clearing up are looking awesome. I was pretty sure, as were most people I guess, Fedorov was heading back to Detroit but Holland made no block-buster moves this year. I guess he is just waiting for his entire D to heal and they are good to go.
About No. 13, I know what you mean, I just don't think Mats is capable of having such a cynic view of the situation. Don't get me wrong, I agree with you, he should have left (this is why I'm opposed to no-trade/movement clauses all together). I guess it is every clubs wish to have one captain leading the team for decades, collecting a couple of cups along the way and then retire to standing ovations and parades (read Steve Yzerman), but very few can achive that and Toronto has messed up so bad since 94 it's rediculous. They have themselves to blame for this.
Yes, the no-movement clauses should be banned period. It ended up killing the Leafs rebuilding hopes. JFJ was handing these contract types out like candy, to punks like Darcy Tucker for crying out-loud. And Kubina??
What makes the Leafs even more pathetic is that no matter what they do now, no matter how well they play, they will come out empty-handed in the end. Sundin wants to stay so he can rally the troops for a push for 9th. At the same time, the more points they get, the more they distance themselves from the top pick in the summer's draft. So go out there boys, play your hearts out so you can miss not only the post-season but ALSO a top pick. Did I say pathetic?
BFox
Pathetic's word. This is a hockey club, not the frickin' supreme court. When I first heard of the no-trade clauses I figured that was for a few selected players only, those franchise players you build the team around, like Messier or Yzerman (and yes, I guess Sundin qualifies in that category of players had the Maple Leafs actually built the team around him, which they didn't). But in reality, they really are giving this out to any schmuck bold enough to ask for it.
-And eh...put me down for one of those no-trady thingies.
-Yeah, sure...not a problem. Now, you will be on the fourth line ok? Welcome aboard.
With the help of their loyal captain Toronto have set themselves up for yet another disapointing decade.
Exactly, these NT-contracts aren't new, they've been around for some time. But I never realized the magnitude of the number of NHL-ers actually enjoying them: over 170 apparently!
BFox
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