Monthly Archives: November 2010
Thursday Mail Bag and Trade Chatter
For the Maple Leafs, it’s been two days of relative peace and tranquility.
During the past 48 hours, they won a game to end an eight-game losing streak, saw slump-ridden Kris Versteeg score twice in that game, received encouraging reports on the recuperation of team captain Dion Phaneuf and even had one of the team’s prospects, Marlie goalie Jussi Rynnas, decorated as the AHL’s player-of-the-week for his sparkling play.
For certain reasons the word around Toronto media is that Ron Wilson’s job is secured for the near future. Why? Well a few common reasons are cited:
1: This is a team in rebuild mode. You don’t want to fire your coach for doing poorly when he has nothing to work with.
2: Toronto has had a very poor core of players to work with. You can’t blame the coach if no one is producing.
3: Wilson’s system works. The quick, offensive minded attack and point-shot-screen powerplay gets the job done, it just needs to be executed properly.
4: And finally, Wilson is a close friend of Brian Burke. If anyone knows the team and the coach, it’s the GM; he makes the calls and should know when Wilson’s time is up.
Another day, another Jarome Iginla trade rumour.
And yet again, this one involves the Los Angeles Kings.
The blogosphere is humming tonight with speculation out of Edmonton that the Los Angeles Kings are trying to assign Brayden Schenn to the American Hockey League in hopes of eventually sending him to the Calgary Flames, perhaps as part of a package, for Iginla (who has a no movement clause and would have to agree to any such deal.)
Calgary Flames GM Darryl Sutter has traded his son Brett to the Carolina Hurricanes one week after he was charged with assault outside an Arizona bar.
The 23-year-old forward and defenceman Ian White were shipped to the Hurricanes on Wednesday in exchange for defenceman Anton Babchuk and winger Tom Kostopoulos.
Groin pulled Jiggy?
After some great saves, Leafs goaltender takes himself out of game
You win some, you lose some, or so the old saying goes. And that’s exactly what happened to the Maple Leafs on Tuesday night.
They won the game, coming back dramatically from a 3-0 deficit to defeat the Nashville Predators 5-4 at the Air Canada Centre and snap an eight-game losing streak. But in the process, they lost their starting goalie J-S Giguere, who was having a strong night despite the early hole the Leafs had dug for themselves.
don’t laugh off brayden schenn for iginla? Calg dealt nieuwendyk in prime for iggy when iggy 1st-round jr in ’95 Nieuwy was 29, Iggy 33.
http://twitter.com/NHLbyMatty/status/4749470168260608
Statistical analysis: Will Alexander Semin remain a Capital?
Alexander Semin’s pace for a career-best 59-goal, 104-point season may not have gotten him on the All-Star ballot, but it is sure to get him on the radar of teams looking to add offense when his one-year deal with the Capitals expires at the end of this season.
Sharks should trade Setoguchi?
– The problem with the San Jose Sharks is they are getting absolutely no secondary scoring from playoff hero Joe Pavelski, Ryane Clowe or Devin Setoguchi. It’s Joe Thornton, Dany Heatley and Patrick Marleau and bust. They should deal Setoguchi for a defenceman who can move the puck.
Ehrhoff and Canucks halt contract negotiations
With negotiations on a new contract halted, Vancouver Canuck defenceman Christian Ehrhoff said Saturday he understands he will have to follow precedent and accept less than full market value to stay with the National Hockey League team.
If he wants to make as much as he can, the 28-year-old defenceman will be playing somewhere else next season. Or sooner.
Flyers' dilemma: Three healthy goalies
It is the 1,800-pound gorilla in the Flyers’ locker room that no one wants to talk about.
And it may be the only poignant question surrounding a Flyers team that has dominated the NHL, collecting 17 out of a possible 18 points with an 8-0-1 record in its last nine games.
NHL teams ready to wheel and deal
The groundwork has been laid for some good old wheeling and dealing.
As the NHL’s 30 GMs gathered at a Toronto airport hotel Tuesday to discuss changes to the NHL all-star game and various rules, trade talks were also on the menu.
They’re starting to separate the men from the boys in the NHL as the 20-game mark approaches. The teams off to slow starts are trying to find a way out of the mess, others are accepting their fates and many are trying to deal with cap issues.
Burke says he’s fielding trade offers
The last thing Brian Burke was going to do Friday was give himself a pat on the back.
With his club sliding backwards with a lone win in 11 games, the Maple Leafs GM pulled the trigger on a roster move and summoned Nazem Kadri and Keith Aulie from the Marlies to help spark his struggling club.
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