MLB - Season Predictions - AL WEST
04.01.04 (1:15 am) [edit]
MLB - With Opening Day just around the corner....wait...you're telling me Opening Day was Monday? I didn't see it....it was on at 5 am? I don't even get up until 8:30! Ok with Opening Day....wait. There's an Opening Night now too? Hey Bud, it's time to fire whom ever is making up your schedules because he's a moron. Folks, there should only be ONE Opening Day and it should be in Cincy - not Toyko or Edo or whatever. Opening Day for some teams should not come almost a week before everyone else opens up. Opening Day is like a religous holiday folks. Hell, I'd rather celebrate it than Easter. Chocolate bunnys and Jesus don't hold a candle to the first pitch of the season. [i]"Are you saying Jesus Christ can't hit a curveball?" [/i] Jesus may be able to hit the breaking ball but I'd rather see Sammy hit the breaking ball out of the park. No offense to Jesus or the diety of your choice but if there's no baseball in Heaven, Fuck it. You people complain that the players can hit homeruns 450 feet and are on steroids, well Jesus walked on water and turned shit into bread and wine - you can't tell me HE wasn't on something.
Enough pissing off the nuns and the fanatics in my audience but really Opening Day means a lot to me. It means a lot to America. It means a lot to every baseball fan IN America. Don't go trying to ruin it and make more profit out it by having a cheap knock-off of it in Japan or the night before. That's next to sacreligious. I hate to agree with darn near everyone here but baseball should not be opening any where else.
Enough pissing off Jesus, enough rambling - on to my MLB predictions - which I'm sure will be highly debated and may piss off even more people.
[b]AL WEST[/b]
You know, I have to be with the general consenus here. The [b]Anaheim Angels[/b] are in a tier up there with Boston and New York. They went out and they spent money to add to basically the same team that won the 2002 World Series. [b]Vladimir Guerrero[/b], a top-notch player in the National League joins [b]Garret Anderson[/b] and [b]Jose Gullien[/b] to form what could be the most productive outfield in the majors. Anderson may start the season on the DL (or back in left field instead of center) but when he gets healthy, there's few better. For the longest time G.A. has been one of the more underrated players in the game, now everyone knows who he is and its time for him to shine. I am only slightly worried about Vlad's adjustment to the pitching of a new league and there's a chance his numbers could slightly drop off but he's an elite talent who can hit off of anyone so my worries aren't as large.
[b]Darian Erstad[/b] says his hamstring feels fine at first base and there's no reason to doubt him as he's looked great defensely at first though I do wonder how long it'll take him to run into the wall and over the railing while chasing a foul pop-up. Tim Salmon seems like he's been in Anaheim forever - wait, [i]you mean he has been in Anaheim forever [/i]? At least they're moving Salmon to DH on a full-time basis. It's painful enough watching him run around the bases now, let alone seeing him field the outfield. [b]Troy Glaus[/b] is finally healthy once more and that's good news for the Halos. He also had laser-eye surgery in the offseason - can you say 'uh-no!' AL pitching sure can.
[b]Bengie Molina [/b] has won two straight Gold Gloves and yet the Angels still want to replace him with uber-prospect [b]Jeff Mathias[/b]? I've never seen Mathias play so I apologize if I'm ignorant here but I'm going to say he's probably not as good defensively as Molina. When you have the hitters the Angels do, you don't worry if your catcher is a career .267 hitter. I suspect Adam Kennedy's stats to go up this year now that the one-time trade bait now has a three-year contract (aka security) and no more Benji Gil breathing down his neck. Some think he's the best defensive 2nd baseman in the league right now. And how is [b]David Eckstein[/b] still in baseball? I love Eck and all after that amazing 2002 World Series run but is there a worse defensive short stop out there (don't answer that) and his hitting doesn't quite make up for it. Throw in the leg injuries he's gone through and I think we'll either see the Angels acquire a SS or deem speedy [b]Alfredo Amezaga[/b] ready.
While I feel the Angels overpaid for [b]Kelvim Escobar[/b] and I think we maybe overrating [b]Bartolo Colon[/b] just a tad bit as an ace, their additions certainly help a poor rotation. [b]Jarrod Washburn[/b] hopefully is healthy from all the nicks he received last year. Despite all the injuries, he still pitched over 200 innings and delivered the staff's best ERA. Their fourth-starter has enough moxie to have started Game 7 of a World Series. [b]John Lackey [/b]gave up 31 homeruns and lost 16 games last year and a generally all-around sucky year but folks, look at his September ERA. If he can carry that momentum into this season, he'll be fine. [b]Roman Ortiz[/b] fills out the rotation despite having an ERA over 7 this spring training. That shows you how badly the Angels want rid of [b]Aaron Sele[/b] doesn't it? What ever happened to both Ortiz and Sele (well besides a rotator cuff injury)? yeesh.
Closer [b]Troy Precival[/b] has a new throwing style but he still saved 20 in-a-row last year. Brendan Donnelly is having one hell of a time in Spring training getting hit in the face with a fly-ball (yeah I said fly-ball) but [b]Fransisco Rodriquez[/b] could be just as effective as the all-star reliever.
As much as I like the Angels out West, I wouldn't bet agains the [b]Athletics[/b] and I can name five reasons: [b]Tim Hudson[/b], [b]Barry Zito[/b], [b]Mark Mulder[/b],[b] Mark Redman[/b] and [b]Rich Harden[/b]. Everyone makes such a big deal out of the Cubs and Astros and both of their rotations but since when did these five just get horrible all of a sudden? You still wouldn't want to face their top three in a playoff series, trust me. You may want a better closer than [b]Arthur Rhodes[/b] but there's not much they can do about it now.
The Athletics flat out stole [b]Mark Kotsay[/b] from the Padres. Ok well they did have to give up Roman Hernandez but the A's were smart in grabbing [b]Damian Miller [/b]from the Cubs to shore up their catcher spot. Kotsay's back may still be a problem but he's probably a better lead-off choice than the departed Long. [b]Bobby Kietley[/b], providing the desperate need for left-handed power and [b]Eric Byrnes[/b] will platoon in left but Kietley's a switch-hitter and Byrnes is in the ire of bench-boss Ken Macha for mistakes while running so Kietley could wind up as the full-time LF. [b]Jermaine Dye[/b] was once one of my favorite players so here's to rebounding from a God-awful 2003. He increased his off-season training supposedly. [b]Eric Chavez[/b] may not be "the best 3rd basemen I've ever seen" but he's still damn good - just as long as he's in against right-handed pitching. He's only 26 though so maybe this is the year where he starts to hit lefties.
[b]Eric Karros[/b], [b]Scott Hatteberg[/b] and [b]Erubeil Duzaro[/b] all get to compete for first and DH. Karros probably is the only one of the three that can field though. I was a huge Hatteberg fan when he was coming up as a catcher in the Boston system but now his back is starting to affect his hitting. Duzaro's supposed to have broken-out how many times by now? 21 HRs and 77 RBIs was a nice season but .259 makes me sick. Let's pray this IS the year he puts up the monster season we all know he's capable of.
[b]Bobby Crosby[/b] isn't [b]Miguel Tejada[/b] - no matter how good of a prospect he is. I keep hearing about how the A's won't miss Tejada and all this but at least Tejada's played a full season in the majors. When I'm looking at a dog-fight for a post-season berth, I'd rather take expeirence if the talent is close to equal. Is Crosby good? Gary Scott was suposed to be good. I have no doubt most of you will say Crosby for Rookie of the Year but me, I'm a bit skeptical. He's had a good spring though but he's replacing one hell of a player.
Does anyone have a ****ing clue who's going to play second with [b]Mark Ellis[/b] out the year now? Frank Menechino can't possibly have the job and [b]Marco Scutaro[/b] is garbage. It's a big question mark for the Athletics at the moment.
Between Texas and the Mariners, give me Seattle. As much as I hate the Mariners at times, Texas is still a team that needs a couple more years. Plus [b]Bret Boone[/b], [b]Ichiro[/b], [b]Edgar Martinez[/b] and [b]John Olerud[/b] are still in Seattle. Grabbing Rich Aurilla was an interesting move. He's definately not as good defensively as the departed Carlos Guillen and he's new to AL pitching and he doesn't have Barry Bonds in this line-up - in fact he'll probably be batting in the two-hole this year. Should be an interesting year for Rich. Boone's in a contract year so watch him have another monster season. [b]Raul Ibanez[/b] rejoins the M's after breaking out with the Royals. He did absolutely nothing in his first tour of duty with the team but that was while they were in the Kingdome. Safeco Field is a different story and Ibanez's left-handed power should be on display now.
Would [b]Ben Davis[/b] win a starting catching job already for the LOVE OF GOD!! You're trying to beat out [b]Dan Wilson[/b] for fucking Christ sake (continuing the theme that I'm going to hell.) As a closet-Padres fan, I'm thankfully every day they got rid of that pile of garbage. Ben, let me not hold anything back and tell you how I REALLY feel - YOU STINK!
The rest of the line-up looks ho-hum. [b]Randy Winn[/b] throws and bats like a girl. I don't care if you can run like the wind, the way you throw, people could probably tag up at first and go all the way to third with you in left. [b]Scott Spiezo[/b] plays returns to third - when the hell has Spiezo ever played third? He came up as one but there's a reason they moved him so this one should be fun. I'm a huge Jeff Crillo fan but even I have to say it's a good thing he and the Mariners parted ways.
The pitching staff runs [b]Jamie Moyer,[/b] [b]Joel Pineiro[/b], [b]Freddy Garcia[/b], [b]Ryan Franklin[/b] and finally [b]Gil Meche[/b]. You can't hate Moyer and Garcia should have his eardrum injury under wraps. In fact if Garcia doesn't flirt with winning 20 games this year, I'll eat a ream of paper or a hat or whatever. Pineiro has a killer breaking ball but did anyone happen to see his plummet in Augest? 8.30 and 0-5 ouch. Franklin is becoming one more favorite pitchers - who else do you know (other than Kevin Brown) who has like 7 pitches? Meche should already be a top-notch pitcher but fate and injuries made him miss two whole years. Let's hope he'll have two healty years in a row now.
One thing the M's do have is a nice bullpen. I may tend to overrate [b]Shigotoshi Hasegawa[/b] but "Every-day" [b]Eddie Guardado[/b] and [b]Rafeal Soraino[/b] are definitely two relievers I'd like to avoid if I'm hitting.
The Rangers do have [b]Hank Blalock[/b] and [b]Mark Teixeira[/b] going for them. It's never bad when you already have your franchise cornerstones for the next 10+ years on the corners of your infield already. [b]Alfonso Soriano[/b] gets to stay at second base which may be better than seeing him try to play short. Soriano will be alright at the plate though. I'm a little pissed they made [b]Michael Young[/b] move to short but as I said, Soriano at short might have been an ugly adventure. If Young can continue to improve his batting average and make the transistion to short smoothly, the Rangers have a pretty darn good infield folks. Though that is a lot to ask of Young.
Anyone remember when [b]Einar Diaz[/b] was considered an up-and-coming solid catcher? Well he's turned into a liability. And with the pitching staff the Rangers have - it may be a long season. It's either Diaz or the rookie, [b]Gerald Laird[/b], who I know only a small amount about - any Texas fans care to fill me in on a scouting report?
[b]Ken Mench[/b] could be good, just those wrist injuries haven't let us see him at full potential. [b]Laynce Nix[/b] and vet [b]Eric Young[/b] will battle at center. Personally, I say move Nix away from center to left and keep Young in for his basestealing. [b]Brian Jordan[/b] takes over in right. While he's not Gonzo and his knees are definitely gone, I'll be rooting for BJ. Looking at his lack of spring training at-bats I just wonder if he's just there to provide leadership on the bench rather than to play. I'm going to doubt he'll be able to play every-day at 37. [b]Brad Fullmer[/b] comes in as the DH and you've got to be wondering if he's living off of one good year in 2000. Though as a left-hander, he'll have an advantage in the 81 games they play in Arlington.
I look at their pitching roster and immediately I remark - "[b]Kenny Rogers[/b] is still alive?" And let's face it, [b]Chan Ho Park[/b] is horrible. Ok, he was good with the Dodgers and you can say it was the ballpark but he's starting to get his velocity back once again so who knows, maybe the third year is the charm in Texas? I wouldn't bet on it but I'm just saying. [b]Glendon Rusch[/b] fits into the rotation somewhere as the left hander but even that's not a garuentee. I look at the other names on the list and honestly I don't recognize a single one beyond [b]Jeff Nelson[/b], [b]Colby Lewis[/b] and [b]Fransisco Coredero[/b]. And if I'm not recgonizing nearly half of your pitching staff - that's a bad, bad sign.
So here we
1. Anaheim
2. Oakland
3. Seattle
4. Texas
Pretty much the general consenus for the AL West. Join me tomorrow as we look at the AL Central albeit probably a less in-depth look than I did here. Honestly, I didn't have a plan when I started this - I just started at Anaheim's roster and typing out my feelings on the players - read a couple newspaper articles and kept going. Really didn't think I'd go this far with each team. So hopefully you'll enjoy the work I put into the West but I warn you, I'll breeze through the other divisions next making only a couple comments for each team.
Remember, I'm still accepting MAIL BAG entries so if you want to email me a question or topic (see 'possible Q and A' as well as 'MAIL CALL' articles in the past week) you can do so at dynamitehack91 @ yahoo. com. All email is welcome and I'll be glad to answer it all on here or at least as much as I can.
COMMENTS POLL for the day - Not only who do you think is going to win the AL WEST but what about the AL CENTRAL? The Royals are definitely dark horses again but you can't bet out the Twins yet. The White Soxs have a new attitude but do they have enough talent to win it? The Indians will be good in a couple seasons but can any one name their starting line-up without looking? And do you really think the Tigers can even improve 20 games to get even to the 60+ wins level, let alone the 80-90 wins it's going to take to compete in the Central.
P.S. Off the top of my head for the Indians - Martinez at catcher, Broussand and Hafner at 1st/DH, Belliard at 2nd, Omar Vizquel still at SS, Matt Lawton, Milton Bradley, Jody Gerut fill the outfield. Goddamn I'm good but sue me if I don't know who the fuck their third basemen is. I didn't better than 99% of Americas outside of Cleveland.
Enough pissing off the nuns and the fanatics in my audience but really Opening Day means a lot to me. It means a lot to America. It means a lot to every baseball fan IN America. Don't go trying to ruin it and make more profit out it by having a cheap knock-off of it in Japan or the night before. That's next to sacreligious. I hate to agree with darn near everyone here but baseball should not be opening any where else.
Enough pissing off Jesus, enough rambling - on to my MLB predictions - which I'm sure will be highly debated and may piss off even more people.
[b]AL WEST[/b]
You know, I have to be with the general consenus here. The [b]Anaheim Angels[/b] are in a tier up there with Boston and New York. They went out and they spent money to add to basically the same team that won the 2002 World Series. [b]Vladimir Guerrero[/b], a top-notch player in the National League joins [b]Garret Anderson[/b] and [b]Jose Gullien[/b] to form what could be the most productive outfield in the majors. Anderson may start the season on the DL (or back in left field instead of center) but when he gets healthy, there's few better. For the longest time G.A. has been one of the more underrated players in the game, now everyone knows who he is and its time for him to shine. I am only slightly worried about Vlad's adjustment to the pitching of a new league and there's a chance his numbers could slightly drop off but he's an elite talent who can hit off of anyone so my worries aren't as large.
[b]Darian Erstad[/b] says his hamstring feels fine at first base and there's no reason to doubt him as he's looked great defensely at first though I do wonder how long it'll take him to run into the wall and over the railing while chasing a foul pop-up. Tim Salmon seems like he's been in Anaheim forever - wait, [i]you mean he has been in Anaheim forever [/i]? At least they're moving Salmon to DH on a full-time basis. It's painful enough watching him run around the bases now, let alone seeing him field the outfield. [b]Troy Glaus[/b] is finally healthy once more and that's good news for the Halos. He also had laser-eye surgery in the offseason - can you say 'uh-no!' AL pitching sure can.
[b]Bengie Molina [/b] has won two straight Gold Gloves and yet the Angels still want to replace him with uber-prospect [b]Jeff Mathias[/b]? I've never seen Mathias play so I apologize if I'm ignorant here but I'm going to say he's probably not as good defensively as Molina. When you have the hitters the Angels do, you don't worry if your catcher is a career .267 hitter. I suspect Adam Kennedy's stats to go up this year now that the one-time trade bait now has a three-year contract (aka security) and no more Benji Gil breathing down his neck. Some think he's the best defensive 2nd baseman in the league right now. And how is [b]David Eckstein[/b] still in baseball? I love Eck and all after that amazing 2002 World Series run but is there a worse defensive short stop out there (don't answer that) and his hitting doesn't quite make up for it. Throw in the leg injuries he's gone through and I think we'll either see the Angels acquire a SS or deem speedy [b]Alfredo Amezaga[/b] ready.
While I feel the Angels overpaid for [b]Kelvim Escobar[/b] and I think we maybe overrating [b]Bartolo Colon[/b] just a tad bit as an ace, their additions certainly help a poor rotation. [b]Jarrod Washburn[/b] hopefully is healthy from all the nicks he received last year. Despite all the injuries, he still pitched over 200 innings and delivered the staff's best ERA. Their fourth-starter has enough moxie to have started Game 7 of a World Series. [b]John Lackey [/b]gave up 31 homeruns and lost 16 games last year and a generally all-around sucky year but folks, look at his September ERA. If he can carry that momentum into this season, he'll be fine. [b]Roman Ortiz[/b] fills out the rotation despite having an ERA over 7 this spring training. That shows you how badly the Angels want rid of [b]Aaron Sele[/b] doesn't it? What ever happened to both Ortiz and Sele (well besides a rotator cuff injury)? yeesh.
Closer [b]Troy Precival[/b] has a new throwing style but he still saved 20 in-a-row last year. Brendan Donnelly is having one hell of a time in Spring training getting hit in the face with a fly-ball (yeah I said fly-ball) but [b]Fransisco Rodriquez[/b] could be just as effective as the all-star reliever.
As much as I like the Angels out West, I wouldn't bet agains the [b]Athletics[/b] and I can name five reasons: [b]Tim Hudson[/b], [b]Barry Zito[/b], [b]Mark Mulder[/b],[b] Mark Redman[/b] and [b]Rich Harden[/b]. Everyone makes such a big deal out of the Cubs and Astros and both of their rotations but since when did these five just get horrible all of a sudden? You still wouldn't want to face their top three in a playoff series, trust me. You may want a better closer than [b]Arthur Rhodes[/b] but there's not much they can do about it now.
The Athletics flat out stole [b]Mark Kotsay[/b] from the Padres. Ok well they did have to give up Roman Hernandez but the A's were smart in grabbing [b]Damian Miller [/b]from the Cubs to shore up their catcher spot. Kotsay's back may still be a problem but he's probably a better lead-off choice than the departed Long. [b]Bobby Kietley[/b], providing the desperate need for left-handed power and [b]Eric Byrnes[/b] will platoon in left but Kietley's a switch-hitter and Byrnes is in the ire of bench-boss Ken Macha for mistakes while running so Kietley could wind up as the full-time LF. [b]Jermaine Dye[/b] was once one of my favorite players so here's to rebounding from a God-awful 2003. He increased his off-season training supposedly. [b]Eric Chavez[/b] may not be "the best 3rd basemen I've ever seen" but he's still damn good - just as long as he's in against right-handed pitching. He's only 26 though so maybe this is the year where he starts to hit lefties.
[b]Eric Karros[/b], [b]Scott Hatteberg[/b] and [b]Erubeil Duzaro[/b] all get to compete for first and DH. Karros probably is the only one of the three that can field though. I was a huge Hatteberg fan when he was coming up as a catcher in the Boston system but now his back is starting to affect his hitting. Duzaro's supposed to have broken-out how many times by now? 21 HRs and 77 RBIs was a nice season but .259 makes me sick. Let's pray this IS the year he puts up the monster season we all know he's capable of.
[b]Bobby Crosby[/b] isn't [b]Miguel Tejada[/b] - no matter how good of a prospect he is. I keep hearing about how the A's won't miss Tejada and all this but at least Tejada's played a full season in the majors. When I'm looking at a dog-fight for a post-season berth, I'd rather take expeirence if the talent is close to equal. Is Crosby good? Gary Scott was suposed to be good. I have no doubt most of you will say Crosby for Rookie of the Year but me, I'm a bit skeptical. He's had a good spring though but he's replacing one hell of a player.
Does anyone have a ****ing clue who's going to play second with [b]Mark Ellis[/b] out the year now? Frank Menechino can't possibly have the job and [b]Marco Scutaro[/b] is garbage. It's a big question mark for the Athletics at the moment.
Between Texas and the Mariners, give me Seattle. As much as I hate the Mariners at times, Texas is still a team that needs a couple more years. Plus [b]Bret Boone[/b], [b]Ichiro[/b], [b]Edgar Martinez[/b] and [b]John Olerud[/b] are still in Seattle. Grabbing Rich Aurilla was an interesting move. He's definately not as good defensively as the departed Carlos Guillen and he's new to AL pitching and he doesn't have Barry Bonds in this line-up - in fact he'll probably be batting in the two-hole this year. Should be an interesting year for Rich. Boone's in a contract year so watch him have another monster season. [b]Raul Ibanez[/b] rejoins the M's after breaking out with the Royals. He did absolutely nothing in his first tour of duty with the team but that was while they were in the Kingdome. Safeco Field is a different story and Ibanez's left-handed power should be on display now.
Would [b]Ben Davis[/b] win a starting catching job already for the LOVE OF GOD!! You're trying to beat out [b]Dan Wilson[/b] for fucking Christ sake (continuing the theme that I'm going to hell.) As a closet-Padres fan, I'm thankfully every day they got rid of that pile of garbage. Ben, let me not hold anything back and tell you how I REALLY feel - YOU STINK!
The rest of the line-up looks ho-hum. [b]Randy Winn[/b] throws and bats like a girl. I don't care if you can run like the wind, the way you throw, people could probably tag up at first and go all the way to third with you in left. [b]Scott Spiezo[/b] plays returns to third - when the hell has Spiezo ever played third? He came up as one but there's a reason they moved him so this one should be fun. I'm a huge Jeff Crillo fan but even I have to say it's a good thing he and the Mariners parted ways.
The pitching staff runs [b]Jamie Moyer,[/b] [b]Joel Pineiro[/b], [b]Freddy Garcia[/b], [b]Ryan Franklin[/b] and finally [b]Gil Meche[/b]. You can't hate Moyer and Garcia should have his eardrum injury under wraps. In fact if Garcia doesn't flirt with winning 20 games this year, I'll eat a ream of paper or a hat or whatever. Pineiro has a killer breaking ball but did anyone happen to see his plummet in Augest? 8.30 and 0-5 ouch. Franklin is becoming one more favorite pitchers - who else do you know (other than Kevin Brown) who has like 7 pitches? Meche should already be a top-notch pitcher but fate and injuries made him miss two whole years. Let's hope he'll have two healty years in a row now.
One thing the M's do have is a nice bullpen. I may tend to overrate [b]Shigotoshi Hasegawa[/b] but "Every-day" [b]Eddie Guardado[/b] and [b]Rafeal Soraino[/b] are definitely two relievers I'd like to avoid if I'm hitting.
The Rangers do have [b]Hank Blalock[/b] and [b]Mark Teixeira[/b] going for them. It's never bad when you already have your franchise cornerstones for the next 10+ years on the corners of your infield already. [b]Alfonso Soriano[/b] gets to stay at second base which may be better than seeing him try to play short. Soriano will be alright at the plate though. I'm a little pissed they made [b]Michael Young[/b] move to short but as I said, Soriano at short might have been an ugly adventure. If Young can continue to improve his batting average and make the transistion to short smoothly, the Rangers have a pretty darn good infield folks. Though that is a lot to ask of Young.
Anyone remember when [b]Einar Diaz[/b] was considered an up-and-coming solid catcher? Well he's turned into a liability. And with the pitching staff the Rangers have - it may be a long season. It's either Diaz or the rookie, [b]Gerald Laird[/b], who I know only a small amount about - any Texas fans care to fill me in on a scouting report?
[b]Ken Mench[/b] could be good, just those wrist injuries haven't let us see him at full potential. [b]Laynce Nix[/b] and vet [b]Eric Young[/b] will battle at center. Personally, I say move Nix away from center to left and keep Young in for his basestealing. [b]Brian Jordan[/b] takes over in right. While he's not Gonzo and his knees are definitely gone, I'll be rooting for BJ. Looking at his lack of spring training at-bats I just wonder if he's just there to provide leadership on the bench rather than to play. I'm going to doubt he'll be able to play every-day at 37. [b]Brad Fullmer[/b] comes in as the DH and you've got to be wondering if he's living off of one good year in 2000. Though as a left-hander, he'll have an advantage in the 81 games they play in Arlington.
I look at their pitching roster and immediately I remark - "[b]Kenny Rogers[/b] is still alive?" And let's face it, [b]Chan Ho Park[/b] is horrible. Ok, he was good with the Dodgers and you can say it was the ballpark but he's starting to get his velocity back once again so who knows, maybe the third year is the charm in Texas? I wouldn't bet on it but I'm just saying. [b]Glendon Rusch[/b] fits into the rotation somewhere as the left hander but even that's not a garuentee. I look at the other names on the list and honestly I don't recognize a single one beyond [b]Jeff Nelson[/b], [b]Colby Lewis[/b] and [b]Fransisco Coredero[/b]. And if I'm not recgonizing nearly half of your pitching staff - that's a bad, bad sign.
So here we
1. Anaheim
2. Oakland
3. Seattle
4. Texas
Pretty much the general consenus for the AL West. Join me tomorrow as we look at the AL Central albeit probably a less in-depth look than I did here. Honestly, I didn't have a plan when I started this - I just started at Anaheim's roster and typing out my feelings on the players - read a couple newspaper articles and kept going. Really didn't think I'd go this far with each team. So hopefully you'll enjoy the work I put into the West but I warn you, I'll breeze through the other divisions next making only a couple comments for each team.
Remember, I'm still accepting MAIL BAG entries so if you want to email me a question or topic (see 'possible Q and A' as well as 'MAIL CALL' articles in the past week) you can do so at dynamitehack91 @ yahoo. com. All email is welcome and I'll be glad to answer it all on here or at least as much as I can.
COMMENTS POLL for the day - Not only who do you think is going to win the AL WEST but what about the AL CENTRAL? The Royals are definitely dark horses again but you can't bet out the Twins yet. The White Soxs have a new attitude but do they have enough talent to win it? The Indians will be good in a couple seasons but can any one name their starting line-up without looking? And do you really think the Tigers can even improve 20 games to get even to the 60+ wins level, let alone the 80-90 wins it's going to take to compete in the Central.
P.S. Off the top of my head for the Indians - Martinez at catcher, Broussand and Hafner at 1st/DH, Belliard at 2nd, Omar Vizquel still at SS, Matt Lawton, Milton Bradley, Jody Gerut fill the outfield. Goddamn I'm good but sue me if I don't know who the fuck their third basemen is. I didn't better than 99% of Americas outside of Cleveland.
More Final Four
03.31.04 (1:21 am) [edit]
FINAL FOUR
Looks like [b]BJ Elder[/b] won't be 100% in time for the game with OSU and now it's time for him to make a gut check with that high ankle sprain. While I don't neccessarily expect GA Tech to beat OSU, it should be a great game. Both teams love to switch it up on defense and challenge the other teams. This is [b]Eddie Sutton[/b] 's best team ever (no offense to Reeves) so I think they deserve a shot at the national crown but my bracket would do better if GA Tech won. Hmm. One positive for GA Tech is they've been lead in scoring by four different people in their four wins. Even if Elder can't play at more than 80% some one's going to step up. Another positive for GA Tech, [b]Jarrett Jack[/b] is definitely shooting the ball more. If they loose here, big deal, Jack will return as a junior and hopefully this new found idea of shooting the ball will return with him. He wasn't afraid to shoot the ball during the regular season but he's been doing it with more regularity in the tourney.
My views on Duke, UConn haven't waivered - fuck Duke. It's going to be a dogfight but here's to UConn kicking your asses.
[b]GIACOLETTI REPLACES MAJERUS[/b]
Eastern Washington coach [b]Ray Giacoletti[/b] was hired by Utah to replace unargueably the greatest coach Utah has ever had. I love [b]Rick Majerus[/b] and I still feel like he was forced out of his job but if he's alright with it, it's better safe than sorry.
[b]Kerry Rupp[/b] did a nice job in place of Majerus but you've got to question some of his decisions in Utah's loss in the opening round of the NCAA tourney to Boston College. I usually don't like to do that but there's no excuse for not getting off the last shot in that game.
While the Utes probably would have rather lured [b]Trent Johnson[/b] back to the program, Neveda did the smart move by re-signing Johnson to a longer deal and I hope we'll see Neveda again next year.
I don't know a whole lot about Giacolleti but I liked what Eastern Washington has done in the Big Sky conference under him for four years. If he can translate that success to Utah then I wish him the best of luck. Giacolleti's assistant, [b]Mike Burns[/b] and Zaga assistant [b]Leon Rice[/b] are expected to compete for the vacancy. While I'm a big fan of promoting from within the program, I will go out on a note that Rice probably does deserve a shot to coach some where in College ball and I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't wind up at another mid-major school somewhere.
My only question in all this is where does Rupp go? Does he become Giacolleti's assistant or does he get a chance to go elsewhere? Rupp's said he's willing to stay on as an assistant but wouldn't that be up to Giacolleti now? No one's really mentioned what will be happening with him due to this hiring. Should be interesting to follow.
In other news, Arizona's [b]Lute Olsen [/b]wants to know if [b]Andre Iguodala[/b] will be back next season or will he be going to the NBA. Olsen has given "Iggy" until the end of Easter to decide.
Iguodala played high school ball in my home town at Lanphier High School so I've seen him grow as a player and even then he still surprises me. But Iggy, your shooting needs some work and remember that most of this Arizona team will be back for next season. Staying an extra year will not only give you the needed expierence and the time to refine your shooting but you'll be counted on as a leader on that team. That would only help your draft status more. I'm saying right now you'd be a mid-first round pick, give it another year and you could break the top-10, maybe the top-five if you work hard. I hate to sound like a tool when you're so close to acheiving your dream of playing NBA basketball but stay in school, the NBA can wait. And when you get there, the whole town of Springfield, IL will be rooting for you - as well as Illinios guard [b]Richard McBride[/b].
Tomorrow, I'll tackle more headlines and MLB's opening day. Until then, keep sending me your emails. I want to get this email bag working and hopefully my first email is a success. Take care all
Looks like [b]BJ Elder[/b] won't be 100% in time for the game with OSU and now it's time for him to make a gut check with that high ankle sprain. While I don't neccessarily expect GA Tech to beat OSU, it should be a great game. Both teams love to switch it up on defense and challenge the other teams. This is [b]Eddie Sutton[/b] 's best team ever (no offense to Reeves) so I think they deserve a shot at the national crown but my bracket would do better if GA Tech won. Hmm. One positive for GA Tech is they've been lead in scoring by four different people in their four wins. Even if Elder can't play at more than 80% some one's going to step up. Another positive for GA Tech, [b]Jarrett Jack[/b] is definitely shooting the ball more. If they loose here, big deal, Jack will return as a junior and hopefully this new found idea of shooting the ball will return with him. He wasn't afraid to shoot the ball during the regular season but he's been doing it with more regularity in the tourney.
My views on Duke, UConn haven't waivered - fuck Duke. It's going to be a dogfight but here's to UConn kicking your asses.
[b]GIACOLETTI REPLACES MAJERUS[/b]
Eastern Washington coach [b]Ray Giacoletti[/b] was hired by Utah to replace unargueably the greatest coach Utah has ever had. I love [b]Rick Majerus[/b] and I still feel like he was forced out of his job but if he's alright with it, it's better safe than sorry.
[b]Kerry Rupp[/b] did a nice job in place of Majerus but you've got to question some of his decisions in Utah's loss in the opening round of the NCAA tourney to Boston College. I usually don't like to do that but there's no excuse for not getting off the last shot in that game.
While the Utes probably would have rather lured [b]Trent Johnson[/b] back to the program, Neveda did the smart move by re-signing Johnson to a longer deal and I hope we'll see Neveda again next year.
I don't know a whole lot about Giacolleti but I liked what Eastern Washington has done in the Big Sky conference under him for four years. If he can translate that success to Utah then I wish him the best of luck. Giacolleti's assistant, [b]Mike Burns[/b] and Zaga assistant [b]Leon Rice[/b] are expected to compete for the vacancy. While I'm a big fan of promoting from within the program, I will go out on a note that Rice probably does deserve a shot to coach some where in College ball and I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't wind up at another mid-major school somewhere.
My only question in all this is where does Rupp go? Does he become Giacolleti's assistant or does he get a chance to go elsewhere? Rupp's said he's willing to stay on as an assistant but wouldn't that be up to Giacolleti now? No one's really mentioned what will be happening with him due to this hiring. Should be interesting to follow.
In other news, Arizona's [b]Lute Olsen [/b]wants to know if [b]Andre Iguodala[/b] will be back next season or will he be going to the NBA. Olsen has given "Iggy" until the end of Easter to decide.
Iguodala played high school ball in my home town at Lanphier High School so I've seen him grow as a player and even then he still surprises me. But Iggy, your shooting needs some work and remember that most of this Arizona team will be back for next season. Staying an extra year will not only give you the needed expierence and the time to refine your shooting but you'll be counted on as a leader on that team. That would only help your draft status more. I'm saying right now you'd be a mid-first round pick, give it another year and you could break the top-10, maybe the top-five if you work hard. I hate to sound like a tool when you're so close to acheiving your dream of playing NBA basketball but stay in school, the NBA can wait. And when you get there, the whole town of Springfield, IL will be rooting for you - as well as Illinios guard [b]Richard McBride[/b].
Tomorrow, I'll tackle more headlines and MLB's opening day. Until then, keep sending me your emails. I want to get this email bag working and hopefully my first email is a success. Take care all
MAIL CALL!!
03.30.04 (11:44 pm) [edit]
I figured I'd go early on the mail call. Honestly I only got one piece of mail and I don't think I'll be getting anymore before tomorrow so I'll show you how it works and maybe it's spring a couple more questions and discussions.
The letter comes from Rain33, who has his own blog here on tblog and could use some support on his comments because there's a lot of negitive vibe going through some of the people in his comment section. Hopefully I'll see you at the next wrestling show, that's what, three out of four that I've missed now? I'm slacking.
[b][i]First off I say...
what's with the lack of NBA?! You left them out, bastard! hmph.[/i][/b]
A wise man - it could have been Confucius or maybe Jean-Claude Van Damme, I don't remember - once said something on the grounds of, "Don't talk about something you know nothing about." And while I do know a bit about basketball and I'm increasing my NBA television schedule, it's not my real area of expertise. I really would like to discuss the finer points of Rocket Science but truth is, I know jack about that as well. Though I'll try my best here...
[i][b]my questions are as follows:[/b][/i]
[b][i]1. should allen iverson be traded?[/i][/b]
If you saw the game tonight against the Warriors, I think you can say they'll do fine with out A.I.
[b]Samuel Dalembert [/b]has put together some pretty good games of late meaning the lose of [b]Derrick Coleman[/b] won't be as big. I don't think Coleman's been playing all that great this season anyway with that knee trouble. But honestly, the team realizes right now that they've got to get it done without Iverson. From here on out, worrying about Iverson will be the farthest thing from the minds of all the 76ers. It's up to them and they can't worry. They're playing good without him and while this is a huge blow to their playoff chances, I'm not counting them out as the eight seed. If their defense reaches some sort of consistancy, they'll be in over the bumfucked Celtics.
Of course, they'll make the eight seed and probably won't see themselves get far in the playoffs but you still rather be in the playoffs than out of it, even if it is for four or five games.
And I've been dancing around the question - should Philadelphia trade Iverson? I've always been a guy who's said you don't trade premier talent unless you absolutely have to. It's not every day that you do get such talent. You either have to get lucky (or good) in scouting or have a horrible year and get a very high draft pick. You could also trade with the Celtics but that's another story.
Are the 76ers a better team talent-wise with or with out Iverson? I'd have to say no though [b]Aaron McKie[/b] may argue with me. He's having a down year because of the injuries but still, 26.4 points per game and 6.8 assists a game aren't shabby and you've got to wonder which players are going to step up and add that if Iverson isn't there any more.
However one thing that does irk me. You always hear about how A.I. is all about the Sixers and gung-ho for the team. Well he's had what, two coaches fired, he's feuding with a new one in [b]Chris Ford[/b], he even refused to come off the bench earlier. He's always nicked up and injured, so he's not always there when the team needs him. He has little control over it now but hey, you've got to stay healthy Allen.
Should they trade him just for the sake of trading him? No but if they get a sweet deal in return, do it in a heart beat. However I don't see the Suns rolling over and giving up [b]Stoudemire[/b] any time soon. It's going to be difficult for the Sixers to move Iverson's hefty contract and I'm not entirely sure there's going to be any buyers in that market. The Sixers would want quality players in return and I'm not sure they could get fair value in return.
[b][i]2. should the yankees really be in japan to start the season?[/i][/b]
No and I don't know of a singal person that disagrees. America's past time should begin in Cincinatti. Really does it even make a bit of sense to get on a 20-hour flight to Toyko, play two games, fly back, play another couple of exhibition games and then finish off the series in Tampa Bay? No it doesn't.
Everyone points to the fatigue factor in this and I agree but I think a lot of people underestimate this factor. It's a long 162 game season and a bad travel schedule at the start of the season leaves you little time to rest up in the 26 following weeks. When you're tired, you're more suspectible to injuries and bad play and it could a long season for both teams (more so for Tampa.)
While I did freak out intially from the A-Rod dealing and I do see it as ridiculous that the markets are so out of whack, I don't see the Yankees as evil. They do it within the rules and they want to win, what's wrong with that? It just means the rules may need a little more fine tuning but it doesn't mean there's anything wrong with George and his team. Yet George has this big time acquisition in A-Rod and his official debut in the pinstrips is in Japan at 5 am. I don't know about you but I don't get up before 8:30 and when I get up, baseball isn't the first thing on my mind. I didn't see the game until tape delay and then I only got to see a couple innings because I had other things to do. A-Rod was the biggest story in baseball this off-season and there's no reason he should be debuting at 5am. I know the schedule was set before A-Rod came over but still 5am for anyone's debut is ridiculous.
I know baseball wants to create a global market, but why's it always Japan? You want global exposure, there's also Australia and Europe to travel. And I have no problems with baseball starting spring training in another country. Have pitchers and catchers report in Japan (or elsewhere) and play a couple exhibition games over there, then come home for spring training. That'll sell tickets and exposure for the game. If people from aboard want to watch regular season baseball - come here. I know that's a bit selfish but hey, that's why I'm American.
Why are we catering to a couple thousand fans who don't give a rat's ass about the Yankees and they certainly don't care about the Devil Rays? I'm willing to guess that less than a percent of the Japanese population even keeps up to date with the MLB standings and what they Yankees are doing. I'm sure a large portion care what Ichiro, Kaz, Matesui and other Japanese players are doing but beyond that, they have their own baseball league to follow. There can't be that much attachment to the Yankees.
So you sell out the Toyko-dome or whatever it is - you could sell out Yankee stadium here just as easily. I vote nay for starting the season in Japan.
[i][b]3. Are you intelligent and realizing that the cardinals are playing for 3rd in the central?[/b][/i]
I wouldn't exactly say that. Even though Mark Prior is only gone a month, you've got to worry about how he'll come back. Personally, I don't think it'll effect him that much but I wouldn't be surprised if it took him a while to get back into a rhythm. Anything can happen in baseball (or sports in general) and that's why we play the games.
Where do I have the Cardinals in terms of that division, third but with that offense, I don't think you could count them out of an upset in that division. It probably won't happen but I think it'll be a lot more of a dog-fight than Chicago fans believe. I'm still counting it as a three-team race for the time being.
[i][b]4. Sign and trade deal - kobe for allan houston. do you take it for either team?[/b][/i]
Do I see it happening? I'm a bit weary of saying that. I like Allen Houston but if I were Los Angeles, I'd probably keep Kobe. I mean look at his preformance against the Kings the other day. Everyone was worried with the trail on his mind and the travel that he wouldn't be much of a factor and heck, he's still playing some damn good ball. Once he puts this all behind (if the court is willing to let him put it all behind himself I guess) there's few players I'd rather have on my team. Of course that does New York no good if he does wind up in jail. Houston's ugly contract (I was surprised when he got the deal a couple years ago to tell you the truth) and his even uglier knees might presaude me to do it from a New York standpoint but I don't think they'd find themselves that lucky. Kobe for wonky-knees? There's no way Isiah Thomas will be able to move that salary and get a player like Kobe out of it.
I really like Houston, or at least I did. He should be their leader (though more by default) but he's not going to take over games healthy or not. It just wouldn't make a good deal for the Lakers even if Kobe decides to leave. Again all things equal, I'd rather keep Kobe.
[i][b]and last but certainly not least...
[/b][/i]
[i][b]5. what's hockey? does anyone watch it? hahahhahaha[/b][/i]
There's a whole nation above us that probably watches it. And then there's Minnesota, which is sort of like Canada South. It's possible that Minnesota is the bastard child of Canada, I'll have to do some research and get back to you on that one. It would explain why Idaho and Montana don't pay attention to hockey - though so would their lack of a thing called population.
But it's a strange sport played by a bunch of burly men who carry around sticks and beat the piss out of each other until someone decides they're going to score a goal. Sometimes they even forget to score a goal. Much like soccer but in soccer it's not for a lack of trying.
Let's face it. The sport is horrible right now but some also say the NBA's down. Go figure. I say nuke the NHL and start over but when did logic ever prevail?
[i][b]take it easy man.[/b][/i]
You too.
Remeber, you too can send me an email at dynamitehack91 @ yahoo dot com
The letter comes from Rain33, who has his own blog here on tblog and could use some support on his comments because there's a lot of negitive vibe going through some of the people in his comment section. Hopefully I'll see you at the next wrestling show, that's what, three out of four that I've missed now? I'm slacking.
[b][i]First off I say...
what's with the lack of NBA?! You left them out, bastard! hmph.[/i][/b]
A wise man - it could have been Confucius or maybe Jean-Claude Van Damme, I don't remember - once said something on the grounds of, "Don't talk about something you know nothing about." And while I do know a bit about basketball and I'm increasing my NBA television schedule, it's not my real area of expertise. I really would like to discuss the finer points of Rocket Science but truth is, I know jack about that as well. Though I'll try my best here...
[i][b]my questions are as follows:[/b][/i]
[b][i]1. should allen iverson be traded?[/i][/b]
If you saw the game tonight against the Warriors, I think you can say they'll do fine with out A.I.
[b]Samuel Dalembert [/b]has put together some pretty good games of late meaning the lose of [b]Derrick Coleman[/b] won't be as big. I don't think Coleman's been playing all that great this season anyway with that knee trouble. But honestly, the team realizes right now that they've got to get it done without Iverson. From here on out, worrying about Iverson will be the farthest thing from the minds of all the 76ers. It's up to them and they can't worry. They're playing good without him and while this is a huge blow to their playoff chances, I'm not counting them out as the eight seed. If their defense reaches some sort of consistancy, they'll be in over the bumfucked Celtics.
Of course, they'll make the eight seed and probably won't see themselves get far in the playoffs but you still rather be in the playoffs than out of it, even if it is for four or five games.
And I've been dancing around the question - should Philadelphia trade Iverson? I've always been a guy who's said you don't trade premier talent unless you absolutely have to. It's not every day that you do get such talent. You either have to get lucky (or good) in scouting or have a horrible year and get a very high draft pick. You could also trade with the Celtics but that's another story.
Are the 76ers a better team talent-wise with or with out Iverson? I'd have to say no though [b]Aaron McKie[/b] may argue with me. He's having a down year because of the injuries but still, 26.4 points per game and 6.8 assists a game aren't shabby and you've got to wonder which players are going to step up and add that if Iverson isn't there any more.
However one thing that does irk me. You always hear about how A.I. is all about the Sixers and gung-ho for the team. Well he's had what, two coaches fired, he's feuding with a new one in [b]Chris Ford[/b], he even refused to come off the bench earlier. He's always nicked up and injured, so he's not always there when the team needs him. He has little control over it now but hey, you've got to stay healthy Allen.
Should they trade him just for the sake of trading him? No but if they get a sweet deal in return, do it in a heart beat. However I don't see the Suns rolling over and giving up [b]Stoudemire[/b] any time soon. It's going to be difficult for the Sixers to move Iverson's hefty contract and I'm not entirely sure there's going to be any buyers in that market. The Sixers would want quality players in return and I'm not sure they could get fair value in return.
[b][i]2. should the yankees really be in japan to start the season?[/i][/b]
No and I don't know of a singal person that disagrees. America's past time should begin in Cincinatti. Really does it even make a bit of sense to get on a 20-hour flight to Toyko, play two games, fly back, play another couple of exhibition games and then finish off the series in Tampa Bay? No it doesn't.
Everyone points to the fatigue factor in this and I agree but I think a lot of people underestimate this factor. It's a long 162 game season and a bad travel schedule at the start of the season leaves you little time to rest up in the 26 following weeks. When you're tired, you're more suspectible to injuries and bad play and it could a long season for both teams (more so for Tampa.)
While I did freak out intially from the A-Rod dealing and I do see it as ridiculous that the markets are so out of whack, I don't see the Yankees as evil. They do it within the rules and they want to win, what's wrong with that? It just means the rules may need a little more fine tuning but it doesn't mean there's anything wrong with George and his team. Yet George has this big time acquisition in A-Rod and his official debut in the pinstrips is in Japan at 5 am. I don't know about you but I don't get up before 8:30 and when I get up, baseball isn't the first thing on my mind. I didn't see the game until tape delay and then I only got to see a couple innings because I had other things to do. A-Rod was the biggest story in baseball this off-season and there's no reason he should be debuting at 5am. I know the schedule was set before A-Rod came over but still 5am for anyone's debut is ridiculous.
I know baseball wants to create a global market, but why's it always Japan? You want global exposure, there's also Australia and Europe to travel. And I have no problems with baseball starting spring training in another country. Have pitchers and catchers report in Japan (or elsewhere) and play a couple exhibition games over there, then come home for spring training. That'll sell tickets and exposure for the game. If people from aboard want to watch regular season baseball - come here. I know that's a bit selfish but hey, that's why I'm American.
Why are we catering to a couple thousand fans who don't give a rat's ass about the Yankees and they certainly don't care about the Devil Rays? I'm willing to guess that less than a percent of the Japanese population even keeps up to date with the MLB standings and what they Yankees are doing. I'm sure a large portion care what Ichiro, Kaz, Matesui and other Japanese players are doing but beyond that, they have their own baseball league to follow. There can't be that much attachment to the Yankees.
So you sell out the Toyko-dome or whatever it is - you could sell out Yankee stadium here just as easily. I vote nay for starting the season in Japan.
[i][b]3. Are you intelligent and realizing that the cardinals are playing for 3rd in the central?[/b][/i]
I wouldn't exactly say that. Even though Mark Prior is only gone a month, you've got to worry about how he'll come back. Personally, I don't think it'll effect him that much but I wouldn't be surprised if it took him a while to get back into a rhythm. Anything can happen in baseball (or sports in general) and that's why we play the games.
Where do I have the Cardinals in terms of that division, third but with that offense, I don't think you could count them out of an upset in that division. It probably won't happen but I think it'll be a lot more of a dog-fight than Chicago fans believe. I'm still counting it as a three-team race for the time being.
[i][b]4. Sign and trade deal - kobe for allan houston. do you take it for either team?[/b][/i]
Do I see it happening? I'm a bit weary of saying that. I like Allen Houston but if I were Los Angeles, I'd probably keep Kobe. I mean look at his preformance against the Kings the other day. Everyone was worried with the trail on his mind and the travel that he wouldn't be much of a factor and heck, he's still playing some damn good ball. Once he puts this all behind (if the court is willing to let him put it all behind himself I guess) there's few players I'd rather have on my team. Of course that does New York no good if he does wind up in jail. Houston's ugly contract (I was surprised when he got the deal a couple years ago to tell you the truth) and his even uglier knees might presaude me to do it from a New York standpoint but I don't think they'd find themselves that lucky. Kobe for wonky-knees? There's no way Isiah Thomas will be able to move that salary and get a player like Kobe out of it.
I really like Houston, or at least I did. He should be their leader (though more by default) but he's not going to take over games healthy or not. It just wouldn't make a good deal for the Lakers even if Kobe decides to leave. Again all things equal, I'd rather keep Kobe.
[i][b]and last but certainly not least...
[/b][/i]
[i][b]5. what's hockey? does anyone watch it? hahahhahaha[/b][/i]
There's a whole nation above us that probably watches it. And then there's Minnesota, which is sort of like Canada South. It's possible that Minnesota is the bastard child of Canada, I'll have to do some research and get back to you on that one. It would explain why Idaho and Montana don't pay attention to hockey - though so would their lack of a thing called population.
But it's a strange sport played by a bunch of burly men who carry around sticks and beat the piss out of each other until someone decides they're going to score a goal. Sometimes they even forget to score a goal. Much like soccer but in soccer it's not for a lack of trying.
Let's face it. The sport is horrible right now but some also say the NBA's down. Go figure. I say nuke the NHL and start over but when did logic ever prevail?
[i][b]take it easy man.[/b][/i]
You too.
Remeber, you too can send me an email at dynamitehack91 @ yahoo dot com
ESPNRadio, Moore's news conference, Thrash a Skin
03.30.04 (1:03 pm) [edit]
Just a reminder, I'm opening up the mailbag every two weeks now just to generate discussion. I'll comment on anything and everything to do with sports and maybe a couple other subjects if it comes down to it. Want to hear my stance on a trade proposal? What's my call on a movie (if I've seen it.) Want to call me out on something, well here's your chance to do by emailing me at dynamitehack91 @yahoo .com (take out the spaces)
I'll be accepting emails until the 31st and then I'll answer here. So far I've only got one lovely email so I'm looking for more. I deal mostly with the NHL (as most of you can tell) but I'm a grand presuer of all sports.
[b]ESPNRadio COLIN COWHERD[/b]
Has anyone listen to Colin Cowherd on ESPNRadio yet? He's the lucky guy that got to step into Tony Kornheiser's radio slot as TK left to "concentrate" on his other ESPN duties such as PTI. As much as I like PTI, the Tony Kornheiser show had up until Friday become the biggest part of my morning routine. I use to believe breakfest was the biggest part of the morning. You know all those scientist and dietitions telling you that you need a healthy and hearty breakfest to function throughout the day - Well that's completely bullshit. Give me my complete dose of "Old Man Radio" and I'm good to go for the rest of the day. Sure eggs and orange juice don't hurt but if I didn't get to hear Tony at least once during the morning, I'd usually be cranky for the rest of the day - and believe me, you could tell when I didn't get my TK.
So of course, Mr. Cowherd had pretty big shoes to fill coming in from his show in Portland. And so far through two days, I've given this man a chance. ESPN bills him as entergetic, different and rapid-paced. And while I have enjoyed one or two of his rants, they might have as well billed him as "annoying" because that's what he is. "YOU STINK!!" While the premise of "Spanning the Globe" is an interesting one - Colin quickly interviews a couple key figures in sports from each corner of the country in a row - it just doesn't come off as interesting in practice. He had a couple great questions but he seems to always be in rapid fire during the interviews. I don't know if its because he hasn't built up the same repoire of contacts that Kornheiser has (certainly TK has been around more and therefore knows more people more closely) or he's trying to be fast but I enjoyed the more laid back atmosphere of TK's show. He was good buddies (or at least it seemed) with every guest that came on the show and those friendly interviews seem to work better for me. They were more like chats than hard-pressing interviews. Now that Colin's out of Portland, I'm sure his contact list of guests will grow but right now it's like WHAM-BAM-THANK YOU MA'AM in his interviews.
Though I give him two credits - the HAM radio thing was hilarous and he's the first real sports personality that I've heard directly come out and say he doesn't care that baseball players are on steroids and this moral holier-than-thou stuff needs to stop. "You know the owner of the resturant is cheating on his taxes, cheating on his wife but you don't enjoy the steak any less." At least he's taking a bold stance and on his first day on National radio - that takes balls.
[b]STEVE MOORE HOLDS A NEWS CONFERENCE[/b]
....And he says nothing. Mostly its Canuck fans but a lot of people are complaining and are critical that Moore was talking but "not really saying anything" during his press conference. Hello? Did you EXPECT him to say anything? He has his lawyers right behind him on this one! Why do you think I didn't take time out of my not really busy schedule to even listen to the press conference? The highlights were going to be on the news anyway. The whole person was to just address that hey, look at me, I'm alright and usually these types of things are required by the league.
Many people are also moaning over Moore's comment that he's "lucky to be alive." You're probably also the people who accused Bertuzzi of faking his tears during his press conference. And you're also ignorant bastards who didn't pay attention any way. There's always a huge risk when someone's knocked unconcious but Moore's broken vertabea were swelling and could have easily pushed up against his spinal cord causing major problems and even death. Yup, he could have died during this whole ordeal and he IS lucky to be alive.
However, on the positive side, he had a smile on his face and looks to be in good spirits. My dad had spinal surgery last week (for the second time in his life) and I know how much pain both my dad and Stever are going through in that cervical collar. I don't know how some people can be so negative towards Moore. I know I said the league needs to put this incident behind itself and worry about other issues first but I'm going to go back on that comment. This IS a major issue and while I'd feel better if we had a new CBA in place already, it should be be priority 1B at the moment. Gary Bettman's memo yesterday (See yesterday's entries) was a step in the right direction however.
[b]THRASH A SKIN[/b]
The Washington Redskins will acquire wide receiver James Thrash from the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a 2005 draft pick. Thrash, a former Redskins, gets bumped out of Philadelphia by the coming of Terrell Owens. Youngsters Billy McMullen and Freddie Mitchell are expected to step up behind TO.
The coming of Thrash, a good 3rd receiver, gives the Redskins a nice little wide-out corp to work with that includes Rod Gardner, Laveraneus Coles, Tyler Jacobs, Cliff Russell and Darnerian McCants. Looks like someone out of that group could be dealt in the draft.
While most people are scratching their heads and saying - the NFL draft is deep at wide receiver, why not grab one in there - Thrash is a veteran WR to add to a corp of young receivers. Russell and Jacobs are sophomores, Gardner was a first round pick in 2001 and McCants is very young. Personally, I'm a big fan of veteran WRs over rookies and second year guys. That's why I liked the addition of Peerless Price to Atlanta last season for a first round pick. Thrash should be able to slide behind Coles and Gardner (or possibly McCants if Gardner is indeed traded) as the third WR and should be able to get things done. Another good move by the Redskins who keep stocking up for the next season.
I'll be accepting emails until the 31st and then I'll answer here. So far I've only got one lovely email so I'm looking for more. I deal mostly with the NHL (as most of you can tell) but I'm a grand presuer of all sports.
[b]ESPNRadio COLIN COWHERD[/b]
Has anyone listen to Colin Cowherd on ESPNRadio yet? He's the lucky guy that got to step into Tony Kornheiser's radio slot as TK left to "concentrate" on his other ESPN duties such as PTI. As much as I like PTI, the Tony Kornheiser show had up until Friday become the biggest part of my morning routine. I use to believe breakfest was the biggest part of the morning. You know all those scientist and dietitions telling you that you need a healthy and hearty breakfest to function throughout the day - Well that's completely bullshit. Give me my complete dose of "Old Man Radio" and I'm good to go for the rest of the day. Sure eggs and orange juice don't hurt but if I didn't get to hear Tony at least once during the morning, I'd usually be cranky for the rest of the day - and believe me, you could tell when I didn't get my TK.
So of course, Mr. Cowherd had pretty big shoes to fill coming in from his show in Portland. And so far through two days, I've given this man a chance. ESPN bills him as entergetic, different and rapid-paced. And while I have enjoyed one or two of his rants, they might have as well billed him as "annoying" because that's what he is. "YOU STINK!!" While the premise of "Spanning the Globe" is an interesting one - Colin quickly interviews a couple key figures in sports from each corner of the country in a row - it just doesn't come off as interesting in practice. He had a couple great questions but he seems to always be in rapid fire during the interviews. I don't know if its because he hasn't built up the same repoire of contacts that Kornheiser has (certainly TK has been around more and therefore knows more people more closely) or he's trying to be fast but I enjoyed the more laid back atmosphere of TK's show. He was good buddies (or at least it seemed) with every guest that came on the show and those friendly interviews seem to work better for me. They were more like chats than hard-pressing interviews. Now that Colin's out of Portland, I'm sure his contact list of guests will grow but right now it's like WHAM-BAM-THANK YOU MA'AM in his interviews.
Though I give him two credits - the HAM radio thing was hilarous and he's the first real sports personality that I've heard directly come out and say he doesn't care that baseball players are on steroids and this moral holier-than-thou stuff needs to stop. "You know the owner of the resturant is cheating on his taxes, cheating on his wife but you don't enjoy the steak any less." At least he's taking a bold stance and on his first day on National radio - that takes balls.
[b]STEVE MOORE HOLDS A NEWS CONFERENCE[/b]
....And he says nothing. Mostly its Canuck fans but a lot of people are complaining and are critical that Moore was talking but "not really saying anything" during his press conference. Hello? Did you EXPECT him to say anything? He has his lawyers right behind him on this one! Why do you think I didn't take time out of my not really busy schedule to even listen to the press conference? The highlights were going to be on the news anyway. The whole person was to just address that hey, look at me, I'm alright and usually these types of things are required by the league.
Many people are also moaning over Moore's comment that he's "lucky to be alive." You're probably also the people who accused Bertuzzi of faking his tears during his press conference. And you're also ignorant bastards who didn't pay attention any way. There's always a huge risk when someone's knocked unconcious but Moore's broken vertabea were swelling and could have easily pushed up against his spinal cord causing major problems and even death. Yup, he could have died during this whole ordeal and he IS lucky to be alive.
However, on the positive side, he had a smile on his face and looks to be in good spirits. My dad had spinal surgery last week (for the second time in his life) and I know how much pain both my dad and Stever are going through in that cervical collar. I don't know how some people can be so negative towards Moore. I know I said the league needs to put this incident behind itself and worry about other issues first but I'm going to go back on that comment. This IS a major issue and while I'd feel better if we had a new CBA in place already, it should be be priority 1B at the moment. Gary Bettman's memo yesterday (See yesterday's entries) was a step in the right direction however.
[b]THRASH A SKIN[/b]
The Washington Redskins will acquire wide receiver James Thrash from the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a 2005 draft pick. Thrash, a former Redskins, gets bumped out of Philadelphia by the coming of Terrell Owens. Youngsters Billy McMullen and Freddie Mitchell are expected to step up behind TO.
The coming of Thrash, a good 3rd receiver, gives the Redskins a nice little wide-out corp to work with that includes Rod Gardner, Laveraneus Coles, Tyler Jacobs, Cliff Russell and Darnerian McCants. Looks like someone out of that group could be dealt in the draft.
While most people are scratching their heads and saying - the NFL draft is deep at wide receiver, why not grab one in there - Thrash is a veteran WR to add to a corp of young receivers. Russell and Jacobs are sophomores, Gardner was a first round pick in 2001 and McCants is very young. Personally, I'm a big fan of veteran WRs over rookies and second year guys. That's why I liked the addition of Peerless Price to Atlanta last season for a first round pick. Thrash should be able to slide behind Coles and Gardner (or possibly McCants if Gardner is indeed traded) as the third WR and should be able to get things done. Another good move by the Redskins who keep stocking up for the next season.
Possible Q & A session
03.29.04 (6:20 pm) [edit]
I know I have a couple readers out there (and to you people I do apologize for not updating as much as I can because of my other work piling up on top of things) but I want to get you guys a bit more invovled so I'm opening up the mail bag for a moment. If you've got a certain topic you want me to address pretaining to anything in sports then I'll try my best to give you my fullest opinion on that subject and how I feel on every stance.
NHL, MLB, NFL, PGA, Tennis, Olympics, NCAA, let's go for it. This will be an open mail bag this week along with my playoff predictions for the NHL, my season predictions for MLB and if anything else happens majorly out there. I want to hear anything that's on your mind for debate.
So if you want to email me, drop me a line at dynamitehack91 @ yahoo. com and put something nice in the subject line so I don't delete it on accident. I appreciate any and all questions but I can't garuentee I'll be able to answer all of them.
I look forward to your emails.
dynamitehack91 @ yahoo. com (take out the spaces)
NHL, MLB, NFL, PGA, Tennis, Olympics, NCAA, let's go for it. This will be an open mail bag this week along with my playoff predictions for the NHL, my season predictions for MLB and if anything else happens majorly out there. I want to hear anything that's on your mind for debate.
So if you want to email me, drop me a line at dynamitehack91 @ yahoo. com and put something nice in the subject line so I don't delete it on accident. I appreciate any and all questions but I can't garuentee I'll be able to answer all of them.
I look forward to your emails.
dynamitehack91 @ yahoo. com (take out the spaces)
NHL - Nolan out, Parise in, Bettman nuts up, Canada's coaching staff
03.29.04 (4:50 pm) [edit]
NHL
[b]NOLAN OUT AT LEAST THREE WEEKS[/b]
At a time where many teams are mum about player injuries, the Toronto Maple Leafs have announced that power forward and former first overall pick [b]Owen Nolan[/b] will miss at least three weeks due to a knee injury suffered in a freak accident verus the Ottawa Senators. The injury is said not to require surgery but they'll re-evaluate that in three weeks, meaning Nolan will miss playoff time.
It's a big blow to the Toronto Maple Leafs but the team should be getting both [b]Darcy Tucker[/b] and [b]Mikael Renberg [/b](as well as defensemen [b]Ken Klee[/b]) back in time for the opening round of the playoffs and there's still a bit of depth on this team in the forms of [b]Chad Kilger[/b], rookie [b]Matt Stajan[/b] and others.
Nolan's a gritty leader who will be sorely missed by the Leafs but I wouldn't expect him to miss more than these three weeks. In fact the three weeks thing surprises me because I think of Nolan as a guy who would just tape up the injury and go out there no matter how bad it was. Granted he was a non-factor last year as he tried to play through a bad hip but he did play when he probably shouldn't have been playing. It'll be interesting if Pat Quinn holds him back because of that fact or suits him up put together with duct tape and glue - it's something to watch for in the playoffs.
[b]PARISE SIGNS [/b]
In an unexpected move Hobey-Baker finalist and WJC Gold-medalist [b]Zach Parise[/b] signed on the dotted line with the New Jersey Devils, fore-going his final two seasons of college hockey. The Devils stole Parise in the middle of the first round last year and he was expected to stay at least one more season at North Dakota.
With [b]Scott Stevens[/b] out, you would hope Parise could play as a stalwart defensemen with an intimidation factor the size of Texas but Parise could step into a Devils front line that's missing [b]Grant Marshall [/b]due to a hand injury and is lacking at center despite grabbing [b]Viktor Kozlov[/b] and [b]Jan Hrdina[/b] near the trade deadline. Kozlov's better suited for the wing as we've seen and Hrdina has been a complete dissapointment for Pat Burns, earning a couple healthy scratches of late. [b]Igor Larionov[/b] has been hurt but his spats with coach Burns have seen him be a non-factor throughout most of the season already. So Parise has a good chance of landing the third line center job almost right away and this should be grand expierence. I'm not quite sure Parise can play at this level right now and I had him going back for at least his Junior year of school. Add to him a bit of weight and this playoff expierence and he could wind up being a top line center at the NHL level in a couple years. I'm doubting he left early just to play in Albany for two years so that's why I'm assuming he's going to step into the playoff line-up like that.
[b]BETTMAN ISSUES MEMO[/b]
Commissioner [b]Gary Bettman[/b] has issued a memo to all the NHL clubs stating that coaches and management itself will be held accountable for the behavior of its players. Basically if your players get out of hand, you as a coach and a General Manager are going to be fined for it as well.
I can see one side that says, why should the coaches and the GMs be held accountable for someone else's stupidity but come on, you start fining the coaches and the GMs and I garuentee you that some of these incidents will disapear. It won't get rid of all the stupidity in the league but when someone else has to start paying up for your mistakes, there's going to be a lot more pressure on you to stop doing them. And coaches SHOULD be held responsible - if you're not in control of your players, who is? The inmates should NOT be running the asylum. You control who goes out there and when and against who, it's your job as a coach to tell your players, "hey, get over it" and let's move on.
While this seems in direct relation to the Bertuzzi-Moore incident, it'll hopefully also curve some of the ignorance we'll see when the Senators and Flyers get together on the 2nd of April. Last time these two teams got together it was a ridiculous brawl that really disgraced the sport in the worst way. If it gets out of hand again, I wouldn't mind seeing [b]Ken Hitchcock[/b] and [b]Jacques Martin[/b] either cough up a chunk of change or if it really gets out of hand again, be suspended going into the playoffs. Stuff like the last Ottawa-Philadelphia game definitely has no part in the game what-so-ever and it needs to get out. If this is the way to do it, so be it.
The one concern I have though is will Bettman and subsequently [b]Colin Campbell[/b], stick to their guns on this one? Will they not mess around when this garbage occurs next time or is this only a warning for Philadelphia and Ottawa? What if it errupts with two new teams? Will the precident stay in tact for next season? What if Colorado and Vancouver meet in the playoffs? Will you Mr. Bettman stick to your guns on this issue because rarely have you ever done such a thing before that has stuck. It's a great step but I'm skeptical.
[b]RENNY AND BABCOCK JOIN QUENNEVILLE[/b]
[b]Mike Babcock[/b] and [b]Tom Renney[/b] will join [b]Joel Quenneville[/b] on the coaching staff for Team Canada at the World Championships. Babcock's Mighty Ducks and Renney's Rangers are of course eliminated from playoff contention and they should bring a lot of international expierence to Quenneville's bench. Babcock had a rough season but he's one of the bright up-and-coming coaches in the game and I expect Anaheim to take aim towards the playoffs next season with [b]JS Giguere [/b]rebounding and [b]Sergei Fedorov[/b] finally comfortable in California. Renney's one of the most underrated coaches in the NHL and one had to wonder why he wasn't given the Rangers' bench job sooner. He's done these tournements before and will be a great advantage to Quenneville. It should be interesting how these three fill the roster come mid-April.
[b]NOLAN OUT AT LEAST THREE WEEKS[/b]
At a time where many teams are mum about player injuries, the Toronto Maple Leafs have announced that power forward and former first overall pick [b]Owen Nolan[/b] will miss at least three weeks due to a knee injury suffered in a freak accident verus the Ottawa Senators. The injury is said not to require surgery but they'll re-evaluate that in three weeks, meaning Nolan will miss playoff time.
It's a big blow to the Toronto Maple Leafs but the team should be getting both [b]Darcy Tucker[/b] and [b]Mikael Renberg [/b](as well as defensemen [b]Ken Klee[/b]) back in time for the opening round of the playoffs and there's still a bit of depth on this team in the forms of [b]Chad Kilger[/b], rookie [b]Matt Stajan[/b] and others.
Nolan's a gritty leader who will be sorely missed by the Leafs but I wouldn't expect him to miss more than these three weeks. In fact the three weeks thing surprises me because I think of Nolan as a guy who would just tape up the injury and go out there no matter how bad it was. Granted he was a non-factor last year as he tried to play through a bad hip but he did play when he probably shouldn't have been playing. It'll be interesting if Pat Quinn holds him back because of that fact or suits him up put together with duct tape and glue - it's something to watch for in the playoffs.
[b]PARISE SIGNS [/b]
In an unexpected move Hobey-Baker finalist and WJC Gold-medalist [b]Zach Parise[/b] signed on the dotted line with the New Jersey Devils, fore-going his final two seasons of college hockey. The Devils stole Parise in the middle of the first round last year and he was expected to stay at least one more season at North Dakota.
With [b]Scott Stevens[/b] out, you would hope Parise could play as a stalwart defensemen with an intimidation factor the size of Texas but Parise could step into a Devils front line that's missing [b]Grant Marshall [/b]due to a hand injury and is lacking at center despite grabbing [b]Viktor Kozlov[/b] and [b]Jan Hrdina[/b] near the trade deadline. Kozlov's better suited for the wing as we've seen and Hrdina has been a complete dissapointment for Pat Burns, earning a couple healthy scratches of late. [b]Igor Larionov[/b] has been hurt but his spats with coach Burns have seen him be a non-factor throughout most of the season already. So Parise has a good chance of landing the third line center job almost right away and this should be grand expierence. I'm not quite sure Parise can play at this level right now and I had him going back for at least his Junior year of school. Add to him a bit of weight and this playoff expierence and he could wind up being a top line center at the NHL level in a couple years. I'm doubting he left early just to play in Albany for two years so that's why I'm assuming he's going to step into the playoff line-up like that.
[b]BETTMAN ISSUES MEMO[/b]
Commissioner [b]Gary Bettman[/b] has issued a memo to all the NHL clubs stating that coaches and management itself will be held accountable for the behavior of its players. Basically if your players get out of hand, you as a coach and a General Manager are going to be fined for it as well.
I can see one side that says, why should the coaches and the GMs be held accountable for someone else's stupidity but come on, you start fining the coaches and the GMs and I garuentee you that some of these incidents will disapear. It won't get rid of all the stupidity in the league but when someone else has to start paying up for your mistakes, there's going to be a lot more pressure on you to stop doing them. And coaches SHOULD be held responsible - if you're not in control of your players, who is? The inmates should NOT be running the asylum. You control who goes out there and when and against who, it's your job as a coach to tell your players, "hey, get over it" and let's move on.
While this seems in direct relation to the Bertuzzi-Moore incident, it'll hopefully also curve some of the ignorance we'll see when the Senators and Flyers get together on the 2nd of April. Last time these two teams got together it was a ridiculous brawl that really disgraced the sport in the worst way. If it gets out of hand again, I wouldn't mind seeing [b]Ken Hitchcock[/b] and [b]Jacques Martin[/b] either cough up a chunk of change or if it really gets out of hand again, be suspended going into the playoffs. Stuff like the last Ottawa-Philadelphia game definitely has no part in the game what-so-ever and it needs to get out. If this is the way to do it, so be it.
The one concern I have though is will Bettman and subsequently [b]Colin Campbell[/b], stick to their guns on this one? Will they not mess around when this garbage occurs next time or is this only a warning for Philadelphia and Ottawa? What if it errupts with two new teams? Will the precident stay in tact for next season? What if Colorado and Vancouver meet in the playoffs? Will you Mr. Bettman stick to your guns on this issue because rarely have you ever done such a thing before that has stuck. It's a great step but I'm skeptical.
[b]RENNY AND BABCOCK JOIN QUENNEVILLE[/b]
[b]Mike Babcock[/b] and [b]Tom Renney[/b] will join [b]Joel Quenneville[/b] on the coaching staff for Team Canada at the World Championships. Babcock's Mighty Ducks and Renney's Rangers are of course eliminated from playoff contention and they should bring a lot of international expierence to Quenneville's bench. Babcock had a rough season but he's one of the bright up-and-coming coaches in the game and I expect Anaheim to take aim towards the playoffs next season with [b]JS Giguere [/b]rebounding and [b]Sergei Fedorov[/b] finally comfortable in California. Renney's one of the most underrated coaches in the NHL and one had to wonder why he wasn't given the Rangers' bench job sooner. He's done these tournements before and will be a great advantage to Quenneville. It should be interesting how these three fill the roster come mid-April.
SPORTS - Dream Job, TPC, Final Four, Women's Ball, NHL
03.29.04 (12:49 am) [edit]
[b]MEN's FINAL FOUR [/b]
The men's final four field is set and it doesn't look as out of place as I would have had it. I'm quite displeased that [b]Stanford[/b] dissapointed me for the third time in ten years but we can only learn from our mistakes and move on.
[b]Duke[/b], I take back what I said about you NOT being the evil in college basketball - you are. It just took the in-game announcers and the whole analyst staff at ESPN to make me realize why we all hate Duke in the first place - everyone swings on their nuts and it's sick. They showed their stuff against [b]Xavier[/b] though and [b]Loul Deng[/b], as a freshmen, stepped up. Just imagine what kind of leader Deng will be if he stays another three years under the Duke system. Of course, it garuentees little at the pro level. Is there a law prohibiting use of just his last name though? Every time they had to mention Deng it was ALWAYS Loul Deng, never Deng or God Deng-it. Would someone just call him Deng for christ sake?
[b]UCONN[/b], so much has been made about [b]Emeka Okafor's [/b]back and now where are all the nay-sayers? It was a tough season but hey they've proven themselves so far now. [b]Ben Gordon[/b] and [b]Talik Brown[/b] I'm going to take any day of the week (except obviously against Stanford when I'm brain-farting before the tourney D'OH) I hope [b]Charlie Villanueva[/b] rots in hell but I've got the rest of the Huskies over the Blue Devils.
[b]OSU[/b], another brain-fart of mine while filling out the brackets before the tourney began. For some reason in my 'real bracket' I put [b]Pitt[/b] up over OSU and God I really ought to kick myself for that one because I'm an OSU fan. I just got caught up in my rage that Pitt should have had a higher seed. I'm a Pitt fan too and [b]Chris Taft[/b] will be a lottery pick some day soon but [b]Eddie Sutton[/b] 's OSU program really needs to be respected. I would be happy if they won it all because it would put Oklahoma State on the map right now if they could trounce over UCONN or Duke but first they've got to get past a [b]GA Tech[/b] team that I picked to go to the Finals in my bracket.
GA Tech also has a lot to prove in this Final Four. A lot of people didn't think they would be good enough and I take great pleasure (it's one of the few pleasures I can take this year with only two Final Four teams selected) that I have GA Tech here and hopefully in the Finals. They've ridden the back of [b]Jarrett Jack[/b] and rightfully so, he's been their best player all year and the sophomore is playing great ball. [b]B.J. Elder [/b]has looked great too and [b]Paul Hewitt[/b] deserves a lot of praise this year.
All things equal I'd hope we all tip our caps to each of the four teams and that Eddie Sutton and OSU knock off UConn here in a couple days. I think the next three games to decide the champions are going to go down in history, I'm jacked and I'm pumped so let's get it on.
[LINE]
[b]WOMEN'S B-BALL[/b]
[b]Diana Taurasi[/b] is still in it? Good because that's all I care about. She's a special kind of player and the WNBA is looking for her to save the league. But I'm sorry, [b]Sue Bird[/b] didn't save the league. [b]Nykesha Sales[/b] didn't save the league. [b]Svetlana Abrosimova [/b]didn't save the league. As much as I root for Diana, the only way to get male fans and fans outside Tennessee and Conneticut to care about the WNBA is if Diana, Sue, Svetlana, Nykesha and Jennifer ([b]Rizzotti[/b]) all pose nude in Playboy for some sort of UCONN feature. I'll buy that issue.
[b]Baylor[/b] just got knocked out of the tourney by Tennessee but for the Lady Bears to get this far has to be a feel good story after what happened to the men this year. I couldn't tell you who's on the Lady Bears but not too many other people could either. The Lady Vols face Stanford and the Lady Cardinal (???!) after Stanford upset Vanderbilt. My how different the men's game is compared to the women's.
[LINE]
[b]ESPN'S DREAM JOB[/b]
I watched the final episode of Dream Job tonight after missing the entire run of the show. Originally I was quite against the idea of just handing a job to some one just for winning a contest but after hearing judge [b]Tony Kornheiser[/b] gush about all the young kids on the show on one of TK's last radio shows before he leaves the airwaves, I decided to check in on the show. Obviously, just this expeirence alone puts them heads above just some joe off the street and with maybe a year of training, I'm sure the entire final four of the show could hold down a head (anchor) position on sportscenter or at least they have enough to get jobs else where and they probably will.
TK was right, [b]Zach[/b] would be more suited for doing radio and I hope we do hear Zach on the airwaves in the future. Preferably on ESPN so I can hear him instead of the west coast where I wouldn't and probably would forget about him. I'll give [b]Colin Cowherd[/b] a chance taking over TK's radio slot but maybe Zach will someday get it.
[b]Maggie[/b] wasn't that great but she's leagues ahead of me and plus she's cute. Obviously the time in the salon did her some good as well [b]but she has a nice pair of legs [/b]- too bad if she was on Sportscenter, they'd be covered up by that insanely large desk. She supposedly was getting better so get her in a training program and hopefully we'll see her on say late night ESPNews soon.
[b]Mike Hall [/b]won and I really enjoyed him but my vote (yes, I felt compelled to vote for some reason) went to [b]Aaron Levine [/b]and I hope they'll give him a job as well. But congrats to Mike. You're going up the tax brackets from a broke college student to $95 k a year. He almost makes as much as my dad sadly.
I heard the [b]Al Jaffe[/b] sports quiz was difficult on the previous program but that Jeopordy rip-off tonight was way too easy and way too recent. I didn't keep track but I felt like I shot better than 75% on the question. [b]Dave Campo[/b]? USC? C'mon folks, stuff that's happened in the past year shouldn't be out of your memory yet.
[LINE]
[b]GOLF[/b]
Believe it or not but I'm a huge avid golf fan. I don't talk it too often because it's not something that comes up in sports talk over the 4am debates at the local Dennys. If [b]Tiger Woods[/b] does something cool we mention it but never do we debate golf but the Tour Player's Championship needs to be mentioned. I watched more of the TV coverage than I would like to admit but the TPC is the first real great golf event of the year. It's almost like a major but not a major if that makes sense and I'm sure this win gives [b]Adam Scott[/b], the youngest TPC winner at 23, the momentum going into the Masters Championship in two weeks. Scott made it interesting by hitting the water at 18 but pulled it off by one stroke.
They made a big deal about how he was the only one all day to hit it to the right and land into the water but honestly, he wasnt' the only one over the course of the weekend to put it there and he kept his calm and did what he had to do. I'm sure he doesn't like settling for Bogey but at this moment, he probably doesn't give a shit. Sawgrass is one golf course I wouldn't want to play at though. Water seems to attract my ball (and [b]Ian Poulter[/b] 's ball) to it like a magnet and the water at Sawgrass would give me fits. No funny alligator incidents as I would have hoped but we'll have to settle for Poulter's "slip-up" at the 4th today.
I think Scott can take this momentum into Augusta but I wouldn't be surprised if Kevin [b]Sutherland[/b] does too. [b]Craig Parry[/b] should be a darkhorse as Augusta suits his strengths and he's playing well. [b]Phil Mickelson [/b]is my other pick that could win it and I'll also never bet against [b]Tiger Woods[/b]. I'll take solace if Woods wins it though if it gets people to shut up about this "slump" Tiger's in. You know you're good when you win five 5 events, make the cut in 17 of your 18 events and wind up with twelve top 10 finishes and you had an off year. I'll take that off year. So far in 6 events, he has a win, four top 10s and made the cut five times so really WHAT SLUMP?
[LINE]
[b]NHL RANDOM THOUGHTS[/b]
What would my BLOG be without some NHL thoughts? Well it wouldn't be my BLOG, that's certain.
[b]Daniel Alfredsson[/b] signed a five-year deal with the Senators even with the lock-out looming. It's thought that this deal will keep the 31 year-old Swede in Ottawa for the rest of his career. The deal is also said to inlcude a $7.5 million signing bonus, three option years, $32.5 million total and a possible $48 million over 8 years with the options. No word on the preformance bonuses in his contract however. Despite the looming lock-out, you have to lock-up one of your main cogs when you can rather than lose him to Unrestriced free agency. Good move by Ottawa and hopefully Alfredsson will be able to win a Cup over in the capitol.
San Jose Sharks today gained their 100th point of the season, not bad for a team that finished out of the playoffs last season in an underachieving campaign and were thought to be in a rebuilding mode. Looks like it was just a quick re-tooling because I thought it'd be not until next year for us to see the Sharks in the playoffs. Take out the Sharks and Flames, add Anaheim and Los Angeles and you have my pre-season EIGHT out West. Better luck next year I guess.
Is [b]Nathan Horton[/b] injury proned already? The Panther's 18 year-old power forward is likely heading for surgery on that shoulder again after pulling off a remarkable recovery from a torn rotater cuff earlier in the year. I would have shut him down for the season then but his coming back was just amazing. I'd hate to whisper the words injury proned as both injuries were really freak accidents but I'm sure there's some nay-sayers that will be saying it. I really thought Nathan could have used another year in Juniors to physically get ready and I was almost confirmed in that but I still can't get over how quickly and well he healed from that rotater cuff. My guess is Horton will heal up just fine and make a couple adjustments to his game and hopefully we can put those questions to rest.
For anyone wondering who my pre-season EIGHT in the East were - Boston, Ottawa, Toronto, Philadelphia, New Jersey, and Tampa Bay plus Carolina and Washington. Well the Southeast Division will some day be a great division, it just didn't help me out this season. Before the [b]Dany Heatley [/b]incident, I had them over Carolina and in the last of the 8 spots and for the first half of the season they looked like they could do it before they fell off the face of the earth. The Islanders and Montreal instead take the place of the Hurricanes and Capitals though. Montreal has definately surprised a lot of people. I had them 10th in the Conference and the Islanders 11th. So here's congrats to [b]Jose Theodore[/b] for the rebound season. I knew you would but combine it with [b]Mike Ribeiro[/b] 's break-out, [b]Michal Ryder[/b] coming out of no-where, [b]Sheldon Souray [/b]being healthy once again and the guts to go out and acquire [b]Alexei Kovalev[/b] and you can say PLAYOFFS in Montreal. [b]Claude Julien[/b] has done well to get everyone in on his offensive system in Montreal and I hope he gets a nomination for the Jack Adams award. Most people will look towards [b]Darryl Sutter[/b], another worthy coach but I'm trying to be different so give my vote to Julien. I said at his hiring, he's been successful at every level he's coached and there was no reason for that not to continue so I owe him one for making me look smart.
So we have my coach of the year nod? Who wins the rest of my awards? Well you're just going to have to tune into the column after the regular season ends. I have my votes already but hey "leave them wanting more."
The men's final four field is set and it doesn't look as out of place as I would have had it. I'm quite displeased that [b]Stanford[/b] dissapointed me for the third time in ten years but we can only learn from our mistakes and move on.
[b]Duke[/b], I take back what I said about you NOT being the evil in college basketball - you are. It just took the in-game announcers and the whole analyst staff at ESPN to make me realize why we all hate Duke in the first place - everyone swings on their nuts and it's sick. They showed their stuff against [b]Xavier[/b] though and [b]Loul Deng[/b], as a freshmen, stepped up. Just imagine what kind of leader Deng will be if he stays another three years under the Duke system. Of course, it garuentees little at the pro level. Is there a law prohibiting use of just his last name though? Every time they had to mention Deng it was ALWAYS Loul Deng, never Deng or God Deng-it. Would someone just call him Deng for christ sake?
[b]UCONN[/b], so much has been made about [b]Emeka Okafor's [/b]back and now where are all the nay-sayers? It was a tough season but hey they've proven themselves so far now. [b]Ben Gordon[/b] and [b]Talik Brown[/b] I'm going to take any day of the week (except obviously against Stanford when I'm brain-farting before the tourney D'OH) I hope [b]Charlie Villanueva[/b] rots in hell but I've got the rest of the Huskies over the Blue Devils.
[b]OSU[/b], another brain-fart of mine while filling out the brackets before the tourney began. For some reason in my 'real bracket' I put [b]Pitt[/b] up over OSU and God I really ought to kick myself for that one because I'm an OSU fan. I just got caught up in my rage that Pitt should have had a higher seed. I'm a Pitt fan too and [b]Chris Taft[/b] will be a lottery pick some day soon but [b]Eddie Sutton[/b] 's OSU program really needs to be respected. I would be happy if they won it all because it would put Oklahoma State on the map right now if they could trounce over UCONN or Duke but first they've got to get past a [b]GA Tech[/b] team that I picked to go to the Finals in my bracket.
GA Tech also has a lot to prove in this Final Four. A lot of people didn't think they would be good enough and I take great pleasure (it's one of the few pleasures I can take this year with only two Final Four teams selected) that I have GA Tech here and hopefully in the Finals. They've ridden the back of [b]Jarrett Jack[/b] and rightfully so, he's been their best player all year and the sophomore is playing great ball. [b]B.J. Elder [/b]has looked great too and [b]Paul Hewitt[/b] deserves a lot of praise this year.
All things equal I'd hope we all tip our caps to each of the four teams and that Eddie Sutton and OSU knock off UConn here in a couple days. I think the next three games to decide the champions are going to go down in history, I'm jacked and I'm pumped so let's get it on.
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[b]WOMEN'S B-BALL[/b]
[b]Diana Taurasi[/b] is still in it? Good because that's all I care about. She's a special kind of player and the WNBA is looking for her to save the league. But I'm sorry, [b]Sue Bird[/b] didn't save the league. [b]Nykesha Sales[/b] didn't save the league. [b]Svetlana Abrosimova [/b]didn't save the league. As much as I root for Diana, the only way to get male fans and fans outside Tennessee and Conneticut to care about the WNBA is if Diana, Sue, Svetlana, Nykesha and Jennifer ([b]Rizzotti[/b]) all pose nude in Playboy for some sort of UCONN feature. I'll buy that issue.
[b]Baylor[/b] just got knocked out of the tourney by Tennessee but for the Lady Bears to get this far has to be a feel good story after what happened to the men this year. I couldn't tell you who's on the Lady Bears but not too many other people could either. The Lady Vols face Stanford and the Lady Cardinal (???!) after Stanford upset Vanderbilt. My how different the men's game is compared to the women's.
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[b]ESPN'S DREAM JOB[/b]
I watched the final episode of Dream Job tonight after missing the entire run of the show. Originally I was quite against the idea of just handing a job to some one just for winning a contest but after hearing judge [b]Tony Kornheiser[/b] gush about all the young kids on the show on one of TK's last radio shows before he leaves the airwaves, I decided to check in on the show. Obviously, just this expeirence alone puts them heads above just some joe off the street and with maybe a year of training, I'm sure the entire final four of the show could hold down a head (anchor) position on sportscenter or at least they have enough to get jobs else where and they probably will.
TK was right, [b]Zach[/b] would be more suited for doing radio and I hope we do hear Zach on the airwaves in the future. Preferably on ESPN so I can hear him instead of the west coast where I wouldn't and probably would forget about him. I'll give [b]Colin Cowherd[/b] a chance taking over TK's radio slot but maybe Zach will someday get it.
[b]Maggie[/b] wasn't that great but she's leagues ahead of me and plus she's cute. Obviously the time in the salon did her some good as well [b]but she has a nice pair of legs [/b]- too bad if she was on Sportscenter, they'd be covered up by that insanely large desk. She supposedly was getting better so get her in a training program and hopefully we'll see her on say late night ESPNews soon.
[b]Mike Hall [/b]won and I really enjoyed him but my vote (yes, I felt compelled to vote for some reason) went to [b]Aaron Levine [/b]and I hope they'll give him a job as well. But congrats to Mike. You're going up the tax brackets from a broke college student to $95 k a year. He almost makes as much as my dad sadly.
I heard the [b]Al Jaffe[/b] sports quiz was difficult on the previous program but that Jeopordy rip-off tonight was way too easy and way too recent. I didn't keep track but I felt like I shot better than 75% on the question. [b]Dave Campo[/b]? USC? C'mon folks, stuff that's happened in the past year shouldn't be out of your memory yet.
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[b]GOLF[/b]
Believe it or not but I'm a huge avid golf fan. I don't talk it too often because it's not something that comes up in sports talk over the 4am debates at the local Dennys. If [b]Tiger Woods[/b] does something cool we mention it but never do we debate golf but the Tour Player's Championship needs to be mentioned. I watched more of the TV coverage than I would like to admit but the TPC is the first real great golf event of the year. It's almost like a major but not a major if that makes sense and I'm sure this win gives [b]Adam Scott[/b], the youngest TPC winner at 23, the momentum going into the Masters Championship in two weeks. Scott made it interesting by hitting the water at 18 but pulled it off by one stroke.
They made a big deal about how he was the only one all day to hit it to the right and land into the water but honestly, he wasnt' the only one over the course of the weekend to put it there and he kept his calm and did what he had to do. I'm sure he doesn't like settling for Bogey but at this moment, he probably doesn't give a shit. Sawgrass is one golf course I wouldn't want to play at though. Water seems to attract my ball (and [b]Ian Poulter[/b] 's ball) to it like a magnet and the water at Sawgrass would give me fits. No funny alligator incidents as I would have hoped but we'll have to settle for Poulter's "slip-up" at the 4th today.
I think Scott can take this momentum into Augusta but I wouldn't be surprised if Kevin [b]Sutherland[/b] does too. [b]Craig Parry[/b] should be a darkhorse as Augusta suits his strengths and he's playing well. [b]Phil Mickelson [/b]is my other pick that could win it and I'll also never bet against [b]Tiger Woods[/b]. I'll take solace if Woods wins it though if it gets people to shut up about this "slump" Tiger's in. You know you're good when you win five 5 events, make the cut in 17 of your 18 events and wind up with twelve top 10 finishes and you had an off year. I'll take that off year. So far in 6 events, he has a win, four top 10s and made the cut five times so really WHAT SLUMP?
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[b]NHL RANDOM THOUGHTS[/b]
What would my BLOG be without some NHL thoughts? Well it wouldn't be my BLOG, that's certain.
[b]Daniel Alfredsson[/b] signed a five-year deal with the Senators even with the lock-out looming. It's thought that this deal will keep the 31 year-old Swede in Ottawa for the rest of his career. The deal is also said to inlcude a $7.5 million signing bonus, three option years, $32.5 million total and a possible $48 million over 8 years with the options. No word on the preformance bonuses in his contract however. Despite the looming lock-out, you have to lock-up one of your main cogs when you can rather than lose him to Unrestriced free agency. Good move by Ottawa and hopefully Alfredsson will be able to win a Cup over in the capitol.
San Jose Sharks today gained their 100th point of the season, not bad for a team that finished out of the playoffs last season in an underachieving campaign and were thought to be in a rebuilding mode. Looks like it was just a quick re-tooling because I thought it'd be not until next year for us to see the Sharks in the playoffs. Take out the Sharks and Flames, add Anaheim and Los Angeles and you have my pre-season EIGHT out West. Better luck next year I guess.
Is [b]Nathan Horton[/b] injury proned already? The Panther's 18 year-old power forward is likely heading for surgery on that shoulder again after pulling off a remarkable recovery from a torn rotater cuff earlier in the year. I would have shut him down for the season then but his coming back was just amazing. I'd hate to whisper the words injury proned as both injuries were really freak accidents but I'm sure there's some nay-sayers that will be saying it. I really thought Nathan could have used another year in Juniors to physically get ready and I was almost confirmed in that but I still can't get over how quickly and well he healed from that rotater cuff. My guess is Horton will heal up just fine and make a couple adjustments to his game and hopefully we can put those questions to rest.
For anyone wondering who my pre-season EIGHT in the East were - Boston, Ottawa, Toronto, Philadelphia, New Jersey, and Tampa Bay plus Carolina and Washington. Well the Southeast Division will some day be a great division, it just didn't help me out this season. Before the [b]Dany Heatley [/b]incident, I had them over Carolina and in the last of the 8 spots and for the first half of the season they looked like they could do it before they fell off the face of the earth. The Islanders and Montreal instead take the place of the Hurricanes and Capitals though. Montreal has definately surprised a lot of people. I had them 10th in the Conference and the Islanders 11th. So here's congrats to [b]Jose Theodore[/b] for the rebound season. I knew you would but combine it with [b]Mike Ribeiro[/b] 's break-out, [b]Michal Ryder[/b] coming out of no-where, [b]Sheldon Souray [/b]being healthy once again and the guts to go out and acquire [b]Alexei Kovalev[/b] and you can say PLAYOFFS in Montreal. [b]Claude Julien[/b] has done well to get everyone in on his offensive system in Montreal and I hope he gets a nomination for the Jack Adams award. Most people will look towards [b]Darryl Sutter[/b], another worthy coach but I'm trying to be different so give my vote to Julien. I said at his hiring, he's been successful at every level he's coached and there was no reason for that not to continue so I owe him one for making me look smart.
So we have my coach of the year nod? Who wins the rest of my awards? Well you're just going to have to tune into the column after the regular season ends. I have my votes already but hey "leave them wanting more."
NHL - Russians trying to ruin the Ovechkin party
03.26.04 (1:20 pm) [edit]
NHL - A couple people asked for my comments on the newest developments on the 'player transfer contracts' under the IIHF deal. Supposedly the Russians are sick of losing their top young stars to the NHL (see Zherdev and Kovalchuk and Svitov and well everyone else) and only getting a set amount of money for these players. Instead the Russian Superleague clubs want to neogiate transfer fees on a case-by-case basis much like the current transfer rules in soccer where clubs sell players to other clubs for an amount of cash agreed to by the two clubs.
I agree with the Russian clubs here. The RSL is almost on par with the NHL and the top men's league in Russia does play a similarly defensive style of play to that of the NHL's. And like the NHL or any sports league for that matter, they've also got to attract fans to come to the games. To do so, they've got to showcase talent yet most of the bright young stars over there are escaping to the NHL while the RSL gets a small fee for the buy-out. Think of it as if Atlanta lost Kovalchuk to another league or if Columbus lost Zherdev and got nothing of value in return. That's pretty much how the system works right now.
Now think of if they went to a case-by-case system like soccer. Kovalchuk is one of the budding stars in the game of hockey (not just the NHL, you've got to think of it in terms of the sport) and already one of the top players in the world and you compare that to some of the soccer transfers out there, Kovalchuk would be worth around upwards to $20-30 million or more to his Russian club. Zherdev would be slightly less but still a more nominal amount that what CSKA received for him. You've got to think, what would Kovalchuk be worth to the club in ticket revenue, TV deals, team endoresments and noterity - it just doesn't add up to the small pretty sum the NHL gets away with.
So the Russians no longer want to be a part of the IIHF's contract with the NHL and William Daley, the NHL's chief legal officer, is trying to play hard ball with the Russian clubs by saying if the IIHF deal doesn't include the Russians, there will be no new deal. So Daley, you're going to risk losing Sweden, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany and the other countries as well if the Russians don't go along with the raping? Could you imagine what Forsberg's transfer would have been? Maybe not a huge sum but maybe enough for a couple teams to avoid him.
Here's my feeling - this is going to completely back-fire on the Russian clubs. Seeing as the transfer agreements can't apply to someone who doesn't have a contract, you're going to have a lot of young 16 and 17 year-olds leaving the Russian Superleague early and going either to the Czech Extraleague or to the Canadian Hockey League and/or the various other junior leagues (USHL, NAHL, ect) instead of re-upping with their Russian club teams. It's not going to be a mass exodus but you'll see probably the top young draft-eligible talent not sticking around any more or none of them signing a deal past the year of the draft.
It'll help Russia maintain some of its young talent but the top players will still leave. But this could also backfire on the kids. At 15 or 16, you're still just trying to learn the game and that's tough enough but to add in going to an entirely different culture and try to learn a new langauge and system could ruin a lot of players. It does already even to older kids coming over who should be more mentally mature. Think of how many European players have come over to North America in their early to mid-twenties and haven't been able to acclaimate themselves to the culture shock.
Also the Russian clubs could appeal to the government to suspend players' visas out of the country leading to defections (much like Zherdev) but hopefully it won't come to that and the government wouldn't go that low but it's possible if the RSL is serious enough about keeping players in Russia.
The big player this effects right now is Alexander Ovechkin, who has one more year left on his deal with Moscow Dynamo. He'll be the first overall pick and there will be a desire to bring him over to the NHL as soon as next season, hopefully to save the Pittsburgh Penguins but not if it's going to cost the Penguins a couple million dollars just to secure his rights, nevermind the contract than Ovechkin would have to sign afterwards. Could the Penguins survive another dismal year in Pittsburgh until they're able to sign Ovechkin at no fee? Ovechkin's already a national hero that the whole population adores, the RSL will not let him go to the NHL without a fight.
In a prefect world, let him serve his miltary obligations in the Russian army and let his RSL contract run out and sign him next year. However, Ovechkin's good enough to play in the NHL next season and could help the Penguins tremendously not only in the standings but in the marketing department and thus ticket sales and revenue. If they can get him over next season, they will and if he's not over, you can be assured that they tried every thing.
I agree with the Russian clubs here. The RSL is almost on par with the NHL and the top men's league in Russia does play a similarly defensive style of play to that of the NHL's. And like the NHL or any sports league for that matter, they've also got to attract fans to come to the games. To do so, they've got to showcase talent yet most of the bright young stars over there are escaping to the NHL while the RSL gets a small fee for the buy-out. Think of it as if Atlanta lost Kovalchuk to another league or if Columbus lost Zherdev and got nothing of value in return. That's pretty much how the system works right now.
Now think of if they went to a case-by-case system like soccer. Kovalchuk is one of the budding stars in the game of hockey (not just the NHL, you've got to think of it in terms of the sport) and already one of the top players in the world and you compare that to some of the soccer transfers out there, Kovalchuk would be worth around upwards to $20-30 million or more to his Russian club. Zherdev would be slightly less but still a more nominal amount that what CSKA received for him. You've got to think, what would Kovalchuk be worth to the club in ticket revenue, TV deals, team endoresments and noterity - it just doesn't add up to the small pretty sum the NHL gets away with.
So the Russians no longer want to be a part of the IIHF's contract with the NHL and William Daley, the NHL's chief legal officer, is trying to play hard ball with the Russian clubs by saying if the IIHF deal doesn't include the Russians, there will be no new deal. So Daley, you're going to risk losing Sweden, Czech Republic, Finland, Germany and the other countries as well if the Russians don't go along with the raping? Could you imagine what Forsberg's transfer would have been? Maybe not a huge sum but maybe enough for a couple teams to avoid him.
Here's my feeling - this is going to completely back-fire on the Russian clubs. Seeing as the transfer agreements can't apply to someone who doesn't have a contract, you're going to have a lot of young 16 and 17 year-olds leaving the Russian Superleague early and going either to the Czech Extraleague or to the Canadian Hockey League and/or the various other junior leagues (USHL, NAHL, ect) instead of re-upping with their Russian club teams. It's not going to be a mass exodus but you'll see probably the top young draft-eligible talent not sticking around any more or none of them signing a deal past the year of the draft.
It'll help Russia maintain some of its young talent but the top players will still leave. But this could also backfire on the kids. At 15 or 16, you're still just trying to learn the game and that's tough enough but to add in going to an entirely different culture and try to learn a new langauge and system could ruin a lot of players. It does already even to older kids coming over who should be more mentally mature. Think of how many European players have come over to North America in their early to mid-twenties and haven't been able to acclaimate themselves to the culture shock.
Also the Russian clubs could appeal to the government to suspend players' visas out of the country leading to defections (much like Zherdev) but hopefully it won't come to that and the government wouldn't go that low but it's possible if the RSL is serious enough about keeping players in Russia.
The big player this effects right now is Alexander Ovechkin, who has one more year left on his deal with Moscow Dynamo. He'll be the first overall pick and there will be a desire to bring him over to the NHL as soon as next season, hopefully to save the Pittsburgh Penguins but not if it's going to cost the Penguins a couple million dollars just to secure his rights, nevermind the contract than Ovechkin would have to sign afterwards. Could the Penguins survive another dismal year in Pittsburgh until they're able to sign Ovechkin at no fee? Ovechkin's already a national hero that the whole population adores, the RSL will not let him go to the NHL without a fight.
In a prefect world, let him serve his miltary obligations in the Russian army and let his RSL contract run out and sign him next year. However, Ovechkin's good enough to play in the NHL next season and could help the Penguins tremendously not only in the standings but in the marketing department and thus ticket sales and revenue. If they can get him over next season, they will and if he's not over, you can be assured that they tried every thing.
NCAA - Well oppsies. Let's try this again
03.23.04 (10:50 pm) [edit]
NCAA - Well I figured I'd do bad seeing as I've only paid a small amount of attention this year and its certainly not my worst year ever but yeesh I did horrible especially in matches I should have guessed right. If you put all my brackets together comined, I'm probably in the good 80th percentile though (my best one is in the 71st)- I guess I can take great pride in that. But now in my pool, only a couple people have their National Champion alive and those people all have the Fighting Illini going on and winning it all. Not out of the question after their dismantling of a Cincannati squad that I thought would be too physical on Dee Brown and Deron Williams. Bobbit played well but not as well as I expected and thus, Cincinnati dropped out of my Sweet 16.
Watching UAB, why was I so surprised that they beat Kentucky? Why are any of us surprised that UAB beat Kentucky? I swear to God, the players themselves have no idea what they're going to do on defense at any given moment. They play like crazy men and there's really no scouting it because really, they rely a lot on instinct to carry them. Talent may weed UAB out sooner or later but I'll be rooting for them to further destory my bracket as they take on Bill Self and Kansas. I liked Self during his tenures with Tulsa and Illinios but I still feel a little bit betrayed by him quitting the Illinios job. Kansas v Illinois would be a great match-up in the final but even I know that won't happen so let's see Kansas suffer.
I know one person that had Nevada in their Sweet 16 but they work for ESPN. The rest of America probably can't even name a player off of that team. I watched their last game and I still can't name a single player on their club. Hopefully the Georgia Tech guards will be too much for Nevada because Georgia Tech is my National Runner-up and losing them would be a big blow to my remaining points. GA Tech is just too talented so watch me eat those words.
St. Joseph's you have given me the biggest headache of the month. Are you as good as advertised? I say you're the weakest of the number one seeds and then I think back, you do have a pretty good team with Jameer Nelson who nearly ruined me four years ago when I last picked Stanford to win it all. The Cardinal survived but not for long after and Jam has definitely continued to get better. He probably won't be the best pro on his team (that goes to his fellow guard, West) but he's by far the best player on the team at the College level. I don't have them winning it but I would be happy if they did. Though Wake Forrest will be a battle. I didn't know much about Chris Paul until the tourney started but I likie - I just likie West and Nelson more.
Really I like OSU a lot and I still don't know why I took Pitt over them in every single one of my brackets. True Pitt played better than a fourth seed but what Sutton's done to the OSU program now has been tremendous. Pitt's defense against OSU's offensive, it just might be the best game of the tournement here (seeing as we were robbed of a Gonzaga/MSU match-up.) And I usually don't like projecting players for the draft but I'm as impressed as anyone with Chris Taft. Stay in school Chris but you've got enough to be a lottery pick.
Illini versus Duke will be a game that will pack bars and houses in this area. I don't see Duke as 'the evil program' and I actually like their history and tradition a lot but I have to root for the Orange and Blue especially with knocking off Cincinatti in such a fashion. And to think this team will return all their starters and most of their bench next year - if they beat Duke here, they may find themselves high in the pre-season polls next year. Too bad that doesn't get you anywhere.
Texas and Xavier. I picked Xavier in my brackets just because they were the hot team but Texas is no picnic folks. This one's giving me an ucler much like it did in me having to decide it before the tourney. Think of what kind of team Texas would have had if TJ Ford stayed? Scary.
Alabama and Syracuse goes to Syracuse hands down. How can you root against Syracuse? Ok I know I had Stanford beating them but that aside - how can your root against the Orangemen? Bama got on my bad side and I wouldn't mind a UAB v Albama final but I'd be happier with the Minutemen going on to the Elite Eight.
UConn versus Vandy. Fuck you Vandy, fuck you and your upsets. I think I'm most impressed and surprised by Vandy than any of the other upsets in the tourny. Okafer's back has responded well so there's no reason why they shouldn't be the odds-on-favorite to win it all now. Vandy will try but I don't think this one will be close.
I'm rooting for my bracket with GA Tech and I'm rooting in my heart for the Illini but I can't discount UCONN, Texas, St. Joe's and OSU still being in there. And you still can't discount Syracuse (who need to go through UConn to get to the Final Four again.) The wild and crazy ride should continue on. Folks, this is March Madness.
Watching UAB, why was I so surprised that they beat Kentucky? Why are any of us surprised that UAB beat Kentucky? I swear to God, the players themselves have no idea what they're going to do on defense at any given moment. They play like crazy men and there's really no scouting it because really, they rely a lot on instinct to carry them. Talent may weed UAB out sooner or later but I'll be rooting for them to further destory my bracket as they take on Bill Self and Kansas. I liked Self during his tenures with Tulsa and Illinios but I still feel a little bit betrayed by him quitting the Illinios job. Kansas v Illinois would be a great match-up in the final but even I know that won't happen so let's see Kansas suffer.
I know one person that had Nevada in their Sweet 16 but they work for ESPN. The rest of America probably can't even name a player off of that team. I watched their last game and I still can't name a single player on their club. Hopefully the Georgia Tech guards will be too much for Nevada because Georgia Tech is my National Runner-up and losing them would be a big blow to my remaining points. GA Tech is just too talented so watch me eat those words.
St. Joseph's you have given me the biggest headache of the month. Are you as good as advertised? I say you're the weakest of the number one seeds and then I think back, you do have a pretty good team with Jameer Nelson who nearly ruined me four years ago when I last picked Stanford to win it all. The Cardinal survived but not for long after and Jam has definitely continued to get better. He probably won't be the best pro on his team (that goes to his fellow guard, West) but he's by far the best player on the team at the College level. I don't have them winning it but I would be happy if they did. Though Wake Forrest will be a battle. I didn't know much about Chris Paul until the tourney started but I likie - I just likie West and Nelson more.
Really I like OSU a lot and I still don't know why I took Pitt over them in every single one of my brackets. True Pitt played better than a fourth seed but what Sutton's done to the OSU program now has been tremendous. Pitt's defense against OSU's offensive, it just might be the best game of the tournement here (seeing as we were robbed of a Gonzaga/MSU match-up.) And I usually don't like projecting players for the draft but I'm as impressed as anyone with Chris Taft. Stay in school Chris but you've got enough to be a lottery pick.
Illini versus Duke will be a game that will pack bars and houses in this area. I don't see Duke as 'the evil program' and I actually like their history and tradition a lot but I have to root for the Orange and Blue especially with knocking off Cincinatti in such a fashion. And to think this team will return all their starters and most of their bench next year - if they beat Duke here, they may find themselves high in the pre-season polls next year. Too bad that doesn't get you anywhere.
Texas and Xavier. I picked Xavier in my brackets just because they were the hot team but Texas is no picnic folks. This one's giving me an ucler much like it did in me having to decide it before the tourney. Think of what kind of team Texas would have had if TJ Ford stayed? Scary.
Alabama and Syracuse goes to Syracuse hands down. How can you root against Syracuse? Ok I know I had Stanford beating them but that aside - how can your root against the Orangemen? Bama got on my bad side and I wouldn't mind a UAB v Albama final but I'd be happier with the Minutemen going on to the Elite Eight.
UConn versus Vandy. Fuck you Vandy, fuck you and your upsets. I think I'm most impressed and surprised by Vandy than any of the other upsets in the tourny. Okafer's back has responded well so there's no reason why they shouldn't be the odds-on-favorite to win it all now. Vandy will try but I don't think this one will be close.
I'm rooting for my bracket with GA Tech and I'm rooting in my heart for the Illini but I can't discount UCONN, Texas, St. Joe's and OSU still being in there. And you still can't discount Syracuse (who need to go through UConn to get to the Final Four again.) The wild and crazy ride should continue on. Folks, this is March Madness.
NHL - Prospect watch Central Division
03.22.04 (12:23 pm) [edit]
NHL - Yes I've been close to dead for a week now. I apologize but I just haven't had the time and I still don't have enough time.
Today I'm looking at the top prospects of the central division. Chicago, Columbus, Detroit, Nashville, St Louis while applying a different format than my Pacific Division report.
[b]NOTE - CHICAGO, COLUMBUS, DETROIT ARE DONE RIGHT NOW. THE OTHERS SHOULD BE ALONG LATER THIS DAY[/b]
[b]CHICAGO[/b]
1. Anton Babchuk [b]ETA 2004-05[/b]
2. Brent Seabrooke [b]ETA 2006 [/b]
3. Igor Radulov [b]ETA OVERDUE[/b]
4. Michal Barinka [b]ETA 2005[/b]
5. Pavel Vorobiev [b]ETA 2004-05[/b]
6. Matt Keith [b]ETA NOW[/b]
7. Corey Crawford [b]ETA 2007+[/b]
8. Duncan Keith [b]ETA 2007[/b]
9. Lasse Kukkonen [b]ETA 2004-05[/b]
10. Matt Ellison [b]ETA 2005[/b]
[b]GRADUATED[/b] - Yakubov, Leighton, Andersson
The Blackhawks have certainly an intriguing set of prospects and my top ten includes 5 defensemen who I can see in their top six in Chicago. The prizes are Babchuk and Seabrooke, with Babchuk looking like he'll be in the line-up as soon as next year. Seabrooke has had some troubles in the past and right now I think it's difficult to project him. He could wind up as a #1 dman if
all goes well. Barinka's getting a shot at the blueline already this year and while he's never going to produce any points, he'll be a nice defensive player. I was quite happy when the Hawks nabbed him. Kukkonen projects as their 5th or 6th defenseman. I like Lasse but he's just not that good. Duncan Keith could be the steal here though. He's going to have to get over the
fact that he's severely undersized but we may looking at Chicago's future power-play QB if he can take the pounding of the pros.
Radulov and Vorobiev are your stereotypical Russian forwards - if they're not scoring, they're not helping the team anywhere. Vorobiev still could be a top line player but he's lost a lot of favor under Sutter this year. Both of them will look to make the team out of camp next year but if they're not needed on the scoring lines, look for them to go back to Norfolk. Matt Keith and Ellison will probably make their money on the third line. Keith probably fitting into Sutter's system more than anyone.
Crawford is still working on his positioning and could use some weight but he's got all you want in a goalie. He's tall, quick laterally, agile and he's calm under fire and pressure. If he works hard, he could start in the NHL. The biggest lesson he needs to learn is not to play INSIDE his net. He's worse than (Felix) Potvin sometimes.
[b]COLUMBUS[/b]
1. Pascal Leclaire [b]ETA 2004-05[/b]
2. Danny Fritsche [b]ETA 2005[/b]
3. Dimitri Kosmachev [b]ETA 2007[/b]
4. Ole Tollefsen [b]ETA 2007[/b]
5. Tim Jackman [b]ETA 2004-05[/b]
6. Joakim Lindstrom [b]ETA 2006[/b]
7. Tim Konsorada [b]ETA 2007[/b]
8. Andrej Nedorost [b]ETA 2004-05[/b]
9. Ivan Tkachenko [b]ETA 2005[/b]
10. Justin Atkins [b]ETA 2006[/b]
[b]GRADUATED[/b] - Zherdev, Johnson
Everyone mentions Ryan Miller, Kari Lehtonen and Marc-Andre Fleury and for good reason but let us not forget that Leclaire is in the same category as those three. Pascal was slightly overshadowed by fellow draftee Daniel Blackburn and his quick rise to the NHL but I still maintain that Pascal will be the better goalie. Injuries slowed him that year but he's shown great agility and skill between the pipes and is one of the most patient goalies out there. Some wonder about his big game potential but he showed in juniors he can step up. Sadly he's behind Marc Denis however so his future might not be in Columbus.
Getting to watch Fritsche when he was 15 and 16, I'm obviously routing for the former Cleveland Baron. The shoulders still worry me slightly but his defensive prowness has made me lax a little bit. He may just be Columbus's 2nd line center of the future. Jackman has seen a little bit of action in Ohio this season and projects to be a third-liner for this club. I was high on the offensive-minded Lindstrom in 2002 but he's slowly drifting down my list as he's been about as fragile as a glass jackhammer. If he does come over to North America next year, keep a watch on his play in Syracuse. Konsodrada maybe the gem in this group. He could sneak onto the second line in Columbus but let's just play it safe for now and call him a third liner. Columbus needs to know how that shoulder of his is. Many people had Nedorost playing a big role in Columbus this year and displacing Espen Knutsen. Knutsen is gone but no thanks to Nedorost's play. I think we'll see Andrej be given every oppurtunity next season if he comes back from Europe. And speaking of Europe, Tkachenko has shown an eagerness to do so. He's a little older (79 BD) and somewhat small (5-10 183) but the Russian League expeirence should help him here. Atkins had himself a break-out year this season with New Hampshire and while I maybe overrating him here, I figured it'd be nice to give him the tip of the hat. Honorable mention does go to Sergei Mozyakin who's an offensive dynamo but good luck to Doug MacLean in getting Mozyakin over to the States. He'll probably only come over if he's given a spot in Columbus, and despite his talents, it'll be hard for him to even think about cracking the top two lines in Columbus for next season.
Rotislav Klesla is the future on defense for the Blue Jackets but he's not alone back there with Kosmachev and Tollefsen looking to join him. Tollefsen's a top-four defensemen but the injury bug has struck him the past couple of years. This year it was only his collarbone but it did keep him out a month. Kosmachev projects to be a 3rd or 4th dman once he decides to come over to the States. 6-3 and 205 lbs are the numbers you need to know. Many people had him as a first round selection in 2003 but he dropped to 71st overall - lucky Columbus because they've got a mentally-sound and solid kid on their hands. Too bad for his size and position, he's rarely seen the inside of a penalty box. His positioning is superb but at the NHL level, he's going to need to be physical and have a burr stuck up his ass.
[b]DETROIT[/b]
1. Igor Grigorenko [b]ETA 2004-05[/b]
2. Jiri Hudler [b]ETA 2004-05[/b]
3. Stefan Liv [b]ETA 2007[/b]
4. Tomas Kopecky [b]ETA 2004-05[/b]
5. Andreas Jamtin [b]ETA 2007[/b]
6. James Howard [b]ETA 2008+[/b]
7. Jari Tolsa [b]ETA 2006[/b]
8. Valtteri Filppula [b]ETA 2007[/b]
9. James Cuddihy [b]ETA 2007+[/b]
10. Par Backer [b]ETA 2008[/b]
[b]GRADUTED[/b] - Kronwall
The Detroit prospects are pretty much a crap shoot after Hudler and Grigorenko. I think nearly everyone puts Grigorenko-one and Hudler-two. Grigorenko remains the top prospect despite a car accident that kept him out this entire season. There's a possiblity that he could see time in Detroit as soon as next season and just in time too. With a couple aging free agents in the Detroit ranks, both Hudler and Grigorenko could find themselves contributing right away. Now only if Detroit can get rid of Hudler's tendency to be a defensive liability.
Liv is one of the reasons why you shouldn't trust the CSB every year as well as one of the reasons the Detroit scouting staff is amazing. Liv's big, loose and aigle. His only real glaring weakness is playing the puck (as with most European goalies) but with the new rule changes, Liv won't really have to worry about his handling. He's going to take a while yet but he's got the shine of a future number one and maybe able to take over once Joseph is done in Detroit. The other possible starter on the list is collegiate James Howard. I had Howard ranked as the fourth best goalie out of crapshoot (behind Fleury) of goalies in 2003 but with two more years of college left, he's only going to get better so let's evaluate him later.
Kopecky comes in as the next tier of forwards after Hudler and Grigorenko pretty much mimicking most lists but I've always been a Kopecky fan with that reach of his. He's very creative and I'm not sure why no one mentions him as a top prospect. He'll most likely see time in Detroit next season if all the forwards aren't brought back and while I hope he see's some power-play time, I'm not sure there will be enough room in Detroit for that. Jamtin is another prospect I don't understand why there's no hype around. He's small but he's playing a gritty, two-way game and with significant minutes in the SEL. Tolsa and Filppula look to be heading to the third line if they come over but they don't have much more upside than that - though I'm sure someone will argue that with Tosla. Cuddihy and Backer could be gems if all goes well and the Wings are willing to wait - and looks like they are. Cuddihy MUST work on his skating or he'll be an ECHLer for life but that size and strength were enough for me to consider him a third rounder. Backer is a project but he could wind up as a third-line center when he comes over.
Many people will probably note my ommissions of Mirsolav Blatak and Nathan Robinson. Robinson can skate with the big boys but he doesn't have Cuddihy's size and while I'm sure Robinson's skating will get him a look at in the NHL - I'm not sure if he can stick there. Size is the issue for Blatak as well but now that Kronwall has graduated to the NHL ranks, Blatak, Groulx and Seluyanov are the only real prospects the Wings have on the blueline. But none of them project to be much more than a 5th or 6th defenseman at best. Goalies Drew MacIntrye and Joey MacDonald are intriguing prospects but I couldn't find myself putting four goalies on the list.
Today I'm looking at the top prospects of the central division. Chicago, Columbus, Detroit, Nashville, St Louis while applying a different format than my Pacific Division report.
[b]NOTE - CHICAGO, COLUMBUS, DETROIT ARE DONE RIGHT NOW. THE OTHERS SHOULD BE ALONG LATER THIS DAY[/b]
[b]CHICAGO[/b]
1. Anton Babchuk [b]ETA 2004-05[/b]
2. Brent Seabrooke [b]ETA 2006 [/b]
3. Igor Radulov [b]ETA OVERDUE[/b]
4. Michal Barinka [b]ETA 2005[/b]
5. Pavel Vorobiev [b]ETA 2004-05[/b]
6. Matt Keith [b]ETA NOW[/b]
7. Corey Crawford [b]ETA 2007+[/b]
8. Duncan Keith [b]ETA 2007[/b]
9. Lasse Kukkonen [b]ETA 2004-05[/b]
10. Matt Ellison [b]ETA 2005[/b]
[b]GRADUATED[/b] - Yakubov, Leighton, Andersson
The Blackhawks have certainly an intriguing set of prospects and my top ten includes 5 defensemen who I can see in their top six in Chicago. The prizes are Babchuk and Seabrooke, with Babchuk looking like he'll be in the line-up as soon as next year. Seabrooke has had some troubles in the past and right now I think it's difficult to project him. He could wind up as a #1 dman if
all goes well. Barinka's getting a shot at the blueline already this year and while he's never going to produce any points, he'll be a nice defensive player. I was quite happy when the Hawks nabbed him. Kukkonen projects as their 5th or 6th defenseman. I like Lasse but he's just not that good. Duncan Keith could be the steal here though. He's going to have to get over the
fact that he's severely undersized but we may looking at Chicago's future power-play QB if he can take the pounding of the pros.
Radulov and Vorobiev are your stereotypical Russian forwards - if they're not scoring, they're not helping the team anywhere. Vorobiev still could be a top line player but he's lost a lot of favor under Sutter this year. Both of them will look to make the team out of camp next year but if they're not needed on the scoring lines, look for them to go back to Norfolk. Matt Keith and Ellison will probably make their money on the third line. Keith probably fitting into Sutter's system more than anyone.
Crawford is still working on his positioning and could use some weight but he's got all you want in a goalie. He's tall, quick laterally, agile and he's calm under fire and pressure. If he works hard, he could start in the NHL. The biggest lesson he needs to learn is not to play INSIDE his net. He's worse than (Felix) Potvin sometimes.
[b]COLUMBUS[/b]
1. Pascal Leclaire [b]ETA 2004-05[/b]
2. Danny Fritsche [b]ETA 2005[/b]
3. Dimitri Kosmachev [b]ETA 2007[/b]
4. Ole Tollefsen [b]ETA 2007[/b]
5. Tim Jackman [b]ETA 2004-05[/b]
6. Joakim Lindstrom [b]ETA 2006[/b]
7. Tim Konsorada [b]ETA 2007[/b]
8. Andrej Nedorost [b]ETA 2004-05[/b]
9. Ivan Tkachenko [b]ETA 2005[/b]
10. Justin Atkins [b]ETA 2006[/b]
[b]GRADUATED[/b] - Zherdev, Johnson
Everyone mentions Ryan Miller, Kari Lehtonen and Marc-Andre Fleury and for good reason but let us not forget that Leclaire is in the same category as those three. Pascal was slightly overshadowed by fellow draftee Daniel Blackburn and his quick rise to the NHL but I still maintain that Pascal will be the better goalie. Injuries slowed him that year but he's shown great agility and skill between the pipes and is one of the most patient goalies out there. Some wonder about his big game potential but he showed in juniors he can step up. Sadly he's behind Marc Denis however so his future might not be in Columbus.
Getting to watch Fritsche when he was 15 and 16, I'm obviously routing for the former Cleveland Baron. The shoulders still worry me slightly but his defensive prowness has made me lax a little bit. He may just be Columbus's 2nd line center of the future. Jackman has seen a little bit of action in Ohio this season and projects to be a third-liner for this club. I was high on the offensive-minded Lindstrom in 2002 but he's slowly drifting down my list as he's been about as fragile as a glass jackhammer. If he does come over to North America next year, keep a watch on his play in Syracuse. Konsodrada maybe the gem in this group. He could sneak onto the second line in Columbus but let's just play it safe for now and call him a third liner. Columbus needs to know how that shoulder of his is. Many people had Nedorost playing a big role in Columbus this year and displacing Espen Knutsen. Knutsen is gone but no thanks to Nedorost's play. I think we'll see Andrej be given every oppurtunity next season if he comes back from Europe. And speaking of Europe, Tkachenko has shown an eagerness to do so. He's a little older (79 BD) and somewhat small (5-10 183) but the Russian League expeirence should help him here. Atkins had himself a break-out year this season with New Hampshire and while I maybe overrating him here, I figured it'd be nice to give him the tip of the hat. Honorable mention does go to Sergei Mozyakin who's an offensive dynamo but good luck to Doug MacLean in getting Mozyakin over to the States. He'll probably only come over if he's given a spot in Columbus, and despite his talents, it'll be hard for him to even think about cracking the top two lines in Columbus for next season.
Rotislav Klesla is the future on defense for the Blue Jackets but he's not alone back there with Kosmachev and Tollefsen looking to join him. Tollefsen's a top-four defensemen but the injury bug has struck him the past couple of years. This year it was only his collarbone but it did keep him out a month. Kosmachev projects to be a 3rd or 4th dman once he decides to come over to the States. 6-3 and 205 lbs are the numbers you need to know. Many people had him as a first round selection in 2003 but he dropped to 71st overall - lucky Columbus because they've got a mentally-sound and solid kid on their hands. Too bad for his size and position, he's rarely seen the inside of a penalty box. His positioning is superb but at the NHL level, he's going to need to be physical and have a burr stuck up his ass.
[b]DETROIT[/b]
1. Igor Grigorenko [b]ETA 2004-05[/b]
2. Jiri Hudler [b]ETA 2004-05[/b]
3. Stefan Liv [b]ETA 2007[/b]
4. Tomas Kopecky [b]ETA 2004-05[/b]
5. Andreas Jamtin [b]ETA 2007[/b]
6. James Howard [b]ETA 2008+[/b]
7. Jari Tolsa [b]ETA 2006[/b]
8. Valtteri Filppula [b]ETA 2007[/b]
9. James Cuddihy [b]ETA 2007+[/b]
10. Par Backer [b]ETA 2008[/b]
[b]GRADUTED[/b] - Kronwall
The Detroit prospects are pretty much a crap shoot after Hudler and Grigorenko. I think nearly everyone puts Grigorenko-one and Hudler-two. Grigorenko remains the top prospect despite a car accident that kept him out this entire season. There's a possiblity that he could see time in Detroit as soon as next season and just in time too. With a couple aging free agents in the Detroit ranks, both Hudler and Grigorenko could find themselves contributing right away. Now only if Detroit can get rid of Hudler's tendency to be a defensive liability.
Liv is one of the reasons why you shouldn't trust the CSB every year as well as one of the reasons the Detroit scouting staff is amazing. Liv's big, loose and aigle. His only real glaring weakness is playing the puck (as with most European goalies) but with the new rule changes, Liv won't really have to worry about his handling. He's going to take a while yet but he's got the shine of a future number one and maybe able to take over once Joseph is done in Detroit. The other possible starter on the list is collegiate James Howard. I had Howard ranked as the fourth best goalie out of crapshoot (behind Fleury) of goalies in 2003 but with two more years of college left, he's only going to get better so let's evaluate him later.
Kopecky comes in as the next tier of forwards after Hudler and Grigorenko pretty much mimicking most lists but I've always been a Kopecky fan with that reach of his. He's very creative and I'm not sure why no one mentions him as a top prospect. He'll most likely see time in Detroit next season if all the forwards aren't brought back and while I hope he see's some power-play time, I'm not sure there will be enough room in Detroit for that. Jamtin is another prospect I don't understand why there's no hype around. He's small but he's playing a gritty, two-way game and with significant minutes in the SEL. Tolsa and Filppula look to be heading to the third line if they come over but they don't have much more upside than that - though I'm sure someone will argue that with Tosla. Cuddihy and Backer could be gems if all goes well and the Wings are willing to wait - and looks like they are. Cuddihy MUST work on his skating or he'll be an ECHLer for life but that size and strength were enough for me to consider him a third rounder. Backer is a project but he could wind up as a third-line center when he comes over.
Many people will probably note my ommissions of Mirsolav Blatak and Nathan Robinson. Robinson can skate with the big boys but he doesn't have Cuddihy's size and while I'm sure Robinson's skating will get him a look at in the NHL - I'm not sure if he can stick there. Size is the issue for Blatak as well but now that Kronwall has graduated to the NHL ranks, Blatak, Groulx and Seluyanov are the only real prospects the Wings have on the blueline. But none of them project to be much more than a 5th or 6th defenseman at best. Goalies Drew MacIntrye and Joey MacDonald are intriguing prospects but I couldn't find myself putting four goalies on the list.
NHL - Prospect watch Pacific Division
03.17.04 (12:13 am) [edit]
NHL - With the trade deadline gone and pass I've been a bit restless waiting for something to dicuss again and especially waiting on the NHL draft to come. When someone mentioned to me the Hockey News put out their Prospect Issue this year and we started discussing the list, I really found myself disagreeing, as usual, with the Hockey News so I figured I'd put together my own list here. This is by no way accurate but this is how I see it, all of this is debated of course.
Tonight I'm taking a look at the Pacific Division prospects. Just for a couple notes, players over 25 or have played 20 plus games for their NHL club will not be considered.
[b]ANAHEIM[/b]
1. [b]Ryan Getzlaf C [/b]
Was anyone else surprised when Getzlaf was available at the 19th pick last year? I was sure he'd be gone by then but the Ducks are lucky he wasn't. He almost made the Ducks roster out of the training camp but due to the looming CBA issues, he was sent back to the WHL where he was one of the top scorers this year. He could stand to gain some more muscle and quicken his step but his definately well on his way to being a top six forward. Many claim he's the reason for Andrew Ladd's success this year.
2. [b]Ilya Bryzgalov G[/b]
The big Russian didn't have the most impressive start to the season but with the Ducks out of it, they're giving Bryz a shot at starting and if he does well, we could see Martin Gerber moved early next season or even in the off-season - if Bryan Murray gets a deal better than the ones he got at the deadline which is highly possible. He will most likely be an NHL starter some day but will it be in Anaheim? JS Giguere will most likely rebound next season and if he does, what then for Ilya?
3. [b]Corey Perry LW[/b]
He had an interesting year. He finished second in the OHL in scoring but was left off Team Canada's roster. Go figure. I wasn't really impressed with Perry until this year though and I'm just now warming up to the play-making winger. He still tries to be cute with the puck and it cost him but I think the Ducks will work with him extensively on his skating and his "cuteness." He could come out as a second line winger.
4. [b]Mark Popovic D[/b]
In 2001 Popovic was considered a 'safe pick' on defense and was taken in the second round. Some people thought he'd go first round but what you see is what you get with Mark. He's added strength and I think you can pencil him on the Anaheim blueline in 2004-05. He almost made the team out of camp this year and should be given a shot at QB-ing the powerplay if Sandis Ozolinsh or Niclas Havelid don't return next year.
5. [b]Tim Brent C[/b]
If Getzlaf is the future top-line center for the Ducks, then Brent is their future second-line center. He just keeps looking better each time I see him play. He's a nice face-off man and already has expierence as a captain in juniors. He's still a couple years off but if he bulks up, he's a lock.
6. [b]Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau RW[/b]
A really gifted player from the QMJHL who has really broken out recently. He can shoot and pass and he can play physical if needed. Like a lot of OMJHL prospects, his defensive play needs a LOT of work but a couple years in the AHL should help. He's a real dark horse for Anaheim in the future.
7. [b]Chris Kunitz LW[/b]
Kunitz saw some time in Anaheim this year while Stanislav Chistov struggled. The acquistion of Petr Schastlivy saw an end to his NHL tenure but he might have himself a roster spot next year. He's quick, heady and has a great shot. At 6-0, he can start to shy if the play gets physical. He definitely was helped by his time in the Ferris State program but I'm worried about his size at this point.
8. [b]Tony Martensson RW[/b]
He has adjusted to North America well and has been a big time scorer for the Cincinatti Mighty Ducks. He needs a bit of defensive work and there's a couple centers above him in the organization so he might be best served to move to the right wing for now. For a seventh round pick, he's done a lot to just be mentioned in the Anaheim future.
9. [b]Brandon Rogers D[/b]
The second defenseman of Anaheim's list. The Michigan Junior is an assistant captain and he keeps improving. At this point, after his senior year he could very well see himself in Anaheim's line-up right away. He's a right-handed defensemen, something very valuable especially in an organization who only has one or two right-handed defensemen. Could bulk up and cut down his penalties but the leaps and bounds he's made since his High school days have been remarkable.
10. [b]Joel Stepp LW[/b]
He's been taken back a bit because of wrist problems but he should be a capable 3rd or 4th liner in a year or two. He's a great two-way player and could be a prime penalty-killer because of his speed and hard-work.
[b]Honorable Mentions[/b] - Shane Hynes, Brian Lee, Igor Pohanka
[b]PREVIEWING THE OTHER TEAMS[/b]
Right now I don't have the time to finish the other teams so I'll give the lists and I'll update later
[b]DALLAS[/b]
1. Antti Miettinen LW
2. Trevor Daley D
3. Jussi Jokinen LW
4. Jason Bacashihua G
5. Loui Eriksson RW
6. Dan Ellis G
7. Yared Hagos C
8. Martin Vanger D
9. Joel Lundqvist C
10. Mathias Tjarnqvist LW
[b]LOS ANGELES[/b]
1. Denis Greveshkov D
2. Dustin Brown RW
3. Jeff Tambellini LW
4. Aaron Rome D
5. Konstantin Pushkarev RW
6. Richard Petiot D
7. Brian Boyle C
8. David Steckel C
9. Jens Karlsson LW
10. Tomas Zizka D
[b]PHOENIX[/b]
1. David Leneveu G
2. Keith Ballard D
3. Jakub Koreis C
4. Igor Knyazev D
5. Matthew Spiller D
6. Martin Podlesak C
7. Beat-Schiess Forster D
8. Frantisek Lukes LW
9. Goran Bezina D
10. Kiel McLeod C
[b]SAN JOSE[/b]
1. Milan Michalek RW
2. Marcel Goc C
3. Steve Bernier RW
4. Dimitri Patzold G
5. Mike Morris RW
6. Miroslav Zalesak RW
7. Matt Carle D
8. Doug Murray D
9. Grant Stevenson C
10. Patrick Ehelechner G
Tonight I'm taking a look at the Pacific Division prospects. Just for a couple notes, players over 25 or have played 20 plus games for their NHL club will not be considered.
[b]ANAHEIM[/b]
1. [b]Ryan Getzlaf C [/b]
Was anyone else surprised when Getzlaf was available at the 19th pick last year? I was sure he'd be gone by then but the Ducks are lucky he wasn't. He almost made the Ducks roster out of the training camp but due to the looming CBA issues, he was sent back to the WHL where he was one of the top scorers this year. He could stand to gain some more muscle and quicken his step but his definately well on his way to being a top six forward. Many claim he's the reason for Andrew Ladd's success this year.
2. [b]Ilya Bryzgalov G[/b]
The big Russian didn't have the most impressive start to the season but with the Ducks out of it, they're giving Bryz a shot at starting and if he does well, we could see Martin Gerber moved early next season or even in the off-season - if Bryan Murray gets a deal better than the ones he got at the deadline which is highly possible. He will most likely be an NHL starter some day but will it be in Anaheim? JS Giguere will most likely rebound next season and if he does, what then for Ilya?
3. [b]Corey Perry LW[/b]
He had an interesting year. He finished second in the OHL in scoring but was left off Team Canada's roster. Go figure. I wasn't really impressed with Perry until this year though and I'm just now warming up to the play-making winger. He still tries to be cute with the puck and it cost him but I think the Ducks will work with him extensively on his skating and his "cuteness." He could come out as a second line winger.
4. [b]Mark Popovic D[/b]
In 2001 Popovic was considered a 'safe pick' on defense and was taken in the second round. Some people thought he'd go first round but what you see is what you get with Mark. He's added strength and I think you can pencil him on the Anaheim blueline in 2004-05. He almost made the team out of camp this year and should be given a shot at QB-ing the powerplay if Sandis Ozolinsh or Niclas Havelid don't return next year.
5. [b]Tim Brent C[/b]
If Getzlaf is the future top-line center for the Ducks, then Brent is their future second-line center. He just keeps looking better each time I see him play. He's a nice face-off man and already has expierence as a captain in juniors. He's still a couple years off but if he bulks up, he's a lock.
6. [b]Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau RW[/b]
A really gifted player from the QMJHL who has really broken out recently. He can shoot and pass and he can play physical if needed. Like a lot of OMJHL prospects, his defensive play needs a LOT of work but a couple years in the AHL should help. He's a real dark horse for Anaheim in the future.
7. [b]Chris Kunitz LW[/b]
Kunitz saw some time in Anaheim this year while Stanislav Chistov struggled. The acquistion of Petr Schastlivy saw an end to his NHL tenure but he might have himself a roster spot next year. He's quick, heady and has a great shot. At 6-0, he can start to shy if the play gets physical. He definitely was helped by his time in the Ferris State program but I'm worried about his size at this point.
8. [b]Tony Martensson RW[/b]
He has adjusted to North America well and has been a big time scorer for the Cincinatti Mighty Ducks. He needs a bit of defensive work and there's a couple centers above him in the organization so he might be best served to move to the right wing for now. For a seventh round pick, he's done a lot to just be mentioned in the Anaheim future.
9. [b]Brandon Rogers D[/b]
The second defenseman of Anaheim's list. The Michigan Junior is an assistant captain and he keeps improving. At this point, after his senior year he could very well see himself in Anaheim's line-up right away. He's a right-handed defensemen, something very valuable especially in an organization who only has one or two right-handed defensemen. Could bulk up and cut down his penalties but the leaps and bounds he's made since his High school days have been remarkable.
10. [b]Joel Stepp LW[/b]
He's been taken back a bit because of wrist problems but he should be a capable 3rd or 4th liner in a year or two. He's a great two-way player and could be a prime penalty-killer because of his speed and hard-work.
[b]Honorable Mentions[/b] - Shane Hynes, Brian Lee, Igor Pohanka
[b]PREVIEWING THE OTHER TEAMS[/b]
Right now I don't have the time to finish the other teams so I'll give the lists and I'll update later
[b]DALLAS[/b]
1. Antti Miettinen LW
2. Trevor Daley D
3. Jussi Jokinen LW
4. Jason Bacashihua G
5. Loui Eriksson RW
6. Dan Ellis G
7. Yared Hagos C
8. Martin Vanger D
9. Joel Lundqvist C
10. Mathias Tjarnqvist LW
[b]LOS ANGELES[/b]
1. Denis Greveshkov D
2. Dustin Brown RW
3. Jeff Tambellini LW
4. Aaron Rome D
5. Konstantin Pushkarev RW
6. Richard Petiot D
7. Brian Boyle C
8. David Steckel C
9. Jens Karlsson LW
10. Tomas Zizka D
[b]PHOENIX[/b]
1. David Leneveu G
2. Keith Ballard D
3. Jakub Koreis C
4. Igor Knyazev D
5. Matthew Spiller D
6. Martin Podlesak C
7. Beat-Schiess Forster D
8. Frantisek Lukes LW
9. Goran Bezina D
10. Kiel McLeod C
[b]SAN JOSE[/b]
1. Milan Michalek RW
2. Marcel Goc C
3. Steve Bernier RW
4. Dimitri Patzold G
5. Mike Morris RW
6. Miroslav Zalesak RW
7. Matt Carle D
8. Doug Murray D
9. Grant Stevenson C
10. Patrick Ehelechner G
NCAA - So it begins....(again)
03.16.04 (7:15 pm) [edit]
NCAA - Nice rip off from Vince's stupid Wrestlemania XX selling point - yes the NCAA Men's Basketball tourney begins...again as it does every year. I haven't been paying attention to the NCAA as much as I use to. In high school, NCAA basketball was always the talk of the town. Every guy would debate the Illini and other teams and we'd all watch the games and try to one-up each other in NCAA knowledge. You knew the other teams and come bracket time that helped a lot. Since leaving high school, my percentage in the tourney has gone down horribly but this year I'm aiming for a comeback. I haven't won a tourney pool since 1999 when MSU made me one happy man. Last year, I can't even recall who I had going all the way but it certainly wasn't Syracuse or Marquette. And maybe that's the fun in it but I still dream of turning in a prefect bracket - my winner in 1999 went down to a final-points tie-breaker to decide it. I seek prefection and every year I fill out about thirty different brackets and pain stakeningly worry over each selection on each one. This year is no different.
I've filled out two enteries on ESPN for my friend Luck's pool. There's just me and him this year so if you want to join a group - go to ESPN's tourney challenge and sign up for [b]"Broke College Students"[/b] with no password to join. I'm sure he won't mind if we get a couple more people.
My final entry sees [b]Kentucky[/b], [b]Georgia Tech[/b], [b]Wake Forest[/b], [b]Pittsburgh[/b], [b]Stanford[/b], UConn, [b]UNC[/b] and[b] Arizona[/b] vying for the title in the Elite Eight and Stanford winning it all.
I worry about Kentucky being able to handle GA Tech's guards, I worry about GA Tech's overall talent, I worry about Wisconsin's home floor advantage over Pittsburgh and I hope that the hottest team in the land, Richmond, can take out the Badgers. I worry about Wake just for the fact that they're Wake. I worry about Stanford and how many times they've put a knife through my heart in previous years not going as far as I hoped. I worry about Okafer's back and that's about it in UConn. UNC I worry about that entire bracket - it looks like Duke may be gone because of Arizona's potential and atheleticism. They may be gone because of Cincinatti's presence inside. But I've found it a mistake to bet against Duke in the past so they just might be back in the Final Four again. That worries me. I worry about Arizona and how they may underacheive but I feel they'll be ready for Duke...yet I worry.
Yes, I have uclers that flair up only in March. I'll end up switching my bracket at least 30 more times before tomorrow morning and then we'll be off and I'm sure I'll feel dumb by the end of it. And I'm sure I'll resort to calling people cheaters when they produce a prefect bracket. And I'm sure I'll whine and bitch and moan. I'm sure I'll break something. I'm sure my girlfriend will leave me until the tourney's over. I'm sure I won't be happy until at least the middle of the baseball season. I'm miserable this time of year but God do I love it.
Stanford, do not let me down like you have in the past.
I've filled out two enteries on ESPN for my friend Luck's pool. There's just me and him this year so if you want to join a group - go to ESPN's tourney challenge and sign up for [b]"Broke College Students"[/b] with no password to join. I'm sure he won't mind if we get a couple more people.
My final entry sees [b]Kentucky[/b], [b]Georgia Tech[/b], [b]Wake Forest[/b], [b]Pittsburgh[/b], [b]Stanford[/b], UConn, [b]UNC[/b] and[b] Arizona[/b] vying for the title in the Elite Eight and Stanford winning it all.
I worry about Kentucky being able to handle GA Tech's guards, I worry about GA Tech's overall talent, I worry about Wisconsin's home floor advantage over Pittsburgh and I hope that the hottest team in the land, Richmond, can take out the Badgers. I worry about Wake just for the fact that they're Wake. I worry about Stanford and how many times they've put a knife through my heart in previous years not going as far as I hoped. I worry about Okafer's back and that's about it in UConn. UNC I worry about that entire bracket - it looks like Duke may be gone because of Arizona's potential and atheleticism. They may be gone because of Cincinatti's presence inside. But I've found it a mistake to bet against Duke in the past so they just might be back in the Final Four again. That worries me. I worry about Arizona and how they may underacheive but I feel they'll be ready for Duke...yet I worry.
Yes, I have uclers that flair up only in March. I'll end up switching my bracket at least 30 more times before tomorrow morning and then we'll be off and I'm sure I'll feel dumb by the end of it. And I'm sure I'll resort to calling people cheaters when they produce a prefect bracket. And I'm sure I'll whine and bitch and moan. I'm sure I'll break something. I'm sure my girlfriend will leave me until the tourney's over. I'm sure I won't be happy until at least the middle of the baseball season. I'm miserable this time of year but God do I love it.
Stanford, do not let me down like you have in the past.
NHL - Feelers for an NHL-mock draft
03.15.04 (4:53 pm) [edit]
NHL - I floated this idea out on gamefaqs.com and their general sports NHL board and I figured I'd post it on here to see if I can get some interest before the start of June. So here's the idea - getting 30 people together, one for each NHL club and conducting our own 2004 NHL Entry Mock Draft. It's a little harder to pull off than say an NFL or NBA mock draft where the prospects in the draft are more well known and could very well fit into a team's system almost immediately. In the NHL, not too many people know the prospects beyond the first two or three and only about three or so even make their NHL club next year (not counting over-age draftees) and rarely do you have one that makes an full-impact. But I'm going to try to see if there's any interest in doing such a thing.
Right now I've decided on no trades and probably only three rounds (meaning Detroit and Philadelphia aren't going to be busy until round 3.)
The gamefaqs topic can be found at
http://cgi.gamefaqs.com/boards/genmessage.asp?board=2000212&topic=1 3099347" title="http://cgi.gamefaqs.com/boards/genmessage.asp?board=2000212&topic=1 3099347" target="_blank"http://cgi.gamefaqs.com/board...
The number to the side is how many picks in all nine rounds the team has and the name by each team is who's already signed up for the team interest-wise on gamefaqs. We'll probably conduct it during the Finals (unless the Finals doesn't look like it has an overall favorite and could swing either way) on gamefaqs.com so if you don't have an account there, may want to sign up there - it's a great community.
Anaheim (7) -
Atlanta (9) -
Boston (8 ) -
Buffalo (8 ) -
Calgary (9) -
Carolina (11) -
Chicago (15) -
Colorado (9) -
Columbus (10) -
Dallas (9) -
Detroit (7) - Xbox King
Edmonton (9) - punkrocker99
Florida (10) -
Los Angeles (10) -
Minnesota (11) - Leatherface61
Montreal (9) - pakkman
Nashville (12) -
New Jersey (7) -
Long Island (9) -
New York (10) -
Ottawa (8 ) -
Philadelphia (15) -
Phoenix (9) -
Pittsburgh (12) - phantompenguin (or if not, SSJTom)
San Jose (6) - sgtshark
St Louis (7) - dynamitehack (myself)
Tampa Bay (5) -
Toronto (6) - dman2001
Vancouver (6) - SXS
Washington (9) -
Preferably you may want to join gamefaqs and sign up on the board or at least put interest down here in the comments. Any teams that don't have a rep, I'll either take control of or ask for another poster on the board to take control of for at least the first round.
Right now I've decided on no trades and probably only three rounds (meaning Detroit and Philadelphia aren't going to be busy until round 3.)
The gamefaqs topic can be found at
http://cgi.gamefaqs.com/boards/genmessage.asp?board=2000212&topic=1 3099347" title="http://cgi.gamefaqs.com/boards/genmessage.asp?board=2000212&topic=1 3099347" target="_blank"http://cgi.gamefaqs.com/board...
The number to the side is how many picks in all nine rounds the team has and the name by each team is who's already signed up for the team interest-wise on gamefaqs. We'll probably conduct it during the Finals (unless the Finals doesn't look like it has an overall favorite and could swing either way) on gamefaqs.com so if you don't have an account there, may want to sign up there - it's a great community.
Anaheim (7) -
Atlanta (9) -
Boston (8 ) -
Buffalo (8 ) -
Calgary (9) -
Carolina (11) -
Chicago (15) -
Colorado (9) -
Columbus (10) -
Dallas (9) -
Detroit (7) - Xbox King
Edmonton (9) - punkrocker99
Florida (10) -
Los Angeles (10) -
Minnesota (11) - Leatherface61
Montreal (9) - pakkman
Nashville (12) -
New Jersey (7) -
Long Island (9) -
New York (10) -
Ottawa (8 ) -
Philadelphia (15) -
Phoenix (9) -
Pittsburgh (12) - phantompenguin (or if not, SSJTom)
San Jose (6) - sgtshark
St Louis (7) - dynamitehack (myself)
Tampa Bay (5) -
Toronto (6) - dman2001
Vancouver (6) - SXS
Washington (9) -
Preferably you may want to join gamefaqs and sign up on the board or at least put interest down here in the comments. Any teams that don't have a rep, I'll either take control of or ask for another poster on the board to take control of for at least the first round.
WWE - Wrestlemania XX
03.15.04 (2:42 pm) [edit]
WWE - Yes, finally a sports column that I haven't dedicated to the NHL. Last night was Sunday, March 14th - Wrestlemania XX from Madison Square Gardens - "Where it all begins...again." - What the hell does that mean? I didn't know it ever ended. Are they doing a reload or something? Ultimate WWF/E?
Honestly, I use to watch wrestling non-stop back during the Monday Night Wars. I know a lot of people no longer admit to ever watching wrestling in their life but you know you were watching then. And up until last year's Wrestlemania XIX, I continued to watch most Monday nights. Certain circumstances kept me from being able to watch Smackdown, however and I soon began to lose interest as the quality of RAW sunk to the depths of crap. And then after Wrestlemania XIX, I did not watch another WWE program in-full until the first of the 2004 calender year. I watched the first RAW of the year and it was actually not half bad. So I tuned in next week only to be utterly offended by the whole 'White Vs. Black" angle they were running with Jonathan Coachman. I may have been able to put my disgust aside if the skits or the wrestling was even remotely average but it wasn't. And again I stopped watching for the most part. Sure, I'd tune in for a couple minutes or so every now and then but my interest had waned to nothing.
So you can imagine, I didn't approach Wrestlemania XX with too much hype. Actually I had even forgotten about it until Luck, a friend of mine, reminded me of it on Saturday. Well, it was Wrestlemania XX - I figured it had to be something sepcial and heck, I've seen every Wrestlemania before this one, why stop now? Returning to Madison Square Gardens, you knew Vince would have to pull out of the stops for this one. Wrestlemania XX had to be great, right?
WRONG.
It really sucked. No offense to Luck and his girlfriend (who came along) we needed more people there. Certain events in the past couple months made it really impossible to have everyone over for Wrestlemania so it was me, Luck, his girlfriend and my girlfriend. God bless their hearts but Natalie and Amanda are not two woman you want to watch wrestling with. No, sir. They don't quite have the same respect for Ric Flair as we do.
So we start off with Jon Cena and Big Show for the US Title and for the most part it wasn't a bad starting match but I figured we'd see one of the tag team matches first. That belt looks like a toy even around Cena's waist. I like Cena a lot so it was nice to see him grab some gold.
Raw tag titles I knew were going to suck but really, why does the WWE love non-tag teams such as Booker T and RVD? I guess the writers really don't know what to do with them after all. I would have just given this to La Resistance, personally. Really boring match.
Christian over Jericho with the help of Trish. The heel turn for Trish wasn't that surprising - she's been clamoring for it for months, I figured they already did it for her already (told you I haven't been watching.) With Jericho and Christian going at it, I thought this match could have stole the show but it didn't even come close.
Evolution over the Rock-N-Sock would have been a lot better if I didn't have to hear 'Ewwws' and anti-Ric Flair comments throughout along with trying to explain who Bautista was and who Randy Orton was. So Orton gets the pinfall on Foley? Is this supposed to be the passing of the torch here? Because I don't see Orton as the next Foley, sorry. It's a huge, huge push for Orton and rightfully deserved but I don't see it as Foley passing anything on. Rock was pretty much worthless other than his promo that allowed a cameo from the Hurricane and S.H.I.T. Jamal.
The cruiserweight match was probably good but by this time the pizza had arrived and we started a game of Clue so I watched as much as I could. Last year it was Daredevil, this year it was the Flash - I'm starting to like Rey Mysterio Jr. for his tip-of-the-hat to two of the coolest superheroes ever. Next year I expect Captain America or Nightwing damnit. Or Spider-Man. I'll probably watch this match again on tape later in the week to see if it's better than I thought. And one final note, Tajiri got to keep his name in the WWE so why is Guido now Nunzio? That name is horrible.
Maybe because its still fresh in my mind but Goldberg v Brock gets my vote for worst PPV match ever. Excuse me - WORST. MATCH. EVAR. Hey, Brock - you did it to yourself, there was no need to flip off the crowd. What a baby. He threatens half the locker room, gets into fights on planes, refuses to job to anyone (though that describes a lot of people) and he whines that he doesn't like the business or how he's treated. Boo Hoo, asshole. You need to grow up. This is what the WWE gets for not making Brock Lesnar have to pay his dues. Ditto for WCW and Goldberg. The Goldberg streak was great TV but you created a monster. Brock's destruction streak was great TV but you created a monster there too. What the hell does Brock hope to play in the NFL any way? I'll sign him up to be the back-up kicker or something but here's a guy who hasn't played organized football probably since high school and hasn't learned that he's got dues to pay so I don't know how this is going to work out. He's not ready for an NFL system yet when he doesn't start, he'll bitch and whine. I hope if some NFL is actually dumb enough to sign him, someone breaks his leg.
The Smackdown tag team titles sucked worse. I love the "The Self-proclaimed World's Greatest Tag Team" gimmick - it's pure gold and genius and makes me regret missing Smackdown most weeks. But Scotty and Rikishi? Where the hell's Scotty been? Did they find him in a soup kitchen some where in New York before the show? Guess they're better than the APA (what happened to Bradshaw's muscles?!) or the Bashams.
You know for the longest time I supported an Eddie Guerrero push and a world title reign. Eddie is one of the hardest workers in wrestling and I always maintained that he would never get a shot despite the fact that he deserves it. Well I guess someone in the WWE listened to me and did it because Eddie had the belt here thought don't ask me when he won it. The playing on Eddie's addiction is something I don't like but if Eddie's fine with it, I can over look it. Angle's little 'campaign' is actually a good way to go with it and I almost expected him to win again but I'm gald Eddie's getting a chance to finally shine - just calm down a little first Eddie.
Undertaker v Kane was going to suck but the 'Deadman' return got me giddy for a couple seconds - until we finally saw Taker in the light. The tats and the tan just don't do it. Niether does the hair. He looked like that Foo Fighters guy but older and sleazier. And can we put the mask back on Kane? He just looks stupid. Nice way to sell the Tombstone jackass, rolling out of the ring after it while the camera was away. You're supposed to be knocked out cold by it (well twitching would also be acceptable.)
Benoit's winning over both HBK and HHH was unexpected. I thought he had no chance in the world to win and if anyone was going to get the belt off HHH for the first time in nearly forever - it would be HBK, who would drop it to Benoit at Backlash. The match was alright, not the best main event that we've seen at Wrestlemania but it didn't embrass itself. Now we can stop it with the whole "you can't win the big one Benoit" crap. It should have happened a lot sooner if you ask me.
Oh and Molly getting her head shaved was sad. I like Molly a lot and I figured she'd get buzzed once or twice, run away and show up Monday with a shorter hair cut like they always do but nope, they shaved her flat out bald. Some girls look sexy that way and then you have to catch yourself and say "dude, she's bald." It's just not a good idea for either party for the girl to be bald.
As for the evening gown match - uhm isn't the point of an evening gown match is to strip your opponent? So basically this was a tag match in bra and panties basically. Not an evening gown match though I'm not complaining.
Best match - Ugh, the main event probably
Worst match - Brock v Goldberg
Result I'm most happy with - Benoit and Eddie winning
Result I'm pissed about - No nudity at the Evening Gown match
Crazy-Moment - Molly being bald.
Rating - slightly average
Honestly, I use to watch wrestling non-stop back during the Monday Night Wars. I know a lot of people no longer admit to ever watching wrestling in their life but you know you were watching then. And up until last year's Wrestlemania XIX, I continued to watch most Monday nights. Certain circumstances kept me from being able to watch Smackdown, however and I soon began to lose interest as the quality of RAW sunk to the depths of crap. And then after Wrestlemania XIX, I did not watch another WWE program in-full until the first of the 2004 calender year. I watched the first RAW of the year and it was actually not half bad. So I tuned in next week only to be utterly offended by the whole 'White Vs. Black" angle they were running with Jonathan Coachman. I may have been able to put my disgust aside if the skits or the wrestling was even remotely average but it wasn't. And again I stopped watching for the most part. Sure, I'd tune in for a couple minutes or so every now and then but my interest had waned to nothing.
So you can imagine, I didn't approach Wrestlemania XX with too much hype. Actually I had even forgotten about it until Luck, a friend of mine, reminded me of it on Saturday. Well, it was Wrestlemania XX - I figured it had to be something sepcial and heck, I've seen every Wrestlemania before this one, why stop now? Returning to Madison Square Gardens, you knew Vince would have to pull out of the stops for this one. Wrestlemania XX had to be great, right?
WRONG.
It really sucked. No offense to Luck and his girlfriend (who came along) we needed more people there. Certain events in the past couple months made it really impossible to have everyone over for Wrestlemania so it was me, Luck, his girlfriend and my girlfriend. God bless their hearts but Natalie and Amanda are not two woman you want to watch wrestling with. No, sir. They don't quite have the same respect for Ric Flair as we do.
So we start off with Jon Cena and Big Show for the US Title and for the most part it wasn't a bad starting match but I figured we'd see one of the tag team matches first. That belt looks like a toy even around Cena's waist. I like Cena a lot so it was nice to see him grab some gold.
Raw tag titles I knew were going to suck but really, why does the WWE love non-tag teams such as Booker T and RVD? I guess the writers really don't know what to do with them after all. I would have just given this to La Resistance, personally. Really boring match.
Christian over Jericho with the help of Trish. The heel turn for Trish wasn't that surprising - she's been clamoring for it for months, I figured they already did it for her already (told you I haven't been watching.) With Jericho and Christian going at it, I thought this match could have stole the show but it didn't even come close.
Evolution over the Rock-N-Sock would have been a lot better if I didn't have to hear 'Ewwws' and anti-Ric Flair comments throughout along with trying to explain who Bautista was and who Randy Orton was. So Orton gets the pinfall on Foley? Is this supposed to be the passing of the torch here? Because I don't see Orton as the next Foley, sorry. It's a huge, huge push for Orton and rightfully deserved but I don't see it as Foley passing anything on. Rock was pretty much worthless other than his promo that allowed a cameo from the Hurricane and S.H.I.T. Jamal.
The cruiserweight match was probably good but by this time the pizza had arrived and we started a game of Clue so I watched as much as I could. Last year it was Daredevil, this year it was the Flash - I'm starting to like Rey Mysterio Jr. for his tip-of-the-hat to two of the coolest superheroes ever. Next year I expect Captain America or Nightwing damnit. Or Spider-Man. I'll probably watch this match again on tape later in the week to see if it's better than I thought. And one final note, Tajiri got to keep his name in the WWE so why is Guido now Nunzio? That name is horrible.
Maybe because its still fresh in my mind but Goldberg v Brock gets my vote for worst PPV match ever. Excuse me - WORST. MATCH. EVAR. Hey, Brock - you did it to yourself, there was no need to flip off the crowd. What a baby. He threatens half the locker room, gets into fights on planes, refuses to job to anyone (though that describes a lot of people) and he whines that he doesn't like the business or how he's treated. Boo Hoo, asshole. You need to grow up. This is what the WWE gets for not making Brock Lesnar have to pay his dues. Ditto for WCW and Goldberg. The Goldberg streak was great TV but you created a monster. Brock's destruction streak was great TV but you created a monster there too. What the hell does Brock hope to play in the NFL any way? I'll sign him up to be the back-up kicker or something but here's a guy who hasn't played organized football probably since high school and hasn't learned that he's got dues to pay so I don't know how this is going to work out. He's not ready for an NFL system yet when he doesn't start, he'll bitch and whine. I hope if some NFL is actually dumb enough to sign him, someone breaks his leg.
The Smackdown tag team titles sucked worse. I love the "The Self-proclaimed World's Greatest Tag Team" gimmick - it's pure gold and genius and makes me regret missing Smackdown most weeks. But Scotty and Rikishi? Where the hell's Scotty been? Did they find him in a soup kitchen some where in New York before the show? Guess they're better than the APA (what happened to Bradshaw's muscles?!) or the Bashams.
You know for the longest time I supported an Eddie Guerrero push and a world title reign. Eddie is one of the hardest workers in wrestling and I always maintained that he would never get a shot despite the fact that he deserves it. Well I guess someone in the WWE listened to me and did it because Eddie had the belt here thought don't ask me when he won it. The playing on Eddie's addiction is something I don't like but if Eddie's fine with it, I can over look it. Angle's little 'campaign' is actually a good way to go with it and I almost expected him to win again but I'm gald Eddie's getting a chance to finally shine - just calm down a little first Eddie.
Undertaker v Kane was going to suck but the 'Deadman' return got me giddy for a couple seconds - until we finally saw Taker in the light. The tats and the tan just don't do it. Niether does the hair. He looked like that Foo Fighters guy but older and sleazier. And can we put the mask back on Kane? He just looks stupid. Nice way to sell the Tombstone jackass, rolling out of the ring after it while the camera was away. You're supposed to be knocked out cold by it (well twitching would also be acceptable.)
Benoit's winning over both HBK and HHH was unexpected. I thought he had no chance in the world to win and if anyone was going to get the belt off HHH for the first time in nearly forever - it would be HBK, who would drop it to Benoit at Backlash. The match was alright, not the best main event that we've seen at Wrestlemania but it didn't embrass itself. Now we can stop it with the whole "you can't win the big one Benoit" crap. It should have happened a lot sooner if you ask me.
Oh and Molly getting her head shaved was sad. I like Molly a lot and I figured she'd get buzzed once or twice, run away and show up Monday with a shorter hair cut like they always do but nope, they shaved her flat out bald. Some girls look sexy that way and then you have to catch yourself and say "dude, she's bald." It's just not a good idea for either party for the girl to be bald.
As for the evening gown match - uhm isn't the point of an evening gown match is to strip your opponent? So basically this was a tag match in bra and panties basically. Not an evening gown match though I'm not complaining.
Best match - Ugh, the main event probably
Worst match - Brock v Goldberg
Result I'm most happy with - Benoit and Eddie winning
Result I'm pissed about - No nudity at the Evening Gown match
Crazy-Moment - Molly being bald.
Rating - slightly average
NHL - A vote - most surprising players of the year
03.12.04 (11:54 pm) [edit]
NHL - The NHL awards are still a bit of time off and while I already have my votes lined-up for each award, I'm going to wait until the regular season is actually finished before I release my results - just in case something pops up in the final weeks of the season.
However, I'm going to take my look at some of the most surprising players of the year later this week but before I do, I figure I'll open up the comment box for each one of your most surprising players of the season. Is there a player out there that you really never thought would come out and post the numbers he has? Is there a player that you thought would be a non-factor to your team but they've stepped up, answered the call and taken charge?
And on the flip side, who's been your most puzzling player of the year? A player who you predicted would bust out on the scene this year but for some reason or another just never did it. Don't be embarrassed, I'll let you in on some of my predictions gone wrong too in a little bit. We can't always predict every thing wrong and there's no shame in that.
And your most dissapointing established player - what vetern player has totally been a waste for your team despite high expectations (and no the New York Rangers or Jaromir Jagr DO NOT count on this one) Who really just broke your heart and dissapointed you this year?
And who do you pick to be the break through player of the year next year? Who's going to set the world on fire next season (draftees such as Evgeni Malkin and Alexander Ovechkin will not count.)
Go ahead and step to the plate on this one, I'd appreicate all comments (seeing as I shut you down for comments in the last post) - TBLOG users can post as well as OUTSIDE users - so even if you don't have your own Tblog, click on 'add comment's at the bottom there and let's hear your imput - can't click out of the blog without doing so.
However, I'm going to take my look at some of the most surprising players of the year later this week but before I do, I figure I'll open up the comment box for each one of your most surprising players of the season. Is there a player out there that you really never thought would come out and post the numbers he has? Is there a player that you thought would be a non-factor to your team but they've stepped up, answered the call and taken charge?
And on the flip side, who's been your most puzzling player of the year? A player who you predicted would bust out on the scene this year but for some reason or another just never did it. Don't be embarrassed, I'll let you in on some of my predictions gone wrong too in a little bit. We can't always predict every thing wrong and there's no shame in that.
And your most dissapointing established player - what vetern player has totally been a waste for your team despite high expectations (and no the New York Rangers or Jaromir Jagr DO NOT count on this one) Who really just broke your heart and dissapointed you this year?
And who do you pick to be the break through player of the year next year? Who's going to set the world on fire next season (draftees such as Evgeni Malkin and Alexander Ovechkin will not count.)
Go ahead and step to the plate on this one, I'd appreicate all comments (seeing as I shut you down for comments in the last post) - TBLOG users can post as well as OUTSIDE users - so even if you don't have your own Tblog, click on 'add comment's at the bottom there and let's hear your imput - can't click out of the blog without doing so.
NHL - "You-Know-Who" and his suspension; final word
03.12.04 (11:04 pm) [edit]
NHL - I wasn't planning on talking about the Todd Bertuzzi incident, what could ever be said has been said and if you have an opinion on it - you're probably not going to change it. But none the less some one did finally ask for my opinion on it so I guess my opinion does count for something to someone.
I usually don't like to comment on these subjects right after they happen - emotions are running high and I shoot straight from the heart without thinking and I say things I don't really mean or say things that don't make sense. See the Dany Heatley-Daniel Synder incident. I've always adored watching Heatley play but I wanted him roasted for about a week. Then I came down off the high seat after a while and forgave him and started rooting for his strong return. If Daniel's parents and family can forgive him - then why shouldn't I be able to?
I'm still not happy with what he did and I'm still not happy with what Bertuzzi did. I tend to believe there's a point where you forfeit your right to use stupidity as an excuse and both Heatley and Bertuzzi absued that point as did Matt Johnson, Marty McSorely, Dale Hunter and well, everyone else in the world. We all do stupid things that hit us with severe consquences and we'll always regret doing them. If you've never broke the point where you have to forfeit the right of stupidity as an excuse then well I congratulate you right now for being the biggest liar on the planet. Maybe the consquences haven't been killing your best friend or being faced with legal action such as Todd but let's face it - you've done something bad you've paid for in way or another. Most times, we come out as better people and that's all we can hope for from Bertuzzi.
Do I condone what he did - No, I don't - I think I've made that clear but I don't doubt his deepest regrets in all this. I love all you people that thought his apology was an act and he was faking it. You people have to be pretty fucking jaded in life and probably can't even believe your own significant other. He's a hockey player - not a world class actor. Either way, he knows he's done something stupid and that he is and has paid for it. He has to feel utterly upset much like Dany did. Brain farts happen.
Was it a gutless act? Yes. Was it premeditated? There's good suspension pointing us towards it but I really don't think Bertuzzi planned the whole situation out. It's not like him and Brad May sat around the locker room or the couch and drew up a diagram - "Ok first I'm going to let Moore go up the ice, then I'm going to grab his jersey, punch, break a verterbae and drive him down trying to kill him." Really, I don't think a coversation like that ever occured. Despite the fact that I felt Moore could have let up a bit, the Moore hit on Markus Naslund was fair as I pointed out on here the night it happened and unless you were in his head, you can't claim he was head hunting. The Canucks and Bertuzzi were angry and upset that their captain, friend and leader was hurt and they reacted (to the media) like we all might have had if we were in their place. And that's something they never forgot.
The two teams played a nice 5-5 game a week after the incident and while there were some unpleasantries, nothing major happened because when the score is close, your head is in the game. Yet when you're in a blow out like the second game, you're head's not there and your upset at the scoreboard and your still upset for the hit - it just festers and festers and it explodes into something ugly and sore like this. Bertuzzi got frustrated, let his emotions go and checked his brain out the door.
Originally I wanted him gone on a life-time ban and there's still part of me that feels that would be ample and it's still poosible that that could be Bertuzzi's ultimate fate. Then it was the 'four year-ban' but I think what the NHL did was quite just. It sets the stiff precedent - you do something stupid to hurt a player and you're go for the year. Now the only problem is what do you do if an incident like this happens in the playoffs, with fewer games left to go or say in October or November - is it the whole season in both cases?
I know some of you are still hurt and disgusted by the incident and still are angry and want a bigger punishment (and that can very well come) - I'm disgusted still as well. I'm angry too. It left a black eye on the league that I don't know if the league can recover from and it may have hurt the league deep in the renegotiation of the CBA. The media coverage of all this sure hasn't helped the image of the league but people, the last incident like this happened four years ago - it's not an every day occurance but let's look at it this way - the ignorant that are going to look down on the league for this incident weren't going to be won over any way. You may have knocked some of the people "sitting on the fence" off to the other side but the rest of the product wasn't going to presaude them any way.
Best thing to do is what Bettman did - see you Todd and we'll deal with you after we've dealt with our other problems. In a week, the media will end up forgetting the whole thing and the ignorant won't be able to remember either player's name. Something will happen in Kobe's trail, or Michael Jackson will do something outrageous or Marshall Mathers will say something or do something because no one's mentioned him in almost a month.
Something else just as outrageous and disgusting will hit the fan and people will move on. So let's do the same, move on and forget Bertuzzi for now and concentrate on the real things that need to be fixed in the game and the bargaining argeement. Let's concentrate on the glory that is the playoff races (if you can really sit down and watch more than a period of some of these games) and let's revist Bertuzzi after the draft. He's going to be missing the most important time of the year - the playoffs, he's let his teammates down, he's let the kids that look up to him as a role model down. His image has been tranished forever, his pride compromised and he has done something to hurt another human being and it's affecting him. Legal action WILL be brought against him, I can almost garuentee this one. The damage has been done and even more damage has been set in motion. If the league wants to punish him further, I would have no objections, and if they don't, I have no objections to that either. Let's just get it done with and not let it linger over our heads like a rain cloud. Let's go forward.
Good luck Steve and I hope you make a full recovery. That you can lead a normal life again and even come back to play again. I feel in a way that I'm almost betraying you in this article and in not fully wanting the 'cut-throat' treatment to Todd but I'm praying and pulling for you.
I will NOT accept or read any comments on this post. I know how you all feel now. I again don't condone it, I just want to move on. There's more important things such as Steve's health and family as well as the league's impending doom if it doesn't start moving to fix things.
I usually don't like to comment on these subjects right after they happen - emotions are running high and I shoot straight from the heart without thinking and I say things I don't really mean or say things that don't make sense. See the Dany Heatley-Daniel Synder incident. I've always adored watching Heatley play but I wanted him roasted for about a week. Then I came down off the high seat after a while and forgave him and started rooting for his strong return. If Daniel's parents and family can forgive him - then why shouldn't I be able to?
I'm still not happy with what he did and I'm still not happy with what Bertuzzi did. I tend to believe there's a point where you forfeit your right to use stupidity as an excuse and both Heatley and Bertuzzi absued that point as did Matt Johnson, Marty McSorely, Dale Hunter and well, everyone else in the world. We all do stupid things that hit us with severe consquences and we'll always regret doing them. If you've never broke the point where you have to forfeit the right of stupidity as an excuse then well I congratulate you right now for being the biggest liar on the planet. Maybe the consquences haven't been killing your best friend or being faced with legal action such as Todd but let's face it - you've done something bad you've paid for in way or another. Most times, we come out as better people and that's all we can hope for from Bertuzzi.
Do I condone what he did - No, I don't - I think I've made that clear but I don't doubt his deepest regrets in all this. I love all you people that thought his apology was an act and he was faking it. You people have to be pretty fucking jaded in life and probably can't even believe your own significant other. He's a hockey player - not a world class actor. Either way, he knows he's done something stupid and that he is and has paid for it. He has to feel utterly upset much like Dany did. Brain farts happen.
Was it a gutless act? Yes. Was it premeditated? There's good suspension pointing us towards it but I really don't think Bertuzzi planned the whole situation out. It's not like him and Brad May sat around the locker room or the couch and drew up a diagram - "Ok first I'm going to let Moore go up the ice, then I'm going to grab his jersey, punch, break a verterbae and drive him down trying to kill him." Really, I don't think a coversation like that ever occured. Despite the fact that I felt Moore could have let up a bit, the Moore hit on Markus Naslund was fair as I pointed out on here the night it happened and unless you were in his head, you can't claim he was head hunting. The Canucks and Bertuzzi were angry and upset that their captain, friend and leader was hurt and they reacted (to the media) like we all might have had if we were in their place. And that's something they never forgot.
The two teams played a nice 5-5 game a week after the incident and while there were some unpleasantries, nothing major happened because when the score is close, your head is in the game. Yet when you're in a blow out like the second game, you're head's not there and your upset at the scoreboard and your still upset for the hit - it just festers and festers and it explodes into something ugly and sore like this. Bertuzzi got frustrated, let his emotions go and checked his brain out the door.
Originally I wanted him gone on a life-time ban and there's still part of me that feels that would be ample and it's still poosible that that could be Bertuzzi's ultimate fate. Then it was the 'four year-ban' but I think what the NHL did was quite just. It sets the stiff precedent - you do something stupid to hurt a player and you're go for the year. Now the only problem is what do you do if an incident like this happens in the playoffs, with fewer games left to go or say in October or November - is it the whole season in both cases?
I know some of you are still hurt and disgusted by the incident and still are angry and want a bigger punishment (and that can very well come) - I'm disgusted still as well. I'm angry too. It left a black eye on the league that I don't know if the league can recover from and it may have hurt the league deep in the renegotiation of the CBA. The media coverage of all this sure hasn't helped the image of the league but people, the last incident like this happened four years ago - it's not an every day occurance but let's look at it this way - the ignorant that are going to look down on the league for this incident weren't going to be won over any way. You may have knocked some of the people "sitting on the fence" off to the other side but the rest of the product wasn't going to presaude them any way.
Best thing to do is what Bettman did - see you Todd and we'll deal with you after we've dealt with our other problems. In a week, the media will end up forgetting the whole thing and the ignorant won't be able to remember either player's name. Something will happen in Kobe's trail, or Michael Jackson will do something outrageous or Marshall Mathers will say something or do something because no one's mentioned him in almost a month.
Something else just as outrageous and disgusting will hit the fan and people will move on. So let's do the same, move on and forget Bertuzzi for now and concentrate on the real things that need to be fixed in the game and the bargaining argeement. Let's concentrate on the glory that is the playoff races (if you can really sit down and watch more than a period of some of these games) and let's revist Bertuzzi after the draft. He's going to be missing the most important time of the year - the playoffs, he's let his teammates down, he's let the kids that look up to him as a role model down. His image has been tranished forever, his pride compromised and he has done something to hurt another human being and it's affecting him. Legal action WILL be brought against him, I can almost garuentee this one. The damage has been done and even more damage has been set in motion. If the league wants to punish him further, I would have no objections, and if they don't, I have no objections to that either. Let's just get it done with and not let it linger over our heads like a rain cloud. Let's go forward.
Good luck Steve and I hope you make a full recovery. That you can lead a normal life again and even come back to play again. I feel in a way that I'm almost betraying you in this article and in not fully wanting the 'cut-throat' treatment to Todd but I'm praying and pulling for you.
I will NOT accept or read any comments on this post. I know how you all feel now. I again don't condone it, I just want to move on. There's more important things such as Steve's health and family as well as the league's impending doom if it doesn't start moving to fix things.
NHL - Trade deadline part 6 of 6: St Louis, Tampa, Toronto, Vancouver and Washington
03.10.04 (8:26 pm) [edit]
NHL - This is part six (of six) breaking down each team's trade deadline day. For the rest of the NHL, scroll down to the previous article
Once again, any and all tblog users AND outside users can leave comments on this article and any of the deadline articles.
[b]ST LOUIS[/b]
The danger for the Blues missing the playoffs for the first time in next to forever made you think that Larry Pleau would make a big splash today. Instead he made a small whimper but really, what assests did he have to trade after acquiring [b]Mike Sillinger[/b] for [b]Brent Johnson[/b]? Looking up and down the prospect list for the Blues, there's really nothing outside of [b]Konstatin Barulin[/b] I would want and I wouldn't go out of my way to pick him up in a trade. [b]Christian Backman[/b] has been labeled untouchable and that's probably a good thing in the long run.
They do bring in [b]Brian Savage[/b] and do rid themselves of [b]Tom Koivisto[/b]. Savage shows probably how desperate the Blues are for goals and he probably can help down the stretch in that department. He's quite a lot better than most of the options they've tried on the left flank this year. The Blues do have the option to return Savage to Phoenix at the season's end or to keep him and his two year contract ($3.7 million a year). Most likely if they start towards re-building, the 33 year-old Savage will find his way back to the desert.
The Blues also swapped dissapointing [b]Sergei Varlamov[/b] to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for AHL-scorer [b]Ryan Ready[/b]. Ready however will be held back by his poor skating and probably won't see any time with the Blues.
[b]TAMPA BAY[/b]
Maybe the second-time around will be better for [b]Stanislav Neckar[/b] and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Neckar joins the Lightning for his second stint after spending most of this year on the injured reserve for Nashville. He's just a depth measure for Jay Feaster's Lightning as he'll probably only play a limited role in his team's playoff push.
Feaster said he was happy with his team and that he wouldn't be making too many moves and well guess, what, he didn't lie folks. I don't see why so many people wouldn't listen to him when he said he wouldn't trade [b]Nikolai Khabibulin[/b] earlier in the year. Maybe next time people will listen.
[b]TORONTO[/b]
I'd hate to say it but the Leafs just might be my pick to win the Stanley Cup this year. The addition of [b]Brian Leetch[/b] to play quality minutes on the blue line was one of the best acquisitions of the season and then they go out on the deadline and pick up [b]Ronnie Francis[/b], [b]Calle Johansson[/b] and [b]Chad Kilger[/b] all for a fourth round draft pick.
Kilger's start to the season was mared by an eye injury that could have ended his career very easily but now he'll act as a depth forward in Toronto until everyone gets healthy and then probably will see some time on the fourth-line as a defensive forward. He'll never put up the numbers that made him the fourth overall pick in 1995 but John Ferguson Jr. doesn't care, they're not looking for Kilger to do that. There's also a good chance that Kilger will find himself in the press box for the playoffs too.
The 37 year-old Johansson said he would rejoin the Capitals after this year as a scout (probably since Bruce Cassidy is gone) but he wants one more shot at winnning a Stanley Cup. Many people are going to worry about the fact that he hasn't played all year but Johansson was always in great shape in his career and because he never officially retired, I assume he kept in shape and continued to skate. The signing now gives Johansson a couple games to get his timing back and use to his new team before the playoffs. I figure he'll be teamed once again with [b]Ken Klee[/b], some one he is frimilar playing with. Much like the Nylander trade, I feel this deal will pay off when other players are worn out from playing 82-games and a couple grueling playoff rounds - Johansson will still be fresh by that point. I really like this move and hey if it doesn't work out, what do they lose?
I also like the Francis deal. I felt he should have retired with the Hurricanes but at least Jim Rutherford asked him. In Toronto, his leadership probably isn't needed as much as it was with Carolina but he certainly does add a lot to the locker room and he's a solid player still. He may be regulated to a checking role on Toronto's third line though but he'll still be able to chip in a couple points from there. His skills may not be what they use to but honestly, I'd still love to have him on my team. Ferguson may have made me a Leafs fan for the time being because I can't root against Ronnie.
[b]VANCOUVER[/b]
Vancouver was the busiest team at the deadline, picking up [b]Geoff Sanderson[/b], [b]Martin Rucinsky[/b], [b]Sergei Varlamov[/b], [b]Marc Bergevin[/b], and [b]Sylvain Blouin[/b] all on Tuesday without giving up anything off their roster. Minor league goon [b]Martin Grenier[/b], prospect hold-out [b]RJ Umberger[/b] saw their way to New York, minor league offensive defenseman [b]Rene Vydareny[/b] went to Montreal, [b]Ryan Ready[/b] went to St Louis and Pittsburgh and Columbus picked up draft selections.
Figuring that his team will be without a certain "you-know-who" for a while, Burke had to improve his left wing side here and Rucinsky does so very well. Rucinsky could be put in the "underrated" category very easily and he might be the winger the Canucks need to play with the Sedin Twins. He'll add to the second line offense that the Canucks have been lacking all year. Burke also invites Sanderson back for his second stint with the Cancuks. The speedy winger now becomes the default top-line wing with "you-know-who" out. Hopefully, Sanderson can avoid the long slumps that have plagued his career.
Varlamov has been a dissapointment since being drafted but only because of his work ethic and tendency to slump a bit at times. He's got enough offensive talent to at least get a look-see from the Canucks but I think they just acquired him early for insurance just in case they weren't able to land Rucinsky (who they just got in the last couple minutes of the deadline) and another left winger. Blouin basically replaces Grenier as the tough-guy on the AHL's Manitoba Moose and most likely won't see a Canucks uniform.
Bergevin adds leadership and a looseness to the locker room but at 38, I wonder how much he's going to play on the blueline in the playoffs and once [b]Ed Jovanovski[/b] returns. He's another guy I'm rooting for to get a Stanley Cup.
[b]WASHINGTON[/b]
Well [b]Olaf Kolzig[/b] and [b]Brendan Witt[/b] remain as I figured they would. Without Witt, [b]Shaone Morrisonn[/b] would have been Washington's top defensemen and I don't think any playoff contender was about to give up one of their defensemen just to get another one like that. Witt will be tremendous in helping the rebuilding process and I applaud George McPhee for hanging on to him - though I'm sure he did listen very carefully.
As for Kolzig, Kolzig wasn't going to be dealt unless the Capitals were going to be able to get an NHL calibre goalie back in the trade. They have quite a few goalie prospects (five or six of them) but none of them are close to taking over the NHL reins for next season. While McPhee could possibly pick up a goalie in free agency after the season, his choices would probably be [b]Tommy Salo[/b] or [b]Byron Dafoe[/b] and I don't know about you but I'd rather keep Kolzig.
[b]Mike Grier[/b] I thought would be the first Capital to go and it turns out that he's the last. In [b]Jakub Klepis[/b], the Capitals may have just acquired their future third-line center but he's at least a year or two away from coming over to North America so the gains for the Capitals are long-term here.
McPhee also picked up [b]Brad Norton[/b], [b]Craig Johnson[/b] and [b]Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre[/b] to serve as warm bodies to fill up his lines for the rest of the year. It's unknown whether they'll be retained after the season but I do expect [b]Jared Aulin[/b] (acquired from LA in the Carter trade) to make a run at Washington's second line center job in training camp though.
Once again, any and all tblog users AND outside users can leave comments on this article and any of the deadline articles.
[b]ST LOUIS[/b]
The danger for the Blues missing the playoffs for the first time in next to forever made you think that Larry Pleau would make a big splash today. Instead he made a small whimper but really, what assests did he have to trade after acquiring [b]Mike Sillinger[/b] for [b]Brent Johnson[/b]? Looking up and down the prospect list for the Blues, there's really nothing outside of [b]Konstatin Barulin[/b] I would want and I wouldn't go out of my way to pick him up in a trade. [b]Christian Backman[/b] has been labeled untouchable and that's probably a good thing in the long run.
They do bring in [b]Brian Savage[/b] and do rid themselves of [b]Tom Koivisto[/b]. Savage shows probably how desperate the Blues are for goals and he probably can help down the stretch in that department. He's quite a lot better than most of the options they've tried on the left flank this year. The Blues do have the option to return Savage to Phoenix at the season's end or to keep him and his two year contract ($3.7 million a year). Most likely if they start towards re-building, the 33 year-old Savage will find his way back to the desert.
The Blues also swapped dissapointing [b]Sergei Varlamov[/b] to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for AHL-scorer [b]Ryan Ready[/b]. Ready however will be held back by his poor skating and probably won't see any time with the Blues.
[b]TAMPA BAY[/b]
Maybe the second-time around will be better for [b]Stanislav Neckar[/b] and the Tampa Bay Lightning. Neckar joins the Lightning for his second stint after spending most of this year on the injured reserve for Nashville. He's just a depth measure for Jay Feaster's Lightning as he'll probably only play a limited role in his team's playoff push.
Feaster said he was happy with his team and that he wouldn't be making too many moves and well guess, what, he didn't lie folks. I don't see why so many people wouldn't listen to him when he said he wouldn't trade [b]Nikolai Khabibulin[/b] earlier in the year. Maybe next time people will listen.
[b]TORONTO[/b]
I'd hate to say it but the Leafs just might be my pick to win the Stanley Cup this year. The addition of [b]Brian Leetch[/b] to play quality minutes on the blue line was one of the best acquisitions of the season and then they go out on the deadline and pick up [b]Ronnie Francis[/b], [b]Calle Johansson[/b] and [b]Chad Kilger[/b] all for a fourth round draft pick.
Kilger's start to the season was mared by an eye injury that could have ended his career very easily but now he'll act as a depth forward in Toronto until everyone gets healthy and then probably will see some time on the fourth-line as a defensive forward. He'll never put up the numbers that made him the fourth overall pick in 1995 but John Ferguson Jr. doesn't care, they're not looking for Kilger to do that. There's also a good chance that Kilger will find himself in the press box for the playoffs too.
The 37 year-old Johansson said he would rejoin the Capitals after this year as a scout (probably since Bruce Cassidy is gone) but he wants one more shot at winnning a Stanley Cup. Many people are going to worry about the fact that he hasn't played all year but Johansson was always in great shape in his career and because he never officially retired, I assume he kept in shape and continued to skate. The signing now gives Johansson a couple games to get his timing back and use to his new team before the playoffs. I figure he'll be teamed once again with [b]Ken Klee[/b], some one he is frimilar playing with. Much like the Nylander trade, I feel this deal will pay off when other players are worn out from playing 82-games and a couple grueling playoff rounds - Johansson will still be fresh by that point. I really like this move and hey if it doesn't work out, what do they lose?
I also like the Francis deal. I felt he should have retired with the Hurricanes but at least Jim Rutherford asked him. In Toronto, his leadership probably isn't needed as much as it was with Carolina but he certainly does add a lot to the locker room and he's a solid player still. He may be regulated to a checking role on Toronto's third line though but he'll still be able to chip in a couple points from there. His skills may not be what they use to but honestly, I'd still love to have him on my team. Ferguson may have made me a Leafs fan for the time being because I can't root against Ronnie.
[b]VANCOUVER[/b]
Vancouver was the busiest team at the deadline, picking up [b]Geoff Sanderson[/b], [b]Martin Rucinsky[/b], [b]Sergei Varlamov[/b], [b]Marc Bergevin[/b], and [b]Sylvain Blouin[/b] all on Tuesday without giving up anything off their roster. Minor league goon [b]Martin Grenier[/b], prospect hold-out [b]RJ Umberger[/b] saw their way to New York, minor league offensive defenseman [b]Rene Vydareny[/b] went to Montreal, [b]Ryan Ready[/b] went to St Louis and Pittsburgh and Columbus picked up draft selections.
Figuring that his team will be without a certain "you-know-who" for a while, Burke had to improve his left wing side here and Rucinsky does so very well. Rucinsky could be put in the "underrated" category very easily and he might be the winger the Canucks need to play with the Sedin Twins. He'll add to the second line offense that the Canucks have been lacking all year. Burke also invites Sanderson back for his second stint with the Cancuks. The speedy winger now becomes the default top-line wing with "you-know-who" out. Hopefully, Sanderson can avoid the long slumps that have plagued his career.
Varlamov has been a dissapointment since being drafted but only because of his work ethic and tendency to slump a bit at times. He's got enough offensive talent to at least get a look-see from the Canucks but I think they just acquired him early for insurance just in case they weren't able to land Rucinsky (who they just got in the last couple minutes of the deadline) and another left winger. Blouin basically replaces Grenier as the tough-guy on the AHL's Manitoba Moose and most likely won't see a Canucks uniform.
Bergevin adds leadership and a looseness to the locker room but at 38, I wonder how much he's going to play on the blueline in the playoffs and once [b]Ed Jovanovski[/b] returns. He's another guy I'm rooting for to get a Stanley Cup.
[b]WASHINGTON[/b]
Well [b]Olaf Kolzig[/b] and [b]Brendan Witt[/b] remain as I figured they would. Without Witt, [b]Shaone Morrisonn[/b] would have been Washington's top defensemen and I don't think any playoff contender was about to give up one of their defensemen just to get another one like that. Witt will be tremendous in helping the rebuilding process and I applaud George McPhee for hanging on to him - though I'm sure he did listen very carefully.
As for Kolzig, Kolzig wasn't going to be dealt unless the Capitals were going to be able to get an NHL calibre goalie back in the trade. They have quite a few goalie prospects (five or six of them) but none of them are close to taking over the NHL reins for next season. While McPhee could possibly pick up a goalie in free agency after the season, his choices would probably be [b]Tommy Salo[/b] or [b]Byron Dafoe[/b] and I don't know about you but I'd rather keep Kolzig.
[b]Mike Grier[/b] I thought would be the first Capital to go and it turns out that he's the last. In [b]Jakub Klepis[/b], the Capitals may have just acquired their future third-line center but he's at least a year or two away from coming over to North America so the gains for the Capitals are long-term here.
McPhee also picked up [b]Brad Norton[/b], [b]Craig Johnson[/b] and [b]Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre[/b] to serve as warm bodies to fill up his lines for the rest of the year. It's unknown whether they'll be retained after the season but I do expect [b]Jared Aulin[/b] (acquired from LA in the Carter trade) to make a run at Washington's second line center job in training camp though.
NHL - Trade deadline part 5 of 6; Ottawa, Philly, Phoenix, Pittsburgh, San Jose
03.10.04 (6:35 pm) [edit]
NHL - This is part four (of six) breaking down each team's trade deadline day. For Anaheim, Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo and Calgary scroll down to the next article.
Once again, any and all tblog users AND outside users can leave comments on this article and any of the deadline articles.
[b]OTTAWA[/b]
It wasn't expected of the Senators to make a big splash today as John Muckler felt like sitting on his team after picking up [b]Rob Ray[/b] and [b]Peter Bondra[/b] earlier but I'm sure he couldn't help himself when the offer for [b]Greg de Vries[/b] fell into his lap. To make room for de Vries, Muckler traded [b]Shane Hnidy[/b] to Nashville for a third round draft choice.
While de Vries's contract is quite pricy, he should help the Senators with his physical and simple style and should suffice on the second pairing with probably [b]Chris Phillips[/b] (we'll see I figure) and he does help while [b]Anton Volchenkov[/b] and [b]Curtis Leschyshyn[/b] continue to be out with injuries. They do lose 24 year-old [b]Karel Rachunek[/b] in this deal but his confidence and the confidence in him seemed to be wanning in Ottawa. As Rachunek learns the game more, I think this might be a bit lop-sided but Rachunek wasn't going to be counted on to help towards a Cup run.
[b]Alexandre Giroux[/b] was a decent player in the wrong situation, crushed under the depth in Ottawa. Certainly to Muckler he was nothing but Giroux should get his shot in Manhattan and could stick with the Blueshirts and put up some points. While it sounds like a bad deal for the Senators, you've got to understand that Grioux would never have been able to crack that line-up so if he's not a part of your future plans - might as well bring in something that can help you.
If de Vries does his job as a crease-clearing defensemen, that should take a lot of the pressure off of goalies [b]Patrick Lalime[/b] and [b]Martin Prusek[/b]. Good marks for Muckler not panicing and then sticking with Lalime and Prusek - if you had listened to the media, there would be another goalie in Ottawa by now. Lalime will be fine, settle down folks.
[b]PHILADELPHIA[/b]
Madman Bobby Clarke has been probably the most active general manager in the league this season as he's been wheeling and dealing all season long. His deals to land [b]Alex Zhamnov[/b], [b]Sean Burke[/b], [b]Dannil Markov[/b] and then yesterday, [b]Vladimir Malakhov[/b] have all gone far in solidifing his club. A break down of Malakhov's coming to Philadelphia can be seen below in Monday's enteries.
Many people thought Clarke may go after yet another centerman with [b]Jeremy Roenick[/b] still in question. He wants to come back but can he in time? And I'm as optomistic as the next guy but we're all still very doubtful. This team is still deep enough to win, I think the only question will be, can Burke improve his 12-22 post-season record and if not, when do you go to[b] Robert Esche[/b]?
[b]PHOENIX[/b]
After the trading of [b]Sean Burke[/b] and the firing of coach Bobby Francis, I said it was time for Michael Barnett to start going into the evaluation process for next season and so far he's done so, shipping his last remaining Group III free-agent, [b]Mike Sillinger,[/b] to St Louis in exchange for [b]Brent Johnson[/b], who I feel can compete for the starting job down in the desert. He would also pull off two more deals with St Louis GM Larry Pleau bringing in defensemen [b]Tom Koivisto[/b] and "future considerations."
[b]Brian Savage[/b] goes to the Blues but the Blues DO have the option to return Savage to the Coyotes after the season is over or keep his bloated contract and its two remaining years - something I don't think Pleau would be smart to do. It's a nice gamble for Barnett though as remember twice this season he could not find any takers on Savage. At the worst, they get Savage back and are no worse off but if St Louis does decide to keep Savage, Phoenix could see a draft pick or another player in their future and be off the hook for Savage's salary.
Koivisto joins the Coyotes in a seperate deal from the Savage one and the deal bears little impact on either squad. Koivisto was a decent stop-gap on defense for the Blues in the 2002-03 and he's sound positionally but he struggles against his size and the bigger NHL forwards. Most likely he's heading back to the SM-Liiga in Finland to play at home but could provide Phoenix's next minor league affliate (whom ever that will be) with a little bit of defensive depth if needed. This seems to be one of the more useless deals of the day.
The coup for the Coyotes day came in turning [b]Chris Gratton[/b] and [b]Ossi Vaananen[/b] into defensemen [b]Keith Ballard[/b] and [b]Derek Morris[/b]. I always thought Vaananen would be a fixture in Phoenix for at least a couple years. The young defenseman has a lot of time to improve and is already a crease-clearing machine but now he's a Colorado Avalanche and now he's replaced by Morris. Gratton was a player that Barnett wanted to get rid of and most people weren't sure he would be able to. Which once again goes to show you, size is always in demand in the NHL.
In Morris, the Coyotes get what some people thought was an up-and-coming stud on defense. Calgary couldn't afford to keep him much longer but look at their defense without him - they're certainly fine without - and he never really fit in Denver. He's yet to miss a game this year, something he's yet to do in his young NHL career. Hopefully a change of venues will be good for him and he can get back on track in becoming one of the top Power-play QB in the league. Who ever is the next coach of the Coyotes will NEED to teach him how to play defense because it's obvious that Tony Granato couldn't settle his turnovers down.
Ballard was only slightly behind [b]Phil Sauve[/b] as Colorado's top prospect in my mind. He may be small but the kid is full of confidence. He's more offensive minded than anything but he's got the potential to turn into a top-four defensemen, something the Coyotes lack behind [b]Paul Mara[/b] and now [b]Derek Morris.[/b] This could be a moumental steal for Barnett here.
[b]PITTSBURGH[/b]
The Pittsburgh Penguins will get the real prize when the draft comes along - [b]Alexander Ovechkin[/b] - unless of course the lottery screws them over and they wind up with [b]Evgeni Malkin[/b]. BOO HOO because either way they end up with a franchise player for next season. But they did win in their quest to stamp out any traces of having a payroll when they dealt [b]Brian Holzinger [/b]($1.05 million) to the Columbus Blue Jackets for the bigger [b]Lasse Pirjeta[/b] ($550k). Lasse's 6-3 and can play all three forward positions but he's not going to add much more than that to the fourth-line. Basically the Penguins save a little bit of chump change and trade Holzinger's leadership for Pirjeta's size.
The Penguins really don't save a lot of money by also dealing [b]Marc Bergevin[/b] ($400k) but they do the right thing in giving Bergevin a shot at the playoffs again much like last season when they dealt Bergevin to the Lightning only to regain him in the off-season. As the team is going towards a younger line-up, it was probably best to let the 38 year-old go.
[b]SAN JOSE[/b]
The Sharks were expected to go after players such as [b]Geoff Sanderson [/b]and [b]Martin Rucinsky[/b] (who both wound up in Vancouver) to replace the recently injured [b]Marco Sturm [/b]but Doug Wilson did nothing of the short. Rather he quietly acquired [b]Curtis Brown[/b] from Buffalo in the three team trade that saw Boston grab[b] Brad Boyes[/b] from the Sharks. Now Wilson is going to take a lot of flak for dealing Boyes, a prize won in the [b]Owen Nolan[/b] deal last year, but Brown will pay dividends for San Jose this season where as Boyes probably wouldn't pay off for another season or two.
Brown, who Wilson rescued from Buffalo's fourth-line, gives the Sharks another solid penalty-killer and a legit face-off man. He's struggled the past two years in Buffalo but he's always done everything asked of him and I was rather displeased when he wasn't named the captain of the Sabres (Lindy Ruff electing to go with a rotation instead). It may have been a lot to give up Boyes but Brown is definitely going to help this team out in their current playoff run.
Once again, any and all tblog users AND outside users can leave comments on this article and any of the deadline articles.
[b]OTTAWA[/b]
It wasn't expected of the Senators to make a big splash today as John Muckler felt like sitting on his team after picking up [b]Rob Ray[/b] and [b]Peter Bondra[/b] earlier but I'm sure he couldn't help himself when the offer for [b]Greg de Vries[/b] fell into his lap. To make room for de Vries, Muckler traded [b]Shane Hnidy[/b] to Nashville for a third round draft choice.
While de Vries's contract is quite pricy, he should help the Senators with his physical and simple style and should suffice on the second pairing with probably [b]Chris Phillips[/b] (we'll see I figure) and he does help while [b]Anton Volchenkov[/b] and [b]Curtis Leschyshyn[/b] continue to be out with injuries. They do lose 24 year-old [b]Karel Rachunek[/b] in this deal but his confidence and the confidence in him seemed to be wanning in Ottawa. As Rachunek learns the game more, I think this might be a bit lop-sided but Rachunek wasn't going to be counted on to help towards a Cup run.
[b]Alexandre Giroux[/b] was a decent player in the wrong situation, crushed under the depth in Ottawa. Certainly to Muckler he was nothing but Giroux should get his shot in Manhattan and could stick with the Blueshirts and put up some points. While it sounds like a bad deal for the Senators, you've got to understand that Grioux would never have been able to crack that line-up so if he's not a part of your future plans - might as well bring in something that can help you.
If de Vries does his job as a crease-clearing defensemen, that should take a lot of the pressure off of goalies [b]Patrick Lalime[/b] and [b]Martin Prusek[/b]. Good marks for Muckler not panicing and then sticking with Lalime and Prusek - if you had listened to the media, there would be another goalie in Ottawa by now. Lalime will be fine, settle down folks.
[b]PHILADELPHIA[/b]
Madman Bobby Clarke has been probably the most active general manager in the league this season as he's been wheeling and dealing all season long. His deals to land [b]Alex Zhamnov[/b], [b]Sean Burke[/b], [b]Dannil Markov[/b] and then yesterday, [b]Vladimir Malakhov[/b] have all gone far in solidifing his club. A break down of Malakhov's coming to Philadelphia can be seen below in Monday's enteries.
Many people thought Clarke may go after yet another centerman with [b]Jeremy Roenick[/b] still in question. He wants to come back but can he in time? And I'm as optomistic as the next guy but we're all still very doubtful. This team is still deep enough to win, I think the only question will be, can Burke improve his 12-22 post-season record and if not, when do you go to[b] Robert Esche[/b]?
[b]PHOENIX[/b]
After the trading of [b]Sean Burke[/b] and the firing of coach Bobby Francis, I said it was time for Michael Barnett to start going into the evaluation process for next season and so far he's done so, shipping his last remaining Group III free-agent, [b]Mike Sillinger,[/b] to St Louis in exchange for [b]Brent Johnson[/b], who I feel can compete for the starting job down in the desert. He would also pull off two more deals with St Louis GM Larry Pleau bringing in defensemen [b]Tom Koivisto[/b] and "future considerations."
[b]Brian Savage[/b] goes to the Blues but the Blues DO have the option to return Savage to the Coyotes after the season is over or keep his bloated contract and its two remaining years - something I don't think Pleau would be smart to do. It's a nice gamble for Barnett though as remember twice this season he could not find any takers on Savage. At the worst, they get Savage back and are no worse off but if St Louis does decide to keep Savage, Phoenix could see a draft pick or another player in their future and be off the hook for Savage's salary.
Koivisto joins the Coyotes in a seperate deal from the Savage one and the deal bears little impact on either squad. Koivisto was a decent stop-gap on defense for the Blues in the 2002-03 and he's sound positionally but he struggles against his size and the bigger NHL forwards. Most likely he's heading back to the SM-Liiga in Finland to play at home but could provide Phoenix's next minor league affliate (whom ever that will be) with a little bit of defensive depth if needed. This seems to be one of the more useless deals of the day.
The coup for the Coyotes day came in turning [b]Chris Gratton[/b] and [b]Ossi Vaananen[/b] into defensemen [b]Keith Ballard[/b] and [b]Derek Morris[/b]. I always thought Vaananen would be a fixture in Phoenix for at least a couple years. The young defenseman has a lot of time to improve and is already a crease-clearing machine but now he's a Colorado Avalanche and now he's replaced by Morris. Gratton was a player that Barnett wanted to get rid of and most people weren't sure he would be able to. Which once again goes to show you, size is always in demand in the NHL.
In Morris, the Coyotes get what some people thought was an up-and-coming stud on defense. Calgary couldn't afford to keep him much longer but look at their defense without him - they're certainly fine without - and he never really fit in Denver. He's yet to miss a game this year, something he's yet to do in his young NHL career. Hopefully a change of venues will be good for him and he can get back on track in becoming one of the top Power-play QB in the league. Who ever is the next coach of the Coyotes will NEED to teach him how to play defense because it's obvious that Tony Granato couldn't settle his turnovers down.
Ballard was only slightly behind [b]Phil Sauve[/b] as Colorado's top prospect in my mind. He may be small but the kid is full of confidence. He's more offensive minded than anything but he's got the potential to turn into a top-four defensemen, something the Coyotes lack behind [b]Paul Mara[/b] and now [b]Derek Morris.[/b] This could be a moumental steal for Barnett here.
[b]PITTSBURGH[/b]
The Pittsburgh Penguins will get the real prize when the draft comes along - [b]Alexander Ovechkin[/b] - unless of course the lottery screws them over and they wind up with [b]Evgeni Malkin[/b]. BOO HOO because either way they end up with a franchise player for next season. But they did win in their quest to stamp out any traces of having a payroll when they dealt [b]Brian Holzinger [/b]($1.05 million) to the Columbus Blue Jackets for the bigger [b]Lasse Pirjeta[/b] ($550k). Lasse's 6-3 and can play all three forward positions but he's not going to add much more than that to the fourth-line. Basically the Penguins save a little bit of chump change and trade Holzinger's leadership for Pirjeta's size.
The Penguins really don't save a lot of money by also dealing [b]Marc Bergevin[/b] ($400k) but they do the right thing in giving Bergevin a shot at the playoffs again much like last season when they dealt Bergevin to the Lightning only to regain him in the off-season. As the team is going towards a younger line-up, it was probably best to let the 38 year-old go.
[b]SAN JOSE[/b]
The Sharks were expected to go after players such as [b]Geoff Sanderson [/b]and [b]Martin Rucinsky[/b] (who both wound up in Vancouver) to replace the recently injured [b]Marco Sturm [/b]but Doug Wilson did nothing of the short. Rather he quietly acquired [b]Curtis Brown[/b] from Buffalo in the three team trade that saw Boston grab[b] Brad Boyes[/b] from the Sharks. Now Wilson is going to take a lot of flak for dealing Boyes, a prize won in the [b]Owen Nolan[/b] deal last year, but Brown will pay dividends for San Jose this season where as Boyes probably wouldn't pay off for another season or two.
Brown, who Wilson rescued from Buffalo's fourth-line, gives the Sharks another solid penalty-killer and a legit face-off man. He's struggled the past two years in Buffalo but he's always done everything asked of him and I was rather displeased when he wasn't named the captain of the Sabres (Lindy Ruff electing to go with a rotation instead). It may have been a lot to give up Boyes but Brown is definitely going to help this team out in their current playoff run.
NHL - Trade deadline part 4 of 6; Montreal, Nashville, Devils, Rangers, Islanders
03.10.04 (1:17 am) [edit]
NHL - This is part four (of six) breaking down each team's trade deadline day. For Anaheim, Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo and Calgary scroll down to the next article. [b]LOOK FOR PARTS FIVE AND SIX TOMORROW BECAUSE I NEED TO HIT THE SACK.[/b]
Once again, any and all tblog users AND outside users can leave comments on this article and any of the deadline articles.
[b]MONTREAL[/b]
Montreal I thought would make another splash after acquiring [b]Alexei Kovalev[/b] from the Rangers earlier. It was a great move by GM Bob Gainey (see the archives for details) and Gainey is serious about resigning the star right winger after the season. If he does stay in Montreal, that's a huge coup for the Habs.
The only moves for the Habs today were losing [b]Chad Kilger [/b]to Toronto off waivers and swapping tough guy [b]Sylvain Blouin[/b] for Canucks minor league defenseman [b]Rene Vydareny[/b]. Vydareny could be a nice pick-up as he's all offense, no defense. Too bad he doesn't produce enough points to warrent his bad defensive play.
[b]NASHVILLE [/b]
Heading towards their first ever post-season berth, the Predators have been stocking up. [b]Steve Sullivan[/b] was a surprise steal from Chicago and should provide them with some offensive punch over the next couple seasons. David Poile also did good in grabbing the solid [b]Brad Bombardir[/b] and third-liner [b]Sergei Zholtok[/b] from the Minnesota Wild for only two draft picks. With most of Poile's work done, he only had to make some minor adjustments in acquiring defenseman [b]Shane Hnidy[/b] from Ottawa and flipping [b]Stanislav Neckar[/b] back to Tampa Bay for a sixth-round draft selection in 2004 - not a bad pick up for someone who's been injured most of the time since Nashville signed him.
Hnidy gives the Preds 10 defensemen when [b]Jason York[/b] returns and while Barry Trotz says he doesn't mind carrying 8 defensemen, it'll be interesting which one (or two) defensemen are sent to Milwaukee and who goes along for the playoff ride. Some people claim Hnidy is one of the worst defensemen in the league but he does add a bit of toughness and size to the Predator blueline. The Preds missed [b]Cale Hulse[/b] (who they let go to Phoenix in free agency) more than they thought they would. He should play as the 6th or 7th dman.
[b]NEW JERSEY[/b]
New Jersey sat in silence as GM Lou had already picked up [b]Viktor Kozlov[/b] ([b]Christian Berglund [/b]going to Florida) and [b]Jan Hrdina[/b] (Phoenix grabbing [b]Michael Rupp[/b]) earlier in the months. My archives should have both deals outlined. The Kozlov deal is a bit of gamble and some people think he may have over-paid for Hrdina so I guess its a matter of time before we find out.
Most people will quickly point out that the Devils didn't pick up a defensemen as an insurance if [b]Scott Stevens[/b] doesn't return. That could be a bad mistake for the Devils but I have faith in rookies [b]Paul Martin[/b] and [b]David Hale[/b] who have been tremendous this year.
[b]NEW YORK ISLANDERS[/b]
Islanders pull off one of the more puzzling moves by picking up [b]Alexander Karpovtsev[/b] from the Chicago Blackhawks. He's been injured most of this season and his tenure with the Blackhawks has been utterly forgettable. However, looking at the blueline depth for the Islanders, any warm body can help and Karpovtsev can take a minute or two away from the tiring [b]Roman Hamrlik[/b] and [b]Adrian Aucoin[/b].
They also picked up [b]Steve Webb[/b] the other day from the Pittsburgh Penguins but promptly assigned him to their minor league club. Not entirely the moves the Islanders needed to make a splash in the playoffs but there were many reports about Mike Milbury being gun-shy after trading away important prospects for quick fixes in the past. Could that really have played a factor in all this or did Milbury not see another trade he liked? Honestly, I don't think he made the strides to improve his club's chances as the likely eight-seed.
[b]NEW YORK RANGERS[/b]
New York, New York. The Broadway Bunch have to be the biggest loser in the trade deadline as Glen Sather dismantled the team he helped put together. Obviously we all know it didn't work out and everyone with value was dealt. [b]Brian Leetch[/b], [b]Petr Nedved[/b], [b]Jussi Markkanen[/b], [b]Chris Simon[/b], [b]Alexei Kovalev[/b], [b]Vladimir Malakhov[/b], and [b]Matthew Barnaby[/b] all saw the door. And today you can add the names of [b]Martin Rucinsky[/b] and [b]Greg de Vries [/b]to the list. If you're looking for breakdowns of the previous trades - check the archives.
The Rangers, do however, fair decently today and have stashed some interesting prospects in their cupboard. [b]David Liffiton[/b] (from the Barnaby trade) should be a defensive defensemen ready to contribute in a couple seasons and at 19, there might still be some time for him to develop some offense. They also pick up a decent second pick and scrub [b]Chris McAllister [/b]from Colorado. McAllister should fill out a reserve spot and the limited enforcer may see himself back in New York next year or gone.
For de Vries, the Rangers picked up 24 year-old [b]Karel Rachunek[/b] and 22 year-old forward [b]Alex Giroux[/b]. Rachunek should easily come in as one of New York's top defensemen and he's rarely out of position. He's got a great shot from the point but he's too conservative and hasn't quite learned when to pinch in from the point, prefering to stay back. His confidence in Ottawa was shot and a new beginning in New York should do him a lot of good. Giroux has been a victum of the Senators depth but the 6-3 forward should see time in New York and probably will put up a couple points.
[b]Martin Rucinsky[/b] goes to Vancouver in a pretty much predictable deal. The Rangers acquire [b]Martin Grenier[/b] and mega-prospect [b]RJ Umberger[/b] in the deal. Grenier is horrible as a defensemen joining his fourth organization since the Avalanche drafted him but if the Rangers were smart they would convert Grenier to a winger where his skating limitations aren't as glaring. He's a big league enforcer though and probably can throw down with any of the NHL's heavyweights. If he's moved to the wing, I feel he's the next enforcer in Manhattan. Grenier could become a fan favorite easily at 6-5, 245 - after all this is a guy who racked up 479 PIMs in a QMJHL season.
Umberger, a former 2001 first rounder, is a very talented player but he just couldn't come to terms on a contract with Vancouver and he maybe happier going to the Rangers. If he signs, he gives the Rangers a legit prospect, something they don't have a lot of.
The Rangers also picked up [b]Sandy McCarthy[/b] and [b]Mike Green [/b]off waivers from the Bruins and Panthers, respectively. McCarthy they already know and the 31 year-old should give them depth to the fourth-line while the Rangers wait for next season. Green is listed as 5-11 but I would swear he's shorter. He works hard in the corners and has play maker tools but the jury is still out on his goal scoring abilities. His size is a major hindrence but he should be given a shot while nothing's on the line, he might be a surprise. They also acquire [b]Jeff Paul [/b]from Florida for [b]Paul Healey[/b] - snore.
[LINE]
Once again, any and all tblog users AND outside users can leave comments on this article and any of the deadline articles.
[b]MONTREAL[/b]
Montreal I thought would make another splash after acquiring [b]Alexei Kovalev[/b] from the Rangers earlier. It was a great move by GM Bob Gainey (see the archives for details) and Gainey is serious about resigning the star right winger after the season. If he does stay in Montreal, that's a huge coup for the Habs.
The only moves for the Habs today were losing [b]Chad Kilger [/b]to Toronto off waivers and swapping tough guy [b]Sylvain Blouin[/b] for Canucks minor league defenseman [b]Rene Vydareny[/b]. Vydareny could be a nice pick-up as he's all offense, no defense. Too bad he doesn't produce enough points to warrent his bad defensive play.
[b]NASHVILLE [/b]
Heading towards their first ever post-season berth, the Predators have been stocking up. [b]Steve Sullivan[/b] was a surprise steal from Chicago and should provide them with some offensive punch over the next couple seasons. David Poile also did good in grabbing the solid [b]Brad Bombardir[/b] and third-liner [b]Sergei Zholtok[/b] from the Minnesota Wild for only two draft picks. With most of Poile's work done, he only had to make some minor adjustments in acquiring defenseman [b]Shane Hnidy[/b] from Ottawa and flipping [b]Stanislav Neckar[/b] back to Tampa Bay for a sixth-round draft selection in 2004 - not a bad pick up for someone who's been injured most of the time since Nashville signed him.
Hnidy gives the Preds 10 defensemen when [b]Jason York[/b] returns and while Barry Trotz says he doesn't mind carrying 8 defensemen, it'll be interesting which one (or two) defensemen are sent to Milwaukee and who goes along for the playoff ride. Some people claim Hnidy is one of the worst defensemen in the league but he does add a bit of toughness and size to the Predator blueline. The Preds missed [b]Cale Hulse[/b] (who they let go to Phoenix in free agency) more than they thought they would. He should play as the 6th or 7th dman.
[b]NEW JERSEY[/b]
New Jersey sat in silence as GM Lou had already picked up [b]Viktor Kozlov[/b] ([b]Christian Berglund [/b]going to Florida) and [b]Jan Hrdina[/b] (Phoenix grabbing [b]Michael Rupp[/b]) earlier in the months. My archives should have both deals outlined. The Kozlov deal is a bit of gamble and some people think he may have over-paid for Hrdina so I guess its a matter of time before we find out.
Most people will quickly point out that the Devils didn't pick up a defensemen as an insurance if [b]Scott Stevens[/b] doesn't return. That could be a bad mistake for the Devils but I have faith in rookies [b]Paul Martin[/b] and [b]David Hale[/b] who have been tremendous this year.
[b]NEW YORK ISLANDERS[/b]
Islanders pull off one of the more puzzling moves by picking up [b]Alexander Karpovtsev[/b] from the Chicago Blackhawks. He's been injured most of this season and his tenure with the Blackhawks has been utterly forgettable. However, looking at the blueline depth for the Islanders, any warm body can help and Karpovtsev can take a minute or two away from the tiring [b]Roman Hamrlik[/b] and [b]Adrian Aucoin[/b].
They also picked up [b]Steve Webb[/b] the other day from the Pittsburgh Penguins but promptly assigned him to their minor league club. Not entirely the moves the Islanders needed to make a splash in the playoffs but there were many reports about Mike Milbury being gun-shy after trading away important prospects for quick fixes in the past. Could that really have played a factor in all this or did Milbury not see another trade he liked? Honestly, I don't think he made the strides to improve his club's chances as the likely eight-seed.
[b]NEW YORK RANGERS[/b]
New York, New York. The Broadway Bunch have to be the biggest loser in the trade deadline as Glen Sather dismantled the team he helped put together. Obviously we all know it didn't work out and everyone with value was dealt. [b]Brian Leetch[/b], [b]Petr Nedved[/b], [b]Jussi Markkanen[/b], [b]Chris Simon[/b], [b]Alexei Kovalev[/b], [b]Vladimir Malakhov[/b], and [b]Matthew Barnaby[/b] all saw the door. And today you can add the names of [b]Martin Rucinsky[/b] and [b]Greg de Vries [/b]to the list. If you're looking for breakdowns of the previous trades - check the archives.
The Rangers, do however, fair decently today and have stashed some interesting prospects in their cupboard. [b]David Liffiton[/b] (from the Barnaby trade) should be a defensive defensemen ready to contribute in a couple seasons and at 19, there might still be some time for him to develop some offense. They also pick up a decent second pick and scrub [b]Chris McAllister [/b]from Colorado. McAllister should fill out a reserve spot and the limited enforcer may see himself back in New York next year or gone.
For de Vries, the Rangers picked up 24 year-old [b]Karel Rachunek[/b] and 22 year-old forward [b]Alex Giroux[/b]. Rachunek should easily come in as one of New York's top defensemen and he's rarely out of position. He's got a great shot from the point but he's too conservative and hasn't quite learned when to pinch in from the point, prefering to stay back. His confidence in Ottawa was shot and a new beginning in New York should do him a lot of good. Giroux has been a victum of the Senators depth but the 6-3 forward should see time in New York and probably will put up a couple points.
[b]Martin Rucinsky[/b] goes to Vancouver in a pretty much predictable deal. The Rangers acquire [b]Martin Grenier[/b] and mega-prospect [b]RJ Umberger[/b] in the deal. Grenier is horrible as a defensemen joining his fourth organization since the Avalanche drafted him but if the Rangers were smart they would convert Grenier to a winger where his skating limitations aren't as glaring. He's a big league enforcer though and probably can throw down with any of the NHL's heavyweights. If he's moved to the wing, I feel he's the next enforcer in Manhattan. Grenier could become a fan favorite easily at 6-5, 245 - after all this is a guy who racked up 479 PIMs in a QMJHL season.
Umberger, a former 2001 first rounder, is a very talented player but he just couldn't come to terms on a contract with Vancouver and he maybe happier going to the Rangers. If he signs, he gives the Rangers a legit prospect, something they don't have a lot of.
The Rangers also picked up [b]Sandy McCarthy[/b] and [b]Mike Green [/b]off waivers from the Bruins and Panthers, respectively. McCarthy they already know and the 31 year-old should give them depth to the fourth-line while the Rangers wait for next season. Green is listed as 5-11 but I would swear he's shorter. He works hard in the corners and has play maker tools but the jury is still out on his goal scoring abilities. His size is a major hindrence but he should be given a shot while nothing's on the line, he might be a surprise. They also acquire [b]Jeff Paul [/b]from Florida for [b]Paul Healey[/b] - snore.
[LINE]
NHL - Trade deadline part 3 of 6 - Detroit, Edmonton, Florida, Los Angeles, Minnesota
03.10.04 (12:27 am) [edit]
NHL - This is part three (of six) breaking down each team's trade deadline day. For Anaheim, Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo and Calgary scroll down to the next article.
Once again, any and all tblog users AND outside users can leave comments on this article and any of the deadline articles.
[LINE]
[b]DETROIT [/b]
What? You wanted a bigger splash than acquiring the NHL's leading scorer in [b]Robert Lang[/b]? Well Detroit goes on without a move despite Lang being injured last night and out at least three weeks. The Red Wings are stacked and should be healthy in time for the playoffs and if all goes well should be facing the eight seed. Honestly I can't imagine what I would have done if I were in Ken Holland's shoes. You have maybe the best defensive core in the history of the league and your offense is great.
The Red Wings could use some extra speed and some of the faster teams in the league might be able to give the Wings some trouble in the playoffs but where would Holland have strengthened by adding a speedy forward? The Red Wings will be just fine. Lang's acquistion is good enough for a good grade.
[b]EDMONTON[/b]
Edmonton's acqusition of [b]Petr Nedved [/b]was a great move, especially when Glen Sather is picking up 100% of his remaining contract. Too bad Sather won't pick up a part of the $5 million option for next season as well. In the Nedved deal, the Oilers regained goalie [b]Jussi Markkanen [/b]from the Rangers clearing the way for the Oilers to deal off the struggling [b]Tommy Salo[/b]. Salo hasn't looked himself for two seasons now and had lost his starting job to [b]Ty Conklin[/b] and this was a move we knew was coming. With Salo's $4 million off the payroll for next season, maybe the Oilers can find a way to retain Nedved's services.
In the Salo deal, the Oilers picked up [b]Tommy Gilbert[/b], who while he won't be out of college for a bit looks to be the future QB on the Oilers's power-play in about three years. I saw a lot of Gilbert when he was in the USHL and I'm impressed on the return.
Most Oiler fans are sour that Kevin Lowe did nothing else to improve the team but while they have no idea who Tom Gilbert is now, hopefully they'll be pleasantly surprised by him soon.
[b]FLORIDA[/b]
Rick Dudley did pull off some moves today but nothing to write home about. He did pick up a 2nd round pick for [b]Marcus Nilson[/b] after he essentially had replaced Nilson by picking up [b]Christian Berglund[/b] for [b]Viktor Kozlov[/b]. He also added defensive depth by spinning [b]Drew Bagnall[/b] out of [b]Valeri Bure[/b] and if he can convince [b]Kamil Piros[/b] to stay in North America, he added a possible sleeper out of Atlanta. For my take on the Piros deal, see yesterday's entries.
As I said, Nilson was basically replaced by Berglund and you can also expect [b]Mikael Samuelsson[/b] and [b]Niklas Hagman[/b] to step up their role in Nilson's absence. Bure's a 50 point scorer this year and Dudley hopes to re-sign him in the off-season much like he did before this season when he traded Bure to the Blues and ended up picking him back up in free agency. If that happens, they basically land the 6-3 Bagnall for free. Bagnall's playing for St. Lawrence University and probably won't factor into the Panthers' plans for another three or four years at the least.
Pint-size center [b]Mike Green[/b] was also lost on waviers to the New York Rangers. He may have had a spot next season in Florida but we may never know. He's not exactly anything to cry over though.
Dudley also swapped minor-league scrapper [b]Jeff Paul[/b] to the Rangers for [b]Paul Healey[/b]. Healey most likely will give the AHL's San Antoino Rampage a scoring forward. Probably won't have an impact for the Panthers.
Florida's the youngest squad in the league, they'll improve just by growing a year. While the moves don't look all that amazing, Dudley does have a bit of payroll room freed up to possibly make a move in the free agent market in the off-season.
[b]LOS ANGELES[/b]
When your team has lost as many man games to injury as the LA Kings have, you look to add any solid players you can and Dave Taylor did that in acquiring [b]Anson Carter[/b] the other day. My take on the Carter deal is earlier so take a look back in the archives. Murray also added a solid, if unspectacular winger in [b]Jeff Cowan[/b] from the Thrashers. He has to give up part-time enforcer [b]Kip Brennan[/b] for Cowan but honestly, Cowan is going to be much more useful in the playoffs than the bigger Brennan would ever be. This is a career year for Cowan and he should work very well with current Kings's pest [b]Sean Avery[/b].
Taylor and the Kings also lost [b]Brad Norton[/b] (to Washington) and [b]Jon Sim[/b] (to Pittsburgh) on waivers the other day but neither were probably going to make the post-season roster. But the real coup was the Carter trade yesterday and the [b]Martin Straka[/b] trade earlier in the season. Now all the Kings can do is hold on, hope they stay healthy and make the playoffs. Sounds like a challenge for these guys.
[b]MINNESOTA[/b]
Minnesota has been selling this month and going for a youth movement in the next season. Players like [b]Sergei Zholtok[/b], [b]Jason Marshall[/b], [b]Brad Brown[/b], [b]Brad Bombardir,[/b] [b]Jim Dowd[/b] and [b]Darby Hendrickson [/b]have been shipped out for the grand total of a couple of draft picks althought those draft picks were either of fair value or better. They'll probably use this draft picks to re-stock or move up in the draft so at least they've got some flexiblity come draft time.
They also picked up [b]Jordan Krestanovich[/b] from the Avalanche in exchange for [b]Chris Bala[/b], an off-season pick up from the Senators. Krestanovich is younger and probably will see action in Minnesota this season. His potential is limited but he works hard and coaches seem to be able to count on him so maybe he can stick in the NHL as a penalty-killer and a fourth line winger.
Once again, any and all tblog users AND outside users can leave comments on this article and any of the deadline articles.
[LINE]
[b]DETROIT [/b]
What? You wanted a bigger splash than acquiring the NHL's leading scorer in [b]Robert Lang[/b]? Well Detroit goes on without a move despite Lang being injured last night and out at least three weeks. The Red Wings are stacked and should be healthy in time for the playoffs and if all goes well should be facing the eight seed. Honestly I can't imagine what I would have done if I were in Ken Holland's shoes. You have maybe the best defensive core in the history of the league and your offense is great.
The Red Wings could use some extra speed and some of the faster teams in the league might be able to give the Wings some trouble in the playoffs but where would Holland have strengthened by adding a speedy forward? The Red Wings will be just fine. Lang's acquistion is good enough for a good grade.
[b]EDMONTON[/b]
Edmonton's acqusition of [b]Petr Nedved [/b]was a great move, especially when Glen Sather is picking up 100% of his remaining contract. Too bad Sather won't pick up a part of the $5 million option for next season as well. In the Nedved deal, the Oilers regained goalie [b]Jussi Markkanen [/b]from the Rangers clearing the way for the Oilers to deal off the struggling [b]Tommy Salo[/b]. Salo hasn't looked himself for two seasons now and had lost his starting job to [b]Ty Conklin[/b] and this was a move we knew was coming. With Salo's $4 million off the payroll for next season, maybe the Oilers can find a way to retain Nedved's services.
In the Salo deal, the Oilers picked up [b]Tommy Gilbert[/b], who while he won't be out of college for a bit looks to be the future QB on the Oilers's power-play in about three years. I saw a lot of Gilbert when he was in the USHL and I'm impressed on the return.
Most Oiler fans are sour that Kevin Lowe did nothing else to improve the team but while they have no idea who Tom Gilbert is now, hopefully they'll be pleasantly surprised by him soon.
[b]FLORIDA[/b]
Rick Dudley did pull off some moves today but nothing to write home about. He did pick up a 2nd round pick for [b]Marcus Nilson[/b] after he essentially had replaced Nilson by picking up [b]Christian Berglund[/b] for [b]Viktor Kozlov[/b]. He also added defensive depth by spinning [b]Drew Bagnall[/b] out of [b]Valeri Bure[/b] and if he can convince [b]Kamil Piros[/b] to stay in North America, he added a possible sleeper out of Atlanta. For my take on the Piros deal, see yesterday's entries.
As I said, Nilson was basically replaced by Berglund and you can also expect [b]Mikael Samuelsson[/b] and [b]Niklas Hagman[/b] to step up their role in Nilson's absence. Bure's a 50 point scorer this year and Dudley hopes to re-sign him in the off-season much like he did before this season when he traded Bure to the Blues and ended up picking him back up in free agency. If that happens, they basically land the 6-3 Bagnall for free. Bagnall's playing for St. Lawrence University and probably won't factor into the Panthers' plans for another three or four years at the least.
Pint-size center [b]Mike Green[/b] was also lost on waviers to the New York Rangers. He may have had a spot next season in Florida but we may never know. He's not exactly anything to cry over though.
Dudley also swapped minor-league scrapper [b]Jeff Paul[/b] to the Rangers for [b]Paul Healey[/b]. Healey most likely will give the AHL's San Antoino Rampage a scoring forward. Probably won't have an impact for the Panthers.
Florida's the youngest squad in the league, they'll improve just by growing a year. While the moves don't look all that amazing, Dudley does have a bit of payroll room freed up to possibly make a move in the free agent market in the off-season.
[b]LOS ANGELES[/b]
When your team has lost as many man games to injury as the LA Kings have, you look to add any solid players you can and Dave Taylor did that in acquiring [b]Anson Carter[/b] the other day. My take on the Carter deal is earlier so take a look back in the archives. Murray also added a solid, if unspectacular winger in [b]Jeff Cowan[/b] from the Thrashers. He has to give up part-time enforcer [b]Kip Brennan[/b] for Cowan but honestly, Cowan is going to be much more useful in the playoffs than the bigger Brennan would ever be. This is a career year for Cowan and he should work very well with current Kings's pest [b]Sean Avery[/b].
Taylor and the Kings also lost [b]Brad Norton[/b] (to Washington) and [b]Jon Sim[/b] (to Pittsburgh) on waivers the other day but neither were probably going to make the post-season roster. But the real coup was the Carter trade yesterday and the [b]Martin Straka[/b] trade earlier in the season. Now all the Kings can do is hold on, hope they stay healthy and make the playoffs. Sounds like a challenge for these guys.
[b]MINNESOTA[/b]
Minnesota has been selling this month and going for a youth movement in the next season. Players like [b]Sergei Zholtok[/b], [b]Jason Marshall[/b], [b]Brad Brown[/b], [b]Brad Bombardir,[/b] [b]Jim Dowd[/b] and [b]Darby Hendrickson [/b]have been shipped out for the grand total of a couple of draft picks althought those draft picks were either of fair value or better. They'll probably use this draft picks to re-stock or move up in the draft so at least they've got some flexiblity come draft time.
They also picked up [b]Jordan Krestanovich[/b] from the Avalanche in exchange for [b]Chris Bala[/b], an off-season pick up from the Senators. Krestanovich is younger and probably will see action in Minnesota this season. His potential is limited but he works hard and coaches seem to be able to count on him so maybe he can stick in the NHL as a penalty-killer and a fourth line winger.
NHL - Trade deadline part 2 of 6; Carolina, Chicago, Colorado, Columbus, Dallas
03.09.04 (11:42 pm) [edit]
NHL - This is part two (of six) breaking down each team's trade deadline day. For Anaheim, Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo and Calgary scroll down to the next article.
Once again, any and all tblog users AND outside users can leave comments on this article and any of the deadline articles.
[b]CAROLINA[/b]
There wasn't much that Carolina could have done this trade deadline. I didn't think that [b]Jeff O'Neill[/b] was going to be traded before the injury but the shoulder injury did squash any possibility. The New Jersey Devils had a deal on the table with Sean Hill but it fell through as [b]Sean Hill[/b] wouldn't waive his no-trade clause without a new contract in hand. The Maple Leafs made a push but with less than ten minutes to go before the deadline, it's thought that the deal couldn't be reached.
However the Maple Leafs do acquire [b]Ronnie Francis[/b] from the Hurricanes for a fourth-round draft choice in 2004. He'll help the Maple Leafs a lot but more on that when we get to them. Personally I think Francis should have retired as a Hurricane but you can't be dissapointed in the fact that he's getting a shot to win another championship with the team I have to say is now the favorite to win the Cup - yes, for those who know my dislike for the Blue and White, that just pained me like a kick to the nuts to say.
[b]Chris Bahen[/b] (acquired in the deal that sent [b]Bob Boughner[/b] to Colorado) probably will see his impact with the Lowell Lockmonsters next year so he's not really much to talk about.
[b]CHICAGO[/b]
Most of Chicago's salary dumping occured earlier in the past month. [b]Alex Zhamnov[/b], [b]Nathan Dempsey[/b], [b]Steve Sullivan[/b] and [b]Ville Nieminen[/b] have all been shown the door out of Chicago. And now add [b]Alexander Karpovtsev[/b] to the list, though most Hawks fans won't cry about this and will gladly take the fourth round draft pick in this deal. At $3.1 million in salary, Karpet-head just wasn't pulling his weight and this diaster from the Mike Smith era has come to an end.
While Chicago does have the worst ownership and mangement in all of professional sports, I do have to applaud Bob Pulford for not trading away [b]Tyler Arnason[/b] or [b]Bryan Berard[/b] in all of this (despite the rumours) and thank god [b]Jocelyn Thibault[/b] is out with injury or his $4 million plus salary would have surely bought him a one way ticket out of Chicago. At least Hawks fans can take solace for the moment in the fact that they still have one of the better goalkeepers (and one of the most underrated) in the league - for now.
For the big picture, Pulford gets a big fat F just for thinking free agents would actual want to come to this team and play for less than what Steve Sullivan was making.
[b]COLORADO[/b]
Every year Pierre Lacroix makes a big splash at the trade deadline and for the moment, he might have fooled us into thinking he got all of his shopping done early bringing in [b]Kurt Sauer[/b], [b]Bob Boughner[/b] and [b]Steve Konowalchuk[/b] is a couple of solid moves. Usually there's no second guessing Lacroix but I have a big feeling that there will be a lot of second guessing unless the Avalanche are able to win the Stanley Cup.
The first deal Lacroix pulled off saw him bring in [b]Matthew Barnaby[/b] for the third-line. The aggitating pest has developed his game a lot since he came up and if he can stay "calm" there's a place for him on the Lanche. This one is basically a depth move because I'd rather have [b]Daniel Hinote[/b] on my fourth-line than on my third-line and that's no offense to Hinote who's still an important part of this Avalanche team.
The Lanche also pick up a decent draft pick but they have to give up a second round pick and [b]David Liffiton[/b], who may some day turn into a fine stay-at-home dman but wasn't going to help the Lanche for a couple seasons. [b]Chris McAllister[/b] was thrown into this deal and he's mostly just a body for New York to put out there and of no loss to Colorado.
Then Lacroix was able to acquire his insurance in net as he picked up [b]Tommy Salo[/b] from the Oilers (along with a sixth rounder in 05) for college defense [b]Tom Gilbert[/b]. Gilbert will be a large part of the Oilers's future plans but it seems a bit pricey for a playoff rental goalie who's terrible post season record is almost as bad as not having any playoff expierence at all. While I'm glad they didn't go for [b]Olaf Kolzig[/b] (if Salo cost Gilbert) one has to wonder, do you feel all that cofident in putting Salo out there if [b]David Aebischer[/b] does falter? I don't believe Aebischer will but wouldnt' feel safe if he does. The Avalanche probably won't pick up Salo's option which comes in at a whopping $4 million so it will be interesting, given Salo's struggles, where he'll be next year.
And obviously, Lacroix didn't feel he added enough grit with just Barnaby so he in turn dealt defensemen [b]Derek Morris[/b] and college defensemen [b]Keith Ballard [/b](former Sabres first rounder) to the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for [b]Chris Gratton[/b] and [b]Ossi Vaananen[/b]. The Avalanche do even this up slightly by picking up a 2005 2nd round pick in this deal.
I thought Vaananen would be Phoenix's top stalwart stay-at-home dman for the next decade but obviously that idea is shattered. He'll help [b]Adam Foote[/b] and the big boys on defense in clearing out the Colorado crease but the 23 year-old Finn won't replace Morris's puck-moving abilities and faster forwards can still pick his poor mobility apart one-on-one. His use is in knocking people out of the crease and that's about it.
Gratton also adds a bit more grit and depth, as well as a reliable guy on the face-offs. If you've ever talked the Colorado Avalanche with me before, you'll know I absolutely love [b]Cody McCormick[/b] but even here, I'd rather take the vet over the rookie. McCormick's chance will come but I'd feel safer out there with Gratton as bad as that sounds. Gratton certainly hasn't panned out as we thought he would for the 3rd overall pick in 1993 and while his one 30-goal campaign looks like a fluke, we can only hope that potential still lies somewhere deep inside of him.
I have always defended Derek Morris but obviously, he wasn't quite working out in Denver and didn't step up when he needed to so there's a bit of mixed feelings on this one. Yes they did acquire some needed pieces for someone who really hadn't panned out the way they thought he would but there's a butt load of talent and potential in the 25 year-old Morris. Ballard, who I cosidered the second best prospect in the organization, wasn't helping them any time soon but in these past two trades, Lacroix has dealt three top offensive defensemen. You of course deal from your source of strenght to patch up your weaknesses and I'm a big supporter of dealing prospects for a shot at the Stanley Cup but I nearly draw the line at Morris, Gilbert and Ballard.
Lacroix also picked up [b]Chris Bala[/b] for the AHL roster in exchange for [b]Jordan Krestanovich[/b]. Bala will probably never make the Lanche roster.
Its only a matter of time before we know if Lacroix pulled the right strings or not.
[b]COLUMBUS[/b]
We knew the bottom-feeding Columbus Blue Jackets would be sellers but Doug MacLean didn't sell as much as I thought he would. I figured [b]Scott Lachance[/b] and [b]Andrew Cassels[/b] would both be heading out of Ohio but insted we see [b]Geoff Sanderson[/b] head to Vancouver for a third round draft choice. This does free up some money and space for next season but Columbus could have probably dismantled more though you can't complain about the shape they'll be in for next season.
They also dealt [b]Lasse Pirjeta [/b]to Pittsburgh for [b]Brian Holzinger[/b]. Holzinger, a former Hobey Baker winner, has decent speed and some nice tools but he slumps something awful and can't really take much of a physical beating. He really just adds a bit of depth and expierence to the Blue Jackets. Both Pirjeta and Holzinger can play any of the forward positions so neither team really makes a wave either way in switching fourth liners.
[b]DALLAS[/b]
Dallas tried to stock up and wound up grabbing[b]Valeri Bure [/b]and [b]Chris Therien[/b] yesterday and pulled off the surprise signing of [b]Lubomir Sekeras[/b]. If you want my take on the Therien deal, see yesterday's entries.
Sekeras returns to the NHL after his team was knocked out of the Swedish Elite League playoffs. He still needs to pass a physical and clear NHL waivers but I expect that he will. Honestly, I'm not a Sekeras fan and I'll make that known up front. I don't see what he helps in Dallas but he's a left-handed shot (something Dallas needed) and I'll admit he moves pretty swiftly. I'm not sure if he plays on the third pairing or does he sit as the 7th dman in Dallas but at 6-0, I don't expect him playing a major part on the Dallas blueline.
However, Bure should fit in nicely with [b]Pierre Turgeon[/b], both who were line-mates together in Montreal. Hopefully this will take off some of the scoring pressure put on [b]Scott Young[/b] who hasn't been able to produce enough to warrent his big-money contract after a tremendous season with the St Louis Blues. Bure, who went to the Blues at the deadline last year, comes at the price of [b]Drew Bagnall[/b] and the compensatory pick Dallas will recieve from the league for losing [b]Derian Hatcher [/b]to free agency. The pick should be sandwhiched in between the first and second rounds so we're looking at a 31-36 draft pick.
Bure could finish the year with 25 goals but if he clicks well again with Turgeon, he may be able to up that and take that into the playoffs. In a season where 50+ point scorers are rare, Bure has gone pretty much over looked this season.
Didn't know Bure is a 50 pointer this year? Don't worry, I didn't either.
Once again, any and all tblog users AND outside users can leave comments on this article and any of the deadline articles.
[b]CAROLINA[/b]
There wasn't much that Carolina could have done this trade deadline. I didn't think that [b]Jeff O'Neill[/b] was going to be traded before the injury but the shoulder injury did squash any possibility. The New Jersey Devils had a deal on the table with Sean Hill but it fell through as [b]Sean Hill[/b] wouldn't waive his no-trade clause without a new contract in hand. The Maple Leafs made a push but with less than ten minutes to go before the deadline, it's thought that the deal couldn't be reached.
However the Maple Leafs do acquire [b]Ronnie Francis[/b] from the Hurricanes for a fourth-round draft choice in 2004. He'll help the Maple Leafs a lot but more on that when we get to them. Personally I think Francis should have retired as a Hurricane but you can't be dissapointed in the fact that he's getting a shot to win another championship with the team I have to say is now the favorite to win the Cup - yes, for those who know my dislike for the Blue and White, that just pained me like a kick to the nuts to say.
[b]Chris Bahen[/b] (acquired in the deal that sent [b]Bob Boughner[/b] to Colorado) probably will see his impact with the Lowell Lockmonsters next year so he's not really much to talk about.
[b]CHICAGO[/b]
Most of Chicago's salary dumping occured earlier in the past month. [b]Alex Zhamnov[/b], [b]Nathan Dempsey[/b], [b]Steve Sullivan[/b] and [b]Ville Nieminen[/b] have all been shown the door out of Chicago. And now add [b]Alexander Karpovtsev[/b] to the list, though most Hawks fans won't cry about this and will gladly take the fourth round draft pick in this deal. At $3.1 million in salary, Karpet-head just wasn't pulling his weight and this diaster from the Mike Smith era has come to an end.
While Chicago does have the worst ownership and mangement in all of professional sports, I do have to applaud Bob Pulford for not trading away [b]Tyler Arnason[/b] or [b]Bryan Berard[/b] in all of this (despite the rumours) and thank god [b]Jocelyn Thibault[/b] is out with injury or his $4 million plus salary would have surely bought him a one way ticket out of Chicago. At least Hawks fans can take solace for the moment in the fact that they still have one of the better goalkeepers (and one of the most underrated) in the league - for now.
For the big picture, Pulford gets a big fat F just for thinking free agents would actual want to come to this team and play for less than what Steve Sullivan was making.
[b]COLORADO[/b]
Every year Pierre Lacroix makes a big splash at the trade deadline and for the moment, he might have fooled us into thinking he got all of his shopping done early bringing in [b]Kurt Sauer[/b], [b]Bob Boughner[/b] and [b]Steve Konowalchuk[/b] is a couple of solid moves. Usually there's no second guessing Lacroix but I have a big feeling that there will be a lot of second guessing unless the Avalanche are able to win the Stanley Cup.
The first deal Lacroix pulled off saw him bring in [b]Matthew Barnaby[/b] for the third-line. The aggitating pest has developed his game a lot since he came up and if he can stay "calm" there's a place for him on the Lanche. This one is basically a depth move because I'd rather have [b]Daniel Hinote[/b] on my fourth-line than on my third-line and that's no offense to Hinote who's still an important part of this Avalanche team.
The Lanche also pick up a decent draft pick but they have to give up a second round pick and [b]David Liffiton[/b], who may some day turn into a fine stay-at-home dman but wasn't going to help the Lanche for a couple seasons. [b]Chris McAllister[/b] was thrown into this deal and he's mostly just a body for New York to put out there and of no loss to Colorado.
Then Lacroix was able to acquire his insurance in net as he picked up [b]Tommy Salo[/b] from the Oilers (along with a sixth rounder in 05) for college defense [b]Tom Gilbert[/b]. Gilbert will be a large part of the Oilers's future plans but it seems a bit pricey for a playoff rental goalie who's terrible post season record is almost as bad as not having any playoff expierence at all. While I'm glad they didn't go for [b]Olaf Kolzig[/b] (if Salo cost Gilbert) one has to wonder, do you feel all that cofident in putting Salo out there if [b]David Aebischer[/b] does falter? I don't believe Aebischer will but wouldnt' feel safe if he does. The Avalanche probably won't pick up Salo's option which comes in at a whopping $4 million so it will be interesting, given Salo's struggles, where he'll be next year.
And obviously, Lacroix didn't feel he added enough grit with just Barnaby so he in turn dealt defensemen [b]Derek Morris[/b] and college defensemen [b]Keith Ballard [/b](former Sabres first rounder) to the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for [b]Chris Gratton[/b] and [b]Ossi Vaananen[/b]. The Avalanche do even this up slightly by picking up a 2005 2nd round pick in this deal.
I thought Vaananen would be Phoenix's top stalwart stay-at-home dman for the next decade but obviously that idea is shattered. He'll help [b]Adam Foote[/b] and the big boys on defense in clearing out the Colorado crease but the 23 year-old Finn won't replace Morris's puck-moving abilities and faster forwards can still pick his poor mobility apart one-on-one. His use is in knocking people out of the crease and that's about it.
Gratton also adds a bit more grit and depth, as well as a reliable guy on the face-offs. If you've ever talked the Colorado Avalanche with me before, you'll know I absolutely love [b]Cody McCormick[/b] but even here, I'd rather take the vet over the rookie. McCormick's chance will come but I'd feel safer out there with Gratton as bad as that sounds. Gratton certainly hasn't panned out as we thought he would for the 3rd overall pick in 1993 and while his one 30-goal campaign looks like a fluke, we can only hope that potential still lies somewhere deep inside of him.
I have always defended Derek Morris but obviously, he wasn't quite working out in Denver and didn't step up when he needed to so there's a bit of mixed feelings on this one. Yes they did acquire some needed pieces for someone who really hadn't panned out the way they thought he would but there's a butt load of talent and potential in the 25 year-old Morris. Ballard, who I cosidered the second best prospect in the organization, wasn't helping them any time soon but in these past two trades, Lacroix has dealt three top offensive defensemen. You of course deal from your source of strenght to patch up your weaknesses and I'm a big supporter of dealing prospects for a shot at the Stanley Cup but I nearly draw the line at Morris, Gilbert and Ballard.
Lacroix also picked up [b]Chris Bala[/b] for the AHL roster in exchange for [b]Jordan Krestanovich[/b]. Bala will probably never make the Lanche roster.
Its only a matter of time before we know if Lacroix pulled the right strings or not.
[b]COLUMBUS[/b]
We knew the bottom-feeding Columbus Blue Jackets would be sellers but Doug MacLean didn't sell as much as I thought he would. I figured [b]Scott Lachance[/b] and [b]Andrew Cassels[/b] would both be heading out of Ohio but insted we see [b]Geoff Sanderson[/b] head to Vancouver for a third round draft choice. This does free up some money and space for next season but Columbus could have probably dismantled more though you can't complain about the shape they'll be in for next season.
They also dealt [b]Lasse Pirjeta [/b]to Pittsburgh for [b]Brian Holzinger[/b]. Holzinger, a former Hobey Baker winner, has decent speed and some nice tools but he slumps something awful and can't really take much of a physical beating. He really just adds a bit of depth and expierence to the Blue Jackets. Both Pirjeta and Holzinger can play any of the forward positions so neither team really makes a wave either way in switching fourth liners.
[b]DALLAS[/b]
Dallas tried to stock up and wound up grabbing[b]Valeri Bure [/b]and [b]Chris Therien[/b] yesterday and pulled off the surprise signing of [b]Lubomir Sekeras[/b]. If you want my take on the Therien deal, see yesterday's entries.
Sekeras returns to the NHL after his team was knocked out of the Swedish Elite League playoffs. He still needs to pass a physical and clear NHL waivers but I expect that he will. Honestly, I'm not a Sekeras fan and I'll make that known up front. I don't see what he helps in Dallas but he's a left-handed shot (something Dallas needed) and I'll admit he moves pretty swiftly. I'm not sure if he plays on the third pairing or does he sit as the 7th dman in Dallas but at 6-0, I don't expect him playing a major part on the Dallas blueline.
However, Bure should fit in nicely with [b]Pierre Turgeon[/b], both who were line-mates together in Montreal. Hopefully this will take off some of the scoring pressure put on [b]Scott Young[/b] who hasn't been able to produce enough to warrent his big-money contract after a tremendous season with the St Louis Blues. Bure, who went to the Blues at the deadline last year, comes at the price of [b]Drew Bagnall[/b] and the compensatory pick Dallas will recieve from the league for losing [b]Derian Hatcher [/b]to free agency. The pick should be sandwhiched in between the first and second rounds so we're looking at a 31-36 draft pick.
Bure could finish the year with 25 goals but if he clicks well again with Turgeon, he may be able to up that and take that into the playoffs. In a season where 50+ point scorers are rare, Bure has gone pretty much over looked this season.
Didn't know Bure is a 50 pointer this year? Don't worry, I didn't either.
NHL trade deadline report Part 1 of 6 - Anaheim, Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Calgary
03.09.04 (5:01 pm) [edit]
NHL - With the trade dead line come and gone, it's time to break down this scary day. Best way to do the madness is alphabetically and in five team installments.
[b][i]NOTE - I will not be commenting on the Bertuzzi-Moore incident until later. We all know it was ridiculous and that Bertuzzi has no defense in all this. I'd be just saying the same things that everyone else is saying. [/i][/b]
[b]ANAHEIM [/b]
In Anaheim, Bryan Murray looks to have sat quietly on the trade deadline. The earlier addition of [b]Martin Skoula[/b] is an iffy move in my opinion but Murray's best move was not to dismantle the team just because of a bad season. He could have dealt [b]Vinny Prospal[/b], [b]Keith Carney[/b] and [b]Steve Rucchin[/b] but it would have only been draft picks and mid-level prospects. Next season [b]Sergei Fedorov[/b] and Prospal should be more acclaimated to their teammates and hopefully[b] JS Giguere[/b] can rebound from a very horrible start - and for those who think he won't be able to I point you to [b]Jose Theodore[/b] and [b]Evgeni Nabokov[/b] this season.
While I don't like the Skoula-Sauer deal from the Anaheim prespective, there's still a chance Skoula can turn out just fine. The [b]Todd Simpson[/b] for [b]Petr Schastlivy[/b] trade has looked pretty good for Anaheim considering they didn't give up anything to acquire Simpson.
For showing patience, Murray gets a good grade from me.
[b]ATLANTA[/b]
Don Waddell was rumoured to be shopping around his veterns for more prospects but so far, all the moves he's made have been minor - shipping [b]Kamil Piros[/b] to Florida for [b]Kyle Rossiter[/b] (see yesterday's enteries) and then flipped [b]Jeff Cowan[/b] to the LA Kings for [b]Kip Brennan[/b]. They also lost [b]Billy Lindsay [/b](despite his career being on hold right now) and [b]Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre[/b] on waiver claims by the Washington Capitals.
The Piros trade was a good move on the part of Waddell as Piros wasn't likely to be back next season and Rossiter will attempt to win a 6th or 7th spot on the blueline next year. Losing both Lindsay and Grand-Pierre to waivers doesn't really hurt. I was expecting a bigger season from Lindsay but he's lucky to be alive at this point after suffering a fractured larynx earlier in the season and I applaud if he plays for Washington next season. Grand-Pierre is only a bit player at the NHL level but at 6-3 and the expierence as both a defensman and a right winger, he'll fill Washington's requirement in a player - just being a warm body to take up a roster spot for cheap. He'll probably see some time on Washington's horrid defense.
While Cowan is a solid winger, Brennan is younger and bigger and like Grand-Pierre he can play both on the flank and on the blueline. His skating is suspect but he gives Atlanta a project and maybe he'll turn into their main enforcer - though [b]Francis Lessard[/b] may have a couple words to say about that one.
In the end, Waddell acquires some pieces of the puzzle but its a ho-hum afternoon in Atlanta. As much as I like [b]Shawn McEachern[/b], I felt it would best served for the Thrashers to pick up a draft selection for the left wing and if they could have gotten anyone to take [b]Byron Dafoe[/b] on their hands, that would have been tremendous.
[b]BOSTON[/b]
Mike O'Connell's big splash came with the [b]Sergei Gonchar[/b] and [b]Michal Nylander[/b] pick ups from the Washington Capitals earlier in the month but the GM didn't stop there, turning the much debated [b]Jeff Jillson [/b]into [b]Brad Boyes[/b] and [b]Andy Delmore[/b]. Jillson may have an all-around game that will turn him into a top-four dman and a prefect power-play QB but that's something the Bruins can't worry about now - they needed goals from their blueline and they needed them now. Gonchar certainly helps but Delmore can flat out move the puck and owns one heck of a shot from the point. He's certainly a liability on defense but Jillson was also a bit of a liability back there at times.
Boyes is the prize here. The 21 year-old center should break into the NHL full-time next season (he got into one game this season with San Jose due to the [b]Marco Sturm[/b] injury) and the youngest might be able to fill in the second line center position in three to four years. Though with Nylander suspected to head back to Europe after this season is up, Boyes might find himself on the Bruins second line as quickly as next year.
The first pick-ups were great but turning a supsect Jillson into Delmore and Boyes was a pretty darn good move by O'Connell.
[b]BUFFALO[/b]
I like Buffalo did today. They didn't panic after the lost to St Louis and go out and deal their best player in [b]Miroslav Satan[/b] for nothing. They pick up a couple rugged players in [b]Mike Grier[/b], [b]Brad Brown[/b] (see yesterday's entries) and took a chance on [b]Jeff Jillson[/b]. Of course, you can figure that Jillson can't be any worse for the Predators than [b]Andy Delmore[/b] was for them. The one thing Jillson has going for him, like Brown, is that he's a right-hand shot and right-hand shots on the blueline are like gold. Why do you think [b]Rory Fitzpatrick[/b] has stuck in Buffalo this season? It's certainly not because he magically got better (talent wise) over the offseason.
I thought Gier would be the first Captial to go in the firesale but he amazingly was the last to go. The Sabres get a player who is a pretty decent defensive forward and can pop in 15 to 20 goals a year (never mind that he's only on pace for 10 this season.) I think Buffalo can re-sign him and he'll give them a boost in toughness and expierence. As I said with Brown - Drury can't do it all. It'll be interesting to see who he plays with - [b]Derek Roy[/b] or [b]Daniel Briere[/b].
They do lose [b]Jakub Klepis[/b], a former first rounder who I like. Though the Capitals don't expect to see him in North America until at least 2005-06. Some see him as a second-line center but let's face it, he won't score enough to merit second line consideration. His size is great and I see him fitting in on the third-line at the NHL level.
[b]Curtis Brown[/b] goes to the Sharks and while at first I was quite displeased by the Sabres letting him go - after all he's a great face-off man, penalty killer and he does everything Lindy Ruff askes of him - he had been playing on Buffalo's fourth-line almost all season. So he really wasn't getting the minutes for the Sabres. He should see an increase in San Jose but Buffalo isn't going to lose much by swapping Brown for a right-handed defenseman.
[b]CALGARY[/b]
Calgary's two deals have both been about making this team tougher up front. Their defensive core is absolutely solid but up front the depth could use some work. In comes [b]Chris Simon[/b] the other day in a trade I give a thumbs up to and now comes in [b]Marcus Nilson[/b]. The gritty Nilson, while he'll probably never have the two-way ability that [b]Blair Betts[/b] (traded to New York in the Simon deal) possess, he will at least be healthy. Betts has battled with injuries all throught-out his short career but no matter as Nilson automatically replaces him on the fourth line. As pointed out above, he won't score a lot but he plays with grit and he's sound defensively. I suspect they may even expierement with [b]Ville Nieminen[/b], another recent acquistion by the Flames (from Chicago) on his wing. They give up a 2004 second round pick to make this trade happen but right now, the Flames don't care - the draft is weak talent wise and Nilson is only 26 years old.
[LINE]
Look for my other breakdowns later in the evening - right now I've got a class to go to that I can't skip.
Any and all comments from tblog users AND outsider users are welcome - just don't be stupid.
[b][i]NOTE - I will not be commenting on the Bertuzzi-Moore incident until later. We all know it was ridiculous and that Bertuzzi has no defense in all this. I'd be just saying the same things that everyone else is saying. [/i][/b]
[b]ANAHEIM [/b]
In Anaheim, Bryan Murray looks to have sat quietly on the trade deadline. The earlier addition of [b]Martin Skoula[/b] is an iffy move in my opinion but Murray's best move was not to dismantle the team just because of a bad season. He could have dealt [b]Vinny Prospal[/b], [b]Keith Carney[/b] and [b]Steve Rucchin[/b] but it would have only been draft picks and mid-level prospects. Next season [b]Sergei Fedorov[/b] and Prospal should be more acclaimated to their teammates and hopefully[b] JS Giguere[/b] can rebound from a very horrible start - and for those who think he won't be able to I point you to [b]Jose Theodore[/b] and [b]Evgeni Nabokov[/b] this season.
While I don't like the Skoula-Sauer deal from the Anaheim prespective, there's still a chance Skoula can turn out just fine. The [b]Todd Simpson[/b] for [b]Petr Schastlivy[/b] trade has looked pretty good for Anaheim considering they didn't give up anything to acquire Simpson.
For showing patience, Murray gets a good grade from me.
[b]ATLANTA[/b]
Don Waddell was rumoured to be shopping around his veterns for more prospects but so far, all the moves he's made have been minor - shipping [b]Kamil Piros[/b] to Florida for [b]Kyle Rossiter[/b] (see yesterday's enteries) and then flipped [b]Jeff Cowan[/b] to the LA Kings for [b]Kip Brennan[/b]. They also lost [b]Billy Lindsay [/b](despite his career being on hold right now) and [b]Jean-Luc Grand-Pierre[/b] on waiver claims by the Washington Capitals.
The Piros trade was a good move on the part of Waddell as Piros wasn't likely to be back next season and Rossiter will attempt to win a 6th or 7th spot on the blueline next year. Losing both Lindsay and Grand-Pierre to waivers doesn't really hurt. I was expecting a bigger season from Lindsay but he's lucky to be alive at this point after suffering a fractured larynx earlier in the season and I applaud if he plays for Washington next season. Grand-Pierre is only a bit player at the NHL level but at 6-3 and the expierence as both a defensman and a right winger, he'll fill Washington's requirement in a player - just being a warm body to take up a roster spot for cheap. He'll probably see some time on Washington's horrid defense.
While Cowan is a solid winger, Brennan is younger and bigger and like Grand-Pierre he can play both on the flank and on the blueline. His skating is suspect but he gives Atlanta a project and maybe he'll turn into their main enforcer - though [b]Francis Lessard[/b] may have a couple words to say about that one.
In the end, Waddell acquires some pieces of the puzzle but its a ho-hum afternoon in Atlanta. As much as I like [b]Shawn McEachern[/b], I felt it would best served for the Thrashers to pick up a draft selection for the left wing and if they could have gotten anyone to take [b]Byron Dafoe[/b] on their hands, that would have been tremendous.
[b]BOSTON[/b]
Mike O'Connell's big splash came with the [b]Sergei Gonchar[/b] and [b]Michal Nylander[/b] pick ups from the Washington Capitals earlier in the month but the GM didn't stop there, turning the much debated [b]Jeff Jillson [/b]into [b]Brad Boyes[/b] and [b]Andy Delmore[/b]. Jillson may have an all-around game that will turn him into a top-four dman and a prefect power-play QB but that's something the Bruins can't worry about now - they needed goals from their blueline and they needed them now. Gonchar certainly helps but Delmore can flat out move the puck and owns one heck of a shot from the point. He's certainly a liability on defense but Jillson was also a bit of a liability back there at times.
Boyes is the prize here. The 21 year-old center should break into the NHL full-time next season (he got into one game this season with San Jose due to the [b]Marco Sturm[/b] injury) and the youngest might be able to fill in the second line center position in three to four years. Though with Nylander suspected to head back to Europe after this season is up, Boyes might find himself on the Bruins second line as quickly as next year.
The first pick-ups were great but turning a supsect Jillson into Delmore and Boyes was a pretty darn good move by O'Connell.
[b]BUFFALO[/b]
I like Buffalo did today. They didn't panic after the lost to St Louis and go out and deal their best player in [b]Miroslav Satan[/b] for nothing. They pick up a couple rugged players in [b]Mike Grier[/b], [b]Brad Brown[/b] (see yesterday's entries) and took a chance on [b]Jeff Jillson[/b]. Of course, you can figure that Jillson can't be any worse for the Predators than [b]Andy Delmore[/b] was for them. The one thing Jillson has going for him, like Brown, is that he's a right-hand shot and right-hand shots on the blueline are like gold. Why do you think [b]Rory Fitzpatrick[/b] has stuck in Buffalo this season? It's certainly not because he magically got better (talent wise) over the offseason.
I thought Gier would be the first Captial to go in the firesale but he amazingly was the last to go. The Sabres get a player who is a pretty decent defensive forward and can pop in 15 to 20 goals a year (never mind that he's only on pace for 10 this season.) I think Buffalo can re-sign him and he'll give them a boost in toughness and expierence. As I said with Brown - Drury can't do it all. It'll be interesting to see who he plays with - [b]Derek Roy[/b] or [b]Daniel Briere[/b].
They do lose [b]Jakub Klepis[/b], a former first rounder who I like. Though the Capitals don't expect to see him in North America until at least 2005-06. Some see him as a second-line center but let's face it, he won't score enough to merit second line consideration. His size is great and I see him fitting in on the third-line at the NHL level.
[b]Curtis Brown[/b] goes to the Sharks and while at first I was quite displeased by the Sabres letting him go - after all he's a great face-off man, penalty killer and he does everything Lindy Ruff askes of him - he had been playing on Buffalo's fourth-line almost all season. So he really wasn't getting the minutes for the Sabres. He should see an increase in San Jose but Buffalo isn't going to lose much by swapping Brown for a right-handed defenseman.
[b]CALGARY[/b]
Calgary's two deals have both been about making this team tougher up front. Their defensive core is absolutely solid but up front the depth could use some work. In comes [b]Chris Simon[/b] the other day in a trade I give a thumbs up to and now comes in [b]Marcus Nilson[/b]. The gritty Nilson, while he'll probably never have the two-way ability that [b]Blair Betts[/b] (traded to New York in the Simon deal) possess, he will at least be healthy. Betts has battled with injuries all throught-out his short career but no matter as Nilson automatically replaces him on the fourth line. As pointed out above, he won't score a lot but he plays with grit and he's sound defensively. I suspect they may even expierement with [b]Ville Nieminen[/b], another recent acquistion by the Flames (from Chicago) on his wing. They give up a 2004 second round pick to make this trade happen but right now, the Flames don't care - the draft is weak talent wise and Nilson is only 26 years old.
[LINE]
Look for my other breakdowns later in the evening - right now I've got a class to go to that I can't skip.
Any and all comments from tblog users AND outsider users are welcome - just don't be stupid.
NHL - Short Stays for Webb and Carter; Brown's Wild tenure over
03.08.04 (9:22 pm) [edit]
NHL - You go out and get something to eat and read a couple chapters from D.H. Lawerence and you miss three NHL trades...it's amazing how that happens.
A couple notes before I go on - I really never thought anybody I went to high school I would see their name on a major sports page in the USA Today but [b]Cal Thomas[/b], was selected 1st overall by the St. Louis Steamers of the [b]Major Indoor Soccer League[/b] (MISL) out of Southern Illinios Univerisity. He was an amazing athlete who excelled in pretty much anything he touched so good luck to him and the Steamers on the next season (for some reason their draft is towards the tail end of the season.) You can find information about the MISL at www.MISL.net
Second, I'm trying to archive all these NHL "articles" of mine on a website. So look for my archives in a couple weeks - first I have to get off my butt and start planning everything out first and then it should go quickly from there.
NOW ON TO THE TRADES
[LINE]
[i]If you're looking for responses on the Vladimir Malakhov, Chris Therien or Kamil Piros/Kyle Rossiter deals, scroll down to the next entry.[/i]
Washington continues its salary purge as [b]Anson Carter[/b] 's second stint with the Capitals happens to be shorter than his first as the right winger goes to the Kings straight up for another former Colorado draft pick, [b]Jared Aulin[/b].
Career minor-leaguer [b]Alain Nasreddine[/b] finds himself on the way to Pittsburgh as the Islanders re-acquire fan favorite [b]Steve Webb[/b].
Former Minnesota captain [b]Brad Brown[/b] finds himself patroling the blueline in Buffalo as the Wild pick up a fourth round selection in 2004. The Sabres also receive a sixth round selection in 2004.
[LINE]
So basically the Washington trade equates to Jared Aulin for [b]Jaromir Jagr[/b] and the Capitals picking up $4 million per year for 4 years. Ouch. This is also Carter's four team in the past calender year.
Aulin is obviously a former WHL player and as we know, GM George McPhee loves the WHL when drafting. Originally drafted by Colorado (sent to LA in the [b]Rob Blake[/b] deal) the 21 year-old center has been out most of the year with a shoulder injury but should immediately step into the Washington line-up next season, preferably not the second line but if he has a good camp that's probably where he'll wind up. He has enough tools to be a nice set up man but he's pretty darn weak physically. If he can get bigger and avoid being pushed off the puck, the rest of his talents should make him a fine NHLer.
Carter should help the Kings a lot and will probably wind up staying with them next season. He's a very smart player, sound in both ends and can crash the net. We're still waiting for a 30 goal season out of im but at 29 years of age, 20+ goals should be what's expected out of him. He's on pace for 33 points and 18 goals.
He'll probably fit somewhere on the top two lines in Los Angeles and this acquistion is well worth it if they can sneak into the playoffs (though on a personal note, I hope they don't) It's certainly better to go into the playoffs with him as your top right winger than it would be to stick with journey-man [b]Trent Klatt[/b] - though no offense to Klatt and his career season this year, you've made many astute fantasy GMs such as myself proud.
[LINE]
Brad Brown use to be one of my favorite players when he was with the Chicago Blackhawks. I was almost sad to see him go but it did bring in ...er...future considerations....well fuck. Guess Chicago did rid themselves of [b]Michel Grosek[/b] in that trade.
Brown will never live up to his first round billing when the Habs took him 14th overall in 1994 but he's turned into a very sturdy 6th defenseman with a load of leadership, something Sabres could use a bit of - I mean [b]Chris Drury[/b] can't do it all alone while [b]Miro Satan[/b] sulks and makes fake phone calls. Brown maybe as slow as molasses but he put three great years into the Wild and deserves a shot at the post season.
At 28, he does have group II restricted free agency rights so it'll be interesting if the Sabres plan on keeping him with already a couple good defensemen in the system. If this is James Patrick last year in the league, could Brown be taking the well-traveled vet's place?
Though it does mean two things - There's a good chance that Jay McKee won't be back from his knee injury that's limited him to only 26 games spread through out the year and that the Sabres, despite losing to the Blues on Sunday, feel they still have a chance. Most likely then Satan won't find himself traded (not that it would make sense to deal him in the first place.) Though I could be wrong there - we'll see in less than 24 hours.
[LINE]
The minor deal of the night (well sans the Piros/Rossiter deal) saw the Islanders acquire Steve Webb again. He had only played five games this year after signing in the middle of the season with Philadelphia (Pittsburgh claimed him off waivers the same day.)
He'll probably not play much with the Islanders down the stretch but when he does, he's an energy player for them. He plays like a kamikazee and as long as he keeps himself safe and healthy, he should give them a nice fourth-line.
Nasredinne has really done nothing in his NHL career - in fact he's only seen action in 18 NHL games over the years but the 28 year-old former Blackhawk, Panther, Hab, Oiler and Islander should increase that number in Pittsburgh, if they chose to give some of the kids better expierence and ice time with the AHL club. If he does find himself with the Baby Pens, he'll give the farm team some decent minutes. He's a Group VI free agent at the season's end so he probably won't be brought back.
A couple notes before I go on - I really never thought anybody I went to high school I would see their name on a major sports page in the USA Today but [b]Cal Thomas[/b], was selected 1st overall by the St. Louis Steamers of the [b]Major Indoor Soccer League[/b] (MISL) out of Southern Illinios Univerisity. He was an amazing athlete who excelled in pretty much anything he touched so good luck to him and the Steamers on the next season (for some reason their draft is towards the tail end of the season.) You can find information about the MISL at www.MISL.net
Second, I'm trying to archive all these NHL "articles" of mine on a website. So look for my archives in a couple weeks - first I have to get off my butt and start planning everything out first and then it should go quickly from there.
NOW ON TO THE TRADES
[LINE]
[i]If you're looking for responses on the Vladimir Malakhov, Chris Therien or Kamil Piros/Kyle Rossiter deals, scroll down to the next entry.[/i]
Washington continues its salary purge as [b]Anson Carter[/b] 's second stint with the Capitals happens to be shorter than his first as the right winger goes to the Kings straight up for another former Colorado draft pick, [b]Jared Aulin[/b].
Career minor-leaguer [b]Alain Nasreddine[/b] finds himself on the way to Pittsburgh as the Islanders re-acquire fan favorite [b]Steve Webb[/b].
Former Minnesota captain [b]Brad Brown[/b] finds himself patroling the blueline in Buffalo as the Wild pick up a fourth round selection in 2004. The Sabres also receive a sixth round selection in 2004.
[LINE]
So basically the Washington trade equates to Jared Aulin for [b]Jaromir Jagr[/b] and the Capitals picking up $4 million per year for 4 years. Ouch. This is also Carter's four team in the past calender year.
Aulin is obviously a former WHL player and as we know, GM George McPhee loves the WHL when drafting. Originally drafted by Colorado (sent to LA in the [b]Rob Blake[/b] deal) the 21 year-old center has been out most of the year with a shoulder injury but should immediately step into the Washington line-up next season, preferably not the second line but if he has a good camp that's probably where he'll wind up. He has enough tools to be a nice set up man but he's pretty darn weak physically. If he can get bigger and avoid being pushed off the puck, the rest of his talents should make him a fine NHLer.
Carter should help the Kings a lot and will probably wind up staying with them next season. He's a very smart player, sound in both ends and can crash the net. We're still waiting for a 30 goal season out of im but at 29 years of age, 20+ goals should be what's expected out of him. He's on pace for 33 points and 18 goals.
He'll probably fit somewhere on the top two lines in Los Angeles and this acquistion is well worth it if they can sneak into the playoffs (though on a personal note, I hope they don't) It's certainly better to go into the playoffs with him as your top right winger than it would be to stick with journey-man [b]Trent Klatt[/b] - though no offense to Klatt and his career season this year, you've made many astute fantasy GMs such as myself proud.
[LINE]
Brad Brown use to be one of my favorite players when he was with the Chicago Blackhawks. I was almost sad to see him go but it did bring in ...er...future considerations....well fuck. Guess Chicago did rid themselves of [b]Michel Grosek[/b] in that trade.
Brown will never live up to his first round billing when the Habs took him 14th overall in 1994 but he's turned into a very sturdy 6th defenseman with a load of leadership, something Sabres could use a bit of - I mean [b]Chris Drury[/b] can't do it all alone while [b]Miro Satan[/b] sulks and makes fake phone calls. Brown maybe as slow as molasses but he put three great years into the Wild and deserves a shot at the post season.
At 28, he does have group II restricted free agency rights so it'll be interesting if the Sabres plan on keeping him with already a couple good defensemen in the system. If this is James Patrick last year in the league, could Brown be taking the well-traveled vet's place?
Though it does mean two things - There's a good chance that Jay McKee won't be back from his knee injury that's limited him to only 26 games spread through out the year and that the Sabres, despite losing to the Blues on Sunday, feel they still have a chance. Most likely then Satan won't find himself traded (not that it would make sense to deal him in the first place.) Though I could be wrong there - we'll see in less than 24 hours.
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The minor deal of the night (well sans the Piros/Rossiter deal) saw the Islanders acquire Steve Webb again. He had only played five games this year after signing in the middle of the season with Philadelphia (Pittsburgh claimed him off waivers the same day.)
He'll probably not play much with the Islanders down the stretch but when he does, he's an energy player for them. He plays like a kamikazee and as long as he keeps himself safe and healthy, he should give them a nice fourth-line.
Nasredinne has really done nothing in his NHL career - in fact he's only seen action in 18 NHL games over the years but the 28 year-old former Blackhawk, Panther, Hab, Oiler and Islander should increase that number in Pittsburgh, if they chose to give some of the kids better expierence and ice time with the AHL club. If he does find himself with the Baby Pens, he'll give the farm team some decent minutes. He's a Group VI free agent at the season's end so he probably won't be brought back.
NHL - Uncle Bobby's drunk again; Clarke swings Therien, brings in Malakhov
03.08.04 (5:16 pm) [edit]
NHL - For about a half hour today many NHL fans were asking if Philadelphia GM Bobby Clarke was drunk as he acquired engimatic defenseman [b]Vladimir Malakhov[/b] from the New York Rangers. The Rangers received Kamloops Blazer right wing [b]Rick Kozak[/b] and a second round selection in the 2005 draft. Something tells me Bobby doesn't like his second round draft picks becasue this is the eight year in a row he's traded away his team's second round selection if I'm not mistaken.
About a half hour later, the trade made some more sense as Clarke sent scapegoat [b]Chris Therien[/b], another defensemen, to the Dallas Stars in exchange for an 8th round pick in 2004 and a 3rd round pick in 2005.
In another minor move, the Florida Panthers and Atlanta Thrashers as [b]Kamil Piros [/b]goes to Florida and [b]Kyle Rossiter[/b] goes to the Alanta blueline.
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With Malakhov, Clarke needed to shore up his defensive corp, which has been hit by injuries yet again after the game with Ottawa. When he's into it, there's few defensemen better than Vlad. It really sickens me that a lot of these Russians have so much God given talent and yet they almost never want to use it. It's frustrating to watch and that sums up Malakhov to a tee.
Knee injuries haven't helped his desire but the knees look fine this season as Malakhov has only missed time with a wrist injury this season. Last time Vlad was in a playoff hunt, he was solid for the 2000 Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils so here's to hoping that he'll respond well in Philadelphia. If we see the greater Malakhov then Philadelphia just stomps all over this trade.
He'll probably fit in on the third pairing once every one else comes back from injury and he'll maybe get some time on the second powerplay unit.
But did they overpay for the 35 year-old Malakhov? Honestly, I don't believe so. Kozak might have one of the coolest sounding last names (kinda like Prozac and the other "happy drugs") but he's nothing more than a checking line player in juniors, I wouldn't expect much from him going to the NHL level. He's a long way off from helping the New York Rangers anytime soon and if he does, Glen Sather won't be there to see it.
The second round pick is in a deeper draft but the 2005 draft isn't set in stone yet. There's no telling who the Flyers would take compared to who the Rangers would take with this pick (or who they are going to take) and I find worrying about what draft picks are going to turn into simply worthless. [i]"I've learned worrying is a lot like a rocking chair - it gives you something to do but it doesn't get you anywhere. Write that down."[/i] Clarke loves to stockpile draft picks through minor trades throughout the course of the year so I wouldn't worry about a measily 2nd round pick, he'll replace it some how.
As for Therien, many Flyer fans rejoiced when the vet was sent out of town. Dallas gets its left-handed defensemen it was looking for and Therien will probably join the third pairing with [b]Jon Klemm[/b] subplanting the even older [b]Don Sweeney[/b]. He has a nice point shot and can go up against bigger forwards but he's not going to score much and he's not going to be physical enough with his 6-5 frame. Dallas can only hope he has something left in the tank.
And what did I say about Clarke stock piling draft picks? While you may point out that a third round pick is not as good as a second round pick - we don't know that yet and plus a third-round pick out of Therien can already be judged as a steal especially when you replace Therien with Malakhov. So Clarke strikes again. The 8th round choice is just an added bonus.
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Piros, a once highly touted center that Atlanta got out of Buffalo for a Donald Audette rental, hasn't really stuck in the line-up as one would have hoped. He can play both flanks as well and it's a shame that he hasn't been able to find a spot on the roster. I really do like the potential that's there but Piros is threatening to play in Europe next season regardless of a lock-out since his contract is up. Maybe he'll be much happier in Florida where they might be able to free up a spot for him in training camp. But Piros was given a golden shot to do that in Atlanta in January when the forward ranks were beat up and injured. I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't win a spot in training camp that he returns home to the Czech League.
The 6-3 Rossiter is 2 years younger than Piros and while his lateral movement and coordination aren't up to big league level, the former second rounder HAS been improving a lot since being drafted. And really, you have to be proud and happy with that. Now at 23, he doesn't look like that Bob Boughner or Adam Foote type but he might be able to land the 6th or 7th spot on Atlanta's blueline if he continues to improve and has a good camp in the fall. Right now he'll most likely report to Chicago of the AHL as they aim for another championship.
There's a lot of 'ifs' in this trade but what do either team have to lose on this one? Atlanta certainly wins it for now as Piros would have probably left straight after the year.
About a half hour later, the trade made some more sense as Clarke sent scapegoat [b]Chris Therien[/b], another defensemen, to the Dallas Stars in exchange for an 8th round pick in 2004 and a 3rd round pick in 2005.
In another minor move, the Florida Panthers and Atlanta Thrashers as [b]Kamil Piros [/b]goes to Florida and [b]Kyle Rossiter[/b] goes to the Alanta blueline.
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With Malakhov, Clarke needed to shore up his defensive corp, which has been hit by injuries yet again after the game with Ottawa. When he's into it, there's few defensemen better than Vlad. It really sickens me that a lot of these Russians have so much God given talent and yet they almost never want to use it. It's frustrating to watch and that sums up Malakhov to a tee.
Knee injuries haven't helped his desire but the knees look fine this season as Malakhov has only missed time with a wrist injury this season. Last time Vlad was in a playoff hunt, he was solid for the 2000 Stanley Cup champion New Jersey Devils so here's to hoping that he'll respond well in Philadelphia. If we see the greater Malakhov then Philadelphia just stomps all over this trade.
He'll probably fit in on the third pairing once every one else comes back from injury and he'll maybe get some time on the second powerplay unit.
But did they overpay for the 35 year-old Malakhov? Honestly, I don't believe so. Kozak might have one of the coolest sounding last names (kinda like Prozac and the other "happy drugs") but he's nothing more than a checking line player in juniors, I wouldn't expect much from him going to the NHL level. He's a long way off from helping the New York Rangers anytime soon and if he does, Glen Sather won't be there to see it.
The second round pick is in a deeper draft but the 2005 draft isn't set in stone yet. There's no telling who the Flyers would take compared to who the Rangers would take with this pick (or who they are going to take) and I find worrying about what draft picks are going to turn into simply worthless. [i]"I've learned worrying is a lot like a rocking chair - it gives you something to do but it doesn't get you anywhere. Write that down."[/i] Clarke loves to stockpile draft picks through minor trades throughout the course of the year so I wouldn't worry about a measily 2nd round pick, he'll replace it some how.
As for Therien, many Flyer fans rejoiced when the vet was sent out of town. Dallas gets its left-handed defensemen it was looking for and Therien will probably join the third pairing with [b]Jon Klemm[/b] subplanting the even older [b]Don Sweeney[/b]. He has a nice point shot and can go up against bigger forwards but he's not going to score much and he's not going to be physical enough with his 6-5 frame. Dallas can only hope he has something left in the tank.
And what did I say about Clarke stock piling draft picks? While you may point out that a third round pick is not as good as a second round pick - we don't know that yet and plus a third-round pick out of Therien can already be judged as a steal especially when you replace Therien with Malakhov. So Clarke strikes again. The 8th round choice is just an added bonus.
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Piros, a once highly touted center that Atlanta got out of Buffalo for a Donald Audette rental, hasn't really stuck in the line-up as one would have hoped. He can play both flanks as well and it's a shame that he hasn't been able to find a spot on the roster. I really do like the potential that's there but Piros is threatening to play in Europe next season regardless of a lock-out since his contract is up. Maybe he'll be much happier in Florida where they might be able to free up a spot for him in training camp. But Piros was given a golden shot to do that in Atlanta in January when the forward ranks were beat up and injured. I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't win a spot in training camp that he returns home to the Czech League.
The 6-3 Rossiter is 2 years younger than Piros and while his lateral movement and coordination aren't up to big league level, the former second rounder HAS been improving a lot since being drafted. And really, you have to be proud and happy with that. Now at 23, he doesn't look like that Bob Boughner or Adam Foote type but he might be able to land the 6th or 7th spot on Atlanta's blueline if he continues to improve and has a good camp in the fall. Right now he'll most likely report to Chicago of the AHL as they aim for another championship.
There's a lot of 'ifs' in this trade but what do either team have to lose on this one? Atlanta certainly wins it for now as Piros would have probably left straight after the year.
NHL - Rangers firesale strikes again - Simon a Flame
03.06.04 (3:26 pm) [edit]
NHL - Glen Sather's determined to rid himself of every useful player he can from the New York Rangers roster. At this point, I might hold my tongue in saying it's impossible to deal Bobby Holik or that Tom Poti might stay. While Holik probalby won't be dealt, it won't be for the lack of Sather trying, that's for sure.
Off-season pick-up [b]Chris Simon[/b] is heading for Calgary along with a seventh round draft choice in 2004. The Rangers acquire prospect [b]Greg Moore[/b], goalie [b]Jamie McLennan[/b] and center [b]Blair Betts[/b]. The Rangers also would claim winger [b]Josh Green [/b]from the Flames in a seperate waiver transaction.
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The 32 year-old Simon adds muscle at 6-4, 235 and hopefully, some additional scoring to the Calgary line-up. He's not the enforcer that [b]Krzysztof Oliwa[/b] is but he can hold is own and is more veristile than the less talented Oliwa. Darryl Sutter wanted to pick up a guy to bang the net earlier in the season but couldn't swing any deals but now he's got his bang-crash guy.
While I'd still like to see Simon stay healthy for an entire season (something he's only done once in 01-02) he seems to be over his major injuries. A 2-game suspension and the flu have been the only things to keep Simon out of the Ranger line-up this season.
And while I'm sure there's people out there thinking they gave up a lot for Simon - they really didn't give as much as one might expect.
The 24-year old Betts has checking-line potential and I think has the third or fourth line center job next year in the Big Apple wrapped up unless Sather makes some moves to acquire vets - which it looks like he's not. He's been injured most of the year and I'm worried that he won't be able to score at the NHL level. One may say that the Flames then give up depth for the playoffs but with that nagging shoulder injury, the Flames weren't really counting on him any more at this point. Also remember that [b]Yuri Trubachev[/b] and [b]Andrei Taratukhin[/b] are expecting to come in from Europe next year. While they may need a little time to adjust to North America, the center position in Calgary will have some more depth next year.
McLennan was a hero early in the season despite almost losing the back-up job to [b]Dany Sabourin[/b] in camp. Now with Mikka Kiprusoff firmly entrenched as the starter and Sabourin with no where to play (the Flames share their minor league team with the Hurricanes and [b]Jamie Storr[/b] and [b]Patrick DesRochers[/b] also are in Lowell. Though if the Flames can't find any takers for over-paid [b]Roman Turek[/b], Sabourin might find himself back in the ECHL (Las Vegas) to get playing time.
McLennan, once he's healthy from a chest injury, should be the back-up for [b]Mike Dunham[/b] in New York leaving [b]Stephan Valliquette[/b] and [b]Jason Labarera[/b] in Hartford. [b]Phil Osaer[/b] has been lost to surgery. Only thing bad about this is McLennan is a UFA at season's end, meaning he's just a stop-gap for the final sliver of the season.
I don't know a whole lot about [b]Greg Moore[/b] other than he's a right wing for the University of Maine hockey program with third-line upside. I must have seen him with the US National Development Team a couple years back but he obviously must not have made a lasting impression because I can't recall him.
Green is an interesting pick-up for the Rangers who had him for four games last season and both sides weren't fond of the other one supposedly. Green's just never been able to put his game together. Injuries haven't helped but there's little reason to believe he's going any where soon. He's got a pretty good shot and a nice frame but when will it amount to something at the NHL level? For right now, you assume Green is just a warm body to keep in the Rangers line-up as they deal everyone off.
So a bang-crash winger that Sutter feels will fit his system for an oft-injured fourth liner, an average prospect and a UFA back-up goalie. I guess this trade hinges on how Moore turns out but that's at least three or four years down the road and its not yet clear if he'll even make it.
Off-season pick-up [b]Chris Simon[/b] is heading for Calgary along with a seventh round draft choice in 2004. The Rangers acquire prospect [b]Greg Moore[/b], goalie [b]Jamie McLennan[/b] and center [b]Blair Betts[/b]. The Rangers also would claim winger [b]Josh Green [/b]from the Flames in a seperate waiver transaction.
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The 32 year-old Simon adds muscle at 6-4, 235 and hopefully, some additional scoring to the Calgary line-up. He's not the enforcer that [b]Krzysztof Oliwa[/b] is but he can hold is own and is more veristile than the less talented Oliwa. Darryl Sutter wanted to pick up a guy to bang the net earlier in the season but couldn't swing any deals but now he's got his bang-crash guy.
While I'd still like to see Simon stay healthy for an entire season (something he's only done once in 01-02) he seems to be over his major injuries. A 2-game suspension and the flu have been the only things to keep Simon out of the Ranger line-up this season.
And while I'm sure there's people out there thinking they gave up a lot for Simon - they really didn't give as much as one might expect.
The 24-year old Betts has checking-line potential and I think has the third or fourth line center job next year in the Big Apple wrapped up unless Sather makes some moves to acquire vets - which it looks like he's not. He's been injured most of the year and I'm worried that he won't be able to score at the NHL level. One may say that the Flames then give up depth for the playoffs but with that nagging shoulder injury, the Flames weren't really counting on him any more at this point. Also remember that [b]Yuri Trubachev[/b] and [b]Andrei Taratukhin[/b] are expecting to come in from Europe next year. While they may need a little time to adjust to North America, the center position in Calgary will have some more depth next year.
McLennan was a hero early in the season despite almost losing the back-up job to [b]Dany Sabourin[/b] in camp. Now with Mikka Kiprusoff firmly entrenched as the starter and Sabourin with no where to play (the Flames share their minor league team with the Hurricanes and [b]Jamie Storr[/b] and [b]Patrick DesRochers[/b] also are in Lowell. Though if the Flames can't find any takers for over-paid [b]Roman Turek[/b], Sabourin might find himself back in the ECHL (Las Vegas) to get playing time.
McLennan, once he's healthy from a chest injury, should be the back-up for [b]Mike Dunham[/b] in New York leaving [b]Stephan Valliquette[/b] and [b]Jason Labarera[/b] in Hartford. [b]Phil Osaer[/b] has been lost to surgery. Only thing bad about this is McLennan is a UFA at season's end, meaning he's just a stop-gap for the final sliver of the season.
I don't know a whole lot about [b]Greg Moore[/b] other than he's a right wing for the University of Maine hockey program with third-line upside. I must have seen him with the US National Development Team a couple years back but he obviously must not have made a lasting impression because I can't recall him.
Green is an interesting pick-up for the Rangers who had him for four games last season and both sides weren't fond of the other one supposedly. Green's just never been able to put his game together. Injuries haven't helped but there's little reason to believe he's going any where soon. He's got a pretty good shot and a nice frame but when will it amount to something at the NHL level? For right now, you assume Green is just a warm body to keep in the Rangers line-up as they deal everyone off.
So a bang-crash winger that Sutter feels will fit his system for an oft-injured fourth liner, an average prospect and a UFA back-up goalie. I guess this trade hinges on how Moore turns out but that's at least three or four years down the road and its not yet clear if he'll even make it.
NHL - Zholtok and Bombardir go to Nashville
03.05.04 (5:44 pm) [edit]
NHL - The Nashville Predators continue to stack up for their first ever playoff run. They have acquired center [b]Sergei Zholtok[/b] and defensemen [b]Brad Bombardir[/b] for a third and fourth round draft picks in 2004.
Minnesota is obviously dumping off their group III veterns to give the kids some time to play as they look forward to next season and [b]Mikko Koivu[/b] 's arrival. While a lot of Wild fans wanted prospects, the draft picks aren't a bad deal either. They'll retool and try for the playoffs again next season.
Zholtok adds a bit of offensive punch to the Preds but does he do much else? He's ugly on defense and doesn't play physical. While I'd feel better with him as a third line center, he'll probably take over second line duties behind [b]David Legwand[/b] or he could possibly move to the left flank over [b]Martin Erat[/b].
Bombardir was a big part of Minnesota's playoff team last year but this year he's been met with the ire of Wild fans wanting to see him go. At 31, he only makes $825k so I'm not sure why you wouldn't bring him back next year if you could. He fits well in [b]Jacques Lemaire[/b] 's system as a stay-at-home dman at least. Won't produce many points and isn't that big but he's been effective.
Bombardir probably sneaks in with [b]Daniel Hamhuis[/b] on Nashville's second pairing until [b]Jason York[/b] comes back. Nashville will be carrying 10 defensemen when York finds his way back in late March so either another one of their d-men could be trade bait or someone's going back to Milwaukee soon.
Nice depth move by the Preds and with little lost. Now let's hope a Zholtok careless pass won't be the end of the Predators in the playoffs.
Minnesota is obviously dumping off their group III veterns to give the kids some time to play as they look forward to next season and [b]Mikko Koivu[/b] 's arrival. While a lot of Wild fans wanted prospects, the draft picks aren't a bad deal either. They'll retool and try for the playoffs again next season.
Zholtok adds a bit of offensive punch to the Preds but does he do much else? He's ugly on defense and doesn't play physical. While I'd feel better with him as a third line center, he'll probably take over second line duties behind [b]David Legwand[/b] or he could possibly move to the left flank over [b]Martin Erat[/b].
Bombardir was a big part of Minnesota's playoff team last year but this year he's been met with the ire of Wild fans wanting to see him go. At 31, he only makes $825k so I'm not sure why you wouldn't bring him back next year if you could. He fits well in [b]Jacques Lemaire[/b] 's system as a stay-at-home dman at least. Won't produce many points and isn't that big but he's been effective.
Bombardir probably sneaks in with [b]Daniel Hamhuis[/b] on Nashville's second pairing until [b]Jason York[/b] comes back. Nashville will be carrying 10 defensemen when York finds his way back in late March so either another one of their d-men could be trade bait or someone's going back to Milwaukee soon.
Nice depth move by the Preds and with little lost. Now let's hope a Zholtok careless pass won't be the end of the Predators in the playoffs.
NHL - Devils trade Rupp for Hrdina
03.05.04 (12:13 pm) [edit]
[b]NHL[/b] - The New Jersey Devils looking to defend their Stanley Cup championship dealt a second round draft pick in 2004 and Game 7 hero [b]Michael Rupp[/b] to the Phoenix Coyotes for centerman [b]Jan Hrdina[/b].
This one is quite mixed as Barnett actually is able to pull a real player AND a second round pick out this deal. Montereal was able to land [b]Alexei Kovalev[/b] for Jozef Balej and a 2nd round pick. I know Hrdina has at least another season remaining on his contract but that shouldn't make THAT much of a difference.
Hrdina's been a decent defensive center man and one of the more underrated face-off men in the league. He'll chip in offensively (on pace for 33 points) but he won't produce a heck of a lot (the only time he did was on [b]Mario Lemieux[/b] 's left flank). Jan maybe able to solidify the Devils center position enough that they can leave recently acquired [b]Viktor Kozlov[/b] on the flanks where he has been proven to be more effective.
The 24 year-old Rupp has been written-off so many times since the Islanders made a stretch and selected him right out of a weak High School league in the first round of the draft. The big numbers here are 6-5 and 230, Rupp's measurables. Barnett loves to build with size up the middle and Phoenix can even move Rupp to the left flank if needed.
GM Lou in New Jersey is a good judge of talent and has been wrong before but it's a rare occurance. Which lead to a those eyebrows being raised - if Lou was willing to drop a 2nd round pick and Rupp to get Hrdina, is Rupp developing as the Devils would like? Here's to hoping that Rupp can find his niche with the Coyotes.
This one is quite mixed as Barnett actually is able to pull a real player AND a second round pick out this deal. Montereal was able to land [b]Alexei Kovalev[/b] for Jozef Balej and a 2nd round pick. I know Hrdina has at least another season remaining on his contract but that shouldn't make THAT much of a difference.
Hrdina's been a decent defensive center man and one of the more underrated face-off men in the league. He'll chip in offensively (on pace for 33 points) but he won't produce a heck of a lot (the only time he did was on [b]Mario Lemieux[/b] 's left flank). Jan maybe able to solidify the Devils center position enough that they can leave recently acquired [b]Viktor Kozlov[/b] on the flanks where he has been proven to be more effective.
The 24 year-old Rupp has been written-off so many times since the Islanders made a stretch and selected him right out of a weak High School league in the first round of the draft. The big numbers here are 6-5 and 230, Rupp's measurables. Barnett loves to build with size up the middle and Phoenix can even move Rupp to the left flank if needed.
GM Lou in New Jersey is a good judge of talent and has been wrong before but it's a rare occurance. Which lead to a those eyebrows being raised - if Lou was willing to drop a 2nd round pick and Rupp to get Hrdina, is Rupp developing as the Devils would like? Here's to hoping that Rupp can find his niche with the Coyotes.
NHL - Bruins, Blues and Habs (oh my) swing deals
03.04.04 (11:36 pm) [edit]
NHL - Usually it's the calm before the storm leading up to the NHL trade deadline. Well the storm hit early and it's not letting up as four transactions were preformed today.
Less than 24 hours after acquiring [b]Sergei Gonchar[/b] from the Washington Capitals, the Boston Bruins also acquired [b]Michal Nylander[/b] from the Caps in exchange for a second round selection in the 2006 draft and future considerations.
The Bruins' Northeast division rivals in Montreal added center [b]Jim Dowd[/b] from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for a fourth round selection in the 2004 draft. Dowd will join [b]Alexei Kovalev[/b] as Montreal's acquistions before the deadline.
Just before that the Blues acquired Group III free agent [b]Mike Sillinger[/b] from the Phoenix Coyotes for [b]Brent Johnson[/b].
Also Pittsburgh added [b]Jon Sim[/b] in a waiver transaction from the LA Kings.
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Props to Boston GM Mike O'Connell for picking up Nylander, the second line center has been a question mark for the Bruins since training camp. Thankfully, 18 year-old [b]Patrice Bergeron[/b] stepped up early but now Nylander takes over and hopefully, this can move [b]Brian Rolston[/b] to the wing, where he's much better at.
Many people may worry about Nylander's health, tonight he played in only his fourth game of the season, missing the first half-plus of the season with a broken leg suffered in the pre-season. The leg is healthy and he's looking strong. Nylander has enough games left to get acclaimated to his Boston teammates and get his timing back from the broken leg before the playoffs and that's a good thing. When other players are starting to suck wind and wear down from a whole 82-game season and the grueling playoffs, Nylander will still be realatively fresh. Keep that in mind.
Great move by O'Connell in grabbing up Nylander and Gonchar as playoff rentals. While he's got a shot at re-signing Gonchar, Nylander will most likely walk away as a group III free agent at the season's end.
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At first the Jim Dowd trade doesn't look like much more than the Wild ripping off the Canadiens. A fourth-round pick for a fourth line center who's 35 and not really that talented? But Dowd's always done the little things he needs to do to survive on the NHL fringe.
He's also a right-handed shot from center so he adds versatility to the line-up and to the face-off strategy of Hab Coach Claude Julien. With the huge drop-off decline in [b]Joey Juneau[/b] 's play this year, Dowd's going to be a improvement on the checking line.
The Wild really are just moving off veterns at this point to make room for players next season. Most notablely [b]Mikko Koivu[/b], who should be arriving at training camp.
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In Sillinger, the Blues add to their line-up a center (although Phoenix hasn't been using him at center) that will work hard and kill penalties - bad news for [b]Petr Cajanek[/b]. Sillinger could also be moved out to Blues' weak flanks but I can't understand that - he's one of the better face-off men in the league and Phoenix was dumb to put him on right wing.
Sillinger will work, something some of the Blues haven't been doing at times this year but he's just not going to be potting any goals for them - something they definitely could use right about now. The 1-1 tie with Edmonton is just more proof of it.
Brent Johnson still has a lot of talent folks. He's only 26 and a lot was expected of him early but remember, goalies take a while longer than forwards to develop - look at [b]Dwayne Roloson[/b].
He was looking good down in Worcester and with the new goaltending rules possibly coming into affect next year, Johnson won't have to worry about playing the puck - which for Phoenix, is probably a good thing.
A lot of eye brows were raised when Phoenix did this one with [b]Brian Boucher [/b]annointed starter, [b]Zac Bierk[/b] and [b]Jean Pelletier[/b] hanging around and wonder-kid [b]David LeNeveu[/b] waiting in the wings. LeNeveu's been good this year but he's still at least a year off. Bierk has the size and the physical tools to be good but the mental side of the game's not for him - and missing most of the year to a hip injury doesn't help either. Pelletier is looking more and more like a career minor-leaguer every day. He's still young but his lateral movement is piss poor. Throw in Boucher - who's confidence should be put in a box and marked "FRAGILE" - has been horrible since his hotstreak in the middle of the season that lead to Sean Burke being traded (well, Burke's salary and age also were factors).
I really can't see the reason for creating more of a log jam than before but a fresh start and a struggling Boucher may be enough to see Johnson regain a little respect in the league and a starting job.
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Pittsburgh acquiring Sim isn't a big move but it does give Pittsburgh another forward. He's heading towards a career year but really, if it weren't for the injuries in Los Angeles, would Sim have played in 45 games this year? He's a nice character guy who tries to do what he can but he's small and not that overly talented offensively or even defensively. Unless I'm missing something, I don't think Sim is that much of an improvement over what Pittsburgh already has on the ice and should serve as just a reserve forward for the worst club in the league. Quite possibly, [b]Kelly Buchberger[/b] could be moving on before Tuesday's deadline then?
Less than 24 hours after acquiring [b]Sergei Gonchar[/b] from the Washington Capitals, the Boston Bruins also acquired [b]Michal Nylander[/b] from the Caps in exchange for a second round selection in the 2006 draft and future considerations.
The Bruins' Northeast division rivals in Montreal added center [b]Jim Dowd[/b] from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for a fourth round selection in the 2004 draft. Dowd will join [b]Alexei Kovalev[/b] as Montreal's acquistions before the deadline.
Just before that the Blues acquired Group III free agent [b]Mike Sillinger[/b] from the Phoenix Coyotes for [b]Brent Johnson[/b].
Also Pittsburgh added [b]Jon Sim[/b] in a waiver transaction from the LA Kings.
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Props to Boston GM Mike O'Connell for picking up Nylander, the second line center has been a question mark for the Bruins since training camp. Thankfully, 18 year-old [b]Patrice Bergeron[/b] stepped up early but now Nylander takes over and hopefully, this can move [b]Brian Rolston[/b] to the wing, where he's much better at.
Many people may worry about Nylander's health, tonight he played in only his fourth game of the season, missing the first half-plus of the season with a broken leg suffered in the pre-season. The leg is healthy and he's looking strong. Nylander has enough games left to get acclaimated to his Boston teammates and get his timing back from the broken leg before the playoffs and that's a good thing. When other players are starting to suck wind and wear down from a whole 82-game season and the grueling playoffs, Nylander will still be realatively fresh. Keep that in mind.
Great move by O'Connell in grabbing up Nylander and Gonchar as playoff rentals. While he's got a shot at re-signing Gonchar, Nylander will most likely walk away as a group III free agent at the season's end.
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At first the Jim Dowd trade doesn't look like much more than the Wild ripping off the Canadiens. A fourth-round pick for a fourth line center who's 35 and not really that talented? But Dowd's always done the little things he needs to do to survive on the NHL fringe.
He's also a right-handed shot from center so he adds versatility to the line-up and to the face-off strategy of Hab Coach Claude Julien. With the huge drop-off decline in [b]Joey Juneau[/b] 's play this year, Dowd's going to be a improvement on the checking line.
The Wild really are just moving off veterns at this point to make room for players next season. Most notablely [b]Mikko Koivu[/b], who should be arriving at training camp.
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In Sillinger, the Blues add to their line-up a center (although Phoenix hasn't been using him at center) that will work hard and kill penalties - bad news for [b]Petr Cajanek[/b]. Sillinger could also be moved out to Blues' weak flanks but I can't understand that - he's one of the better face-off men in the league and Phoenix was dumb to put him on right wing.
Sillinger will work, something some of the Blues haven't been doing at times this year but he's just not going to be potting any goals for them - something they definitely could use right about now. The 1-1 tie with Edmonton is just more proof of it.
Brent Johnson still has a lot of talent folks. He's only 26 and a lot was expected of him early but remember, goalies take a while longer than forwards to develop - look at [b]Dwayne Roloson[/b].
He was looking good down in Worcester and with the new goaltending rules possibly coming into affect next year, Johnson won't have to worry about playing the puck - which for Phoenix, is probably a good thing.
A lot of eye brows were raised when Phoenix did this one with [b]Brian Boucher [/b]annointed starter, [b]Zac Bierk[/b] and [b]Jean Pelletier[/b] hanging around and wonder-kid [b]David LeNeveu[/b] waiting in the wings. LeNeveu's been good this year but he's still at least a year off. Bierk has the size and the physical tools to be good but the mental side of the game's not for him - and missing most of the year to a hip injury doesn't help either. Pelletier is looking more and more like a career minor-leaguer every day. He's still young but his lateral movement is piss poor. Throw in Boucher - who's confidence should be put in a box and marked "FRAGILE" - has been horrible since his hotstreak in the middle of the season that lead to Sean Burke being traded (well, Burke's salary and age also were factors).
I really can't see the reason for creating more of a log jam than before but a fresh start and a struggling Boucher may be enough to see Johnson regain a little respect in the league and a starting job.
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Pittsburgh acquiring Sim isn't a big move but it does give Pittsburgh another forward. He's heading towards a career year but really, if it weren't for the injuries in Los Angeles, would Sim have played in 45 games this year? He's a nice character guy who tries to do what he can but he's small and not that overly talented offensively or even defensively. Unless I'm missing something, I don't think Sim is that much of an improvement over what Pittsburgh already has on the ice and should serve as just a reserve forward for the worst club in the league. Quite possibly, [b]Kelly Buchberger[/b] could be moving on before Tuesday's deadline then?
NHL - Brian Leetch goes to Toronto
03.03.04 (8:39 pm) [edit]
[b]NHL[/b] - Long time Ranger [b]Brian Leetch[/b] will be on the move for the first (well technically the second) time of his career. He's never played for another NHL but the Rangers and now he'sd a Toronto Maple Leaf. The Leafs also get a conditional draft choice.
The Rangers acquire Toronto's first round choice in the 2004 NHL draft, Toronto's second round choice in 2005 and european prospect defenseman [b]Maxim Kondratiev[/b] and european prospect forward [b]Jarko Immonen[/b].
So did the pressure of losing out on Gonchar push John Ferguson Jr to give up too much in this deal? The sticking point on the Gonchar deal and what won over the Bruins favor was the inclusion of that second draft pick in the trade. But Leaf fans should be happy, it didn't cost them any thing of real importance now or in the future. Draft picks can always be re-couped by smart drafting and the players that come out of draft picks really were never yours. Antropov, Steen, Stajan - they're all safe.
Leetch's one of the top dmen in the league even at his age and unlike Gonchar, he has two more years left on his contract, driving up his value in a trade slightly. He's still amazing to watch and he can still log a ton of minutes. Here's the number one dman the Leafs have been looking for and he's a big splash for this team.
For the Rangers, the gutting of the team continues with Kovalev gone the other day and Nedved and Markkanen being shown the door earlier today. Kondratiev made the Leafs out of training camp, mostly because of injuries and after everyone was healthy, he was sent back to Russia. Both he and Immonen are 21 years-old so they still might be a couple years away from contributing at the NHL level. Kondratiev may sneak into the Blueshirts' blue-line sometime next season but I don't think he'll be a major player right away. I've always liked Immonen since I first saw him at the WJCs. He should add scoring impact in the future.
The Rangers acquire Toronto's first round choice in the 2004 NHL draft, Toronto's second round choice in 2005 and european prospect defenseman [b]Maxim Kondratiev[/b] and european prospect forward [b]Jarko Immonen[/b].
So did the pressure of losing out on Gonchar push John Ferguson Jr to give up too much in this deal? The sticking point on the Gonchar deal and what won over the Bruins favor was the inclusion of that second draft pick in the trade. But Leaf fans should be happy, it didn't cost them any thing of real importance now or in the future. Draft picks can always be re-couped by smart drafting and the players that come out of draft picks really were never yours. Antropov, Steen, Stajan - they're all safe.
Leetch's one of the top dmen in the league even at his age and unlike Gonchar, he has two more years left on his contract, driving up his value in a trade slightly. He's still amazing to watch and he can still log a ton of minutes. Here's the number one dman the Leafs have been looking for and he's a big splash for this team.
For the Rangers, the gutting of the team continues with Kovalev gone the other day and Nedved and Markkanen being shown the door earlier today. Kondratiev made the Leafs out of training camp, mostly because of injuries and after everyone was healthy, he was sent back to Russia. Both he and Immonen are 21 years-old so they still might be a couple years away from contributing at the NHL level. Kondratiev may sneak into the Blueshirts' blue-line sometime next season but I don't think he'll be a major player right away. I've always liked Immonen since I first saw him at the WJCs. He should add scoring impact in the future.
NHL - Petr Nedved, welcome to freezing Edmonton; Marshall to the Sharks.
03.03.04 (5:59 pm) [edit]
NHL - Trades are coming out quicker than I can type them up. Right after finishing up my report on Sergei Gonchar than does the radio announce that [b]Petr Nedved[/b] has been traded.
Nedved goes with former-Oiler [b]Jussi Markkanen[/b] to Edmonton while the Rangers acquire a second round pick in 2004, goalie [b]Stephane Valliquette[/b] and prospect [b]Dwight Helminen[/b].
So Glen Sather is actually going to tear the team apart after all. Nedved wasn't going to draw much as he's a group III free agent after the season (though there is an option on his contract, if the Oilers would be so inclined to keep him around) but Sather does his best.
The second round pick is always nice for flexibility in the draft and Helminen is a skilled player in the CCHA playing for Michigan but he's not highly regarded at the moment. He's a nice forechecker, with a small set of tools and a pretty decent face-off man. As with a lot of kids coming up, he'll have to add more strength and bulk to play at this level and his size will always been a hinderance. 5-9 forecheckers you won't see a lot of. He has one more year in college remaining if he chooses.
Markkanen is a goalie the Oilers know well as they traded him to the Rangers in the off-season due to money issues. He signed for one year with the Rangers at $642,500 so the amount that Edmonton now has to pay is next to nothing for the rest of the year. This could be the writing on the wall for [b]Tommy Salo[/b] as [b]Ty Conklin[/b] has subplanted him in nets as Edmonton's starter and now Markkanen would make a fine back-up goalie with [b]Michael Morrison[/b] and [b]Tyler Moss[/b] sharing the duties in the AHL.
With Moss in the fold, when Valliquette came back from injury there was just no room for him anymore. Valliquette use to be such a promising goaltender and was once thought to maybe be an NHL starter someday (and the job could have been his on Long Island) but while his size is ideal, his reflexes aren't. He's beaten down low easily and at the NHL-level, that's just not going to cut it. While he may serve as Mike Dunham's back-up in New York, he'll most likely find himself joining the Hartford Wolfpack when he's ready.
The real gem of the deal is Nedved who's a top-six forward for most teams and with the Oilers hurting up the middle, he becomes instantly more valuable. Maybe being back in the playoff races will fire up Nedved because right now he's only on pace for 38 points. He's also a pretty good draw-man something the Oilers could use a bit of.
Oilers score big in this one. Now if they can only find a way to afford the option on Nedved's deal.
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The Minnesota Wild preformed a trade long in the making by dumping [b]Jason Marshall[/b] to the San Jose Sharks for a fifth-round choice in the 2004 draft.
Marshall, who had fallen out of favor with the Wild and had spent quite a lot of the season with Houston of the AHL. At $1 million, he was difficult to trade earlier in the season and passed through waivers fairly easily. Now, the Sharks heading back to the playoffs feel they can benifit from his leadership and tough-nose attitude. He's not mobile and does take bad penalties as a result of it but he'll work well as a 7th defensemen or a fourth-liner. Definitely a rental but his impact isn't much.
Nedved goes with former-Oiler [b]Jussi Markkanen[/b] to Edmonton while the Rangers acquire a second round pick in 2004, goalie [b]Stephane Valliquette[/b] and prospect [b]Dwight Helminen[/b].
So Glen Sather is actually going to tear the team apart after all. Nedved wasn't going to draw much as he's a group III free agent after the season (though there is an option on his contract, if the Oilers would be so inclined to keep him around) but Sather does his best.
The second round pick is always nice for flexibility in the draft and Helminen is a skilled player in the CCHA playing for Michigan but he's not highly regarded at the moment. He's a nice forechecker, with a small set of tools and a pretty decent face-off man. As with a lot of kids coming up, he'll have to add more strength and bulk to play at this level and his size will always been a hinderance. 5-9 forecheckers you won't see a lot of. He has one more year in college remaining if he chooses.
Markkanen is a goalie the Oilers know well as they traded him to the Rangers in the off-season due to money issues. He signed for one year with the Rangers at $642,500 so the amount that Edmonton now has to pay is next to nothing for the rest of the year. This could be the writing on the wall for [b]Tommy Salo[/b] as [b]Ty Conklin[/b] has subplanted him in nets as Edmonton's starter and now Markkanen would make a fine back-up goalie with [b]Michael Morrison[/b] and [b]Tyler Moss[/b] sharing the duties in the AHL.
With Moss in the fold, when Valliquette came back from injury there was just no room for him anymore. Valliquette use to be such a promising goaltender and was once thought to maybe be an NHL starter someday (and the job could have been his on Long Island) but while his size is ideal, his reflexes aren't. He's beaten down low easily and at the NHL-level, that's just not going to cut it. While he may serve as Mike Dunham's back-up in New York, he'll most likely find himself joining the Hartford Wolfpack when he's ready.
The real gem of the deal is Nedved who's a top-six forward for most teams and with the Oilers hurting up the middle, he becomes instantly more valuable. Maybe being back in the playoff races will fire up Nedved because right now he's only on pace for 38 points. He's also a pretty good draw-man something the Oilers could use a bit of.
Oilers score big in this one. Now if they can only find a way to afford the option on Nedved's deal.
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The Minnesota Wild preformed a trade long in the making by dumping [b]Jason Marshall[/b] to the San Jose Sharks for a fifth-round choice in the 2004 draft.
Marshall, who had fallen out of favor with the Wild and had spent quite a lot of the season with Houston of the AHL. At $1 million, he was difficult to trade earlier in the season and passed through waivers fairly easily. Now, the Sharks heading back to the playoffs feel they can benifit from his leadership and tough-nose attitude. He's not mobile and does take bad penalties as a result of it but he'll work well as a 7th defensemen or a fourth-liner. Definitely a rental but his impact isn't much.
NHL - Gonchar dealt to the Bruins
03.03.04 (5:13 pm) [edit]
NHL - I think the biggest thing to come out of this deal is we no longer have to hear Gonchar rumours every day. And for that, the fans are the real winners of this trade. Sadly, we're going to lose out because now the Toronto media has to find a new target for the Leafs to covet. Chris Pronger was the target earlier this morning but Larry Pleau already debunked that. Regardless, we'll probably have to put up with stupid Pronger to Toronto rumours in the newspapers until Tuesday.
As for the trade - Washington Capitals purge [b]Sergei Gonchar[/b] to the Boston Bruins for defensemen [b]Shaone Morrisonn[/b] and a 1st round pick and a 2nd round pick - both in 2004.
Now honestly, Gonchar got better return than anyone could have imagined after the Robert Lang deal. I don't know how McPhee was able to drive up the price that much but he made a nice steal here.
Morrisonn is a player I loved out of the 2001 draft. Many people thought Boston made a stretch to tag him at the 19th pick but obviously, you weren't really watching him during the year. He's well on his way to being a steady top-four dman at the NHL level and he even showed up to Bruins camp with an added 15-20 pounds of muscle since the previous year and had worked on his skating. He's willing to improve and you've got to love that. He may never be offensively inclined (though he's shown flashes at times) and he'll need a bit more polish in his positioning but he's definately on his way.
He'll probably come in as at least Washington's 3rd best defensemen and if Brendan Witt is dealt, it wouldn't be hard for Shaone to overcome Jason Doig for the title of Washington's best defender.
Next season, assuming Washington keeps Witt, they'll be using Witt, Morrisonn, Steve Eminger, Rick Berry, Nolan Yonkman, and Doig, John Gruden, Josef Boumedienne or Jakub Cutta as their 6th and 7th dmen.
They also claim two late 1st and 2nd round picks in the draft. Not entirely great by themselves but with the picks the Capitals have been stock piling, that does give them the ability to trade up in the draft or acquire some vetern help in the offseason. Three 1st round picks is something Washington knows about.
Day one of the draft for Boston will be quite boring. They still hold their third round pick but the only other pick in the first three rounds they hold is Detroit's second rounder - acquired from LA in the Jozef Stumpel deal.
The Bruins, trying to fight for the top spot in the conference had to do something to vault themselves over the Leafs and match what the Senators did in acquiring Peter Bondra. Gonchar will help the Bruins but lost in that fact is that Boston got him and Toronto did not.
He's not the strongest dman in the defensive zone but he'll easily help the Bruins' powerplay as the point man. If you're the other team, you MUST pay attention to him when he's on the ice. But he MUST produce for this to be a good trade for the Bruins. If he doesn't fit in on the powerplay, his defense is a liability. This some what mirrors what Anaheim did in trading for Sandis Ozolinsh last year - landing an offensive defenseman and just hope he produces enough to make it worth while.
The problem with Gonchar is he's a free agent after the season and he's up for arbitration and the Bruins have had a history of being stingy and not wanting to give in to arbitration cases. Gonchar might not be in the Bruins line-up for very long. If they do pony up the money, Boston makes this trade even down the future. If they have to let Gonchar go, either in a trade or just by not tendering him an offer, then Boston may look silly if they don't win the Cup. So this deal hinges on whether Mike O'Connell will be able to re-sign Gonchar and assuming what he gave up to get him, they'll make every attempt to keep him around I would hope.
If Gonchar is a Bruin next year, I give both GMs an A on this one.
As for the trade - Washington Capitals purge [b]Sergei Gonchar[/b] to the Boston Bruins for defensemen [b]Shaone Morrisonn[/b] and a 1st round pick and a 2nd round pick - both in 2004.
Now honestly, Gonchar got better return than anyone could have imagined after the Robert Lang deal. I don't know how McPhee was able to drive up the price that much but he made a nice steal here.
Morrisonn is a player I loved out of the 2001 draft. Many people thought Boston made a stretch to tag him at the 19th pick but obviously, you weren't really watching him during the year. He's well on his way to being a steady top-four dman at the NHL level and he even showed up to Bruins camp with an added 15-20 pounds of muscle since the previous year and had worked on his skating. He's willing to improve and you've got to love that. He may never be offensively inclined (though he's shown flashes at times) and he'll need a bit more polish in his positioning but he's definately on his way.
He'll probably come in as at least Washington's 3rd best defensemen and if Brendan Witt is dealt, it wouldn't be hard for Shaone to overcome Jason Doig for the title of Washington's best defender.
Next season, assuming Washington keeps Witt, they'll be using Witt, Morrisonn, Steve Eminger, Rick Berry, Nolan Yonkman, and Doig, John Gruden, Josef Boumedienne or Jakub Cutta as their 6th and 7th dmen.
They also claim two late 1st and 2nd round picks in the draft. Not entirely great by themselves but with the picks the Capitals have been stock piling, that does give them the ability to trade up in the draft or acquire some vetern help in the offseason. Three 1st round picks is something Washington knows about.
Day one of the draft for Boston will be quite boring. They still hold their third round pick but the only other pick in the first three rounds they hold is Detroit's second rounder - acquired from LA in the Jozef Stumpel deal.
The Bruins, trying to fight for the top spot in the conference had to do something to vault themselves over the Leafs and match what the Senators did in acquiring Peter Bondra. Gonchar will help the Bruins but lost in that fact is that Boston got him and Toronto did not.
He's not the strongest dman in the defensive zone but he'll easily help the Bruins' powerplay as the point man. If you're the other team, you MUST pay attention to him when he's on the ice. But he MUST produce for this to be a good trade for the Bruins. If he doesn't fit in on the powerplay, his defense is a liability. This some what mirrors what Anaheim did in trading for Sandis Ozolinsh last year - landing an offensive defenseman and just hope he produces enough to make it worth while.
The problem with Gonchar is he's a free agent after the season and he's up for arbitration and the Bruins have had a history of being stingy and not wanting to give in to arbitration cases. Gonchar might not be in the Bruins line-up for very long. If they do pony up the money, Boston makes this trade even down the future. If they have to let Gonchar go, either in a trade or just by not tendering him an offer, then Boston may look silly if they don't win the Cup. So this deal hinges on whether Mike O'Connell will be able to re-sign Gonchar and assuming what he gave up to get him, they'll make every attempt to keep him around I would hope.
If Gonchar is a Bruin next year, I give both GMs an A on this one.
NHL - A look back at the 1997 NHL draft PART 2 of 2
03.03.04 (10:43 am) [edit]
Yesterday, I took a look at the first round of picks from the first round of 1997. It was a pretty good draft but what if team's had the power of retrospective judgement working for them in the draft? How would it turn out?
1. Boston - Joe Thornton C
2. San Jose - Roberto Luongo G
3. LA Kings - Marian Hossa RW
4. NY Islanders - Patrick Marleau C
5. NY Islanders - Sergei Samsonov LW
6. Calgary - Eric Brewer D
7. Tampa Bay - Brenden Morrow LW
8. Boston - Mike York C
9. Washington - Ladislav Nagy LW
10. Vancouver - Nick Boynton D
11. Montreal - Matt Cooke LW
12. Ottawa - Kyle Calder LW
13. Chicago - David Aebischer G
14. Edmonton - Paul Mara D
15. LA Kings - Mika Noronen G
16. Chicago - Maxim Afinogenov RW
17. Pittsburgh - Scott Hannan D
18. Anaheim - Kristian Huselieus LW
19. NY Rangers - Magnus Arvedson RW
20. Florida - Ben Clymer RW/D
21. Buffalo - Brian Campbell D
22. Carolina - Ville Nieminen RW
23. San Jose - Antti Laaksonen LW
24. New Jersey - Adam Mair C
25. Dallas - Henrik Tallinder D
26. Colorado - Ivan Novoseltsev RW
NOTES on Laaksonen and Arvedson - I had to knock them down a couple notches because of their over-age status.
Also coming close on the list - Jozef Melichar, Joseph Corvo, Mark Smith, Mikail Holmqvist, Andrew Ference, Brad Ference, Jiri Bicek, Jani Hurme, Rick Berry, Jason Chimera, Harold Druken
1. Boston - Joe Thornton C
2. San Jose - Roberto Luongo G
3. LA Kings - Marian Hossa RW
4. NY Islanders - Patrick Marleau C
5. NY Islanders - Sergei Samsonov LW
6. Calgary - Eric Brewer D
7. Tampa Bay - Brenden Morrow LW
8. Boston - Mike York C
9. Washington - Ladislav Nagy LW
10. Vancouver - Nick Boynton D
11. Montreal - Matt Cooke LW
12. Ottawa - Kyle Calder LW
13. Chicago - David Aebischer G
14. Edmonton - Paul Mara D
15. LA Kings - Mika Noronen G
16. Chicago - Maxim Afinogenov RW
17. Pittsburgh - Scott Hannan D
18. Anaheim - Kristian Huselieus LW
19. NY Rangers - Magnus Arvedson RW
20. Florida - Ben Clymer RW/D
21. Buffalo - Brian Campbell D
22. Carolina - Ville Nieminen RW
23. San Jose - Antti Laaksonen LW
24. New Jersey - Adam Mair C
25. Dallas - Henrik Tallinder D
26. Colorado - Ivan Novoseltsev RW
NOTES on Laaksonen and Arvedson - I had to knock them down a couple notches because of their over-age status.
Also coming close on the list - Jozef Melichar, Joseph Corvo, Mark Smith, Mikail Holmqvist, Andrew Ference, Brad Ference, Jiri Bicek, Jani Hurme, Rick Berry, Jason Chimera, Harold Druken
NHL - A look at the 1997 draft PART 1 of 2
03.03.04 (1:18 am) [edit]
The mention of Ty Jones and his banishing from the Chicago organization made me recall the horrors that were the 1997 NHL draft. I had really just got into "draft watching" and "mock drafting" two years prior in the 1995 draft and well it's become an obession of mine since. I will watch any sports' draft if it's televised. Yes, I watch as much of the two-day NFL draft coverage as I can, I spend the entire night watching the NBA draft in prime-time instead of going out of the house for the evening. I watch the NHL draft and then rush to the computer to listen in and watch the ticker when ESPN's shitty coverage stops in the midst of the first round. I'll watch my computer screen for the MLS draft. If they televised the MLB draft with everyone sitting around a conference table, I'd fucking watch it - hell I even watched the Tampa Bay/Arizona expansion draft special they had on TV when they came into the league. I watched the damn WNBA draft twice for pete's sake and I'll make it a third year in a row just to watch Diana Taurasi strut her sexy stuff. Oh man.
Anyway, in 1997 the Chicago Blackhawks had two first round choices so at the time, I was pumped for this draft like none other to see who the Hawks would take....obviously, it would be a dissapointment. So join me on my stroll down memory lane here as we look back on the 1997 NHL draft.
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[b]ROUND 1[/b]
1. Boston - Joe [b]THORNTON [/b]
"Big Bird" was hands down the first overall pick out of this draft and the expectations were tremendous. After his first season in the NHL as an 18 year-old, some people were ready to call him a bust and a dissapointment. Joke's on them as Thornton has bulked up and become a dominate player in the NHL and hands down the best player to come out of the draft.
2. San Jose - Patrick [b]MARLEAU[/b]
Marleau did better than Thornton as an 18 year-old but has really come into his own of late and is now the captain of the San Jose Sharks. I had him third on my draft list (behind Luongo). He's definitely a corner stone in San Jose.
3. Los Angeles- Olli [b]JOKINEN[/b]
The nasty Finn was supposed to be the next Esa Tikkanen but wound up a New York Islander. He would toil for a while and just when people were about to call him a bust, he exploded under Mike Keenan with the Florida Panthers. While some worry that last year was a fluke, Jokinen is most likely here to stay.
4. NY Islanders - Robert [b]LUONGO[/b]
My second pick behind Thornton. Mike Milbury has taken a lot of flack for dealing Luongo to Florida, where Luongo has only established himself as one of the top netminders in the game and could well be on his way to the first (of many) Vezinas.
5. NY Islanders - Eric [b]BREWER[/b]
I wasn't high on Brewer and was more a fan of Boynton at the time. This is yet another player from this draft that Milbury has dealt away, dealing him to Edmonton where he's become a very big part of that franchise's blue-line
6. Calgary - Daniel [b]TKACZUK[/b]
Here comes the first bust of the group. Injuries and the lack of desire limited Tkaczuk's NHL career to 19 games so far. The St Louis Blues even decided to give him a second chance but he couldn't cut it. Started this season off being cut by the Bridgeport Soundtigers of the AHL and now he's playing in the Finnish Elite League.
7. Tampa Bay - Paul [b]MARA[/b]
Tampa Bay knew what they were trading away when they dealt Mara to the Phoenix Coyotes but to get talent, you have to give up talent. Mara has established himself as Phoenix's top dman and an offensive threat.
8. Boston - Sergei [b]SAMSONOV[/b]
Boston could have taken just these two picks and been happy with their day as they made better than the NY Islanders on multiple first round picks. This pick the Bruins got from Carolina in the Glen Wesley deal. The shifty Russian was the fourth pick on my list and could have been number one on some people's lists.
9. Washington - Nick [b]BOYNTON[/b]
Boynton had me absolutely drooling but he never came to terms with the Capitals and an attempt trade to Chicago fail through so Boynton would re-enter the NHL draft in 1999, where the Bruins would select him. He had his first all-star appearance this season.
10. Vancouver - Brad [b]FERENCE[/b]
Ference would never play for the Canucks but would start his NHL career with the Florida Panthers. Pretty much made his career moment when he goaded Mario Lemiuex to drop the gloves right before the trade deadline, making him a big commodity all of a sudden. Sadly, he may never be much better than an alright 5th or 6th dman.
11. Montreal - Jason [b]WARD[/b]
Ward's certainly a player that the Canadiens have been waiting on to reach his ceiling. The expectations for the 6-3, 200 pound winger were set too high and at this point, it's very unlikely he'll rise above what we see right now.
12. Ottawa - Marian [b]HOSSA[/b]
Starting out draft watching, I didn't know too much about Hossa and obviously a couple other teams didn't know much about Hossa either as he should have been easily a top-five pick. Proving once again the Senators know how to draft.
13. Chicago - Daniel [b]CLEARY[/b]
At one point in his young life, he was considered "The Next One." Certainly he wasn't the first and nor will he be the last. But he'll be the first in a line of bad picks made in this draft. He'll still show flashes but now with the Coyotes, he's probably never going to be much better.
14. Edmonton - Michel [b]RIESEN[/b]
The highest drafted Swiss player at this point and after 12 NHL games, he went back home to Switzerland and I don't think anyone's going to be begging him to come back. Oilers didn't draft well in the first round in the 1990s and this is just another example.
15. Los Angeles - Matt [b]ZULTEK[/b]
I scratched my head on this one when it happened. I thought he'd be late first round and this was a stretch. Would re-enter the draft in 1999 and be picked up by the Flyers. Never made it to the NHL but there's still hope as he stars in the ECHL.
16. Chicago - Ty [b]JONES[/b]
The talent and the size was there - but was the heart? He's really never been great any where he played and most Hawks fans curse his name. Unless things turn around for him in the Panthers' organization, I think its safe to lable him a bust.
17. Pittsburgh - Robert [b]DOME[/b]
Huge things were expected out of Dome but then again, concussion worries pushed people away from Dome. Dome's been given multiple chances and he's improved quite a lot with his defense and his maturity and there's a bit of hope for him but a lot of people have written him off for now. He'll probably remain with Sodertalje SK of the Swedish Elite League for another season.
18. Anaheim - Mikael [b]HOLMQVIST[/b]
We waited a long time for Holmqvist to decide to come over to North America and the jury is still out. A pulled stomach muscle has hampered him of late so I think we can give him another year as getting adjusted to America isn't the easiest thing to do. He may not be the number one center Anaheim drafted him to be but he could make a nice fit on the third line in Anaheim.
19. NY Rangers - Stefan [b]CHERNESKI[/b]
I had Cherneski going a lot higher than this. He would have had a tremendous career but major knee injuries cut his career short before he saw NHL action. He deserved a lot better.
20. Florida - Mike [b]BROWN[/b]
This goes under one of those "What the Hell" moves in retrospect. At the time we thought Brown would be an enforcer that could pop in a couple goals and maybe develop into a power forward. Well poor skating and lack of any offensive game put an end to those plans.
21. Buffalo - Mika [b]NORONEN[/b]
He's heading for career highs in nearly every category this year but he's been behind Martin Biron since Hasek left and last year had to fight off Ryan Miller for playing time. He's put Miller in his place and hopefully one day he'll be the undisputed number one net minder some where, if not in Buffalo. His lateral movement needs some work but he's always poised and plays with confidence.
22. Carolina - Nikos [b]TSELIOS[/b]
Now with the Coyotes, the 6-5, 210 Tselios probably saw his stock rise because of his relation to Chris Chelios. He's mobile enough at his size to play in the NHL but he's just never put it all together and he makes too many careless mistakes. Phoenix already is loaded with 5/6 defensemen so Tselios has his work cut out for him.
23. San Jose - Scott [b]HANNAN[/b]
Yes folks, the Sharks do draft North American players. Hannan has become a top four dman in San Jose and while he'll never put up offensive numbers, he's become a very nice defensive dman who doesn't take too many stupid penalties.
24. New Jersey - Jean-Francois [b]DAMPHOUSSE[/b]
Now with the Canadiens, it didn't seem like a bad choice back then. He's always had weight problems and never been anything special since leaving the QMJHL. Could still become a back-up some day but most likely a career minor leaguer.
25. Dallas - Brenden [b]MORROW[/b]
Morrow's heading for a break-out season on pace for 25 goals and 50 points. He's an emerging power forward and I feel a future All-Star. I look for a 30 goal campaign some day.
26. Colorado - Kevin [b]GRIMES[/b]
Making himself useful in the ECHL but so much for Pierre Lacroix's smart drafting as Grimes really has been written out of memory.
So the first round breaks down like this
26 picks
3 goalies
7 defensemen
5 centers
5 left wings
6 right wings
8 Players to make at least one All-Star appearance
23 players to play at least one NHL game
12 Regular NHLers
5 players with the jury still out
8 players labled busts
1 carrer ended by injuries
Tomorrow I'll take a look at the players from rounds 2-9 who would make an impact in the NHL and also take a look how the draft might have turned out if the GMs had a chance to use retrospective judgement. Should be interesting.
Anyway, in 1997 the Chicago Blackhawks had two first round choices so at the time, I was pumped for this draft like none other to see who the Hawks would take....obviously, it would be a dissapointment. So join me on my stroll down memory lane here as we look back on the 1997 NHL draft.
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[b]ROUND 1[/b]
1. Boston - Joe [b]THORNTON [/b]
"Big Bird" was hands down the first overall pick out of this draft and the expectations were tremendous. After his first season in the NHL as an 18 year-old, some people were ready to call him a bust and a dissapointment. Joke's on them as Thornton has bulked up and become a dominate player in the NHL and hands down the best player to come out of the draft.
2. San Jose - Patrick [b]MARLEAU[/b]
Marleau did better than Thornton as an 18 year-old but has really come into his own of late and is now the captain of the San Jose Sharks. I had him third on my draft list (behind Luongo). He's definitely a corner stone in San Jose.
3. Los Angeles- Olli [b]JOKINEN[/b]
The nasty Finn was supposed to be the next Esa Tikkanen but wound up a New York Islander. He would toil for a while and just when people were about to call him a bust, he exploded under Mike Keenan with the Florida Panthers. While some worry that last year was a fluke, Jokinen is most likely here to stay.
4. NY Islanders - Robert [b]LUONGO[/b]
My second pick behind Thornton. Mike Milbury has taken a lot of flack for dealing Luongo to Florida, where Luongo has only established himself as one of the top netminders in the game and could well be on his way to the first (of many) Vezinas.
5. NY Islanders - Eric [b]BREWER[/b]
I wasn't high on Brewer and was more a fan of Boynton at the time. This is yet another player from this draft that Milbury has dealt away, dealing him to Edmonton where he's become a very big part of that franchise's blue-line
6. Calgary - Daniel [b]TKACZUK[/b]
Here comes the first bust of the group. Injuries and the lack of desire limited Tkaczuk's NHL career to 19 games so far. The St Louis Blues even decided to give him a second chance but he couldn't cut it. Started this season off being cut by the Bridgeport Soundtigers of the AHL and now he's playing in the Finnish Elite League.
7. Tampa Bay - Paul [b]MARA[/b]
Tampa Bay knew what they were trading away when they dealt Mara to the Phoenix Coyotes but to get talent, you have to give up talent. Mara has established himself as Phoenix's top dman and an offensive threat.
8. Boston - Sergei [b]SAMSONOV[/b]
Boston could have taken just these two picks and been happy with their day as they made better than the NY Islanders on multiple first round picks. This pick the Bruins got from Carolina in the Glen Wesley deal. The shifty Russian was the fourth pick on my list and could have been number one on some people's lists.
9. Washington - Nick [b]BOYNTON[/b]
Boynton had me absolutely drooling but he never came to terms with the Capitals and an attempt trade to Chicago fail through so Boynton would re-enter the NHL draft in 1999, where the Bruins would select him. He had his first all-star appearance this season.
10. Vancouver - Brad [b]FERENCE[/b]
Ference would never play for the Canucks but would start his NHL career with the Florida Panthers. Pretty much made his career moment when he goaded Mario Lemiuex to drop the gloves right before the trade deadline, making him a big commodity all of a sudden. Sadly, he may never be much better than an alright 5th or 6th dman.
11. Montreal - Jason [b]WARD[/b]
Ward's certainly a player that the Canadiens have been waiting on to reach his ceiling. The expectations for the 6-3, 200 pound winger were set too high and at this point, it's very unlikely he'll rise above what we see right now.
12. Ottawa - Marian [b]HOSSA[/b]
Starting out draft watching, I didn't know too much about Hossa and obviously a couple other teams didn't know much about Hossa either as he should have been easily a top-five pick. Proving once again the Senators know how to draft.
13. Chicago - Daniel [b]CLEARY[/b]
At one point in his young life, he was considered "The Next One." Certainly he wasn't the first and nor will he be the last. But he'll be the first in a line of bad picks made in this draft. He'll still show flashes but now with the Coyotes, he's probably never going to be much better.
14. Edmonton - Michel [b]RIESEN[/b]
The highest drafted Swiss player at this point and after 12 NHL games, he went back home to Switzerland and I don't think anyone's going to be begging him to come back. Oilers didn't draft well in the first round in the 1990s and this is just another example.
15. Los Angeles - Matt [b]ZULTEK[/b]
I scratched my head on this one when it happened. I thought he'd be late first round and this was a stretch. Would re-enter the draft in 1999 and be picked up by the Flyers. Never made it to the NHL but there's still hope as he stars in the ECHL.
16. Chicago - Ty [b]JONES[/b]
The talent and the size was there - but was the heart? He's really never been great any where he played and most Hawks fans curse his name. Unless things turn around for him in the Panthers' organization, I think its safe to lable him a bust.
17. Pittsburgh - Robert [b]DOME[/b]
Huge things were expected out of Dome but then again, concussion worries pushed people away from Dome. Dome's been given multiple chances and he's improved quite a lot with his defense and his maturity and there's a bit of hope for him but a lot of people have written him off for now. He'll probably remain with Sodertalje SK of the Swedish Elite League for another season.
18. Anaheim - Mikael [b]HOLMQVIST[/b]
We waited a long time for Holmqvist to decide to come over to North America and the jury is still out. A pulled stomach muscle has hampered him of late so I think we can give him another year as getting adjusted to America isn't the easiest thing to do. He may not be the number one center Anaheim drafted him to be but he could make a nice fit on the third line in Anaheim.
19. NY Rangers - Stefan [b]CHERNESKI[/b]
I had Cherneski going a lot higher than this. He would have had a tremendous career but major knee injuries cut his career short before he saw NHL action. He deserved a lot better.
20. Florida - Mike [b]BROWN[/b]
This goes under one of those "What the Hell" moves in retrospect. At the time we thought Brown would be an enforcer that could pop in a couple goals and maybe develop into a power forward. Well poor skating and lack of any offensive game put an end to those plans.
21. Buffalo - Mika [b]NORONEN[/b]
He's heading for career highs in nearly every category this year but he's been behind Martin Biron since Hasek left and last year had to fight off Ryan Miller for playing time. He's put Miller in his place and hopefully one day he'll be the undisputed number one net minder some where, if not in Buffalo. His lateral movement needs some work but he's always poised and plays with confidence.
22. Carolina - Nikos [b]TSELIOS[/b]
Now with the Coyotes, the 6-5, 210 Tselios probably saw his stock rise because of his relation to Chris Chelios. He's mobile enough at his size to play in the NHL but he's just never put it all together and he makes too many careless mistakes. Phoenix already is loaded with 5/6 defensemen so Tselios has his work cut out for him.
23. San Jose - Scott [b]HANNAN[/b]
Yes folks, the Sharks do draft North American players. Hannan has become a top four dman in San Jose and while he'll never put up offensive numbers, he's become a very nice defensive dman who doesn't take too many stupid penalties.
24. New Jersey - Jean-Francois [b]DAMPHOUSSE[/b]
Now with the Canadiens, it didn't seem like a bad choice back then. He's always had weight problems and never been anything special since leaving the QMJHL. Could still become a back-up some day but most likely a career minor leaguer.
25. Dallas - Brenden [b]MORROW[/b]
Morrow's heading for a break-out season on pace for 25 goals and 50 points. He's an emerging power forward and I feel a future All-Star. I look for a 30 goal campaign some day.
26. Colorado - Kevin [b]GRIMES[/b]
Making himself useful in the ECHL but so much for Pierre Lacroix's smart drafting as Grimes really has been written out of memory.
So the first round breaks down like this
26 picks
3 goalies
7 defensemen
5 centers
5 left wings
6 right wings
8 Players to make at least one All-Star appearance
23 players to play at least one NHL game
12 Regular NHLers
5 players with the jury still out
8 players labled busts
1 carrer ended by injuries
Tomorrow I'll take a look at the players from rounds 2-9 who would make an impact in the NHL and also take a look how the draft might have turned out if the GMs had a chance to use retrospective judgement. Should be interesting.
NHL - Montreal cashes in with Kovalev; LA Kings buying; Chicago and Florida swing a deal
03.02.04 (11:26 pm) [edit]
Figures, on Tuesdays I have a four hour night class over the social issues of women in China and Japanese history. I despise the class with a passion (not of the Christ type) but I went today and learned all about the dying culture of the Ginesha and I MISS THREE NHL TRADES?!?! Poop on this class.
The [b]Montreal Canadiens[/b] pull off what just might be the most surprising trade yet of the NHL season (right after the heels of the Viktor Kozlov deal being the most surprising) as they acquire impending Group III free agent winger [b]Alexei Kovalev[/b] from the [b]New York Rangers[/b], adding fuel to the fire that Brian Leetch will be dealt - though I'm not sure I see the exact corralation. The Rangers receive winger [b]Jozef Balej[/b] and a second round pick in the June entry draft.
The [b]Chicago Blackhawks[/b] continue to be busy dumping salary with [b]Nathan Dempsey[/b] going to [b]Los Angeles[/b] for a fourth round pick in 2005 as well as Future Considerations. The Blackhawks also shipped former first rounder [b]Ty Jones[/b] to the [b]Florida Panthers [/b]for Future Considerations.
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First, the Kovalev deal signifies that the Montreal Canadiens are going to make for the push this season and have gone out and acquired a big name scorer - it also means that the Rangers's rumoured firesale has started - which can only mean we'll have to listen to a hundred more rumours for Leetch, Eric Lindros and even Mark Messier that will all probably amount to a pile of shit and beans.
Kovalev's a free-agent at the season's end so it's not like Montreal will have to pay him beyond this year if they don't want to. Montreal GM Bob Gainey does the smart thing and doesn't give up anything off his roster to swing the deal - meaning this is more and more likely just a playoff rental at this point. If there's any hope of re-signing Kovalev, Gainey would be wise to worry about it after the Habs' exit from the playoffs - be it early or as the winners.
Some consider Kovalev a franchise player and he certainly was with the Penguins but he really didn't do a whole lot in his second stint with the Rangers and it'll be interesting if he can survive in hockey mad Montreal where careless turnovers and bone head plays can make you the target of an entire city's ire. Just ask Patrice Briesbois, Pierre Turgeon and recently, Craig Rivet.
He's only on pace for 16 goals and while everyone's numbers are down this year really, Kovalev's paid to score goals and he'll have to do better than that to meet the fans of Montreal's expectations.
Balej was Montreal's three round pick in 2000 and is certainly highly regarded. The Rangers' core of prospects is next to none and he gives the organization a huge shoot in the arm for that department. He's a goal scorer and knows how to position himself in the offensive zone but away from the offensive zone and away from the puck, he can float a bit. But with his blazing speed, one can only hope that he'll learn the defensive side of the game and be a very deadly penalty killer at the NHL level someday.
The former junior line mate of Marian Gaborik and Marcel Hossa might never be as good as they are but there's certainly a bit of talent there.
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I guess I can take some saving grace in the fact that the Sergei Gonchar and/or Brian Leetch rumours to Los Angeles might have been put to an abrupt halt with the Kings acquiring the cheaper alternative in Nathan Dempsey, a player who's gained a lot of noteritity since joining Chicago. Leafs fans may kick themselves for letting him go but at the time, it was a question of depth and he was a casuality.
Dempsey was Chicago's strongest remaining dman this year and he'll be sorely missed as he adds a great deal of depth to the LA blueline, working well as a 5th or 6th dman. He's undersized but he's solid on position and is decent enough to work the power play point and oh yeah, he's fast.
It had been talked about that Dempsey could leave Chicago but no one picked the Kings to be the ones to do it - once again proving my point that the deals that happen aren't the deals you people dream up on message boards or in newspapers. The deals you never hear about are the ones that happen.
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Chicago wasn't done as they shipped Ty Jones to the Panthers for futures. Ty Jones was the 16th pick in the 1997 draft and not to brag but I was never happy with this pick. The measurements on Jones are impressive and there's a bit of talent in his body but the desire was never there and he's struggled even at the AHL level.
Maybe a change of scenery will help but most likely the 25 year-old Jones will waste away in the ECHL or better yet - the UHL.
The [b]Montreal Canadiens[/b] pull off what just might be the most surprising trade yet of the NHL season (right after the heels of the Viktor Kozlov deal being the most surprising) as they acquire impending Group III free agent winger [b]Alexei Kovalev[/b] from the [b]New York Rangers[/b], adding fuel to the fire that Brian Leetch will be dealt - though I'm not sure I see the exact corralation. The Rangers receive winger [b]Jozef Balej[/b] and a second round pick in the June entry draft.
The [b]Chicago Blackhawks[/b] continue to be busy dumping salary with [b]Nathan Dempsey[/b] going to [b]Los Angeles[/b] for a fourth round pick in 2005 as well as Future Considerations. The Blackhawks also shipped former first rounder [b]Ty Jones[/b] to the [b]Florida Panthers [/b]for Future Considerations.
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First, the Kovalev deal signifies that the Montreal Canadiens are going to make for the push this season and have gone out and acquired a big name scorer - it also means that the Rangers's rumoured firesale has started - which can only mean we'll have to listen to a hundred more rumours for Leetch, Eric Lindros and even Mark Messier that will all probably amount to a pile of shit and beans.
Kovalev's a free-agent at the season's end so it's not like Montreal will have to pay him beyond this year if they don't want to. Montreal GM Bob Gainey does the smart thing and doesn't give up anything off his roster to swing the deal - meaning this is more and more likely just a playoff rental at this point. If there's any hope of re-signing Kovalev, Gainey would be wise to worry about it after the Habs' exit from the playoffs - be it early or as the winners.
Some consider Kovalev a franchise player and he certainly was with the Penguins but he really didn't do a whole lot in his second stint with the Rangers and it'll be interesting if he can survive in hockey mad Montreal where careless turnovers and bone head plays can make you the target of an entire city's ire. Just ask Patrice Briesbois, Pierre Turgeon and recently, Craig Rivet.
He's only on pace for 16 goals and while everyone's numbers are down this year really, Kovalev's paid to score goals and he'll have to do better than that to meet the fans of Montreal's expectations.
Balej was Montreal's three round pick in 2000 and is certainly highly regarded. The Rangers' core of prospects is next to none and he gives the organization a huge shoot in the arm for that department. He's a goal scorer and knows how to position himself in the offensive zone but away from the offensive zone and away from the puck, he can float a bit. But with his blazing speed, one can only hope that he'll learn the defensive side of the game and be a very deadly penalty killer at the NHL level someday.
The former junior line mate of Marian Gaborik and Marcel Hossa might never be as good as they are but there's certainly a bit of talent there.
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I guess I can take some saving grace in the fact that the Sergei Gonchar and/or Brian Leetch rumours to Los Angeles might have been put to an abrupt halt with the Kings acquiring the cheaper alternative in Nathan Dempsey, a player who's gained a lot of noteritity since joining Chicago. Leafs fans may kick themselves for letting him go but at the time, it was a question of depth and he was a casuality.
Dempsey was Chicago's strongest remaining dman this year and he'll be sorely missed as he adds a great deal of depth to the LA blueline, working well as a 5th or 6th dman. He's undersized but he's solid on position and is decent enough to work the power play point and oh yeah, he's fast.
It had been talked about that Dempsey could leave Chicago but no one picked the Kings to be the ones to do it - once again proving my point that the deals that happen aren't the deals you people dream up on message boards or in newspapers. The deals you never hear about are the ones that happen.
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Chicago wasn't done as they shipped Ty Jones to the Panthers for futures. Ty Jones was the 16th pick in the 1997 draft and not to brag but I was never happy with this pick. The measurements on Jones are impressive and there's a bit of talent in his body but the desire was never there and he's struggled even at the AHL level.
Maybe a change of scenery will help but most likely the 25 year-old Jones will waste away in the ECHL or better yet - the UHL.
NHL - Will Forsberg go to MoDo?
03.01.04 (6:23 pm) [edit]
[b]NHL -[/b] The other day the Swedish newspaper, Aftonbladet, printed an article in which it claimed that NHL superstar, Peter Forsberg would return to Ornskoldsvik and play for his hometown team - MoDo Hockey. The article said Forsberg had already talked to his NHL club, the Colorado Avalanche and had reached a contract agreement with MoDo for next season regardless of a possible NHL lock-out.
Despite some key errors in the actual article itself, it was ran and caused quite a stir both in Sweden and here in North America. Since the article appeared, both Forsberg and Colorado GM Pierre Lacroix have denied the report and called it stupid and yet fans still believe in the newspaper. What is - do you believe everything you read?
While Forsberg has expressed interest in leaving the NHL and playing for MoDo to win an Elite League title, I'm more open to trust people and what they say than some 3rd rate Swedish newspaper with a creditability equal to that of a British tabaloid. While Forsberg has done nearly every thing one would ever want to do at the NHL level and could easily walk away with his one-year deal set to expire after the season, I'm willing to take him for his word here. What has Forsberg ever done to make us not believe him? What about Lacroix - he's a secretive GM and he's vague in interviews but he never has lied about anything.
The Aftonbladet has written this rumour every year for a while now so why's it making such a splash now? With an NHL lock-out on the way? Forsberg would play for MoDo during such a lock-out but that was pretty much common knowledge. So what's so different with this article this year? Is it because MoDo just barely missed being regulated? I have yet to remember it making such an impact in the media as it has this year. I guess places like TSN and Sportsnet are just getting a hold of the Aftonbladet. It's like the little boy who cried wolf - I'll believe when I see it. Until then, why bother talking about it?
Despite some key errors in the actual article itself, it was ran and caused quite a stir both in Sweden and here in North America. Since the article appeared, both Forsberg and Colorado GM Pierre Lacroix have denied the report and called it stupid and yet fans still believe in the newspaper. What is - do you believe everything you read?
While Forsberg has expressed interest in leaving the NHL and playing for MoDo to win an Elite League title, I'm more open to trust people and what they say than some 3rd rate Swedish newspaper with a creditability equal to that of a British tabaloid. While Forsberg has done nearly every thing one would ever want to do at the NHL level and could easily walk away with his one-year deal set to expire after the season, I'm willing to take him for his word here. What has Forsberg ever done to make us not believe him? What about Lacroix - he's a secretive GM and he's vague in interviews but he never has lied about anything.
The Aftonbladet has written this rumour every year for a while now so why's it making such a splash now? With an NHL lock-out on the way? Forsberg would play for MoDo during such a lock-out but that was pretty much common knowledge. So what's so different with this article this year? Is it because MoDo just barely missed being regulated? I have yet to remember it making such an impact in the media as it has this year. I guess places like TSN and Sportsnet are just getting a hold of the Aftonbladet. It's like the little boy who cried wolf - I'll believe when I see it. Until then, why bother talking about it?
NHL - Kozlov the Devil
03.01.04 (5:03 pm) [edit]
NHL - Trying to add depth to their line-up before the playoffs the New Jersey Devils have acquired Viktor Kozlov from the Florida Panthers. The Panthers receive winger Christian Berglund and prospect defensemen Viktor Uchevatov.
This was a deal that saw some speculation earlier in the month of February but it wasn't quite sure who the Devils would give up for the former first round pick of the San Jose Sharks. Kozlov has played a lot better since the Panthers moved him to the wing but he's still lacking a consistent level of scoring. Look at some of his career point totals - 19, 41, 30, 23, 51, 70, 37, 27, 56 last year and on pace for 34 this year. He's big and he's got the tools but he's never hit his ceiling and stayed there and he goes up and down. Kozlov likes to play with the puck so it'll be interesting where he'll fit in with the Devils. If he's allowed (and wants to) play the way he can, he should add offense for the club. He's coming off a concussion so that's what may have held up this deal and I'm sure Lou feels confident in Kozlov's return to pull the trigger on this one.
Berglund has seen the IR recently with a nagging hip injury. There's a lot of potential in the 23 year-old but he MUST get bigger to strive in the NHL. He's sound defensively (and is very underrated in that part of the game) but he doesn't really produce enough on the other side of the puck to warrent anything more than a third-liner in the NHL and his speed should keep him around as a penalty killer. He can also play both wings - an asset I laude.
As for Uchevatov, he's stagnated a little since being drafted but his size and keeping it simple style of play are pluses. He could start being more aggressive though and his positioning still needs work. I'm worried about his footspeed at the NHL level though.
Berglund's a nice pick up but nothing the Devils will miss and Uchevatov is just a throw-in to say the least. Panthers' GM Rick Dudley mentioned that Kozlov's injury history made it very difficult to trade him and Dudley should be impressed to get Berglund out of him but I don't considered him an amazing steal as they're loaded with third-liners on the roster at the moment. Lou doesn't give up much in the gamble but Kozlov is only 29 years old so at the moment, he still qualifies as a Group II free agent at the end of the season and can file for arbitration so we'll see how long his stay in New Jersey is.
This was a deal that saw some speculation earlier in the month of February but it wasn't quite sure who the Devils would give up for the former first round pick of the San Jose Sharks. Kozlov has played a lot better since the Panthers moved him to the wing but he's still lacking a consistent level of scoring. Look at some of his career point totals - 19, 41, 30, 23, 51, 70, 37, 27, 56 last year and on pace for 34 this year. He's big and he's got the tools but he's never hit his ceiling and stayed there and he goes up and down. Kozlov likes to play with the puck so it'll be interesting where he'll fit in with the Devils. If he's allowed (and wants to) play the way he can, he should add offense for the club. He's coming off a concussion so that's what may have held up this deal and I'm sure Lou feels confident in Kozlov's return to pull the trigger on this one.
Berglund has seen the IR recently with a nagging hip injury. There's a lot of potential in the 23 year-old but he MUST get bigger to strive in the NHL. He's sound defensively (and is very underrated in that part of the game) but he doesn't really produce enough on the other side of the puck to warrent anything more than a third-liner in the NHL and his speed should keep him around as a penalty killer. He can also play both wings - an asset I laude.
As for Uchevatov, he's stagnated a little since being drafted but his size and keeping it simple style of play are pluses. He could start being more aggressive though and his positioning still needs work. I'm worried about his footspeed at the NHL level though.
Berglund's a nice pick up but nothing the Devils will miss and Uchevatov is just a throw-in to say the least. Panthers' GM Rick Dudley mentioned that Kozlov's injury history made it very difficult to trade him and Dudley should be impressed to get Berglund out of him but I don't considered him an amazing steal as they're loaded with third-liners on the roster at the moment. Lou doesn't give up much in the gamble but Kozlov is only 29 years old so at the moment, he still qualifies as a Group II free agent at the end of the season and can file for arbitration so we'll see how long his stay in New Jersey is.
