Hockey Trade Rumors

What is happening around the league? Will Brind’Amour stay and keep licking the candy Canes? Where could Allison possibly go? Holik displeased with the Devils. Which team will have the disease called Kaspiritis? What ever happened to Kenny Jonsson? Faceoff.com opinionates that Kaspiritis should not be traded from the Pittsburgh Penguins. Almost everyone who knows about the Penguins’ defensive troubles knows that losing Kaspiritis means losing a huge piece of the defense. Dejan Kovacevik states that Kaspiritis has to be kept because of “his hard-hitting style, his improved discipline and work ethic, as well as his good sense of humour, which boosts locker room morale.” So, will Kaspiritis be traded? If the Penguins need the money to keep Kovalev and Lang, then they will trade him. But, it is always better for a team to stick with defense. To only have offense and no defense does not win games all the time. Having a defense and little offense does win you games. The Penguins will be in trouble if they give up Kaspiritis, unless they receive good value in return. The Penguins should trade Lang, keep Kaspiritis, and receive solid defensemen in return. Kaspiritis could be dealt to any team, but mostly a Cup Contending team. Red Wings, Stars, LA Kings, Colorado, Blues, and the Canucks might pull it off.

All the sudden, word out on the streets is Holik might be leaving the Devils. Are the Devils falling apart? They lost Mogilny, they have chances of losing Stevens, Brodeur, and Elias after the 2001-2002 season. The Devils do have a solid farm system, so I doubt they will fall apart. But losing Holik is not the smartest move. Holik could help any team in the NHL, especially Eastern teams. Rich Chere of the New Jersey Star Ledger reports that Bobby Holik was displeased with the Devils contract offers. This led Devils GM Lou Lamoriello become displeased with Holik’s disappointment. Does this mean that Holik will be traded? It is highly possible that Holik might be traded this season during the trading deadline. How much is Holik worth though? He is a defensive center who could chip in 20 goals a season. Lou would trade Holik for what he wants, and it will be the easiest trade for Lou to make since he’ll have 29 NHL teams calling him for offers. I suggest that Lou will trade Holik to a Western Conference team, since he would not want to see him in the playoffs. Blues, Red Wings, and the Colorado Avalanche would most likely hunt for Holik.

Brind’Amour will be a top UFA player by the end of this coming season. Brind’Amour will not re-sign with the Hurricanes for a long-term contract. He wants to test the market, and the Canes will lose him at that time. This is a player that any team would love to have. It is hard to predict where he’d end up, but Brind’Amour will want the money and still play the best he can. I highly doubt that he will return with the Flyers. The team who would love to have Brindy are the Devils. If they lose Holik, they’ll go after Brindy, which will not make sense since he is more expensive. Sure, if the Canes will not make the playoffs, then they will trade Brind’Amour by the deadline. To who? Well any team, even teams that might not make the playoffs, would trade for Brind’Amour. He is a team player, and that makes up a lot of his value.

Is Kenny Jonsson leaving or not? First it was said that the Isle’s were shopping Jonsson, and now it is unsure. The Maple Leafs, Red Wings, and the Panthers were interested in acquiring Jonsson. Alan Hahn of Newsday reports that the Isle’s are not shopping Jonsson, but GM Mike Milbury refused to discuss the contract talks of Jonsson. Basically the best thing for the Islanders to do is to stay where they are. There were rumors that the Isle’s might trade Jonsson for Kaspiritis, but that has not come close to happening. Do the Islanders need Kaspiritis or Jonsson? They need Jonsson. Islanders need to find other types of stay at home defensemen who are cheaper than Kaspiritis, but they need to keep Jonsson. Jonsson could still have a 15-goal season. If the Isle’s would pair Jonsson with a solid stay at home defenseman, then Jonsson can join rushes, make better plays, and score more, which in this case he could be a scoring threat on the blue line. Islanders will soon make the playoffs, but they still need to fix other problems, including goaltending. Islanders improved their offense with Yashin, but they still lack depth and Kenny Jonsson should only be traded for offensive help. He is valuable, and if he does not do well this up-coming season, then he should be traded at the dead line or earlier. To who? Any team.

Jason Allison will either sit out or be traded. Personally, neither Allison nor Boston is the victim in this situation. Jason Allison is demanding too much money for his value. I understand he had a fantastic season for a young 26-year-old his size, but this was his first stellar season. The most Allison deserves for what he has done in the Bruins organization is 6.5 million dollars a year the most, since he is also the captain. Does this make someone pity the Bruins for not being able to afford Allison? Not at all. The Bruins signed and overpaid the UFA players theyhave now, and dealt with Guerin and Allison later. Who is more important? Lapointe or Allison? In this case, Allison is the most important since he and Guerin will be the only ones most like to score 35+ goals. It seems that the Bruins did not care about their leading scorer and captain after they signed the UFA players. It is most likely that the Bruins will trade Allison, even during the season. Or, they will make him sit and do the same as Buffalo did with Peca, trade him after the playoffs. How much is Allison worth? Not a whole lot. Since Jagr was only worth 3 prospects, Allison can be worth just the same. What teams need Allison? Any team that needs a number one center. For example, the Rangers are in need of a number one center, especially after old Mess leaves. Nedved is not able to pull it off as a 1st line center, so Allison would be a big help on the roster. Teams like Florida, Phoenix, Montreal, and Carolina would need Allison, as well as the Capitals since they will lack a center after Oates will be traded. It could turn out to be a disappointing trade if he is dealt, yet a good one for the Bruins, but with the poor job done by the Bruins management lately, it has a very high chance to be a disappointing trade for the Bruins.

If you noticed, almost every trade rumors player is said to go anywhere. Like Brind’Amour, Holik, Jonsson, and Kaspiritis, they are all rumored to be traded to any team. There are no facts or close sources of any trade rumors where players will be traded, but stay on the look out…it could happen any day.

Micki Peroni

micki@hockeytraderumors.com