Centre Nazem Kadri Will Make NHL Debut Tonight For Leafs
Posted by Derek in NHL News, NHL Opinion, NHL Rumors on February 8th, 2010 7:53 pm
“Centre Nazem Kadri will make his NHL debut for the Toronto Maple Leafs tonight.
The 19-year-old was called up on an emergency basis as Christian Hanson and Fredrik Sjostrom will both be sitting out with the flu.
Kadri has 26 goals and 40 assists in 42 games with the OHL’s London Knights this season.
The London, Ontario native was drafted seventh overall by the Maple Leafs in the first round of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.” (Source:TSN)
It’s been an interesting week for the Toronto Maple Leafs and with Nazem Kadri making his NHL debut tonight, it’s going to get even more interesting with many in Leafs Nation holding their collective breath…
Kadri is the prized prospect in the Leafs system and as much as fans are anxious to see him with the big club, there’s a danger in putting 167 pound, 19 year old rookie on the ice with the big boys.
Kadri was pretty ordinary at the World Junior Championships and the impression many had was that he seemed dis-interested and somewhat undisciplined. That kind of play won’t be tolerated at the pro level, but it’s safe to say that his interest should be focused tonight.
I’m not suggesting that 1 game will set the tone for his entire career but there is comfort in ignorance regarding a players potential, and the days of romancing about the future of Nazem Kadri is coming to an abrupt end in Leaf land…
Bob Gainey Stepping Down as Montreal Canadiens GM
In an odd move in my opinion, Bob Gainey will be stepping down as GM of the Montreal Canadiens, a press conference will take place at 4 pm. Assistant GM, Pierre Gauthier will be taking over in an interim basis.
Gainey has been the GM of the Canadiens since 2003.
What I find odd about this, is that the Canadiens are sitting 6th in the Eastern Conference. They are not struggling, 5-3-2 in their last 10. There must be some personal reasons behind this
Blackhawks interested in Parros and Wisniewski, Goaltending situation in Dallas, Lehtonen back in Atlanta
Posted by Mark in NHL Injuries, NHL Rumors on February 8th, 2010 9:57 am
Niclas Wallin Traded to San Jose
Posted by Mark in NHL News, NHL Trades on February 7th, 2010 6:44 pm
In a strange turn of events, Niclas Wallin has agreed to waive his ‘no-trade’ clause for the San Jose Sharks. A couple days ago, Wallin wouldn’t waive the no-trade to go to San Jose.
The Carolina Hurricanes sent Wallin and a 2010 5th round pick to the San Jose Sharks for 2010 2nd round pick.
Wallin has played in 47 games this year, recording 5 assists, 26 penalty minutes and is a -5. In 517 career games, he’s recored 69 points and 391 penalty minutes.
The move gives the Sharks some added depth on their blueline.
Hockey Night In Canada’s “Hotstove” video
Posted by Derek in NHL Free Agents, NHL News, NHL Opinion, NHL Trades, NHL Videos on February 7th, 2010 11:41 am
Every week during the second intermission of the CBC’s Hockey Night In Canada broadcast, they regularly have their “Hotstove” (Source:CBC.ca) segment, where trades and trade rumors are discussed. In last night’s edition they analyzed the Ilya Kovalchuk trade by Don Waddell of the Atlanta Thrashers to the New Jersey Devils.
The discussion was between host Ron MacLean, Pierre LeBrun, and Elliotte Friedman in studio with Mike Milbury via satellite from Washington.
The very fact that the CBC uses the opinion’s of Mike Milbury as an “expert” voice based on his previous role as GM of the New York Islanders is a joke in my eyes.
Here’s a quick summary of “Mad Mike Milbury” and his handy work with Ilses.. (Source: Wikipedia.com)
“He is a well-known figure in the National Hockey League for his controversial (and often quotable) style, as well as for his penchant for blockbuster trades.
During several of the years that Milbury served as Islanders GM, the team’s ownership mandated that he operate the team on an austere budget. In 1999 he was forced to trade star scorer Zigmund Palffy because team owners no longer wanted to pay his multi-million dollar contract.
However, Milbury has also been criticized for the many decisions he made in which payroll or orders for upper management were not factors. Many young players and prospects that Milbury traded away went on to have distinguished careers, often eclipsing those of the players he received in return. He has traded away defensemen Zdeno Chara, Wade Redden, Bryan Berard, Eric Brewer, Darius Kasparaitis, and Bryan McCabe; goalies Roberto Luongo and Tommy Salo, as well as forwards Olli Jokinen, Todd Bertuzzi, Tim Connolly, and Raffi Torres. Milbury has also come under fire for his draft day decisions such as choosing Rick DiPietro first overall in 2000 over Dany Heatley and Marian Gaborik; as well as his decision to include the 2001 second overall draft pick (Jason Spezza) as part of the Alexei Yashin trade.
In June 2006, Milbury stepped down as Islanders GM to accept a position as Senior Vice President of Charles Wang’s sports holdings. In an appearance on Mike and the Mad Dog, Wang did not challenge a suggestion from the hosts that he “fired” Milbury. Milbury resigned from his Senior VP job in May 2007. He said that he missed making hockey-related decisions and would be open to a hockey operations job in another organization.”
You have to realize that this is television after all, and Mike does have a loud opinion. It’s no accident that he usually goes first with his out-spoken opinions, only to be slammed down by the rest of the panel. You can see for yourself around the 2:10 mark when LeBrun says “my opinion probably doesn’t matter, I wasn’t a GM like you Mike…” and you can see Friedman snickering at the sarcasm, just like the rest of us were snickering at home at the back-handed insult.
It really doesn’t matter what point Milbury’s trying to make or how legit it might be, I always find myself opposed to his opinion, like somehow I’ll find myself guilty of trading away all that youth in the Isle by association.
That said, I think he was trying to say that Waddel waited to long, essentially limiting Kovalchuk to being a rental player to prospective trade partners. I’m not sure what difference it would’ve made if he made the deal in August vs February, being as EVERYONE KNOWS that regardless of where Ilya Kovalchuk is playing come July 1st, HE WILL test free agency to try and maximize his profits, making him a rental player no matter what Don Waddell did or didn’t do.
Personally, I found it surprising that Lou Lamoriello of the New Jersey Devils would make a deal for a rental player, it’s not really his style, but he really didn’t give up much considering the potential impact a guy like Kovalchuk could provide for the Devils. On the other hand, if you take a look at Kovalchuk’s playoff record (which is limited of course) he has played in 4 games, all loses, with 1 goal and 2 points total.
I think we’ll have to wait and see if Ilya Kovalchuk can produce for the Devils in the playoffs before we can really say who got the better of this deal or what mistakes were made, Milbury’s opinion not withstanding.
Tim Thomas on the Block? What the Kings offered for Kovalchuk, Price the odd man out? More Injuries for the Red Wings
Posted by Mark in NHL Injuries, NHL News, NHL Rumors on February 7th, 2010 11:31 am
- Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun:
- Boston has held talks with teams who are looking for goaltender. The 35 year old Tim Thomas has a no-movement clause, and has a $5 million cap hit until 2011-12. Chicago could be interested, but would have to bury Huet in the minors or find a trade partner for him. The Stars, Blues and Blue Jackets could be interested, though the price would be steep. Garrioch thinks they’d be able to get a top 6 forward, top 4 defenseman, and a backup goalie.
- The Kings offered Alexander Frolov, Teddy Purcell and a 2nd round pick for Kovalchuk, Waddell wanted Jack Johnson.
- Oilers GM Steve Tambellini tried to make the Kovalchuk sweepstakes in to a 3 way deal, offering Horcoff, Souray and Visnovsky as part of any package.
- The Blackhawks would like to get Jaroslav Halak, but it might look like Price is the odd man out.
- There could be up to 15 teams calling about Ray Whitney. The Penguins, Rangers, Flyers, Senators, Flames and Canucks will be interested.
- San Jose is looking for another Dman, after the Wallin trade fell through.
- Pierre LeBrun of ESPN:
- The Blues and Flyers were in running for Ilya Kovalchuk. The Thrashers wanted T.J. Oshie as part of the package, the Blues wouldn’t budge on that. Wadell wanted either James van Riemsdyk or Claude Giroux to be included.
- Ray Whitney and Niclas Wallin used their no-trade clause to nix deals to the Kings and Sharks as they both didn’t get the contract extension they wanted. Whitney wants 3 years, the Kings offered 1. They might be able meet half way at 2 years. (During HockeyCentral last night on Sportsnet, they said that Whitney could be looking for 2 years, at over $10 million.)
- Marek Svatos is still be shopped around. His cap number is $2.05 million.
- Barry Rozner of the Daily Herald: The Blackhawks and Ducks could be looking at a Cam Barker for James Wisniewski deal. Wisniewski is a RFA after season, and is making $2.75 million this year. Barker is at $3.1 for another 2 years.
- Steve Gorten of the Sun-Sentinel: Panthers GM Randy Sexton is trying to make some moves, but is having trouble finding a partner. He’s been speaking more frequently to Western Conference teams compared to Eastern Conference teams. He’s looking for a forward that could play on the power play, and depth on defense. “If you’re going to acquire a player, what teams want from you in return is ridiculous,” Sexton said. “I don’t mind paying a fair price for a player we’re going to keep, but for some of the rental players that are out there, some of the prices being asked are ridiculous.”
- David Pollak of the San Jose Mercury News: Even after Niclas Wallin wouldn’t waive his ‘no-trade’ clause on Friday to go to San Jose, the teams continue to discuss the trade. I don’t understand this.
- Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press: The Red Wings were finally getting healthy, well that was until yesterday. Tomas Holmstrom left in the first period with a bruised knee. Patrick Eaves sprained his ankle in the second. Drew Miller left after taking a shot off the ankle. All will be re-evaluated today.
- Sam Carchidi of the Philadelphia Inquirer: Ray Emery was held out of last nights game due to ‘tightness in his left hip’ and is listed as day-to-day. Jeff Carter is an alternate for Team Canada if a forward is injured.
Flyers trade for Leino, send Tollefsen to the Red Wings
Posted by Mark in NHL News, NHL Trades on February 6th, 2010 3:58 pm
The Detroit Red Wings send forward Ville Leino to the Philadelphia Flyers for defenseman Ole-Kristian Tollefsen and a 2011 5th round pick.
The Red Wings immediately placed Tollefsen on waivers, as the Wings need a roster spot and to clear some cap space. Johan Franzen, among other could be returning soon, and the Wings would have been over the cap.
Leino has 7 points in 42 games this season, and is a -10. Last season in 13 games, he had 9 points.
Tollefsen has 2 assists in 18 games this year. In 163 career games he has 12 points and 296 penalty minutes.
Brian Burke’s Son Killed in Car Crash
MyNHLTradeRumors would like to send our condolences to Burke’s family and friends, for the loss of Brian’s youngest son, Brendan.
Brendan was killed in a car accident Friday night in Indiana.
Plan B for some, Torres, Whitney and Ponikarovsky … Pony for at least a 2nd, Lou looking for a center now
Posted by Mark in NHL Injuries, NHL News, NHL Rumors on February 6th, 2010 10:12 am
- Scott Burnside and Pierre LeBrun of ESPN: Plan B for teams who missed out on the Ilya Kovalchuk sweepstakes. Raffi Torres of the Columbus Blue Jackets is up for grabs. LeBrun thinks Torres would fit in nicely in Pittsburgh, Burnside mentions the Kings and Avalanche. The Kings would like Ray Whitney and offered him a 1 year contract extension, he wants a 3 year deal from them. As of Thursday, the Penguins haven’t called the Hurricanes about Whitney. The Pens are tight against cap and may wait until the deadline day when a new salary will be at it’s lowest. Alexei Ponikarovsky could be nice fit for Pittsburgh, LA, and maybe the Thrashers to go along side Slick Nic Antropov.
- Darren Dreger of TSN via Twitter: As many as 10 teams have an interest in Maple Leafs forward Alexei Ponikarovsky, and they should get at least a 2nd round draft pick for him. If 10 teams would offer a 2nd round pick, I think it might take a 1st or a 2nd plus prospect to get him.
- Bill Watters mentioned during the Leafs-Devils intermission that the LA Kings offered a 1st round pick and a prospect to the Hurricanes for Ray Whitney.
- David Shoalts of the Globe and Mail: There could be a bidding war for Ray Whitney between the Sharks and Penguins. The Sharks or Blackhawks may call Burke about Tomas Kaberle. Dan Hamhuis and Kari Lehtonen should draw some interest. Preds GM David Poile plans on talking to the agents of Dan Ellis and Pekka Rinne over the Olympic break, if one re-signs, the other will most likely be traded, with the Blackhawks potentially interested. The Blackhawks are looking for a defenseman and quietly shopping for a goalie.
- TheFouthPeriod: New Jersey GM Lou Lamoriello may not be done dealing. They had an interest in Matt Stajan before he was dealt. They are now keeping an eye on Saku Koivu, Matt Cullen and possibly Mike Modano.
- John Vogl of the Buffalo News: Though the Sabres have struggled recently (2-5-1), GM Darcy Regier said improvements will come from within, for now at least. “The focus isn’t to look right now for outside help,” he said. “It’s how do we all get better internally. I think we’re all focused on that.”
- Allen Panzeri of the Ottawa Sun: The Senators have lost rookie Erik Karlsson until after the Olympic break with a shoulder injury.
The Fallout from the Ilya Kovalchuk trade
Posted by Mark in NHL News, NHL Opinion, NHL Trades on February 5th, 2010 12:24 pm
So by now everyone knows that Kovalckuk and Samlema were traded to the Devils for Johnny Oduya, Nicklas Bergfors, Patrice Cormier, and a 1st round pick.
Some people are sure to say that the Thrashers didn’t get enough for Kovalchuk, but we may never know what other teams offered. If there was a better offer that was made, I’m sure they would have took it. Now, would a better offer come in on March 3rd? We’ll never know.
Now we’ll take a look at what some people are saying.
Don Waddell on the Fan 590: Audio of Don Waddell was on HockeyCentral @ Noon with Daren Millard and Nick Kypreos.
Lou Lamoriello on the Fan 590: Audio of Lou Lamoriello was on HockeyCentral @ Noon with Daren Millard and Nick Kypreos.
“We felt Kovalchuk was a player who could come and fill the need that we felt we had for an explosive scorer and someone who could add a different dimension to our power play with the type of shot,” Lamoriello said. “Then it was just the case of trying to make it work some how where we could not sacrifice tomorrow.”
“The power that he brings, he is a power forward, he has hockey sense and he knows how to make other people around him better,” Lamoriello said. “You can tell by the assists he gets. I am sure every one of you has seen him play. What he brings, he can do things a lot of people can’t do.”
Scott Burnside of ESPN: A video of Burnside talking about the deal, and accompanying article titled ‘Atlanta has chance to prove Kovy wrong.
Pierre LeBrun of ESPN: Devils get elusive scorer; Trashers get best possible return.
Bob McKenzie of TSN: Don Waddell did what he could with the Kovalchuk deal. A good read.
Darren Dreger of TSN: Dreger breaks down the trade.
Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: It’s possible that the Thrashers make the playoffs without Kovalchuk. There’s a chance that the Thrashers could sign Kovalchuk on July 1, but most likely they’ve both moved on.
For those of you in Atlanta who haven’t heard of Patrice Cormier before, or what has made his name so well known.
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