Archive for March 1st, 2009

NHL HOCKEY HITS FOR SUNDAY . . .

March 1st, 2009

NHL HOCKEY HITS ABOVE ALONG WITH HOCKEY GOD HOCKEY NOTES FOR SUNDAY:

TRADES TRADES TRADES . . .

Islanders took captain Billy Guerin out of Saturday’s warm-up for purposes of completing a trade to an Eastern Conference team.

The trade was to be completed Sunday and looks like it’s going to be to the Washington Capitals. Guerin, this season has scored 16 goals to go with 20 helpers to date playing on New York’s first line.

The trade market frenzy will go into over drive between now and Wednesday where in Canada every sports station will have 8am to 5pm and beyond coverage. Every trade will get ridiculously over analyzed to the point of exhaustion. But hey I guess they got to talk about something for the entire day.

Look for all these names to be moved between now and Wednesday in the NHL:

If Ryan Smyth will waive his no trade clause there will be plenty of teams willing to take on his salary including Montreal and Vancouver. Smyth’s teammate Jordan Leopold will be traded at the deadline there is no doubt. The other Av’s rumor is part of their salary shedding they are willing to part with the gritty Ian Laperriere.

Others that will be moved heading into Wednesday’s frenzy will be Phoenix’s defenceman Derek Morris who is sitting out waiting for a trade. Morris along with this past summers acquisition Ollie Jokinen are both up for auction in the desert and could fetch back some high picks or prospects for the cash strapped Coyotes.

With Chris Pronger’s salary just over $6 million for the rest of this year and next have his old team in St Louis knocking on the Ducks door to see if they can bring him back into the fold. Pronger loves the mid-west because he married his wife while playing with the Blues and her family is still there. Pronger would fetch at least a first round pick or a boat load of prospects.

In Ottawa things will get very interesting with resident tough guy Chris Neil who is set to become for the first time a free agent this summer. Neil makes $1.2 million this season and is asking for $2.5 million and the Sens are offering $1.5 million. All those big big numbers for a player of Neil’s ability but for what he does for the Sens with the skill line-up they have it should not surprise anyone.

Neil should be staying in Ottawa but it appears unless Murray can unload some serious salary at the deadline he will have no choice but to deal Neil.

After paying centers Mike Fisher and Chris Kelly a whopping $6 million this season for Fisher along with $2.5 million for 3rd line center Kelly the team is under a cash strap. Fisher who is a good player with an element of sand paper to his game has been no where close to a $6 M a year player. Kelly is in the same boat, he was hardly noticeable last night and does not back up a $2.5 M salary on the ice. These salaries are stopping the team from keeping perhaps their most important player after the big three up-front in Neil.

In Montreal the Habs are dangling the useful utility player Mathieu Dandenault as trade bait where he could possibly land with his former agent Mike Gillis in Vancouver. Habs deals are not over where they look to land another forward and will be on the hunt right to the end.

Saturday in Ottawa Columbus GM Scott Howson attended and sat quietly on his own watching very closely players he is about to pull the trigger on. Howson refused an interview request from HNIC obviously not wanting to tip his hat on what players he was there to see. But when the Leafs Nik Antropov took a stick to the back during the game Howson watched the entire incident take place and starred at Antropov on the bench after while trainers attended to the big European.

With Antropov as good as gone by Wednesday it also looks like Toronto GM Brian Burke will unload up-start center having a career year Dominik Moore. That may surprise some in Toronto but if Moore’s agent is looking for the reported $3 million a year then Burke has no choice but to trade Moore for draft picks. Moore is just not worth that kind of dough, not a chance, good luck to getting that on the open market this summer as well.

Antropov, Moore along with Alex Ponikarovsky , Paval Kubina, Jamal Mayers, Ian White, Matt Stajan and then skilled defenceman Tomas Kaberle for the right price can all be had for any buyer willing to pay Burke’s price.

In Tampa they will likely trade veterans Gary Roberts and Mark Recchi and possibly Vinny Prospal to shed salary and start to build for next season.

Then there is the Florida Panthers situation with star D Jay Bouwmeester and what to do with him at the deadline. Do they trade him just to get something back before losing him to free agency this summer or keep him to try and make the playoffs for the first time in years ?

Also in Florida it’s going to be interesting what they do with defenceman Nick Boynton who was sent home this past week for fighting with coach Pete DeBoer. They had a solid out and out blow out that resulted in Boynton being sent back to Florida while on the road trip and now giving GM Jacques Martin another trade option.

LEAFS-SENS GAME BORING !

SINGER CARRY UNDERWOOD IN OTTAWA LAST NIGHT

SINGER CARRIE UNDERWOOD IN OTTAWA LAST NIGHT

About the only thing interesting at Saturday nights game between the lowly Toronto Maple Leafs and the Ottawa Senators was Mike Fisher’s girlfriend singer Carrie Underwood who sat in a box at Scotiabank place. This game was a terrible display of two goalies that are not playing well with both letting in weak goals. But don’t just blame the tenders this game was a no hitter, no emotion and down right no good.

Toronto just looks like they are playing for the season to end with some good efforts mixed with some very poor lackadaisical games from others. The Sens were no better losing to a team playing like that Saturday night. It looks more and more that the Sens will need a number one goalie.

In the end it would have been better if Underwood jumped out of her box seats and put on a concert right then and there, at least the fans would have got their monies worth in Ottawa last night.

CLARKSON- GORDIE HOWE !

Dave Clarkson scored his 14th goal of this season Saturday afternoon in the Devils win over Florida against his old coach from Kitchener Pete DeBoer. Clarkson had the Gordie Howe hattrick scoring a goal setting up another for Brendan Shanahan and the best a tilt with Florida tough guy Nick Tarnasky.

There were rumors that the Devils were willing to part with Clarkson in a deal to land a D from the Ducks, that would be a huge mistake for the Devils to give up on the rugged Clarkson. Although Clarkson would love the California weather and be a great fit for their team tough attitude brought in by former GM Brian Burke long ago.

For Hockey God I’m Dave Frost