Thursday, March 5, 2009
The Way Too Early Analysis: Winners
--Vance's WINNERS--
Being a "winner" at the deadline never really means anything. I mean except, everybody loves a winner. So let's get into it; the buyers and sellers who made their mark on the deadline.
No shit, they're going to be on the top of everybody's list (or are they). They've managed to reunite Olli Jokinen and his mentor and career savior, Mike Keenan for nothing more than 10 goals, 22 assists, and a 1st round pick.Then they address another glaring need with Jordan Leopold, who in his 2nd stint in Calgary should offer another dimension to their breakout. Calgary is a heckuva lot better team today than they were yesterday. Win.
They got rid of a problem (see above) and shed an expiring contract in Derek Morris, picking up some nice pieces along the way (JToB has the details below). Win.
This was by far the most active Darcy Regier has been in a while. First he managed to keep Tim Connolly. I've already gone into why that's important. And Then he picked up a capable back up for Lalime for just a 4th round pick. And Then he obliged Mr. Burke and gave away a 2nd round pick for Dominic Moore. And then he goes and replaces that pick by offloading UFA-to-be shootout and powerplay specialist Ales Kotalik to Edmonton. (And then...And then...And then...I felt like I was at a drive thru in Chinatown)Net Gain: Dominic Moore, Mikael Tellqvist
Net Loss: Ales Kotalik, 4th round pick
The Sabres made themselves a better team yesterday. Win.
Plain and Simple. They kept Bouwmeester. Win.--Denson's WINNERS--
Their first acquisition of the day was Jordan Leopold...a perfectly capable puck-moving defensemen who will add to a speedy group of guys and provide a boost to their transition game.The talk of the day though, and perhaps the only "big-name trade" was that of Olli Jokinen being sent to Calgary for Matt Lombardi, Brandon Prust, and a 1st round pick (the only 1st rounder to be traded on the day). Jokinen finally gets to play on a GOOD hockey team and content for the cup.
Calgary immediately becomes the 3rd best team in the West...but weren't they that already?
Wayne Gretzky and company sold the farm, but had no choice and got a lot of young talent and some good picks for the future in return. Plus the addition of Scottie Upshall is never a bad thing. He's a pain in the ass to play against...o9r it seems that way watching from my couch. Matt Lombardi is fast as shit too...although his production has never really met expectations...he definitely has room to improve.
Yes Fanboy thinks his team did quite well for themselves yesterday. Ray Shero wasn't playing into the sweepstakes shit for high-end players. And why should he? No reason to trade your best assets for rentals. Shero admitted and took responsibility for what happened in the offseason...losing, as Puck Daddy put it "the spine" of the Pens. Billy Guerin, Craig Adams, and Chris Kunitz put the grit back into the Penguins, making them once again a "tough" team to play against. I was freaking jealous when I saw Dominic Moore was headed to Buffalo. If your team needed a Center, he's a great pick up. I loved him when he was in Pittsburgh. Like I told Vance, he's a quick annoying son-of-a-bitch...just like the rest of the Sabres. They also addressed their goaltending situation, adding Mikael Tellqvist to back up Patrick Lalime. Dumping Kotalik apparently was a good thing too cause he's "worthless." God I hope they beat out the Rangers.--O'Brien's WINNERS--
Winning Buyer
Really liked what the Oilers did at the deadline this year. The Los Angeles-Edmonton-Carolina menage-a-trade was pretty dumb for everyone except the Oil. Not sure if Patrick O'Sullivan has a habit of porking the wives of GMs, or something, because he's been traded twice already. Beyond wife banging conjecture, the Oilers added a solid, versatile forward who has a year or two left on a very affordable contract and only lost a pending UFA (Erik Cole) who may have had his talent removed after Brooks Orpik wrecked his vertebrate.
Ales Kotalik is pretty solid, too. My bulbous gut says that these moves will allow the Oil to slick their way into the playoffs (sure, they're going to get pummeled but what's one less week of golf between friends?).
Winning Seller
Not sure why I have a partial hard-on for the 'Yotes (perhaps Shane Doan?) but I do. It was sort of stunning for me to read Puck Daddy gush about the Rangers acquiring Derek "Oh, he's still playing?" Morris. He's overpaid with an expiring contact and the Coyotes added the kind of faceless pluggers they always seem to employ for him.
For Derek Morris, Daniel "PIM" Carcillo, Olli Jokinen, M. Tellqvist and a third round pick the Coyotoes added:
- Calgary's 1st round pick
- Philadelphia's 2nd round pick
- Buffalo's 4th round pick
- Peter Prucha
- Dimitri Kalinin
- Nigel Dawes
- Scottie Upshall
- Matthew Lombardi
- Brandon Prust
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Yeeeeeahhhhhh, that's a Madonna vagina reference. I suddenly don't want this taco anymore. Bad dum cha! Either way, who do you think were the big winners yesterday?
Look for losers soon (as soon as Denson sends me his part, dick) and then the random thoughts later in the afternoon.
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1 comments:
I always "liked" Dominic Moore because he hustled and because he probably gives Steve surgery money or something but ... a second round pick? I didn't know he was THAT good. But what do I know?
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