The Habs have 3 DIFFICULT games remaining on their regular season, and it may go down to the wire to determine who makes it to the big dance.
Montreal have 92 points and sit in 7th, 3 ahead of a Rangers team looking to take advantage of a depleted Montreal blueline tonight in what is essentially a 4-point game at MSG.
Then, Montreal heads to Boston for a tough duel with a potential 1st-round opponent in the Bruins.
Should all hell break loose and the Habs need one more game to decide their fates, they will return home (at least) to face a loaded Penguins team, also battling to secure a playoff spot.
I alluded to the Rangers facing a depleted Habs blueline earlier...let me get into detail on that.
First of all, Mikhail Grabovski is an asshole.
Here's a guy who has effectively replaced Darcy Tucker as the city of Montreal's public enemy #1. The guy had harsh words for the team when he was traded away, got into a few altercations with Sergei Kostitsyn, and now, worst of all, hit Andrei Markov from behind and left the vulnerable Markov on the ice after driving his face into the boards/glass. Markov, our leading scorer, will miss 3 weeks.
Apart from that, Mathieu Schneider suffered an injury in the same game vs. Toronto that will force him to miss the ENTIRE season...playoffs included! Just when the powerplay seemed to be injected with life again, our two quarterbacks are out, likely through the first round of the playoffs (if we make it there).
Thanks, Toronto. Sure, we injured your Van Ryn in a game early in the season, but he's no Schneider or Markov! We had also injured your McCabe many moons ago, but quite frankly, we did you a favor.
The game vs the Rangers tonight will be epic. A win, and Montreal will secure 94 points, 42 wins, and a berth in the playoffs! The final spot would be left for NY and Florida to battle for, which is why tonight's game is equally important to NY as it is to the Habs. I recommend not missing the action tonight!
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
The 10-Game Stretch
The Habs are taking fliritng with disaster to a whole new level.
The Canadiens have 10 games remaining on their regular season schedule, and they will have to do very well in that span to be able to add more games to a post-season calendar.
Montreal currently sit on 81 points, just a single point ahead of the 9th seeded Florida Panthers. Thankfully, the Sabres have been almost as bad as Montreal, which has kept them in 10th place with 76 points. Buffalo are currently on a 4-game losing skid, while our Habs have dropped 5 in a row.
And who said the Senators were out of it? They certainly didn't believe it.
The Sens have arguably been the hottest team in the league lately, and are riding 5-games winning streak. Since bringing in Cory Clouston behind the bench, the Sens have been reborn and look like a team again. No longer are they in the Tavares sweepstakes - they are in the playoff hunt. They have 74 points and sit in 11th, 7 points back of the Habs in 8th.
Montreal will have a favorable week ahead of them, facing 3 teams at home who are out of the playoffs as of right now. Tomorrow the Habs entertain the Thrashers, Thursday they welcome Vinny Lecavalier and the Lightning back to town, and then, on Saturday, it's a date with the Sabres, who will surely ride Patrick Lalime on that night as Lalime loves to play the Habs and put on a great performance the last time they met in Buffalo as the Sabres won 5-1.
The Habs certainly could come out of the week with 6 out of 6 possible points...however, games aren't played on paper, and at this point in time, that's EXTREMELY unfortunate.
The Habs have been playing some bad hockey lately, and all of this amidst so many off-ice issues, including the news breaking today of the Gillett family considering options to sell the franchise.
The Habs also demoted Max Pacioretty back to the farm club in Hamilton today, making room for the return of Sergei Kostitsyn. Sergei will play on a line with brother Andrei and Tomas Plekanec centering the two.
The Habs need to go into every game at this point thinking it's a make-it or break-it night ahead of them. Squandering ANY points to any of these teams (perhaps excluding Buffalo) will be a huge failure.
The Canadiens have 10 games remaining on their regular season schedule, and they will have to do very well in that span to be able to add more games to a post-season calendar.
Montreal currently sit on 81 points, just a single point ahead of the 9th seeded Florida Panthers. Thankfully, the Sabres have been almost as bad as Montreal, which has kept them in 10th place with 76 points. Buffalo are currently on a 4-game losing skid, while our Habs have dropped 5 in a row.
And who said the Senators were out of it? They certainly didn't believe it.
The Sens have arguably been the hottest team in the league lately, and are riding 5-games winning streak. Since bringing in Cory Clouston behind the bench, the Sens have been reborn and look like a team again. No longer are they in the Tavares sweepstakes - they are in the playoff hunt. They have 74 points and sit in 11th, 7 points back of the Habs in 8th.
Montreal will have a favorable week ahead of them, facing 3 teams at home who are out of the playoffs as of right now. Tomorrow the Habs entertain the Thrashers, Thursday they welcome Vinny Lecavalier and the Lightning back to town, and then, on Saturday, it's a date with the Sabres, who will surely ride Patrick Lalime on that night as Lalime loves to play the Habs and put on a great performance the last time they met in Buffalo as the Sabres won 5-1.
The Habs certainly could come out of the week with 6 out of 6 possible points...however, games aren't played on paper, and at this point in time, that's EXTREMELY unfortunate.
The Habs have been playing some bad hockey lately, and all of this amidst so many off-ice issues, including the news breaking today of the Gillett family considering options to sell the franchise.
The Habs also demoted Max Pacioretty back to the farm club in Hamilton today, making room for the return of Sergei Kostitsyn. Sergei will play on a line with brother Andrei and Tomas Plekanec centering the two.
The Habs need to go into every game at this point thinking it's a make-it or break-it night ahead of them. Squandering ANY points to any of these teams (perhaps excluding Buffalo) will be a huge failure.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Grooming Don Lever: Good Move?
Alright, so I fell off the horse again...but I'm back now, with an update!
So, as we all know now, Guy Carbonneau was fired as head coach. Replacing him is GM Bob Gainey, and he is currently grooming the only-English speaking Hamilton Bulldogs head coach Don Lever to take over the role.
I love the move.
I also loved Carbo as coach, but a change was needed as the Habs struggled mightily for the most part of the season.
Lever (if he IS to become the Head coach in the near future as is the speculation) would basically be thrust into a role identical to the one Bruce Boudreau is in right now.
Boudreau came up from Washington's AHL affiliate to fill in for the then struggling Glen Hanlon, and, in short time, has gone on to win a Jack Adams award as coach of the year. The young players spent their time in the AHL under Boudreau's watchful eye, and they grew to like him. So, the transition from the AHL to the NHL was a brilliant move for both Boudreau and the Caps organization, and hopefully the same thing could happen right here.
Guys like Price, Halak, Lapierre, Plekanec, Higgins, Komisarek, D'Agostini and Pacioretty, to name a few, all spent time in the AHL under Lever, and they have tremendous respect for him. They certainly had respect for Carbo, but Carbo wasn't the guy showing them confidence at the tender ages of 20, 21 or 22. A bond exists with the coach who prepares you for the call-up to the big leagues...and hopefully they'll want to repay him ten-fold by showing him how well they've matured now at the NHL level.
Of course, there are some issues being dug up by certain media-types already. The main issue, OF COURSE, is the language barrier: Don Lever doesn't speak a word of French.
WHO CARES!!!!!!!!
If he is going to bring the best out of this young team, WHO CARES? If he can possibly lead us to a Stanley Cup the way he led the Bulldogs to a Calder Cup, WHO CARES? What's the big deal about speaking a language that is spoken THE WORLD OVER, and not speaking a language spoken in far fewer districts of the planet? And how about the Markov's or the Kovalev's or the Koivu's and Kostitsyn's of the team? Should THEY demand a Russian, Belarussian or Finnish-speaking head coach? GET OVER YOURSELVES!! Put the team's best interests first! I am so fed up of the French-language-first rule...so fed up.
The Habs have gone 2-2 since the last posting on deadline day, two games which certainly overshadowed the 3-1 win in Dallas. The losses in Buffalo (5-1) and, more-so in Atlanta (2-0) are what did Carbo in. Under Gainey, the Habs used overtime last night to down the visiting Oilers 4-3.
The Habs now gear up for the Islanders tomorrow before hosting the Devils and Martin Brodeur, who could tie Roy's record with a win in his hometown.
So, as we all know now, Guy Carbonneau was fired as head coach. Replacing him is GM Bob Gainey, and he is currently grooming the only-English speaking Hamilton Bulldogs head coach Don Lever to take over the role.
I love the move.
I also loved Carbo as coach, but a change was needed as the Habs struggled mightily for the most part of the season.
Lever (if he IS to become the Head coach in the near future as is the speculation) would basically be thrust into a role identical to the one Bruce Boudreau is in right now.
Boudreau came up from Washington's AHL affiliate to fill in for the then struggling Glen Hanlon, and, in short time, has gone on to win a Jack Adams award as coach of the year. The young players spent their time in the AHL under Boudreau's watchful eye, and they grew to like him. So, the transition from the AHL to the NHL was a brilliant move for both Boudreau and the Caps organization, and hopefully the same thing could happen right here.
Guys like Price, Halak, Lapierre, Plekanec, Higgins, Komisarek, D'Agostini and Pacioretty, to name a few, all spent time in the AHL under Lever, and they have tremendous respect for him. They certainly had respect for Carbo, but Carbo wasn't the guy showing them confidence at the tender ages of 20, 21 or 22. A bond exists with the coach who prepares you for the call-up to the big leagues...and hopefully they'll want to repay him ten-fold by showing him how well they've matured now at the NHL level.
Of course, there are some issues being dug up by certain media-types already. The main issue, OF COURSE, is the language barrier: Don Lever doesn't speak a word of French.
WHO CARES!!!!!!!!
If he is going to bring the best out of this young team, WHO CARES? If he can possibly lead us to a Stanley Cup the way he led the Bulldogs to a Calder Cup, WHO CARES? What's the big deal about speaking a language that is spoken THE WORLD OVER, and not speaking a language spoken in far fewer districts of the planet? And how about the Markov's or the Kovalev's or the Koivu's and Kostitsyn's of the team? Should THEY demand a Russian, Belarussian or Finnish-speaking head coach? GET OVER YOURSELVES!! Put the team's best interests first! I am so fed up of the French-language-first rule...so fed up.
The Habs have gone 2-2 since the last posting on deadline day, two games which certainly overshadowed the 3-1 win in Dallas. The losses in Buffalo (5-1) and, more-so in Atlanta (2-0) are what did Carbo in. Under Gainey, the Habs used overtime last night to down the visiting Oilers 4-3.
The Habs now gear up for the Islanders tomorrow before hosting the Devils and Martin Brodeur, who could tie Roy's record with a win in his hometown.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Habs Make No Moves On Slow D-Day
22 trades sorted from the most recent, down.
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TOR acquires G Olaf Kolzig, D Jamie Heward, D Andy Rogers and a 2009 4th round pick
TB acquires D Richard Petiot
A move that helps TB alleviate some of their financial troubles. The Leafs BASICALLY bought a 4th round pick by acquiring all of Tampa's salary throw-outs, and to make it a legit 'HOCKEY DEAL', they had to send someone the other way, so Richard Petiot was basically dealt for Andy Rogers. Don't look into this one any futher than that. WINNER: Tampa Bay
EDM acquires F Ales Kotalik
BUF acquires 2nd round pick
Solid pickup for Edmonton; Kotalik has all the tools to be a 30-goal scorer in this league, however he just couldn't fully reach that potential in Buffalo. With Edmonton, he becomes another trigger-man to take some of the load off of Sheldon Souray on the powerplay. WINNER: Edmonton
EDM acquires F Patrick O'Sullivan
CAR acquires F Erik Cole, 5ht round pick
LA acquires F Justin Williams
What an awesome deal!! I truly love this deal for all parties involved: Erik Cole returns to the team that made him the power forward he is today...now, all he had to do is forget his stint in Edmonton, and get back to his successful, hard-nosed ways. Edmonton in turn gets an L.A. product in Patrick O'Sullivan. Sully was emerging as a decent forward with L.A., and was looking like he was going to get the increased responsibility soon with Alexander Frolov's name being tossed around in many rumors. Well, Frolov stayed, and Edmonton gained. The Oilers acquire a young, highly touted young player who brings a full skill-set and great speed. The L.A. Kings received sniper Justin Williams in the deal. Williams, currently injured, is capable of scoring 30+ goals in this league on a regular basis...he'll just have to catch a lucky break and not get injured. A change of scenery seemed best for Williams, whose current season with Carolina has been an injury-plagued nightmare. In L.A., he can take a great load of stress off of young Anze Kopitar, as they can share the scoring burden amongst themselves and Frolov. Williams quick-release will be a vital asset for a team with soooo much young talent...LA is a team to watch over the next year or two...WINNER: EVERYONE!
SJ acquires F Travis Moen and D Kent Huskins
ANA acquires F Nick Bonino G Timo Pielmeier and a conditional 4th round pick
A divisional coup realized by the Sharks as they pry away some key role players from their rivals the Ducks. Moen brings a more established pedigree at 3rd line center, and will take a load off the not-quite-ready Tomas Plihal in that role. On the backend, Huskins rounds out a solid defensive core consisting of talented two-way youngsters Vlasic and Ehrhoff, veteran cup champions Boyle, Blake and Lukowich. Huskins and Murray become defensemen 6 and 6A, and Alexei Semenov should (thankfully) suffer the most from this acquisition. Both men are UFA at season's end. WINNER: San Jose
CHI acquires F Samuel Pahlsson D Logan Stephenson and a conditional pick
ANA acquires D James Wisniewski and F Petri Kontiola
The unloading continued in Anaheim as the Ducks got rid of their main checking center Sami Pahlsson and a prospect + pick to Chicago. The Blackhawks made it clear prior to the days events that the wanted an upgrade from Craig Adams at the checking center position, and they indeed got it by nabbing a premier checker who really made a name for himself en route to Anaheim's 2007 cup win. He'll be UFA at season's end. In exchange, the Ducks got defensive-turned-offensive defenseman James Wisniewski and prospect Petri Kontiola. Not much is known about the latter, but 'Wiz' brings an element of toughness and offense, and will compliment the injured Beauchemin nicely once he heals up. The loss of Steve Montador earlier in the day made this trade necessary. Wiz was pretty much the odd-ball on a young and uber-talented D-line in Chicago, with the emergence of Cam Barker this season - FINALLY. WINNER: Chicago
PHI acquires D Kyle McLaren
SJ acquires 6th round pick
The Sharks had McLaren in Worcester of the AHL all year due to salary constraints, and now, McLaren finally has the chance to make his way back up to the big leagues. However, Philly is already stacked in both salary and on the backend. Not sure what the Flyers will do here. San Jose simply did well to save money. NO WINNER
CLB acquires G Kevin Lalande
CGY acquires 4th round pick
Depth move at most for Columbus; the loss of Leclaire needs to eventually be filled. WINNER: Columbus
TB acquires D Noah Welch and a 3rd round pick
FLA acquires D Steve Eminger
Eminger's tour of the Southeast Division has already seen three out of five stops already. The Caps draft pick moved to Philly, then to Tampa Bay, and now to Florida. The Panthers acquire a one-time bluechip defensman who never quite panned out to his potential, but showed great progress with his stay in Tampa. The Bolts used him upwards of 26 minutes a game there, and, should he continue his development, can turn out to be a steal for the Cats. Welch, a former Penguins draftee, has been oft-injured but is finally healthy. He, too, was once a bluechipper, but plays a more defensive game than Eminger. WINNER: Florida.
BUF acquires F Dominic Moore
TOR acquires 2nd round pick
Moore's stock really rose with his lay-over in T.O., and the Sabres have now taken a chance on him to center their checking line. Moore also displayed the ability to create plays and finish chances in Toronto...perhaps the emergence of a high-end two-way forward in the making? Time will tell... great risk for Buffalo. WINNER: Buffalo
ANA acquires F Erik Christensen
ATL acquires F Eric O'Dell
Not sure if I like this one too much. Christensen's talent is high-end; he can do things with the puck that make it seem like he's got it on a string tied to his blade. But, he isn't all that great on the ice in a competitve environment. He does have the capabilities to get better, he'll just have to apply them soon. For now, the Ducks basically swapped an apple for an apple by exhchanging Morrison (waivers to Dallas) for Christensen.
NYR acquires D Derek Morris
PHX acquires F Petr Prucha, F Nigel Dawes and D Dmitri Kalinin
Phoenix landed 3 NHL ready players for a defensmen who has just 12 points in 57 games this season. The 30-year old impending UFA heads to New York, where the circus is set to roll in very shortly as Sean Avery will make his return to the Blueshirts (and NHL). Morris brings an agressive touch to the backline and will notably look to relieve Wade Redden of the immense stress he has in the first year of his new 6-year pact. The Coyotes land a pair of solid second-line offensive wingers in Dawes and Prucha. Dawes is more of a speedster, whereas Prucha is slightly the better sniper (although the stats this season don't prove it). Added in is the failed FA signing Kalinin, who in my opinion needed this change to re-discover his game. He can be a solid 3-or-4 defensive d-man. WINNER: Phoenix
NYR acquires F Nikolai Antropov
TOR acquires 2nd round pick and conditional draft pick
The Rangers won the Antropov sweepstakes (wow, Antropov in a SWEEPSTAKES...shows the talent availbe at center this year!) Antropov's task is ahead of him in crystal-clear writing: INFUSE OFFENSE! The Rangers are one of the lowest scoring teams in the league, and would likely be out of a race if it weren't for King Henrik Lundqvist's play. Antropov isn't the best of character guys, but that's not what they need. He'll need to keep it simple: Put up, or shut up, all the while trying to stay HEALTHY. Good luck. WINNER: New York
PHI acquires F Daniel Carcillo
PHX acquires F Scottie Upshall and 2nd round pick
My initial thoughts: Why did they let go of Downie then? The Flyers acquired talented, agressive F Dan Carcillo from Phoenix, only a couple of months after unloading Steve Downie to Tampa...same game shared by those two, exactly (although Carcillo is less of a psycho, he doesn't really take runs at guys). The Coyotes managed to land a great young forward in Upshall, who was in a very crowded forward system in Philly and was never going to excel. Upshall can slide right into a 2nd or even 1st line role in Phoenix, and I expect he reacts VEYR well. WINNER: Phoenix
PIT acquires F Bill Guerin
NYI acquires conditional 5th round pick
Billy Guerin is going to bring his veteran presence to a team that really needs it in Pittsburgh. Kunitz is doing fine (for now) with Malkin, so Guerin may see some action alongside Sid the Kid. His goalscoring ability will help Crosby simplify his game, and focus on what he does best: playmaking. Pittsburgh made the right move today, and may have secured their playoff spot in doing so. WINNER: Pittsburgh
BOS acquires F Mark Recchi and 2nd round pick
TB acquires D Matt Lashoff and F Martins Karsums
The veteran Recchi makes his way onto a talented yet VERY physical team in Boston, a circumstance he may not be all that familiar with. Nevertheless, Recchi brings poise and will be a vital cog to the locker-room relations once the Bruins enter the playoffs. His leadership in the room will surpass any example he manages to set on the ice, and his presence alone may help the young Bruins get by a potentially long series. They part ways with a great prospect in Matt Lashoff, who will make the jump immediately in Tampa to full-time NHLer. He shows signs of a polished two-way game, which will replace Eminger's role. WINNER: Boston
CGY acquires F Olli Jokinen and 3rd round pick
PHX acquires F Matthew Lombardi, F Brandon Prust and 1st round pick
A year delayed, but done none the less. Jokinen finally makes his way to Calgary, as many of us expected at the same time last year. He'll want to forget about his stay in Phoenix, which can be understated as such: DISAPPOINTING. The knock on Jokinen is his character; however, the Flames are all mentally mature, and under Keenan, it won't fly. Jokinen will basically be in boot camp, and I feel that it's going to pay off for the Flames big time. Look for Jokinen to become more aggressive on the ice, and everyone will benefit for it in Calgary. Flames made huge strides out West today. The Coyotes pick up another speedster in Lombardi, and have a power forward in the making with Prust. Great move for them too, but Jokinen is too much to vote against...He'll taste playoff action for the first time in his career! WINNER: Calgary
BOS acquires D Steve Montador
ANA acquires F Petteri Nokelainen
Bruins solidify their defense further with the acquisition of Montador - highly under-rated. Montador showed in Anaheim that he could not only keep puks out of his net, but he can put some in the other, or at least set some up. He saw regular powerplay time and responded very well, and that will be a plus for Boston in the playoffs should a guy like Chara or Wideman lose his groove. Nokelainen is a talented forward going to Anaheim, with his best years ways ahead of him. WINNER: Boston
BUF acquires G Mikael Tellqvist
PHX acquires 4th round pick
Another depth move here as Miller is out with injury. Lalime should see the bulk of starts, but Tellqvist will play his fair share, and finally, for a team that has a fanbase who actually cares.
WINNER: Buffalo
PIT acquires D Andy Wozniewski
STL acquires D Danny Richmond
Depth swap...no biggie. NO WINNER
CGY acquires D Jordan Leopold
COL acquires D Lawrence Nycholat, D Ryan Wilson and 2nd round pick
Jordan Leopold returns to the team he spent 2002-2006 with, and brings with him a cheap $1.5 million tag. Leopold is an under-rated, smooth skating puck moving defenseman who will relieve young Adam Pardy a little bit. He also brings some experience to the playoffs, having played in 40 playoff games, 26 of which came with Calgary back in 03-04 when the lost in the finals in seven games to the eventual champion Lightning. WINNER: Calgary
OTT acquires G Pascal Leclaire, 2nd round pick
CLB acquires F Antoine Vermette
Ottawa gets a solid young goaltender for the first time ever I believe (Hasek's stay wasn't all that incredible). Leclaire had 9 shutouts last season but hasn't played very much this year due to injury. Columbus gets an established and coveted 2-way forward who can play at C or W and in every situation on the ice. Elliott is good, not yet great, so this could be a nice boost for the Senators starting next year, as he will miss the remainder of this season with the ankle injury. WINNER: Ottawa
*Waiver Moves: Brendan Morrison to DAL from ANA; Martin Gerber to TOR from OTT (re-entry), Erik Reitz to TOR from NYR; Craig Adams to PIT from CHI.
** Gary Roberts, Eric Perrin and Miro Satan cleared waivers.
The Montreal Canadiens stood pat on D-day, ultimately deciding that the acquisitions of Schneider and Metropolit sufficed. Also, Tanguay will return soon, he who has been out of action since December 30th. His return will also feel like a free agent signing...it's been that long.
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TOR acquires G Olaf Kolzig, D Jamie Heward, D Andy Rogers and a 2009 4th round pick
TB acquires D Richard Petiot
A move that helps TB alleviate some of their financial troubles. The Leafs BASICALLY bought a 4th round pick by acquiring all of Tampa's salary throw-outs, and to make it a legit 'HOCKEY DEAL', they had to send someone the other way, so Richard Petiot was basically dealt for Andy Rogers. Don't look into this one any futher than that. WINNER: Tampa Bay
EDM acquires F Ales Kotalik
BUF acquires 2nd round pick
Solid pickup for Edmonton; Kotalik has all the tools to be a 30-goal scorer in this league, however he just couldn't fully reach that potential in Buffalo. With Edmonton, he becomes another trigger-man to take some of the load off of Sheldon Souray on the powerplay. WINNER: Edmonton
EDM acquires F Patrick O'Sullivan
CAR acquires F Erik Cole, 5ht round pick
LA acquires F Justin Williams
What an awesome deal!! I truly love this deal for all parties involved: Erik Cole returns to the team that made him the power forward he is today...now, all he had to do is forget his stint in Edmonton, and get back to his successful, hard-nosed ways. Edmonton in turn gets an L.A. product in Patrick O'Sullivan. Sully was emerging as a decent forward with L.A., and was looking like he was going to get the increased responsibility soon with Alexander Frolov's name being tossed around in many rumors. Well, Frolov stayed, and Edmonton gained. The Oilers acquire a young, highly touted young player who brings a full skill-set and great speed. The L.A. Kings received sniper Justin Williams in the deal. Williams, currently injured, is capable of scoring 30+ goals in this league on a regular basis...he'll just have to catch a lucky break and not get injured. A change of scenery seemed best for Williams, whose current season with Carolina has been an injury-plagued nightmare. In L.A., he can take a great load of stress off of young Anze Kopitar, as they can share the scoring burden amongst themselves and Frolov. Williams quick-release will be a vital asset for a team with soooo much young talent...LA is a team to watch over the next year or two...WINNER: EVERYONE!
SJ acquires F Travis Moen and D Kent Huskins
ANA acquires F Nick Bonino G Timo Pielmeier and a conditional 4th round pick
A divisional coup realized by the Sharks as they pry away some key role players from their rivals the Ducks. Moen brings a more established pedigree at 3rd line center, and will take a load off the not-quite-ready Tomas Plihal in that role. On the backend, Huskins rounds out a solid defensive core consisting of talented two-way youngsters Vlasic and Ehrhoff, veteran cup champions Boyle, Blake and Lukowich. Huskins and Murray become defensemen 6 and 6A, and Alexei Semenov should (thankfully) suffer the most from this acquisition. Both men are UFA at season's end. WINNER: San Jose
CHI acquires F Samuel Pahlsson D Logan Stephenson and a conditional pick
ANA acquires D James Wisniewski and F Petri Kontiola
The unloading continued in Anaheim as the Ducks got rid of their main checking center Sami Pahlsson and a prospect + pick to Chicago. The Blackhawks made it clear prior to the days events that the wanted an upgrade from Craig Adams at the checking center position, and they indeed got it by nabbing a premier checker who really made a name for himself en route to Anaheim's 2007 cup win. He'll be UFA at season's end. In exchange, the Ducks got defensive-turned-offensive defenseman James Wisniewski and prospect Petri Kontiola. Not much is known about the latter, but 'Wiz' brings an element of toughness and offense, and will compliment the injured Beauchemin nicely once he heals up. The loss of Steve Montador earlier in the day made this trade necessary. Wiz was pretty much the odd-ball on a young and uber-talented D-line in Chicago, with the emergence of Cam Barker this season - FINALLY. WINNER: Chicago
PHI acquires D Kyle McLaren
SJ acquires 6th round pick
The Sharks had McLaren in Worcester of the AHL all year due to salary constraints, and now, McLaren finally has the chance to make his way back up to the big leagues. However, Philly is already stacked in both salary and on the backend. Not sure what the Flyers will do here. San Jose simply did well to save money. NO WINNER
CLB acquires G Kevin Lalande
CGY acquires 4th round pick
Depth move at most for Columbus; the loss of Leclaire needs to eventually be filled. WINNER: Columbus
TB acquires D Noah Welch and a 3rd round pick
FLA acquires D Steve Eminger
Eminger's tour of the Southeast Division has already seen three out of five stops already. The Caps draft pick moved to Philly, then to Tampa Bay, and now to Florida. The Panthers acquire a one-time bluechip defensman who never quite panned out to his potential, but showed great progress with his stay in Tampa. The Bolts used him upwards of 26 minutes a game there, and, should he continue his development, can turn out to be a steal for the Cats. Welch, a former Penguins draftee, has been oft-injured but is finally healthy. He, too, was once a bluechipper, but plays a more defensive game than Eminger. WINNER: Florida.
BUF acquires F Dominic Moore
TOR acquires 2nd round pick
Moore's stock really rose with his lay-over in T.O., and the Sabres have now taken a chance on him to center their checking line. Moore also displayed the ability to create plays and finish chances in Toronto...perhaps the emergence of a high-end two-way forward in the making? Time will tell... great risk for Buffalo. WINNER: Buffalo
ANA acquires F Erik Christensen
ATL acquires F Eric O'Dell
Not sure if I like this one too much. Christensen's talent is high-end; he can do things with the puck that make it seem like he's got it on a string tied to his blade. But, he isn't all that great on the ice in a competitve environment. He does have the capabilities to get better, he'll just have to apply them soon. For now, the Ducks basically swapped an apple for an apple by exhchanging Morrison (waivers to Dallas) for Christensen.
NYR acquires D Derek Morris
PHX acquires F Petr Prucha, F Nigel Dawes and D Dmitri Kalinin
Phoenix landed 3 NHL ready players for a defensmen who has just 12 points in 57 games this season. The 30-year old impending UFA heads to New York, where the circus is set to roll in very shortly as Sean Avery will make his return to the Blueshirts (and NHL). Morris brings an agressive touch to the backline and will notably look to relieve Wade Redden of the immense stress he has in the first year of his new 6-year pact. The Coyotes land a pair of solid second-line offensive wingers in Dawes and Prucha. Dawes is more of a speedster, whereas Prucha is slightly the better sniper (although the stats this season don't prove it). Added in is the failed FA signing Kalinin, who in my opinion needed this change to re-discover his game. He can be a solid 3-or-4 defensive d-man. WINNER: Phoenix
NYR acquires F Nikolai Antropov
TOR acquires 2nd round pick and conditional draft pick
The Rangers won the Antropov sweepstakes (wow, Antropov in a SWEEPSTAKES...shows the talent availbe at center this year!) Antropov's task is ahead of him in crystal-clear writing: INFUSE OFFENSE! The Rangers are one of the lowest scoring teams in the league, and would likely be out of a race if it weren't for King Henrik Lundqvist's play. Antropov isn't the best of character guys, but that's not what they need. He'll need to keep it simple: Put up, or shut up, all the while trying to stay HEALTHY. Good luck. WINNER: New York
PHI acquires F Daniel Carcillo
PHX acquires F Scottie Upshall and 2nd round pick
My initial thoughts: Why did they let go of Downie then? The Flyers acquired talented, agressive F Dan Carcillo from Phoenix, only a couple of months after unloading Steve Downie to Tampa...same game shared by those two, exactly (although Carcillo is less of a psycho, he doesn't really take runs at guys). The Coyotes managed to land a great young forward in Upshall, who was in a very crowded forward system in Philly and was never going to excel. Upshall can slide right into a 2nd or even 1st line role in Phoenix, and I expect he reacts VEYR well. WINNER: Phoenix
PIT acquires F Bill Guerin
NYI acquires conditional 5th round pick
Billy Guerin is going to bring his veteran presence to a team that really needs it in Pittsburgh. Kunitz is doing fine (for now) with Malkin, so Guerin may see some action alongside Sid the Kid. His goalscoring ability will help Crosby simplify his game, and focus on what he does best: playmaking. Pittsburgh made the right move today, and may have secured their playoff spot in doing so. WINNER: Pittsburgh
BOS acquires F Mark Recchi and 2nd round pick
TB acquires D Matt Lashoff and F Martins Karsums
The veteran Recchi makes his way onto a talented yet VERY physical team in Boston, a circumstance he may not be all that familiar with. Nevertheless, Recchi brings poise and will be a vital cog to the locker-room relations once the Bruins enter the playoffs. His leadership in the room will surpass any example he manages to set on the ice, and his presence alone may help the young Bruins get by a potentially long series. They part ways with a great prospect in Matt Lashoff, who will make the jump immediately in Tampa to full-time NHLer. He shows signs of a polished two-way game, which will replace Eminger's role. WINNER: Boston
CGY acquires F Olli Jokinen and 3rd round pick
PHX acquires F Matthew Lombardi, F Brandon Prust and 1st round pick
A year delayed, but done none the less. Jokinen finally makes his way to Calgary, as many of us expected at the same time last year. He'll want to forget about his stay in Phoenix, which can be understated as such: DISAPPOINTING. The knock on Jokinen is his character; however, the Flames are all mentally mature, and under Keenan, it won't fly. Jokinen will basically be in boot camp, and I feel that it's going to pay off for the Flames big time. Look for Jokinen to become more aggressive on the ice, and everyone will benefit for it in Calgary. Flames made huge strides out West today. The Coyotes pick up another speedster in Lombardi, and have a power forward in the making with Prust. Great move for them too, but Jokinen is too much to vote against...He'll taste playoff action for the first time in his career! WINNER: Calgary
BOS acquires D Steve Montador
ANA acquires F Petteri Nokelainen
Bruins solidify their defense further with the acquisition of Montador - highly under-rated. Montador showed in Anaheim that he could not only keep puks out of his net, but he can put some in the other, or at least set some up. He saw regular powerplay time and responded very well, and that will be a plus for Boston in the playoffs should a guy like Chara or Wideman lose his groove. Nokelainen is a talented forward going to Anaheim, with his best years ways ahead of him. WINNER: Boston
BUF acquires G Mikael Tellqvist
PHX acquires 4th round pick
Another depth move here as Miller is out with injury. Lalime should see the bulk of starts, but Tellqvist will play his fair share, and finally, for a team that has a fanbase who actually cares.
WINNER: Buffalo
PIT acquires D Andy Wozniewski
STL acquires D Danny Richmond
Depth swap...no biggie. NO WINNER
CGY acquires D Jordan Leopold
COL acquires D Lawrence Nycholat, D Ryan Wilson and 2nd round pick
Jordan Leopold returns to the team he spent 2002-2006 with, and brings with him a cheap $1.5 million tag. Leopold is an under-rated, smooth skating puck moving defenseman who will relieve young Adam Pardy a little bit. He also brings some experience to the playoffs, having played in 40 playoff games, 26 of which came with Calgary back in 03-04 when the lost in the finals in seven games to the eventual champion Lightning. WINNER: Calgary
OTT acquires G Pascal Leclaire, 2nd round pick
CLB acquires F Antoine Vermette
Ottawa gets a solid young goaltender for the first time ever I believe (Hasek's stay wasn't all that incredible). Leclaire had 9 shutouts last season but hasn't played very much this year due to injury. Columbus gets an established and coveted 2-way forward who can play at C or W and in every situation on the ice. Elliott is good, not yet great, so this could be a nice boost for the Senators starting next year, as he will miss the remainder of this season with the ankle injury. WINNER: Ottawa
*Waiver Moves: Brendan Morrison to DAL from ANA; Martin Gerber to TOR from OTT (re-entry), Erik Reitz to TOR from NYR; Craig Adams to PIT from CHI.
** Gary Roberts, Eric Perrin and Miro Satan cleared waivers.
The Montreal Canadiens stood pat on D-day, ultimately deciding that the acquisitions of Schneider and Metropolit sufficed. Also, Tanguay will return soon, he who has been out of action since December 30th. His return will also feel like a free agent signing...it's been that long.
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