I apologize for not posting this week, unfortunately for me, I had a family member being Bat Mitzvahed this weekend. It's been a whirlwind couple of days in the NHL. In a way it's been more exciting than the actual Stanley Cup Finals, then again, I was once locked in cupboard for six hours as a small child and I even found that more interesting than watching the Flyers play hockey. So here's the scoop on each trade that's gone down in the time that I've been gone.
Jaroslav "Oh My God How Am I This Clutch" Halak Goes to the St. Louis Blues
If you're like me, upon hearing of this trade you immediately took a large sip of hot coffee, and then proceeded to spit out dramatically on a small child. At first glance this trade makes as much sense as reading does to my dyslexic son. Yet, if you look at what each team gets out of it, and if you look at Montreal's cap issues, the trade does make resemble a somewhat logical move. Halak was going to need a big contract. Like a really big contract. When you get down to the brass tacks, the Habs couldn't afford to give him the kind of contract that Halak was looking for- and he fetched a better price (pun intended?). They were only going to keep one of them, and much to the protests of the inhabitants of Montreal, Price is not a bad goalie. Price has the tools to be great, it's just a matter of his confidence and mental state. This trade gives Price the nod that this franchise is his, and that the management and coaching staff believe in him. Price is cheaper, he could still be a great goalie in this league, and the thing about Halak is that he's terrible when not facing a ton of shots. He collapsed against Philadelphia as soon as his full attention wasn't needed for every single moment of the sixty minutes. This move could turn out to be the best thing that ever happened to them if Halak can't fix that problem. The move could also be an absolute mistake if Price can't get his head right- which I think he can. The blue line is better now that Subban is there and Gorges has learned how to play hockey. Price can still be successful.
Additionally, the pieces received for Halak were much better than the ones received for Price. Lars Ellers is a stud. He's the best prospect that the Blues had to offer, and he's now a part of the Canadiens' organization. He will provide great scoring depth for them, and he brings size along with his excellent hands. Ian Schultz will also bolster the team's depth at forward immensely, as he will most likely be George Laraque's replacement this season now that they bought out their former enforcer's contract. Schultz, like Ellers, can score, and is also one of the only prospects to actually have his own page on most hockey fight websites. He'll add size, physicality, energy, and a bit of scoring to that roster. Is this a deal I would have done? Probably not. But I think that this move will most likely turn out for the better for both teams, whether that means Price becomes a top tier tender, or Ellers becomes an offensive machine.
Ryan Parent to Preds and Dan Hamhuis to Flyers
This move is genius on the part of the Predators. It's fairly smart of the Flyers too, as Hamhuis is a top tier defenseman who will really bolster a blue line that is especially important to the team due to the perennial lack of goaltending. The Preds get a sophomore player who was a first round draft pick (which means less of a cap hit than Hamhuis) in Ryan Parent, which adds a lot of youth to a roster that really needed some. Parent could become a damn good player in the league, and if all goes well with him he could end up staying there for a good amount of time. Even if he doesn't become a stud, he's still a solid defenseman who can play on any team's top six, and the Preds weren't going to sign Hamhuis anyway, so the move just makes sense either way. The upside is huge on it. The Flyers on the other hand get the player who many pegged to be the next dominant Devils defenseman. Thank god he's not. Though I hate Philadelphia, there are no teams I despise more than the Devils and Isles. Hamhuis is a top pairing defenseman, and the idea of coupling him with Pronger is a frightening proposition to opposing teams. It adds enormous depth at the blue-line for the Flyers, and could the move could gain even more significance and value if they get a real number one goaltender. They could really compete this season, as long as they get someone between the pipes, and maybe make a few adjustments at forward. The Preds are also going to be good, as they're getting younger and dumping cap space like crazy, which means there's the possibility for some big signings (see next trade).
Jason Arnott to Devils and Matt Halischuk to Predators
I know what you must be thinking- who the fuck is Matt Halischuk. I'll tell you right now, it doesn't matter who the fuck Matt Halischuk is. This deal has nothing to do with getting a good piece for the Preds, it's salary dumping. Arnott's got a big cap hit, and isn't really that great at the ripe age of 36. However, he is a former Devil, and the Devils really need some depth at forward. Thus, we see a lopsided trade in which the Preds receive a young player with a small cap hit, and dump off an old player way past his prime (which was never even that good to start) with a large cap hit. The Devils are clearly in patch up mode, as they evidently think that there's still a window to win another cup with the Elias, Langenbrunner, Brodeur generation. Arnott is old and is not going to be around too much longer, and it's clearly a move by Lou (who seems to really be slipping as of late) to try and patch up a leaky boat in an attempt to make it sea worthy. The Predators, now free of Hamhuis and Arnott, are now able to go out and really sign some players who are really worth the money. The best part for them, is that none of them need to be defensemen. They're deep at the blue-line, which will allow them to go out and get better offensive producers to help Patrick Hornqvist. With Pekka Rinne between the pipes, the Preds could do something dangerous this season with the addition of some smart offensive pick ups. The Devils on the other hand, will continue their deep spiral into oblivion as they're team gets older and older. It's a shame, a youth movement this season would allow the Devils to pick up where they left off in a few years. Instead, they'll now waste time on a window that already closed, and will need to spend years rebuilding every facet of their team as a result. Yippee for Rangers fans.
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