NHL Trade Deadline Thoughts

Believe it or not, we are now less than a month away from the NHL trading deadline. Just some of my thoughts.

-The Senators have made up some ground in what looked like a lost playoff chase since firing Coach Craig Hartsburg, but all signs point to this surge as being too little too late. I'm sure owner Eugene Melnyk wants to assess the team's playoff chances all the way up until the trade deadline, but I believe the Senators would be better served just calling this a lost season. Antoine Vermette has been on the trading block for a while now, but the Senators would be doing a half-assed rebuilding job if only Vermette was traded at the deadline. As tough as it might be to find takers for Jason Spezza and his sizable contract especially in this market, the Senators would be gipping their fan base if they don't seriously shop him around the league. For a player who was once rumored to be a piece in bringing Roberto Luongo from Vancouver to Ottawa, the Senators know they could get a sizable haul in return for Spezza. 

-Not surprised at all by Michel Therien's firing in Pittsburgh. It was well understood very early on when the Penguins showed they weren't of the same calibur of last year's team, that if they missed the playoffs, Therien would be gone.

 The Penguins seem to be catching some breaks. It appears the Rangers and Canadiens are intent on  giving the Penguins as many chances to get back in the playoff race as possible. But for the Penguins to ask Malkin and Crosby to be even better than they have been this year is unlikely, because at this point thats the Penguin's only hope for Hockey in late April.

The last thing GM Ray Shero should be doing for the Penguins at the deadline is looking to pick up a rental Sniper like a Marian Gaborik to play on a line with either Malkin or Crosby. The Penguins should at least dangle Jordan Staal at the deadline. He's still in his rookie contract so he's a real bargain that will be easy to move with a very large return. Staal and the Penguins still have not seriously talked extension yet, because it's still very much a numbers game with Staal. Staal is best as a Centerman, but because of the two wunderkinds ahead of him, cannot crack the top six forward realm. If the Penguins were to sign Staal to an extension it would be a very expensive luxury for the team to have a player the calibur of Staal to get Checking Line Center ice time. Shero needs to put Staal on the trading block for the deadline when Stanley Cup dreams can make clubs shortsighted. Either that or place him back on the block before the draft so a bargaining war can be drawn out by other clubs.

-GM Brian Burke really wishes his Maple Leafs would stop dragging out their playoff fate. Burke sure wouldn't want Leaf's nation getting any delusions of the playoffs that could set up a P.R. annoyance when Burke tries to trade some high cost Leafs at the deadline. This overachieving Leaf's team has already made their chances at getting the number one draft pick remote, where they almost certainly would've drafted the London Knight's C John Tavares. Now if this Leaf's team plays the same way they played on saturday scoring a 6-2 win over Pittsburgh, Burke will be torn. 'Course, if the Leaf's had been as bad as expected, a guy like Dominic Moore wouldn't be playing as well thus keeping his trade value low.

I may be over-exaggerating the problem here for Toronto. It's not like if they trade a Moore or Nikolai Antropov at the deadline while still possessing a shot at the playoffs, means they'll sell less season tickets next year. Those are gonna' be sold either way. But this I do know: Burke would have just as soon liked to have seen this team be the worst in hockey rather than make a meaningless early playoff exit.

-D Jay Bouwmeester is not coming back to Florida. CBC'S Pierre Lebrun just reported Bouwmeester's camp turned down a $6.5 million a year deal from the team. He also reported that Florida would only trade Bouwmeester if they could get back parts that would help them currently in the playoff race. An Alexander Semin for Jay Bouwmeester deal was rumored a couple of weeks ago that would bring Bouwmeester to the Capital's, but that deal seemed unlikely even at the time. The Flyers and Devils are also in the mix. However the Flyers are right up against the Salary cap, so my preliminary guess for Bouwmeester's destination is New Jersey, who are one of the few contenders in good salary cap shape.