NHL Trade Deadline Day-Long Feature
From www.fanshots.com
Here we are on NHL Trade Deadline Day – the day that fans and armchair GMs wait for all season long. And fanshots.com is happy to be featuring everything we can on the big day – check back for trades, thoughts and everything else that we can come up with between now and 3pm est and beyond!
Trade 1 of the day:
To Atlanta – Radek Dvorak, 5th Round Pick
To Florida – Niclas Bergfors, Patrick Rissmiller
Thoughts: To me this is just another move in the constant rebuild of the Florida Panthers. This team is always looking to get younger and cheaper and I won’t be surprised if there are more moves to come out of FLA today.
Hearing: Stephen Weiss (FLA) will only waive his no-movement clause to go to Toronto.
Thinking: (11:15am) Brad Richards will stay in Dallas… I don’t know if the Rangers will give up what Joe Nieuwendyk will be asking for this afternoon.
Hearing: Howard Berger (Toronto Media) is reporting that Florida will not look to move Stephen Weiss.
Thinking: I do not see Ottawa taking Hemsky or Penner from Edmonton. There is too much work to do in the Sens organization for either of those players to do much right away.
Trade 2: (tentative) Dennis Wideman (FLA) to the Washington Capitals – details coming.
To Washington – Dennis Wideman
To Florida – Jake Hauswirth, 3rd Round Pick
Thoughts: With Mike Green hurt in Washington I’m not surprised to see this happen – also it’s another move to get someone off the books in Florida. Dale Tallon continues to be busy.
Waiver Pick-Ups: Calgary claims Brett Carlson (Car) – Ottawa claims Curtis McElhinney (Tam) – Atlanta claims Robbie Schremp (NYI)
Thoughts: Will Robbie Schremp ever be the marquee guy that people thought he could be coming into his pro career?
Hearing: (12:50pm) The Montreal Canadiens and Nashville Predators are pushing hardest for Dustin Penner (Edm). Not sure what either team would have to give up. Have to think that Edmonton is looking for young, cheap talent and picks.
Hearing: Sportsnet reporting that Rostislav Klesla has been traded to the Phoenix Coyotes for Scottie Upshall and Sami Lepisto.
Trade 3:
To Phoenix – Rostislav Klesla
To Columbus – Scottie Upshall, Sami Lepisto
Thoughts: I like Scottie Upshall, always have and think he could fit well in Columbus. The deal is a win for Phoenix getting Klesla on a good cap hit contract – well done ‘Yotes.
Trade 4:
To Edmonton – Kevin Montgomery
To Colorado – Shawn Belle
Thoughts: This is an minor deal – Shawn Belle probably has the bigger upside but may have been in need of a change of scenery. Long term to see impact here.
Trade 5:
To Carolina – Brian Allen
To Florida – Sergei Samsonov
Thoughts: Florida continues the sale as Allen has $3.15 million left on his contract for next year while Samsonov will become a free agent. It seems like everyone is on the block and there could be more coming from the Sunshine State – don’t be surprised.
Trade 6:
To Chicago – Chris Campoli, Conditional 7th Round Pick
To Ottawa – Ryan Potulny, 2nd Round Pick
Thoughts: After the Chris Phillips signing in Ottawa it seems that the budget or future roster planning was under way. Campoli is a “good” player and could help the Blackhawks on the back end.
Trade 7:
To Anaheim – Brad Winchester
To St. Louis – 3rd Round Pick
Thoughts: St. Louis is a lot like Florida in that they are looking to move everyone. Winchester is not under contract after this season. But at age 30 it seems that he may just be bouncing around at this point.
Trade 8:
To Los Angeles – Dustin Penner
To Edmonton – Colten Teubert, 1st Round Pick, Conditional Pick (2012)
Thoughts: Penner is a big, strong forward that can help the Kings as they move towards the playoffs. Provided of course that he uses his skills and body the way that he can on a regular basis. The Oilers get 2 picks back and will look again to get younger and cheaper.
Side note: The report of Penner to Montreal for Tinordi and a 1st Round Pick was indeed fake, but makes for a great “what if”.
Hearing: (2:44pm) Jason Arnott to Washington as per Pierre LeBrun at ESPN.com
Post 3pm News
Trade 9:
To New York Rangers – John Mitchell
To Toronto – 7th Round Pick (to be confirmed)
Thoughts: John Mitchell wasn’t going to be a vital member of the Toronto Maple Leafs. He’s bounced around for quite a while up and down between the NHL and AHL.
Trade 10:
To Washington – Jason Arnott
To New Jersey – David Steckel
Thoughts: Jason Arnott is one of those proven playoff guys that could help a team like the Capitals get deeper into the Stanley Cup tournament this year. Steckel is best known right now for this hit to the head of Sidney Crosby in the Winter Classic.
Hearing: (3:18pm) Sportsnet.com reporting that Max LaPierre has been traded again – this time to the Vancouver Canucks. As well, Chris Higgins looks to be headed from Florida to Vancouver.
Trade 11:
To Vancouver – Maxim LaPierre, MacGregor Sharp
To Anaheim – Joel Perrault, 3rd Round Pick
Thoughts: Max LaPierre is a good depth move for the Canucks as long as he can keep his head on straight and out of the penalty box. LaPierre did have a strong playoffs for the Montreal Canadiens last spring.
Trade 12:
To Vancouver – Chris Higgins
To Florida – Even Oberg, 3rd Round Pick (2013)
Thoughts: Higgins hasn’t really set the world on fire over the last few years but looks like he will be a 4th line winger with the Canucks as they make their way through the end of the regular season and into the playoffs. Higgins can score and could turn into one of those “unlikely contributors” that always seem to appear in the playoffs.
Hearing: (3:23pm) Freddy Modin has been moved to Calgary from Atlanta – waiting to hear what Atlanta is getting. From Pierre LeBrun at ESPN.com
Trade 13:
To Calgary – Fredrik Modin
To Atlanta – 7th Round Pick
Thoughts: Why not? If I’m Calgary and things have been looking good lately I try to throw my players and fans a bone and hope to stay hot going into the playoffs. Also, giving up a 7th round pick means nothing. But it has become popular.
Trade 14:
To Philadelphia – Tom Sestito
To Columbus – Greg Moore, Michael Chaput
Thoughts: Another minor move by a team that looks strong going into the playoffs. The Flyers looks to be strong on D but you can never have enough depth. This we all know to be a fact.
Trade 15:
To Atlanta – Brett Festerling
To Montreal – Drew MacIntyre
Thoughts: I’m not sure how or why this deal happened on deadline day as it may be the least impactful of every deal done today.
Time 4:05pm
It looks like everything has come through that is going to come through on deadline day. We’re stalled at 15 trades and it’s more than an hour past the 3 o’clock deadline.
The biggest move of the day was by far the Kings grabbing Dustin Penner from Edmonton. While the biggest stories may be the fact that Brad Richards was not moved to the Rangers (supposedly because the Stars were asking for too much) and the Florida Panthers fire sale.
I like what the Vancouver Canucks did right at the 3pm mark picking up 2 former Canadiens that could provide some depth and spark in the playoffs as Vancouver looks to go deep into the tournament.
I also like the move Calgary made picking up Freddy Modin for essentially nothing. Modin is a rental and could work out well for the Flames as they continue work on their climb in the West.
I know that we were all hoping for a lot more action today, but we have to take what we can get. And this is it hockey fans.
Get yourself ready for the stretch run – we’re on our way!
-Joshua
February 28, 2011 at 9:21 pm | Newsworthy | No comment
Leafs and Canadiens Game 5 Preview
Tonight marks the 5th game of the season between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens. The teams have split the previous 4 match-ups and would both love to get a win at the Bell Centre this time around.
The Maple Leafs look to stay hot and continue their unlikely climb through the Eastern Conference standings while the Habs are hoping to put back-to-back wins together and get out of their recent slump. Toronto is currently sitting in 11th place in the east only 6 points out of a playoff spot. It’s a position that many didn’t think the team would be in this late in the season. Kudos has to be given to the players who are, in many cases, playing above their believed potential and helping the Leafs pick up wins. The Canadiens meanwhile are in the 6th position in the conference, 6 points clear of 8th place. They are 4 points behind the Division leading Boston Bruins (who have 1 game in hand) and 3 points behind Washington for 5th.
The goaltending match-up tonight looks to be James Reimer (Toronto) vs. Alex Auld (Montreal). It may not be a marquee pairing, but both goalies have been solid in their outings this season. Reimer has turned heads since his call-up from the AHL and is pushing the organization to take a serious look at having him on the opening day roster for the 2011-2012 season.
Auld gets the start for no reason other than to give Carey Price a rest. Price has already played in 54 games this season for the Canadiens, winning a career high 28 decisions. Auld has only played in 9 games this season which may make him rusty or well rested, depending on how you want to look at the situation.
Neither team has been scoring a ton of goals this season so many expect this game to be a low scoring affair (my pick is 2-1 Mtl) that could end up in overtime or a shootout. If we are to see an explosion of goals it will likely be due to defensive breakdowns and giveaways which have been a problem for both teams over the course of this season.
No matter how the game finishes I can promise that the atmosphere will be intense in Montreal. This is one of the all-time greatest rivalries in professional sports and the fans from both cities love to hate each other and the teams. Be prepared to hear a lot of singing and chanting from the 21,000+ in the Bell Centre from the drop of the puck til the final whistle.
Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30pm – be ready – it should be a dandy!
February 24, 2011 at 4:36 pm | Newsworthy | No comment
Thursday January 13, 2011 Scores and Scorers
Boston Bruins 7 – Philadelphia Flyers 5
Bos: Zdeno Chara (7)PP, Patrice Bergeron (14), Mark Recchi (9), Michael Ryder (12), Brad Marchand (9), Steve Kempfer (4), Gregory Campbell (5)
Phi: Scott Hartnell (15), Nikolay Zherdev (14), Jeff Carter (17), Danny Briere (23), Sean O’Donnell (1)
Buffalo Sabres 3 – Carolina Hurricanes 2
Buf: Nathan Gerbe (2), Cody McCormick (6), Drew Stafford (15)PP
Car: Tuomo Ruutu (12)PP, Jeff Skinner (15)
New York Rangers 1 – Vancouver Canucks 0
NYR: Wojtek Wolski (7)PP
Ottawa Senators 6 – New York Islanders 4
Ott: Daniel Alfredsson (14), Jesse Winchester (4), Milan Michalek (9)SH, Chris Kelly (9), Nick Foligno (6), Zack Smith (4)
NYI: Trevor Gillies (1), Blake Comeau (12), PA Parenteau (10), Milan Jurcina (3)
Phoenix Coyotes 5 – Toronto Maple Leafs 1
Phx: Radim Vrbata (9)PP, Shane Doan (11)PP, Taylor Pyatt (11), Lauri Korpikoski (11), Keith Yandle (7)
Tor: Colby Armstrong (6)
Florida Panthers 3 – Nashville Predators 2
Fla: Radek Dvorak (6), Rostislav Olesz (3), David Booth (13)
Nash: Colin Wilson (11), David Legwand (5)
St. Louis Blues 3 – Los Angeles Kings 1
Stl: BJ Crombeen (4), Ryan Reaves (2), Alexander Steen (15)
LA: Michal Handzus (7)
Edmonton Oilers 5 – San Jose Sharks 2
Edm: Andrew Cogliano (5), Dustin Penner (13), Linus Omark (2), Taylor Hall 2(14)
SJ: Joe Thornton (11)PP, Ryane Clowe (12)PP
January 14, 2011 at 2:37 pm | Goals, Newsworthy, Scores | No comment
Wednesday January 12, 2011 Scores and Scorers
Pittsburgh Penguins 5 – Montreal Canadiens 2
Pitt: Tyler Kennedy (7)PP, Jordan Staal (1)PP, Chris Kunitz (14)PP, Alex Goligoski 2(9)1-PP
Mtl: Tomas Plekanec (13), David Desharnais (1)
Tampa Bay Lightning 3 – Washington Capitals 0
Tam: Dominic Moore (8), Sean Bergenheim (8), Simon Gagne (4)
Chicago Blackhawks 4- Colorado Avalanche 0
Chi: Troy Brouwer (11), Dave Bolland (7), Fernando Pisani (7), Jack Skille (7)
Anaheim Ducks 7 – St. Louis Blues 4
Ana: Jason Blake (9), Corey Perry (22), Lubomir Visnovsky (8)PP, Brandon McMillan (4)PP, Bobby Ryan 3(21)1-PP
Stl: Ryan Reaves (1), Brad Boyes (10)PP, David Backes 2(14)
January 13, 2011 at 4:24 pm | Featured, Goals, Newsworthy, Scores | No comment
Tuesday January 11, 2011 Scores and Scorers
Boston Bruins 6 – Ottawa Senators 0
Bos: Blake Wheeler (10), Brad Marchand (8), Tyler Seguin (7), Patrice Bergeron 3(13)
Carolina Hurricanes 6 – Calgary Flames 5 (SO)
Car: Tuomo Ruutu (11), Erik Cole (12), Eric Staal (21), Jussi Jokinen 2(8)
Cal: Jay Bouwmeester (4), Jarome Iginla (18), Niklas Hagman (9), Curtis Glencross (10), Rene Bourque (14)
Shootout
Car: Jussi Jokinen – Save by Henrik Karlsson (wristshot from 12 feet)
Cal: Alex Tanguay – Save by Cam Ward (snapshot from 23 feet)
Car: Jeff Skinner – Goal on Henrik Karlsson (snapshot from 11 feet)
Cal: Ales Kotalik – Save by Cam Ward (backhand from 9 feet)
Car: Tuomo Ruutu – Save by Henrik Karlsson (backhand from 8 feet)
Cal: Niklas Hagman – Save by Cam Ward (wristshot from 14 feet)
Vancouver Canucks 4 – New York Islanders 3 (SO)
Van: Alex Burrows (9), Ryan Kesler (24), Kevin Bieksa (6)
NYI: Jack Hillen (1), John Tavares (15)PP, Blake Comeau (11)
Shootout
NYI: Rob Schremp – Goal on Roberto Luongo (snapshot from 12 feet)
Van: Mason Raymond – Goal on Kevin Poulin (backhand from 10 feet)
NYI: PA Parenteau – Miss high (snapshot from 6 feet)
Van: Jeff Tambellini – Save by Kevin Poulin (wristshot from 18 feet)
NYI: John Tavares – Save by Roberto Luongo (wristshot from 15 feet)
Van: Ryan Kesler – Goal on Kevin Poulin (wristshot from 11 feet)
Montreal Canadiens 2 – New York Rangers 1
Mtl: Jaroslav Spacek (2), Benoit Pouliot (9)
NYR: Brandon Dubinsky (17)
Phoenix Coyotes 4 – Columbus Blue Jackets 3
Phx: Vernon Fiddler (5)SH, Eric Belanger (5), Radim Vrbata (8), Derek Morris (3)
Col: Jared Boll (4), Rostislav Klesla (3), Kristian Huselius (9)PP
Philadelphia Flyers 5 – Buffalo Sabres 2
Phi: Danny Briere (22), Ville Leino (10), Mike Richards (14), Scott Hartnell 2(14)1-PP
Buf: Paul Gaustad (4), Cody McCormick (5)
Florida Panthers 4 – Washington Capitals 3 (OT)
Fla: Mike Santorelli (12)PP, Marty Reasoner (9), David Booth (12)PP, Dennis Wideman (4)PP
Wash: Mike Knuble (10), Marcus Johansson 2(5)
Nashville Predators 5 – Minnesota Wild 1
Nash: David Legwand (4), Joel Ward (5), Marcel Goc (8), Nick Spalding 2(4)
Minn: Mikko Koivu (11)
Dallas Stars 3 – Edmonton Oilers 2
Dal: Brenden Morrow (18), Jamie Benn (12), James Neal (16)
Edm: Jean-Francois Jacques (2), Ryan Jones (10)
Toronto Maple Leafs 4 – San Jose Sharks 2
Tor: Phil Kessel (19), Carl Gunnarsson (2), Clarke MacArthur 2(14)1-PP
SJ: Patrick Marleau 2(17)
January 12, 2011 at 3:13 pm | Featured, Goals, Newsworthy, Saves, Scores | No comment
Monday January 10, 2011 Scores and Scorers
Boston Bruins 4 – Pittsburgh Penguins 2
Bos: Zdeno Chara (6)PP, Brad Marchand (7), Mark Recchi (8)PP, Gregory Campbell (4)
Pitt: Mike Rupp (4), Kris Letang (7)PP
Phoenix Coyotes 4 – St. Louis Blues 3
Phx: Lauri Korpikoski (10), Lee Stempniak (9), Kyle Turris (7), Taylor Pyatt (10)
Stl: David Backes (12), Matt D’Agostini (10), Brad Winchester (8)
Colorado Avalanche 5 – Detroit Red Wings 4
Col: Paul Stastny (16), Kevin Porter (8), David Jones (14), Matt Duchene 2(18)
Det: Jan Mursak (1), Brian Rafalski (3), Henrik Zetterberg (16)PP, Tomas Holmstrom (11)PP
Toronto Maple Leafs 3 – Los Angeles Kings 2
Tor: Darryl Boyce (2), Phil Kessel (18), Nikolai Kulemin (16)
LA: Wayne Simmonds (9), Michal Handzus (6)
January 11, 2011 at 2:41 pm | Featured, Goals, Newsworthy, Scores | No comment
The Oiler, The Flyer, The Devil – The Guardian Project
Here are the next 3 released characters from The Guardian Project.
The more I see of these creations the more questions I end up having – but I’m still willing to give it a chance. And I do want to read some real stories when they become available after the All-Star Game.
Take a look at the pics of The Oiler, The Flyer and The Devil.
January 10, 2011 at 7:05 pm | Uncategorized | No comment
The Blackhawk, The Wild, The Sabre – The Guardian Project
Here are 3 more of the released characters from The Guardian Project.
I’m not sure about this project as a whole – but I’m still willing to give it a chance. And I do want to read some real stories when they become available after the All-Star Game.
Take a look at the pics of The Blackhawk, The Wild and The Sabre
January 10, 2011 at 7:01 pm | Newsworthy | No comment
My Return to the Ice – Back Yard Hockey 2011
This weekend I did something that I hadn’t done in years. I was excited. I was nervous. I was hyped. It felt just like it did when I was a kid.
Saturday afternoon I strapped on a pair of skates and hit the ice on the pond at my parent’s place for the first time in at least 5 years. It was awesome.
When I got the house 2 of my brothers (seen in the picture) had already been working on the rink since the night before. They did a great job. The picture doesn’t show the full length of the shoveled ice. I would say that I was about 25 feet in from the edge when I snapped that with my BlackBerry. The ice was smooth with the exception of that white patch in the middle. And it was as ready for blades as I had ever seen it.
Before we hit the ice though we realized that we were in need to sticks since the ones from our childhood seemed to have disappeared into the abyss. There was also the issue of dull blades since it had been a long time since anyone slid their feet into the boots of the skates in the basement. Luckily, mom was all about this party (the fam was on the way) and handed us some cash to go and get new sticks and pucks and get blades sharpened.
When we got to the store we dropped our skates off with the dude and went looking for sticks. We grabbed 3 righties and 2 lefties – scored a roll of red and a roll of black tape, picked up 2 pucks and decided that we were all set. When we cashed out for $91.37 it was an overwhelming win and almost felt like that Ikea commercial where the woman runs out of the store screaming at her dude to start the car.
Back at the house my aunt and her girls were already on the ice in their figure skates and the boys and I hit the basement to tape sticks and get ready. We carried all of the sticks up the hill to the pond and traded boots for skates before stepping onto the sweetness of the rink. As I was tying my skates all I could think to myself was “don’t fall in front of these kids” – it would have been uber-embarrassing. Turns out it was a lot like riding a bike though as I stepped out, took a few tentative strides and then was off to the races. I didn’t pick up a stick for the first few minutes. I just skated some laps and got a feel for my blades and feet. It felt really, really good.
After playing around for a few minutes more family showed up and it was only a matter of time before a game broke out. My uncle, cousin and cousin’s girlfriend all hopped onto the ice and the 6 of us passed the pucks around and made jokes and acted like a family. And then the challenge was made. And I think it was my bad idea. As a group we decided that we’d play some shinny but didn’t know who was going to be on teams… that is until I said that we could play house vs. house.
Here’s the thing about that idea – my uncle plays men’s league hockey twice a week and is strong on his skates and on the puck and my cousin’s girlfriend played NCAA hockey at Quinnipiac University in Connecticut. As a group I think my brothers and I may have had full hockey equipment on 3 times, at the most.
Anyway, we put a saw horse and a bench out for nets, agreed to keep the puck on the ice and keep the slashing to a minimum and went to work.
The score was 7-0 (for them) before we finally got a goal and I hate to say it, but it took us boys a long time to get things together. Near the end of the game we looked somewhat decent. Our passes were closer to stick to stick. Our shots were a little straighter and our skating was a little more fluid.
There were a few moments where we were ready to throw in the towel. Particularly when we were getting circles skated around us. But we kept on fighting. We just didn’t look that good doing it.
In the end it was a combination of poor cardiovascular endurance and darkness that ended the game. We have lights to turn on for night skating, maybe we’ll turn them on next time.
It is very safe to say that the home team was beaten on our own ice. But looking back there was no shame in it. I mean, we look like the Bad News Bears out there. I’m just happy the only times I hit the ice were on purpose. (I went down on a knee to block a shot – not smart – took it off the ankle).
The best part about all of it though was getting back on the skates. I can’t wait to get back out there again and we’re already planning an open invite day to the house for as much skating as you can handle.
Stay tuned for the recap from that adventure. It will be awesome!
January 10, 2011 at 5:55 pm | Newsworthy | 3 comments
Sunday January 9, 2011 Scores and Scorers
Carolina Hurricanes 4 – Atlanta Thrashers 3 (OT)
Car: Tuomo Ruutu (10)PP, Zac Dalpe (3), Jeff Skinner (14)PP, Erik Cole (11)
Atl: Niclas Bergfors (9)PP, Bryan Little 2(12)1-PP
New Jersey Devils 6 – Tampa Bay Lightning 3
NJ: Jason Arnott (10), Dainius Zubrus (6), Patrik Elias (9), Nick Palmieri (1), David Clarkson 2(7)1-PP
Tam: Teddy Purcell (7), Ryan Malone (11)PP, Dominic Moore (7)
Dallas Stars 4 – Minnesota Wild 0
Dal: Trevor Daley (3), James Neal (15), Jamie Benn 2(11)
Chicago Blackhawks 5 – New York Islanders 0
Chi: Patrick Sharp (25)PP, Marian Hossa (10), Patrick Kane (13), Dave Bolland (6), Niklas Hjalmarsson (2)
Anaheim Ducks 1 – San Jose Sharks 0
Ana: Bobby Ryan (18)
January 10, 2011 at 4:28 pm | Goals, Newsworthy, Scores | No comment
