Steven’s Hockey Corner
June 26th, 2006 | by Steven M |An interesting time for NHL fans is approaching. Free Agency begins this Saturday, July 1.
Some stars will change teams, which helps build excitement for the upcoming season.
Already a number of trades have occurred. Check into Steven’s Hockey Corner for irregular updates!
The big one over the weekend was Roberto Luongo, Panthers G, going to Vancouver for Bertuzzi, the power forward nee pugilist. This is a good move for both teams, as Florida also gets Alex Auld, a capable G stuck behind the hard luck case that is Dan Cloutier. Bertuzzi will never be the same, but perhaps a change of scenery will help him as it did for Dany Heatly.
Three other medium-sized trades went down this weekend.
The Flames got Alex Tanguay in exchange for D Jordan Leopold. Pretty close to a wash, based on my opinion that D-men can’t be gauged by numbers alone. Leopold led the Calgary D in the Cup run 2 years ago. It remains to be seen if Tanguay can perform without stars like Sakic and Forsberg feeding him the puck.
Toronto Maple Leafs got goalie Andrew Raycroft from Boston. A good move, as they gave up only a G prospect. He won the Calder in 2004, but was 3rd on the depth chart this season in Boston. The new brass in Toronto pulled off a fast one!
Minnesota Wild got forward Pavol Demitra from Los Angeles, for a minor leaguer and a 1st round pick in Saturday’s draft. Good for the youth movement in LA, and good for the scoring drought in Minnesota. Demitra is only 31, but can he improve on his 62 points in the defensive system there?
The Oilers have NINE unrestricted free agents pending, including stars Pronger and Roloson. It is highly unlikely that they will repeat this year’s run.
Red Wings tidbit:
Pavel Datsyuk won the Lady Byng trophy, for gentlemanly play. What more proof do they need that he is not tough enough for a playoff run?
Lidstrom won the Norris trophy for the 4th time in 5 seasons. He is, in my esteemed opinion, the best defenseman since Bobby Orr. Except for Ray Bourque.
2 Responses to “Steven’s Hockey Corner”
By Mark Wiley on Jun 26, 2006 | Reply
Couple of comments…
1.) I have a buddy who is a HUGE Bruins fan. Needless to say he has not answered my repeated emails and voice messages since Thornton won the MVP (Thornton was the star of the Bruins, was horribly under-performing. Gets traded to San Jose mid way last year in a blockbuster and suddenly becomes the MVP. Astounding).
2.) “Pavel Datsyuk won the Lady Byng trophy, for gentlemanly play. What more proof do they need that he is not tough enough for a playoff run?” - Excellent analysis! Never thought of it that way.
3.) “…based on my opinion that D-men can’t be gauged by numbers alone.” - BAH! This sounds like career justification to me!
Stay at HOME!
4.) “Lidstrom won the Norris trophy for the 4th time in 5 seasons. He is, in my esteemed opinion, the best defenseman since Bobby Orr. Except for Ray Bourque. ” - BOLD statement. Not that he is the best since Orr, but that your opinion is esteemed. Just kidding. This is a bold statement that I will have to think about, I resist because he is Swedish and a member of the Red Wings.
Great update, keep us posted…
By Steven on Jun 26, 2006 | Reply
The Bruins organization has been in shambles for years. The blinding nepotism kept them from improving their front office.
Your friend may (or may not!) be happy to hear that former Wing Dave Lewis and former Leaf Pat Quinn have both interviewed for the coaching job in Beantown.
Chris Pronger has ASKED to be traded - for “unspecific personal reasons.” This is just ODD.
Cool feedback, Mark. It is always stenogenic - induces/creates writing - as our editor will attest to.