yave1964

This includes all moves leading up to the deadline that occured over the past couple of weeks WINNER TORONTO. Man did they load up. O'Reilly for the top six, Acciari and Lafferty for the 4th line, Mccabe to fix the second pairing on defense, managed to trade out Engvall and Sandin for a first and a third, brought Schenn in for the bottom pairing. One of the leagues top teams fixed their few holes and upgraded replacing perfectly servicable players in Engvall and Sandin with better fits. They won the deadline-period full stop WINNER NEW YORK RANGERS Just getting Taresenko and Mikkola would have probably put them on the list but then they added tough as nails Motte to the 4th line and somehow fitting Kane in makes this a team primed for a deep run. WINNER ST. LOUIS BLUES They intelligently attacked a necessary tear down and traded O'Reilly, Taresenko, Buchnevich and added a ton of draft picks, got top prospect Zach Dean who will be scoring 20 goals in the NHL likely by next year, claimed Kapanen off waivers and got Vrana for free who has a year to prove he belongs in the NHL.And Schenn among others are already making overtures to O'Reilly that they want him back next year. They took a bad situation and worked it, rebuilt on the fly. It is not done but a fine start. SHARKS Every deal they made seemed as if they had a plan, they were aproached by a few teams asking about Barabonov and they resisted efforts to pry him away. They are terrible but a slim glimmer of light is out there. WINNERS SEVERAL EAST CONTENDERS Bruins added three tough mothers, Pittsburgh added Bonino and Granlund, Meier to the Devils, Horvat to the Islanders, the East is stacked. WINNERS KNIGHTS Added Quick for depth in net, added Blueger as a veteran experienced 4th liner, added Barbashev as a point a game top line sniper. these were not sexy but all were solid and in the West it pushes them towards the top LOSERS LOSER LOS ANGELES KINGS Not only did they screw up the end of the Quick era he ended up with one of their biggest rivals and might haunt them in the playoffs. Also a first and third for Gavrikov and Korpisalo was a way overpay, Korpi is pretty bad and Gavrikov is ok but nowhere near worht a first. LOSER LIGHTNING AND HURRICANES While the rest of the Eastern conference tough guys loaded up with multiple players the Canes added Ghost and the Bolts added Jeannot (for five picks!!!!!) which seems more tweaking type moves when everyone else brought in the big guns. Especially the Hurricanes who went out in the playoffs last year because they couldnt score. LOSER CAPITALS Ok, they started a kind of sort of tear down and began to put it back together, but are you kidding, A first for Sandin?? He has barel;y been able to maintain in the NHL. Unreal. LOSERS FLAMES AND PANTHERS Huge things were expected from both this year, both are four points out of a spot and running out of time, both coaches are on the hot seat, and both teams did absolutely nothing. If either team had started a tear down i coulda respected it, if either had added i woulda said sure but standing still with stagnant teams made zero sense. zero. LOSER BUFFALO Fighting for a spot, Islanders added, Penguins added, Sabres stood pat. Dont understand this one at all LOSER FLYERS. Unless his ineptitude finally gets management to realize how bad Fletcher s and replaces him, in that case they move to the winner category. LOSER COYOTE FANS (ALL SEVEN OF THEM) The return for Chychrun was solid, three very nice picks but puzzling as everyone expected a young player back but the Coyotes refused to add salary. This franchise is in a non stop rebuild, added Voracek who will never play again to go along with half a dozen others who are also just numbers now and wont ever play again. They are a fraud of an nhl team, i feel sorry for their few fans who have to go to St. Marys school of the blind to watch them play home games with AHL retreads.and when the draft picks mature they will be dealt out as well.

Vrana could end up being a steal for St. Louis. He has always been an incredibly gifted talent the problem is that his million dollar body is ran by a ten cent head. The Blues traded away two top six wingers, it is now or never. Wild got a favorite of mine, Sundqvist blew out both knees and was slow as hell before then, he literally runs on the ice, picking both legs up, he can no longer simply glide, in a league where everyone looks the same his style is glaringly different. that said, he hustles non stop and is a good net front player. Klingberg for nothing much, i like the Wild deadline after thinking they were not making moves after taking salary to help the Leafs get O'Reilly. Oh, plus a second and a fifth for Greenway? Great day. Bonino to the Pens, love it, great reunion player who knows the team and knows his role. The Ritchie brothers traded for each other is really cool, until you realize that neither can really play. Still first time in league history that two brothers were traded for each other. Most total trades, most total players involved within the week of the deadline ever. Fantastic and fun Today sucked but big picture this was a blast, felt almost like my fantasy hockey team watching all the big names going out and coming in.

Been travelling this afternoon, wow what a sh!tshow with JVR. About a half an hur b4 deadline the announcers said the Wings were in on JVR which made zero sense, then Freidman showed what an idiot he is by saying the deal was done then everyone in the world shot that down within five minutes. I was praying to God he was not coming to the Wings, we are already the softest team in Hockey, dont need anyone even softer. My bet is he failed the physical when they discovered he did not have a spleen. As for Fletcher, MacEwen for Lemieux, and Brown for a 6th. How much longer is this idiot gonna run the team into the ground? My God, I live an hour north of Columbus and even fans around here are saying at least we dont have Fletcher...... and this from an organization that gave all the money in the state to Johnny Hockey.

RedWings dealt Vrana to the Blues for a 7th round pick, keeping half his salary for this year and nexy and receive a mid level at best prospect in return. The Wings eating the salary is a big price to pay, but Vrana reminds me of Petr Klima, a former Yzerman teammate in the eighties who partied his way out of Detroit, was along for the ride on an Edmonton cup and then slowly drank his talent away. Stevie saw first hand guys like Klima and Probert and the effect they can have on disrupting a team and setting them back. Its just money, I guess, Glad he is someone elses problem now. Bonino is a former Pen two time champion fantastic fit, 7th consecutive year with at least 10 goals, great faceoff man, fantastic P/K and clubhouse guy, came over for a 3rd and a 5th, another team is involved to make the salary work and is getting one of the picks. San Jose going nowhere, Bonino an UFA at least they got something for a player they were losing anyway.

Nah in order to reach 32 he needs to sign with someone like Anaheim and THEN get traded to Tampa at the deadline, lol. It's a twofer every year that way

Jim Nill has added Max Domi for the Hawks for a second rounder and Khubodin. Still ironing out the final details, one of the Hawks minor league goalies in in the deal as well going to Dallas to give them a body to finish out the AHL season. I read someone say Dylan Wells which makes sense, it likely wont be Jaxson Stauber who won a few in a row earlier in the year with the big club and so some folks consider him a real prospect. Anyway, Domi continues on his quest to play for all 32 teams. Dallas his 6th team in six years and he will be a free agent at years end looking for number 7. And still only 28 years old.

Love Bjugstad since college, he was a man among boys in the big ten in his day. Saw him live against the Buckeyes twice, you always knew when he was on the ice, not just his massive size but his incredible skill. I thought he shoulda been drafted earlier and that Florida got a steal. Turned out he became a good player, nothing more then concussions derailed his career and he has become a shadow of his former self, just a meh player fighting for a league minimum or close to it contract every year in July. He actually has been decent this year in Arizona, not good but decent according to Corsi. He really is not much of a P/K guy, doesnt score enough to play first power play, never developed as a faceoff man so he gets beat more than he wins in the dot. Sounds like i am ripping him, i am not, he is servicable as a 3rd line wing/center who can score a bit and play decent defense. The cost was small, good add for Edmonton.

They had to move Blueger in order to free the mney up to add Granlund from the Preds who is having a down year but should bounce back nicely in the top six likely on a line with Malkin. Blueger is a nice 4th line piece for Vegas tho.

Future in net, lots of health issues but a solid B prospect. Not as good as dostal or wallstedt or askorov, I would rate him with guys like Wolf in Calgary or Devon Levi in buffalo.

Michael Hutchinson is the return, he will now compete with recently acquired Jon Gillies to back up Merzlikens the rest of the way. Both Hutch and Gillies are rumored to have appeared in the NHL at one time or another.

I wonder when he goes in the Hall of Game if Jonathan Quick will have his bust in a Bluejackets sweater or the Kings..... Quick was dealt to a contender in need of goaltending, the Vegas Knights.Logan Thomson has been out a month with rumors swirling about how much longer, Adin Hill has been good. Then bad. Then very good and then very bad. And Laurent Broisoit came back, played two games and is now injured again which is kind of his thing. Vegas hopes that Quick gives a calming veteran presence behind Hill. What could be fun? there is a very real possibility that the Knights and Kings will face each other in the postseason. The two teams do meet on April 6th in Vegas for the first time since the Kings dealt him.

Man the East is simply impossible right now. Pittsburgh added Granlund late last night, again a West player coming East. Tampa added Jeannot and moved Namesnikov out to free salary for another get.Meanwhile in the West Colorado is tweaking with guys like Eller and the Knights are making small moves as well, the Wild added a pair of very ordinary third line wingers the West are like the Washington Generals to the Easts Harlem Globetrotters, lol

The Bertuzzi era in Motown is done, he has been shipped off to Boston for a pair of picks Boston receives a solid player who will fit in nicely in the middle six on a line with Taylor Hall and Charlie Coyle. He brings skill and most important, grit, he along with Hathaway and Orlov play a hard heavy intelligent game, they got the perfect player for the postseason with the Wings retaining half the salary. The Wings get a first in 2024 and a 2025 4th. Nice add in a first for a player who has been injured literally for years missing 20 games or more nearly every year. Boston made this work within cap constraints by placing Taylor Hall on LTIR with something that will undoubtedly be deemed cured and all better right before the postseason as he bathes in the river in Lourdes and receives a miracle cure from capitis, same place Kucherov went a few years ago it worked wonders on him. I cannot lie, i have never been a big fan of Bertuzzi, i always felt there was more to be got out of him and feel that in spite of a rep as a hard working player he doesnt always bring his A game. Perhaps being traded to a legit cup contender, even the cup favorite with up his game to where he is worth the cost of a first and a fourth.

I watch a fair share of big ten hockey, Michigan is of course the prize program, i like the kid, he is a MONSTER, six five, six six, something along those lines and moves way to quick for someone his size. If the Kings can get his name on a contract he absolutely looks like an NHL prospect, something they do not have in the pipeline. Really surprised Buffalo couldnt get anything worked out.

Let me tell ya, i am a huge wing fan, everyone knows that, but i really, REALLY love what they are building in Ottawa. It was frsutrating for me as a Wings fan to watch the boys out played, outhit, out hustled, and ran out of the building two nights in a row to Ottawa essentially snuffing out the playoff hopes for the Wings. But man, in a game that has gotten softer the Senators can hit and hurt you or skate with you, you pick the style and they can beat you at it. So fun to watch. If they get goaltending they are a legit contender as soon as now. Sogaard is not the answer but not bad, Talbot is just a stop gap, i doubt they can address it until the offseason but man they are building something fun up there.

If this is seriously all the return, i am at a loss. Reproted that Chychrun after a year of rumors was dealt to the Senators for a first (top five protected) a first next year and a second next year. Dont get me wrong, nice return, deep draft more kicks at the can, hell the Coyotes have like a million picks now over the next two drafts to where when they finally have a barn to play in and are no longer playing in some high school gym somewhere that they sprayed downa nd froze over they might actually be good. The thing is, Armstrong the GM has been amphatic he wanted a ready now prospect and picks at the least, if this is all he got i think it coulda been done a long time ago. I think the Wings deal with Hronek was to try to get in on Chychrun but Ottawa finalized their deal first. Great add for Ottawa, love to see it, they now have Chabot, Sanderson and Chychrun as a damn fine core on the back end. Great deal for Ottawa Solid return for Arizona but a puzzling one

Shayne Gostisbehere was dealt a few minutes ago to the Hurricanes for a third round pick. He is having a damn fine year in the desert, quite frankly i am surprised all that he brought was a third, Hronek, a very similar player was dealt at the exact same moment to Vancouver for a first and a second so it seems Carolina got a nice add for a minimal investment. Carolina has one of the nicest and deepest collection of defensively responsible skilled defensive groups in the NHL they brought in Brent Burns to QB PP1, Ghost should QB the second power play and paired with a defensively sound partner should be a nice get.

Straight outta left field..... Filip Hronek is a nice puck moving defender who has long had a rep for trying to do too much with the puck and coughing it up giving up odd man rushes the other way, this year he seems to have found the perfect defensive partner and is having a damn fine season, and is signed for two more years on a very team friendly deal. Out of nowhere the Wings traded him to Vancouver for the Islanders first rounder that Vancouver got in the Horvat deal as well as a second rounder next year. Absolutely a stunner. When we signed Walman to a three year deal, i thought about it, it gave us five defenders with term on the back end Seider Maatta Hronek Walman Chiarot All locked up for at least two years, most longer. Edvinsson will join the club next year for a locked in starting six, honestly, i have been debating if it is enough to contend with that group and keep going round and round. Moving out Hronek feels like part of a bigger deal. The irony would be if we get Chychrun from the Coyotes, ironic because it was the trading Datsyuks final year of his contract to Arizona and trading picks with them that landed Chychrun in Arizona and Hronek came to Detroit as the second rounder we got back in the same deal. Yzerman is making his move, I would not be surprised if Chychrun comes aboard with some of the futures we just added, if so, along with Edvinsson yes, it would be a no douby playoff quality defense. Hate to see Hronek go, he has been a lot of fun, yes he is a turnover machine but there have been years where he is literally the only one on our back end who can carry the puck at all. God luck in Vancouver.

Finally. Dylan Larkin has the security he has earned and will remain in Detroit with an 8 year deal with an AAV of 8.7 million per. I heard one talking head a few minutes ago stating it will have a full no move clause but i have not confirmed that. Yzerman is not big on giving out full no move deals, so that part i am not sure of yet. Glad it is done. Wallman a few days ago, Maatta a week or two before that. Still work to be done with our own free agents but man, this one is a huge relief to see it finally done.

The Capitals continue to stock up on draft picks, sending long time 3C Lars Eller to the Avalanche a few minutes ago for a 2nd round pick in 2025. I like Eller, quite a lot in fact, 3rd or 4th line centre, can kill a penalty with the best of them, had one of the biggest goals in Capitals history when they won the cup, can still score a bit and knows his role. He stays in his lane, is known as a great clubhouse guy with a solid sense of self deprecating humor, he is right out of central casting replacing the long term injured Darren Helm. Slotting into the 3C role behind the emerging JT Compher, he will provide a veteran leadership on a team full of veteran leaders. Great add. That said, i love it as well for Washington, granted the pick in three years down the road but a second for a UFA at years end who will be 34 by next season, he was not returning to Washington. Getting a second was as much as they could have hoped for. Great deal for both teams.

Agreed. It even happened to Brodeur. Lots others. I will always remember him in a Kings uniform and probably wont remember who he finishes his career with unless he goes on some crazy playoff run for the Cats or the Flames or whoever he ends up with. Brodeurs five minutes with the Blues were forgotten as fast as they occured. Just the nature of the game, painful at the time sometimes but when if he had contributed anything he would still be there. I read the Kings veteran core is upset but lets see how they feel if Gavrikov comes in as a steadying influence and Korpi wins four in a row. Nature of the game.

He hasn't been quick for four years. Cbj will flip him retaining salary for a 5th or 6th by Friday probably to Florida. Five quality starts down the stretch with rest in between might be possible.

Lousy way to dump an icon but youth must be served. Of course Copley is 31 and korpisalo is 29 in a month. Cbj gets a first, gavrikov is an average second pair stay at home guy and korpisalo is having an ok, no good but ok year following two consecutive really really lousy bordering on putrid seasons. IMHO great deal for cbj, the kings are slightly better but I would have rather had Reimer or Talbot or one of half a dozen more. I like gavrikov the way you like Matt Roy or any of the rest of the unsung boring average defense the kings throw out nightly. I think they could a gotten better assets but maybe nobody else was willing to take the no longer Quick I don't see the kings as being more than maybe a tiny bit better today than yesterday

And one last thought on this one, if Nashville finds a taker for Barrie retaining salary but adding a prospect/decent pick, it is not only a win for Nashville but a slam dunk.

I would like the deal for Edmonton a LOT more if they had been the one who added Gustafsson and his power play abilities instead of Toronto. I look at the offensive abilities of the Oiler defenseman now and dont fear any of them. Nurse, Bouchard, Ekholm can all offer a bit and all are much better rounded than Barrie but none are close to the same class offensively. I would rather have Ekholm as well for the long term but someone has to QB the power play. I dont believe it is Ekholm, Bouchard is to young, Nurse is a fun player but it is not his game. they now have a glaring weakness on the point. If it was one for one, sure, i could see the reason for it but giving up last years first rounder plus a first and fourth, i give the edge to Nashville. More than an edge, i think they are the clear cut winner.