Struggling Teams and Trade Speculations

What is up with the struggling teams?

Media’s trade rumors are lame. Let’s speculate on what trades could happen any time soon and which teams could be partners.

Here we go hockey fans. We have seen approximately 1/8 of the season completed and I hope many of you are enjoying the season as much as I am. Before I begin, how about the new look on HTR’s front page, eh? Looks good, refreshing, and neat. I am sure our original regulars who became members nearly ten years ago will be surprised to see the big changes on here.

Anyway, on to the struggling teams topic.

I’ll start with the Florida Panthers. This is a team that should be doing better and certain players are underachieving. While I can’t blame the team much as it is missing Todd Bertuzzi a whole lot, it’s just not playing as well as it should. The Panthers have good young talent, but it’s not necessarily stepping up, cough-cough Nathan Horton. Hello Nathan! You got the skills of a consistent 30 goals per season scorer and you are just looking dazed and confused on the ice. He is a restricted free agent in July 2007, and you would expect the guy to have a career season. Stephen Weiss started well and his skating is superb. His vision is getting better, but Weiss will be nothing more than a second tier second line player. Why? His shooting abilities are abysmal. He does not have a good shot, for wrister and slapper, and his accuracy is not good. I keep seeing the guy facing the goalie and his shots end up hitting the goalie’s team logo. It’s not to say he is a bust. His speed and passing abilities are good and he can become a 50 point guy in the future with good defensive awareness. But, he is not being offensively effective right now. Josef Stumpel hit a brick wall. Started hot, and now just stopped scoring.

This team finished last season on a high note in all aspects of the game, from offense to defense to goaltending. Yet it just has not continued to do so. I think Jacques Martin is also trying to adjust to the double duty life, and I don’t see him hitting the panic button anytime soon unless the Panthers go on a very bad losing streak. A trade may come along as more of an adjustment roster move and it could happen soon. But for now, I think Martin is being patient and trying to get his team to stick around the .500 mark until Bertuzzi comes back.

The Ottawa Senators are in big pile of parasite poo poo. I said it once and I’ll say it again folks, GM John Muckler complements the foul word that is used to rhyme with his name. Here is a hint, take away the M and put in the F. He really Mucked the team up if you know what I mean. I attended the last game between the Senators and the Panthers. Very entertaining although very disturbing loss. Still, this Senators team is wrong and I will not blame one single player on this team. I don’t care if Dany Heatley would go scoreless in 10 games. I don’t care if Emery and Gerber would allow 100 goals on 50 shots (that’s something that Bruce Garrioch would say with his intelligence). I just would not blame them.

Ottawa matured into a top talent NHL team. The talent they had was just hard to believe for all these years. So, who do I blame first? The owner, Mr. Melnyk. This guy should have known, regardless of whoever advised him, that John Muckler would have been a horrible choice. Yet, he hired him. That’s first. Second, he allowed the old guy with ears outgrowing his body to make huge changes to the team.

That leads me to blame the second guy, John Muckler. What was he thinking? He replaced a very good coach with a complete coward that left the Anaheim Might Ducks, of then, in shambles as a general manager to then coach. Bryan Murray saw the team was going in the dumpsters, and he turned his back and left for a lesser NHL job. Doesn’t that tell you anything about him? That’s not the kind of personality I’d want to have coaching my players. He has no control of this team and it is absolutely obvious that his tactics are making the team lose. So, he hired a worse coach than the one before, who was good. He then decided to change the goaltending, which he had to, yet relied on an old timer in Dominic Hasek who was obviously going to get injured. DUH! That’s not it. He made a major move in trading Marian Hossa for Dany Heatley. Heatley’s numbers are good this year but they are not really helping, eh? And the hat trick he scored in Sunrise, Florida involved three lucky breaks. Hossa has helped his team to reach second seed in the Eastern Conference for now, and where is Heatley’s? Sitting under the eigth spot. Marian Hossa is playing his best hockey of his career and Heatley…well, I just cannot say the same for him. Muckler risked it by bringing in a player carrying baggage and giving up a growing young talent who is nearly leading the whole league in points, and is playing his best hockey ever.

What a total Muck up in Ottawa. And when I saw the game, the defense is a weakness. Wasn’t Ottawa a great defensive team? Sure, no Zdeno Chara, but the defense is just weak. It got outmuscled behind the net and in the corners. People can make the argument of whether or not Muckler should have kept Chara instead of Wade Redden. I’m still undecided about that, but I actually expected Muckler to solidify the muscle on the D with Chara leaving yet his best idea was getting Joe Corvo. Best case scenario for the Ottawa Senators franchise is to fire both Muckler and Bryan Murray.

Another team with issues are the Tampa Bay Lightning and their ill-tempered head coach, John Torturella. This team is not exactly struggling, but they should not be bouncing around the eigth seed either. A lot of talent, and I am not blaming the team. This time, I have just about had it with John Tortarella. I have come to the point where every time I see him on TV, his face just drives me mad! He is Mr. Problematic. There is always something wrong in his mind. He always shakes his head no, he always makes an annoyed face at the officials. I mean, seriously…. take a chill pill dude! It was the second period against the New York Rangers a few games ago and this guy went nuts. A low scoring game at that point and the Rangers got a break of some sort, I don’t remember exactly. Then Eric Perrin scores a goal but he kicked the puck in. The goal is being reviewed and the goal judge makes the call. John Tortarella goes nuts and just bashes the on ice officials. Poor guys, what the heck did they do wrong!? They did not even make the call! So the refs gave him a penalty. He grows crazier over that and he gets ejected from the game. This all happened in the second period. You may say “Oh, he did it to maybe get his team going”. No sir. The Bolts flat out stunk in the third period and got murdered the game after; I believe a 7-2 loss.

Marc Denis is a good goalie, most would agree. And, he isn’t panning out in Tampa Bay. Okay, that sucks, but Tortarella treats his goalies so poorly and he immediately put the guy in the dog house. Hey Denis, call John Grahame if you need some advise. Good thing that former well touted Rangers prospect Johan Holmqvist is playing well, but how long can that possibly last? In the end, Torts won the Cup and I’ll give him that, but he is a jerk and the problem of the organization. The officials must dislike him as he always has something to complain about in each game. Duuuuude, just shut up and coach!

The Columbus Blue Jackets tried something new last week. Hire an actual coach! Geee, it only took six years! This team has not really come close to make the playoffs, and after six years of top drafting and having ownership committing big bucks to some players (Foote, Federov, Marchant). you’d figure the general manager would get fired. This team lacks depth. In six years of existence, it should not be lacking depth. Hopefully Ken Hitch will turn the team around for the second half of t
he season, but I would not be betting on it. Fire Doug McLean already! This team has young talent and the guy has no idea how to build around it. He should be finito soon. Team is in the bottom of the league. No excuses; the GM has got to go. And you know who I would give the job to? Neil Smith. The guy was treated so unfairly on Long Island, he deserves a chance.

I am not a fan of GM Dave Tallon of the Chicago Blackhawks, but I actually think he made the right move to fire Trent Yawney, and kudos to Andre Savard for winning his first game as a head coach. And from the looks of it, it was a well deserved win against a tough team. I don’t have anything against Yawney, and I think he should definitely get a second chance in his career. I do think the team should have played better though as they did few things right and the players did not seem to follow their former coach. Tallon can’t be blamed much either, he just had to shake up his team and apparently a trade was just not going to happen anytime soon so the next best option was to fire Yawney. Injuries were a huge factor, but this kind of stuff happens. So, Martin Havlat should be able to come back soon, great news, and then what? Does GM Tallon look to trade? He should, but not immediately. I think he needs more depth up front as the defense should be fine for the next few seasons. There were big talks about Petr Prucha of the New York Rangers being dealt, but apparently that did not happen, as of yet. Soon, Tallon will have the options and I still think the Blackhawks have a decent chance to make something happen. It’s a struggling team, but one that could get dangerous if it finds its winning formula.

TRADE SPECULATIONS

I just enjoyed reading GM Tallon continuously saying “I will not deal Brent Seabrook”, yet you had continuous reports from the supposed “expert journalists” saying “Chicago could deal Seabrook”. But see, this is the kind of crap that the hockey media throws out there just for fans to read. I think that’s what they actually think of. The thought process goes like this: “I think next week I will talk about Lecavalier possibly being traded to the Canadiens, or maybe Joe Sakic, Peter Forsberg, Olli Jokinen, Derek Morris, Ladislav Nagy, Shane Doan, and Lubomir Visnovksy being traded to the Maple Leafs for Bates Battaglia. I can’t use Nik Antropov anymore, he is playing well!”

So, let’s actually use our hockey smarts here. This is why I love this Web site. I know there are smart hockey fans out there who actually think things through unlike the journalists from the hockey media who don’t.

Trading Partners: I say the Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers could benefit from each other. The Oilers are reportedly looking to add offense on the blueline. The Panthers, and I am reporting this myself, need an energetic winger that plays physical and yet scores to kind of replace Bertuzzi’s absence, and when Bertuzzi comes back, he’d fit in. How about a trade involving Mike Van Ryn and Raffi Torres? Jay Bowumeester is the real deal for the Panthers on defense, and Mike Van Ryn would be losing his role to Bo next season. So, both teams would be filling a need with two players not posting stellar numbers, but a change of scenery could help. What say you on this? I’d go for it for both teams.

Trading Partners: The New York Rangers are still stuck with eight defensemen on the roster with Tomas Pock and Darius Kasparaitis not playing. To me, it’s very tough to believe that a guy like Kaspar is still not in shape by now. Rangers defense is playing fairly well, despite some blunders, and Kaspar is the odd man out. Who needs a physical presence on D? I just mentioned a struggling team being weak on defense a few moments ago, did I not!? Ottawa. I’d like to pick Peter Schaefer for Darius Kasparaitis, but he is a left-winger and that’s not a position the Rangers need to fill. The right-wing could be helped, and maybe Muckler could deal Patrick Eaves in the trade? Of course, it would not be a straight up deal.
No trading partners: The Rangers will trade Kaspar sooner or later unless a defenseman gets injured. Fedor Tyutin surely has learned a lot from the vet as he has been playing so well and being very effective with his hip checks. Any team desiring a physical presence from the blueline will surely make an offer to get Kaspar. Strangely enough, his name has not been mentioned in any trade rumors by the media and he is an obvious candidate.

Trading Partners: The St. Louis Blues are starting to sniff around the trade block as they could try and offer Eric Brewer, who has struggled in Missouri. The Vancouver Canucks are looking to get offensive help on the blueline. How about a Ryan Kessler for Eric Brewer kind of trade? They are the main pieces of the deal and salary wise it is pretty much even. Kesler makes $1.9M and Brewer makes $2M.

Trading Partners: The Minnesota Wild are reportedly unhappy with newly acquired Mark Parrish. Does it mean that they will give up on him so early into his five year deal? It’s tough, somewhat unlikely, but I would not be surprised if the Wild dangle him around for a trade. I will once again use the Florida Panthers. The Cats need a forward who plays tough and just crashes the net to score goals and still replace that much missed presence that Bertuzzi has left so early into the season. The Wild could use a forward that plays center, has size, can play all three forward positions, and can play the PK. I know it may sound highly unlikely, but if the Wild want to get rid of Parrish, it’s not going to be easy trading his contract, so his value drops dramatically. I could see Jozef Stumpel fitting in Lemaire’s style of game and they need something. Besides, the potential of Stumpel and Gaborik forming excellent chemistry is actually quite good. Stumpel for Parrish as the main part of the deal? Why not, I’d pull the trigger.

That’s it for now. Stay tuned for my next column that will involve hockey’s popularity in the USA, and how the NHL should gain popularity. It will be interesting because I have some very interesting opinions on certain sports and athletes.

Anyway, thanks for reading as usual!

Micki Peroni

Vice-Administrator


44 Responses to Struggling Teams and Trade Speculations

  1. gg_idiot says:

    I don't know how many times it has to be mentioned before people understand it; but Kesler cannot be traded this year.

  2. woodsco85 says:

    Just something off the bat that i noticed, we are way more than 1/8 through the schedule, we are actually more than 1/4 through the NHL regular season with almost every team having played more than 22 games. Thats ok though 5 out of 4 people have problems with fractions.

  3. simplyhabby says:

    Isn't Kaspar ridiculously overpaid or was he resigned to something more reasonable?  Despite thee being a market for his genre of player, I am not sure if there is a market for his salary (depending what it is at this time).

    Poor Eric Brewer.  For a guy touted to be the next great D-man, played for team Canada and look at him now…barely making the radar these days. 4 assists and a -4 rating is definately not helping his trade stock.

    I was actually just talking to a guy who calls himself Ed in NHL chat last night (former handle 89Mogilny89) and advised me to give you his salutations Micki! 

  4. Aetherial says:

    Ottawa will be fine. They are starting to prove that. I expect them to be one of the main contenders for the cup this year.

  5. wingedim says:

    Good Article Mik,

    I agree with the CBJ comment. I think that the organization needs to take a hard look at McLean and move on. The fact that the coaching decision was made by the ownership team, I think indicates McLean's status as GM. (Basically he's on thin ice).

    The coaching change has helped already from what I've seen. The players, at this point, are buying into Hitch's system and while the points haven't been coming yet, they have been playing more consistant.

    What the team needs is a heart and soul type player like Tucker (note I said LIKE). They don't really have a guy who is going to show up everynight and play with an edge like he does. Sure Shelley is a gritty player, but, he's more like a Domi type than a Tucker type. If they can get an agitator on the team to stir things up, then I think you'll see a much more concerted effort after the 'honeymoon' with Hitch wears off.

  6. moosehockey says:

    I agree with most of the things you wrote about here… just a few corrections:

    – Chicago's coach is Denis Savard not Andre Savard
    – Ryan Kesler cannot be traded this season because he was offered an RFA deal from the Flyers and the Canucks matched it… by rule the player must remain on the team for the whole season.

    Aside from that I agree with your assesments of teams needing a trade.

    I personally think Vancouver also needs a trade, but I'm not sure they need another defenceman, what they need is some secondary scoring behind the Sedins and Naslund. Morrison seems to be the guy on the block (although he has played well of late) and it would be nice if he could be packaged up for a scoring forward of some sort.

    We shall see. I guess I expected there to be more trades at this point in the year but this salary cap is certainly making it alot more difficult to find the right dancing partner.

  7. muckies says:

    You have no idea what you are talking about when it comes to Ottawa.  Dany Heatley is one of the best scorers in the game, and in 4-5 years, Heatley will be considered one of the top 3 SCORERS OF HIS GENERATION.  Lucky Bounces for a Hat Trick???   Are you kidding me, those aren't lucky bounces – those are goals and you don't score 50 goals in the NHL off of lucky bounces, you score them off of talent and hard-work. Heatley within 10 feet of the net in my opnion is the best finisher in the game.

    Hossa and Heatley are equal in points since the trade, (actually Heatley has more points and goals) Heatley scores more goals from all over the ice, from the point, from in front, left side right side,  Hetaley is a more dangerous offensive presence.  Hossa ($6.5) is a great player, maybe even one of the all-around best in the NHL, but he is making 2 million more then Heatley ($4.5) – if Heatley was a free-agent today, he would be among the most sought after free-agents in the NHL, and would easily make $6.5-7.5 million dollars from almost all 30 NHL teams.    I loved Hossa here, but Heatley is better for this team from a salary stand-point, goals, points, confidence, his chemistry with Spezza is unbeleivable l and probably the most dangerous #1 line in hockey. Heatley he is such a huge body and impossible to move from in front of the net, fans love Dany Heatley in Ottawa unlike they loved Hossa,  Heatley is one of the most popular Senators and HE IS CANADIAN – which is a big deal in this country for fans and for the franchise.  In 20 years it will mean alot to this Franchise to see #15 hanging from the rafters.  And Heatley is 4 years younger then Hossa, so we'll have him for longer.

    Hossa wanted more then we are willing to pay, it was an easy choice for Muckler.  And all this about letting Zdeno Chara walk away, THE SENS OFFERED CHARA 6 MILLION A YEAR, and he said no, there comes a point in a franchise when you have to ask players to buy into a winning system, like New Jersey did with Brodeur and Elias who accpeted less then they would get on the open-market, and players like Alfie, Heatley, Neil, Fisher, Vermette, Schaffer, Spezza have all bought into it and are playing for less money then they could demand.  Hossa and Chara weren't willing to do that – Redden was,  You just can't keep players who want the money more then the winning, so you have to let guys like Havlat, Chara and Hossa walk or you trade them, it's that simple.

    And this baggage about Heatley?   You have no idea what you are talking about… it's that simple,  you should take a hike for saying stuff like that.  Here in Ottawa we honour the Heatley and Snyder families,  they are both welcome into any rink and any home in this city,  we don't use that targic accident as a lame excuse in a blog for attacking a General Manager,  we hold things a bit more sacred then that, and it's a good thing Heatley came to a franchise like Ottawa where the fans and the media understand the situation and treat it with respect and dignity,  unlike some a-hole bloggers who use it as a pathetic excuse to write about Muckler or Hossa.  
     
    I'm glad Dany Heatley is here, because the Snyder and Heatley families deserve to have the memory of that day in a place where people don't use it as an excuse to attack one or the other, or use it as a throw into a  hate Ottawa artcile, (that's just pathetic). In Ottawa we remember that Dany and Dan were friends, and the last thing either would want is people like you Mikster treating their friendship, or Dan Snyder's memory like this. 

  8. ThomasHawks says:

    Today if i had a chance to have Heatley or Hossa.Ill take Hossa without a doubt.He does everything on the ice.

  9. saku_rulz says:

    i agree with your vancouver comments..however, i don't get this :
    canucks need scoring and everyone want to trade morrison for a scoring forward. If it's center for center, you're still in lack of a good 6th forward to score….if it's center for winger, then you lack a n.2 center…so i don't get why do people want to trade morrison if they lack offense?

  10. saku_rulz says:

    good for the seaosn i agree…but what did they add to be better for playoffs?what makes them contenders? i doubt it…it looks like another early playoff exit this year!

  11. ThomasHawks says:

    They should trade Morrison to Dallas For Ribeiro.The second line would look like this-Bulis-Ribeiro-Naslund.Ribs and Buli play thogether last year in MTL.U wont get more than that for Morrison.

  12. mikster says:

    You are right, bad mistake on my part. I think it’s stupid that he can’t be traded, but oh well.

  13. mikster says:

    If you take the sum of games played and take the average for the 30 teams, it comes out to be about 24 games played, as an average. That’s not more than 1/4 into the season unless you think we’re playing 100 games.

    I know, 5 out of 4 people have problems with fractions and additions.

    I said apprx 1/8 into the season, which was the 20,21~ game played mark. It made enough sense to understand unless you are just looking for complications, sir.

  14. mikster says:

    Kaspar’s salary is high, but if a team can afford him and needs a physical presence badly, then they should go for it. The guy is a difference maker and it’s very strange how he is not pulling himself together this year (ever since he had that surgery in the summer), but after a very shaky first year as a Ranger, he played well and gave effort. Last season, he was a difference maker.

    Also, Eaves isn’t that cheap either as his salary nears a million bucks.

    In the end, the Sens would be adding roughly $2.3M on their payroll, unless they can try and dump another player.

    And yeah! I remember 89Mogilny on here and from quite a few years ago on the NHL chat. Can’t believe that thing still exists today. If you see him, tell him i say hello as well!

  15. mikster says:

    I projected them to finish as a top three seeded team this season, so i expect them to be at that level; however, they will not even be close to making the Finals unless they trade for an outstanding goalie.

  16. shapter07 says:

    dude you got it all mixed up… 1/8 of an 82 game season would be slightly above 10 games. the argument he is making is seeing that around a 24 game average has been played by the teams, 24/82 is roughly 30 percent of the year complete and 1/8 is only 12 percent. in this case 1/4 is much more accurate because it would represent about 20-21 games/82

  17. 92-93 says:

    well there are some very good and realistic journalists out there too. there are more good, realistic, mature ones than bad, unrealistic, irrational ones (unlike hockey fans, i think its the reverse – i.e. many people here on HTR).

    I certainly agree there are some dumb hockey journalists though – Garrioch, well – the entire Ottawa sports media is run by guys who have 'over-compensation' issues if you know what i mean. In toronto you have guys like Strachan and Simmons as some of the worst specimens (not suprisingly, writing for the most sensationalist, low-quality paper in Canada).

    but there are a lot of good examples too – McKenzie is right up there, the entire HNIC hot stove, Cox (i know, a lot of people don't like him but he is one of the best thinkers and writers along with Stephen Brunt). i could go on and on.

    I think you can change the opening sentence: 'Media's trade rumors are lame' and replace 'lame' with 'realistic' (though not always). and because a lot of the stuff is more realistic – especially when the reporters actually consider cap economics (what an original idea) – they are often also boring and, therefore, not really fun to speculate on. they are often boring because its very easy for a sensible, good journalist to shoot down a trade rumor for simply not making any sense – re: teams' needs and cap space, etc.

  18. 92-93 says:

    agreed. they'll be part of the 'Big 5' in the East: Ottawa, Buffalo, NYR, NJ, and Carolina.

    while the rest of the conference's 10 teams are going to battle out for those last 3 playoff spots (and yes, i think Atlanta, Toronto, and Mtl. will drop a bit and Philly and Florida will rise).

  19. moosehockey says:

    Well Morrison makes 3.2 million and the Canucks depth at center isn't horrible. If they traded him the top 2 would be Sedin and Kesler.

    Most of the rumors that I have heard have involved Morrison and Cooke and a pick normally for a centerman and a winger.

    I think for Morrison its just a change of scenery thats necessary and maybe a trade shakeup in the Canucks lockerroom. Mo can obviously be a force if he plays with the right guys like he did with Bert and Nazzy for all those years.

  20. 92-93 says:

    its unfortunate that fans will like him more than Hossa (regardless of his on-ice and off-ice conduct) because of his nationality … but you are right, he is cherished more than Hossa and that kind of mentality/sentimentality can be applied to every Canadian hockey franchise (look at Sundin and how long it took for some fans to grudgingly respect what he has done, or Koivu in Mtl.).

    and i do agree with you on your comments about the Heatley/Snider situation but at the same time i dont think it should be sacred or out of bounds for discussion … when the discussion is appropriate (i.e. debating on how fame and fortune can swamp a young athlete, etc.). In this case you are right, i dont think its appropriate to simply talk about that incident in the context of Ottawa's GM or whatever.

  21. wprager says:

    but what did they add to be better for playoffs?what makes them contenders?

    Well, for one, they added a goalie under 40 with no nagging, perpetual injuries.  Not that it has worked out yet, but they did add one. 

    They also have undergone some adversity.  They've struggled (oh, how they've struggled) to win.  Being out of the playoffs is something the current roster does not remember; now they've seen (and are still seeing) what that feels like.

    In the last half dozen or so games they've also learned to come back and win a game.  Earlier they've also learned how easy it is to take a team lightly and blow a multiple-goal lead.

    All of this should help.  Oh, and a second-line centre who can win faceoffs at the trade deadline:-)

  22. Kraut182 says:

    The most important part of your argument, IMO, and the reason the Sens won that trade is the salaries.  Not only did Ottawa save $2M on Heatley .v. Hossa, they also got rid of overpaid de Vries who was making around $2M.

    So that's $4M that Ottawa saved on the trade.  Now you can argue Heatley .v. Hossa, but there's no arguing they are both star players and very close in value.  But $4M will/should buy you a heck of a hockey player these days, and that's why I think Ottawa most definitely won that trade.

  23. mikster says:

    You know what i did wrong? My last article, i think, had a review of teams and their first 10 games, and i got stuck with 1/8 there and for some stupid reason i carried that number on here.

    My mistake, and very sorry about that.

  24. mikster says:

    Thank you for giving me the latest on the Blue Jackets, saying that the players and Hitch are doing a good job so far.

    And i agree with you about getting an agitator. Not enough teams have agitators and you can find the ones that can play a la Darcy Tucker. This is why i would want the Rangers to keep Hollweg for as long as possible. You never know what the guy can do when he is 28….30 years of age and maybe netting 15…20 tops.

    Good call.

  25. mikster says:

    Thanks for calling out my errors, i don’t know what the hell went wrong when i was writing this one.

    I’ve heard from some Nucks fans that a d-man with offensive abilities could be very useful, and knowing that the Nucks are tight with the cap i immeditaley thought Kesler and Brewer (both have similar salaries). Ooops. Can’t have that one happening.

    If the Nucks really need help on the 2nd line, i think they’ll have some good options soon, but they’ll only get a low profile player who could help out a little and have some offensive potential. Someone that they could get for….pretty cheap. How’s Oleg Saprykin sound to you? I know he’s not much, but he has energy, skates great and you never know…could be a late bloomer. The guy has played on a defensive minded Flames team and played on a crappy Yotes team. Maybe the Nucks can develop the guy into a pretty good 2nd line player, even if it’s just 20/20/40-points.

  26. mikster says:

    I am not saying Heatley is not good. All i am saying is that i believe Hossa is making more of an impact for his team than Heatley is. Many times Heatley is invisible on a good number of shifts. Honestly, he scored a hat trick against the Panthers and those three times were the only ones that i saw him as a noticeable player on the ice. Hossa is noticeable nearly every shift. He is a monster performer.

    I am not comparing the two, i just think Hossa could have made a bigger difference for the Sens this year. Heatley is scoring points but where is his team sitting? Hossa is scoring and his team is sitting up top.

  27. mikster says:

    There is a difference though. You mentioned the TV guys as the good ones and the writers as the dumb ones. I agree. McKenzie and Satellite Hot Stove are awesome. I like Duhatschek as well.

    But, the big names in trade rumors in the papers are guys like Garrioch, Brooks, Simmons, Strachan….. and they get too much attention for the bad rumors they write. They see a scout of one team attending the game, they’re going to spew all the BS trade rumors.

    Of course there are a lot of hockey fans who shoot a lot of…..”intriguing” ideas out in the open, but they are fans….and they don’t get paid to do that. There are also a lot of GOOD and SMART hockey fans who are smarter than those paid journalist, though.

  28. 92-93 says:

    agreed.

    i was actually shocked when i first came to HTR and began to read sites like Hockeybuzz, etc. …

    shocked in the sense that i was surprised to see the extremes that i saw at both ends of the spectrum: how dumb and how smart some hockey fans really are. i didnt realize there were so many of both kinds out there. there are a lot of smart hockey fans who know what they are talking about and a lot of dumb fans who talk and say a lot but dont say anything meaningful.

    the print and TV media have their share too of both kinds – i just named the ones i knew off the top of my head.

  29. PhanufRoxs says:

    Your gay cuz I know a guy who has no money and has a shirt that says that mean your broke cuz you probaly have that shirt

  30. PhanufRoxs says:

    srry i meant to send that to Woodsco of w.e his name is

  31. SabresFan220 says:

    There's only one way to turn the Ottawa train wreck around this season, dumping Alfredsson. Who would want him and has the cap space to take on his salary? I'm not sure, but if Ottawa was smart they try to get a player and a top prospect for Mr Overrated. I highly doubt Buffalo would trade for his rediculous salary so I'll never have to worry about him stinking up Buffalo. Maybe a team like Detroit could make a move for him, sending a 2nd liner and a 1st round pick back to Ottawa. As a salary dump getting a #1 pick and a player who contributes wouldn't be a bad trade for the Sens, then they could finally make Mike Fisher, who has been the real captain of the team for years now, the official captain.

  32. DJTOKid says:

    Alfie for Datsyuk

  33. DJTOKid says:

    Alfie for Datsyuk

  34. PhanufRoxs says:

    Bulis will never ever play on any second line for the rest of his career. Huge disapointment. I thought he would be a 30+ goal scorer but I was wrong

  35. raine_kalisz says:

    I know everyone thinks Brewer is struggling over in St Louis, but we all know the kind of defense he's capable of providing, and I think that he just needs a change of scenery and perhaps a new coach to get him started.  He's a big guy who can lay out the body, on top of being an excellent skater and shot.  I think any team that has a good smart coach would do really well to see if they can get this guy for relatively cheap.  I'm thinking a coach in the way I've seen Maurice get the potential in their players (I'm saying this merely because I think Maurice is a great coach, I'm suggesting he would end up in Toronto, or that Toronto should look for him).  A return to Edmonton might do it, or perhaps somewhere like San Jose, or Vancouver.  And the job Nolan is doing in New York is just incredible so he might be a good fit there.

  36. wingedim says:

    Not a problem Mik. Having lived in OH with little to no hockey exposure for 7 years I started following the Jackets and going to the odd game each year. My wife has 'adopted' the team as 'her' team so I try and follow them the best I can, even though I've moved back to the 'leaf land' area. Thank god for Center Ice!

    I agree with you that more teams need to have an agitator type on the team. I think the feeling is that most coaches don't know how to use them properly unless they can score and therefore are on one of the top 2 lines. If you can get an agitator type player young enough and develop his 'hockey' abilities, then you've got a gem. Unfortunately I don't see anyone like that in the Columbus system.

  37. moosehockey says:

    Yeah, a guy like Saprykin could be a decent addition. I think the Canucks basically need to take a risk on a few guys with some potential… a guy they might potentially be able to get from the Yotes would also be the rookie Enver Lisin since he refused to go to San Antonio (AHL) and went back to Russia… maybe if the Canucks were to promise him an NHL spot that might work out. I'm really not sure what else they could do on the trade market but a change needs to happen soon I think.

    I just wish the Nucks would have drafted Anze Kopitar instead of Luc Bourdon, that would already have made a difference if his numbers in L.A. are any indication.

  38. neilios says:

    Canucks in need of some OFFENSE and there are some rumblings coming from Pierre Lubrun from TheScore,and John Garrett and Kyprieos from Sportsnet News.The Canucks need to score at least 2 goals a game and not the 1 goal a game what they have been doing almost all year,and there are 3 teams with that can be possible trade partners and they are Sens,Flyers,and Lightning and the players been mentioned where.

    To Sens-Ohlund,Morrison,M.Chouinard,and 2nd round pick
    To Canucks-Allfy,Meszaros,and McGratton or Neil

    To Flyers-Ohlund,Morrison,Bulis,and Bourdon
    To Canucks-Forsberg,Carter,Eager,and Meyer

    To Lightning-Ohlund,Morrison,M.Chouinard,and 2nd round pick
    To Canucks-Lecavalier,Sarich or Ranger,and Craig

    All of these deal would be good for all clubs they all get something they need and plus the Nucks need some toughness all the teams just manhandle the Sedins and Nassy,maybe trade Bulis or Chouinard for Brashear or Simon.

  39. Atomic_Wedgy says:

    Mikster, I always enjoy reading your articles.  For the most part they are intelligent and not overly biased toward any team.  Furthermore, your facts are usually bang on.  That is a good starting point for any sports article.  Which is why I was disappointed with this one.  Most readers on this website will pounce on you for mistakes like a pack of wolves on an injured doe.  No mercy.  Don't let these guys smell blood cause they will go for it and go for it hard.  There is nothing uglier than an oaf having actual justification to tear apart the article of a predominately good sports writer.  Keep your stick on the ice Mikster!

  40. Atomic_Wedgy says:

    I love how all of your proposed trades are a massive rape for VAN.

  41. mojo19 says:

    San Jose is looking for Defense. Maybe they'll pick up Kasparitus depending on McLarens health.

  42. mojo19 says:

    Why is it that you (phanufroxs) always calls everyone gay? Seriously, I don't like you and you say the dumbest things sometimes.

  43. Senatorsfan78 says:

    I think the Ottawa Senators need to trade for a vetern guy with grit and leadership such as Gary Roberts.

    Here is a trade.

    To:Ottawa Senators
         Gary Roberts
    To:Florida Panthers
         Denis Hamel

  44. tennadian says:

    I have similar ideas on this matter, but a little different. Like you, speeding up the game is what they've always talked about. First, use the automatic icing. Faster and less dangerous for the players. Second, if a team is short-handed, then they are SHORT-HANDED….they can't ice the puck. They player their alotted time down a man, or two. It's supposed to be punshment,,,isn't it? Lately with all the talk of delay of game when a player shoots the puck over the boards, they've said that different arenas have different sized glass. ?????   Why are there not regulations to glass size??  There's regulations on everything else! Sticks, pucks, gloves, etc. Why not the glass size and location. Make all playing surfaces equal, then maybe that defenseman trying to clear the zone, won't lift it out of the rink?? 

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