As those who don't live under rocks (or south of the 49th parallel) assuredly know already, Tuesday was the NHL trade deadline. They should go ahead and declare it a national holiday already: it makes much more sense than "Family Day", and everyone knows no self-respecting Canadian actually got any work done during the day(particularly because TSN streamed their trade deadline coverage online and got over a million streaming viewers). In fact, James Duthie referred to the day as "Canada's Unofficial National Holiday." Anyways, plenty of interesting deadline deals went down. Far better minds than I, including Stephen Brunt, Tim Wharnsby and James Mirtle, have extensively analyzed what went down. There's one team that I thought deserved special attention for their moves, though: the always-dangerous Colorado Avalanche, who added Peter Forsberg, Adam Foote and Ruslan Salei, but didn't even make Wharnsby's list of deadline winners.
The Forsberg signing wasn't technically a trade, and also wasn't technically at the deadline because it happened yesterday: it still represents an important shift in the Western Conference balance of power. In many ways, this one might have been responsible for kickstarting the flood of talent from East to West, which would go on to reach pre-Berlin Wall proportions (or NBA-esque proportions, if you prefer). Colorado goes from on the margins to make the playoffs to likely to squeeze in, and very few teams would like to face them in the first round. This lineup has offensive firepower to spare, as facing the likes of Sakic, Forsberg, Smyth, Hejduk and Stasny would give most netminders nightmares. They're weaker on the defensive side, but still have some good talent there in the likes of John-Michael Liles (aside: I was definitely expecting Jean-Michel from Quebec when I first heard of this guy, not John-Michael from Indiana), Scott Hannan and Jordan Leopold. The questions surrounding this team are defensive depth and goaltending. They did a bit to address the first question by reclaiming Adam Foote from Columbus, and thus launching the "Avalanche Reunion Tour: Remember When They Were Good?". Too bad Rob Blake and Alex Tanguay didn't get the memo (to say nothing of St. Patrick himself).
Rusty Salei also isn't a bad pickup: I wasn't a big fan of this deal at first, as I like Karlis Skrastins quite a bit: however, the always-insightful Eric Duhatschek reminds us that Salei's a good defensive defenceman who has been chewing up the minutes in Florida and was a key component in Anaheim's 2003 run to the finals. However, goaltending is what's going to hurt this team: in my mind, neither Peter Budaj or Jose Theodore is good enough to get the Avs too far. Tampa Bay proved that you can win with just sheer offense though, so there's always the chance Colorado can sing from that particular hymmnal.
I was watching the new-look Avalanche last night against the Canucks, and I was pretty impressed by what I saw. Foote brings a lot more to this team than many give him credit for: he's a great defensive defenseman who's been toiling in obscurity in Columbus, and those are the toughest type of player to recognize by the regular stats alone (plus/minus, the only common stat that even addresses defensive play, is heavily dependent on teammates and goaltending). He clearly wants to be in Colorado, too, which is always a bonus: he not only waived his no-trade clause, but jumped a quick flight to Calgary Tuesday and joined the Avalanche midway through the first period. Despite his first shift starting at 16:07 of the frame, he went on to eat up 18:30 of ice time, and helped lead the team to a crucial overtime win against a division rival. That's impressive when a 36-year old defenceman can play that much in just over two minutes, despite arriving late. He brings an energy and an enthusiasm this team can surely use.
Foote and Salei were both quite effective last night against the Canucks as well, and the Avalanche were impressive all night long. They played good defense as a whole, tested Roberto Luongo early and often, and Theodore showed flashes of his old brilliance at times. They didn't panic after Alex Burrows gave Vancouver the lead with only two minutes to go, and Burnaby Joe came through in the clutch, scoring the tying marker with only 15 seconds left (with an assist from Salei). Once they get Forsberg back, they'll be a serious playoff contender, and the Canucks will undoubtably be battling them down the stretch. It would be perfect if the Avalanche finish seventh or eighth, setting up another epic post-season clash with Detroit: the NHL could sorely use a rekindled rivalry of that sort, made even more epic by the addition of players like Foote and Forsberg who were there for the old battles. No matter where they finish, no one will want to play them in the first round.
Related: Alanah has a great post on how the old-look Avalanche have rekindled interest in Northwest Division hockey, especially among Canucks fans. Also, apparently the reason Forsberg didn't play last night was immigration issues: those border types need to start recognizing the importance of hockey!
One other note on a trade the Canucks should have made and tried to make, but couldn't pull off:
Dallas snags Richards
This is a big move. Dallas, which looked to be in tough in the playoffs against Western powerhouses Detroit and Anaheim, all of a sudden gets a huge offensive upgrade in Brad Richards. Sure, he's been inconsistent this season, but he's also been playing with some pretty terrible wingers on Tampa's second line: as a top-line centre, he should improve dramatically. Dallas' defense and goaltending will also help cover for his defensive mistakes. The Stars didn't lose that much in this deal either: Mike Smith looks to be a pretty good goalie, but they have a better one in Turco, and snagging Johan Holmqvist from the Lightning should give them a capable backup. Jussi Jokinen is a good two-way player and a great shootout specialist, but there aren't any shootouts in the playoffs. Losing Jeff Halpern isn't too significant in my mind either. The nice thing about this one is they didn't give up too much of their future in terms of can't-miss prospects or draft picks. Sure, Dallas will be on the hook for Richards' massive salary, but if the cap keeps rising, it might not look so bad (also, if Thomas Vanek, Daniel Briere and Mike Richards can make similar numbers in this new market, Richards doesn't seem as horrendously overpaid anymore). I bet the Canucks wish they made this deal, but they just didn't have the pieces: Tampa GM Jay Feaster seems to have wanted a goalie with NHL experience, and Vancouver didn't have any to offer (except maybe Curtis Sanford). Apparently, Nonis put in quite a hefty offer for Richards though, which is certainly interesting.
Showing posts with label Peter Forsberg. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Peter Forsberg. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Sunday, January 20, 2008
To Swede, or not to Swede (and if so, which Swede?)
There's lots of discussion going on in Canuck Nation at the moment regarding Hockey Night in Canada panelist Al Strachan's suggestion last night that Mats Sundin may be headed to Vancouver. It's certainly an intriguing notion: the Canucks' major weakness is a lack of deep, consistent scoring, which Sundin would certainly provide. However, given that he's likely to only be a rent-a-player and wind up back in Toronto next season, the question is if he's worth the steep price the Leafs will certainly demand. My thinking is he is, but only if two conditions are met: first, that Vancouver's playing well enough that his addition would be enough to push them over the top into the realm of serious Cup contenders, and second, that the Canucks don't have to mortgage their entire future to grab him.
The first condition seems to be a bit of an iffy proposition at the moment, as the Canucks haven't played consistently lately. After falling behind to Detroit, one of the best teams in the league, they mounted an incredible comeback and only lost in a shootout. However, they then fell 4-3 Saturday to the Los Angeles Kings, one of the worst teams in the league, on Hockey Night in Canada. The Canucks seemed to catch fire later in the game, and easily could have tied it with chances like the one Ryan Kesler had with less than a minute left: however, as Kesler himself said, they never should have been down that far.
"We seemed to be all over them at the beginning, but for us to be down 3-0 to the last-place team in our conference is inexcusable for us," Kesler told Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province.
A positive that can be taken from the game was the Canucks' generation of offensive chances: however, their defensive play that has stood out for most of the year was noticeably absent. They'll need to find a way to get both to click simultaneously, and on a consistent basis, if they want to be a serious contender. Interestingly enough, this condition is necessary for more than one reason: not only do the Canucks need to be able to challenge for the Stanley Cup to have a Sundin trade approach the realms of rationality for the organization, but they'll likely need to be in contention in order to have Sundin consider it, due to his no-trade clause.
On Condition II: it's uncertain what the market would require, so this is hard to discuss at the moment. I would certainly jump at the scenario Sportsnet hockey analyst and former Leaf GM Gord Stellick proposed in Rick Westhead's Jan. 9 Toronto Star article: swapping Sundin straight up for Cory Schneider, Mason Raymond and Taylor Ellington. This is nice because Schneider isn't that incredibly valuable to a Canucks team that will live and die on Roberto Luongo's play (and has also been getting strong backup play from Curtis Sanford). Drew MacIntyre has also shown himself to be a good prospect, and has been actually outplaying Schneider so far this year from what I understand, making Schneider a very expendable prospect (but one the goaltending-troubled Leafs might be interested in). Losing Raymond and Ellington would hurt a bit more, but many would happily give up both for a chance to win the Cup: this scenario also allows the Canucks to retain their draft pick this year, a good move considering that this draft is supposed to be very deep. However, my guess is that John Ferguson Jr. (or his successor) would want more for Mats, including picks.
Perhaps a better option is lurking out there in Peter Forsberg. Zanstrom wrote that Forsberg claims to be completely healthy and might be a possibility for the Canucks. If so, the Canucks would be a great fit for him, due to both Swedish ties and potential to contend. They also have enough cap space (especially if Morrison's injury turns out to be longer-term) to make Forsberg a decent offer. His injury problems notwithstanding, this is a gamble the Canucks should try. If it fails and Foppa gets hurt, all they've lost is a chance to make a run this year, rather than pieces of their future.
Related:
- Alanah's take on the Sundin/Forsberg situation
- Zanstrom's thoughts
Other links of the day:
Hockey
- Tom Benjamin's take on the Toronto situation
- James Mirtle on the records teams will need to get into the playoffs
Soccer
- The always-inspiring Uli Hesse-Lichtenburger of ESPN Soccernet has a great piece on how media oversensationalize even the most routine goals
- Stephen Brunt's take on the possible split between Liverpool owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr (originally with the great headline "Doomed to Walk Alone")
- Brunt's compatriot Ben Knight of the Globe and Mail on Kevin Keegan's return to Tyneside
- Soccernet has Hicks denying the split
- A piece I wrote for my Journal blog about the Premier League title race
CIS
- Neate Sager has some interesting thoughts over at The CIS Blog about the NCAA situation
- Speaking of the NCAA: my long-in-the-making piece for the Journal on the situation appeared on Friday: I'll have more on it both here and in Tuesday's Journal
- Mark Wacyk of cishoops.ca on U of T's recent win over the Gaels in CIS basketball
- Sager again on his personal blog, talking about the weekend that was in CIS hockey and basketball
Football
- Bill Simmons' always entertaining mailbag and picks
- Brunt again on the Patriots' triumph over San Diego
Baseball
- Sager with Brunt's thoughts on why he didn't submit a Hall of Fame ballot: very interesting stuff. I admire Brunt for taking a stand for what he believes, but as Sager points out, it's a shame he's not voting while far lesser minds are
- Jeff Blair on an interesting clause in Scott Rolen's contract
- Blair's globesports.com colleague Larry Millson has a nice retrospective on John McHale, the former Montreal Expos
president who died Thursday
The first condition seems to be a bit of an iffy proposition at the moment, as the Canucks haven't played consistently lately. After falling behind to Detroit, one of the best teams in the league, they mounted an incredible comeback and only lost in a shootout. However, they then fell 4-3 Saturday to the Los Angeles Kings, one of the worst teams in the league, on Hockey Night in Canada. The Canucks seemed to catch fire later in the game, and easily could have tied it with chances like the one Ryan Kesler had with less than a minute left: however, as Kesler himself said, they never should have been down that far.
"We seemed to be all over them at the beginning, but for us to be down 3-0 to the last-place team in our conference is inexcusable for us," Kesler told Ben Kuzma of the Vancouver Province.
A positive that can be taken from the game was the Canucks' generation of offensive chances: however, their defensive play that has stood out for most of the year was noticeably absent. They'll need to find a way to get both to click simultaneously, and on a consistent basis, if they want to be a serious contender. Interestingly enough, this condition is necessary for more than one reason: not only do the Canucks need to be able to challenge for the Stanley Cup to have a Sundin trade approach the realms of rationality for the organization, but they'll likely need to be in contention in order to have Sundin consider it, due to his no-trade clause.
On Condition II: it's uncertain what the market would require, so this is hard to discuss at the moment. I would certainly jump at the scenario Sportsnet hockey analyst and former Leaf GM Gord Stellick proposed in Rick Westhead's Jan. 9 Toronto Star article: swapping Sundin straight up for Cory Schneider, Mason Raymond and Taylor Ellington. This is nice because Schneider isn't that incredibly valuable to a Canucks team that will live and die on Roberto Luongo's play (and has also been getting strong backup play from Curtis Sanford). Drew MacIntyre has also shown himself to be a good prospect, and has been actually outplaying Schneider so far this year from what I understand, making Schneider a very expendable prospect (but one the goaltending-troubled Leafs might be interested in). Losing Raymond and Ellington would hurt a bit more, but many would happily give up both for a chance to win the Cup: this scenario also allows the Canucks to retain their draft pick this year, a good move considering that this draft is supposed to be very deep. However, my guess is that John Ferguson Jr. (or his successor) would want more for Mats, including picks.
Perhaps a better option is lurking out there in Peter Forsberg. Zanstrom wrote that Forsberg claims to be completely healthy and might be a possibility for the Canucks. If so, the Canucks would be a great fit for him, due to both Swedish ties and potential to contend. They also have enough cap space (especially if Morrison's injury turns out to be longer-term) to make Forsberg a decent offer. His injury problems notwithstanding, this is a gamble the Canucks should try. If it fails and Foppa gets hurt, all they've lost is a chance to make a run this year, rather than pieces of their future.
Related:
- Alanah's take on the Sundin/Forsberg situation
- Zanstrom's thoughts
Other links of the day:
Hockey
- Tom Benjamin's take on the Toronto situation
- James Mirtle on the records teams will need to get into the playoffs
Soccer
- The always-inspiring Uli Hesse-Lichtenburger of ESPN Soccernet has a great piece on how media oversensationalize even the most routine goals
- Stephen Brunt's take on the possible split between Liverpool owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr (originally with the great headline "Doomed to Walk Alone")
- Brunt's compatriot Ben Knight of the Globe and Mail on Kevin Keegan's return to Tyneside
- Soccernet has Hicks denying the split
- A piece I wrote for my Journal blog about the Premier League title race
CIS
- Neate Sager has some interesting thoughts over at The CIS Blog about the NCAA situation
- Speaking of the NCAA: my long-in-the-making piece for the Journal on the situation appeared on Friday: I'll have more on it both here and in Tuesday's Journal
- Mark Wacyk of cishoops.ca on U of T's recent win over the Gaels in CIS basketball
- Sager again on his personal blog, talking about the weekend that was in CIS hockey and basketball
Football
- Bill Simmons' always entertaining mailbag and picks
- Brunt again on the Patriots' triumph over San Diego
Baseball
- Sager with Brunt's thoughts on why he didn't submit a Hall of Fame ballot: very interesting stuff. I admire Brunt for taking a stand for what he believes, but as Sager points out, it's a shame he's not voting while far lesser minds are
- Jeff Blair on an interesting clause in Scott Rolen's contract
- Blair's globesports.com colleague Larry Millson has a nice retrospective on John McHale, the former Montreal Expos
president who died Thursday
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
