Posted by admin on 26th, 2008
According to an NHL Executive, a multi-player trade has been made between Tampa Bay Lightning and the Dallas Stars.
The trade is rumoured to have Center Brad Richards move to Dallas in exchange for Center Jeff Halpern, Goalie Mike Smith and rookie Defenseman Mark Fistric.
“The Stars have looked to make a splash since Les Jackson and Brett Hull took over in the co-general manager role for the fired Doug Armstrong earlier this season. The source said Dallas is expected to package veteran checking center Jeff Halpern, backup goalie Mike Smith and young defenseman Mark Fistric to the Lightning, who needed to move Richards after signing defenseman Dan Boyle to a six-year, $40 million contract extension late Monday.”
…
By landing the 6-foot, 198-pound Richards, the Stars are set to receive a player who can handle loads of ice time, has a Stanley Cup on his resumé and is a centerpiece to build around as Mike Modano and Zubov look to pass the torch.
Richards has 18 goals and 51 points in 62 games, 228 shots and has averaged 24:17 of ice time. He’s durable as well. Richards has appeared in 552 of a possible 554 games since breaking into the league in 2000-01. The pivot is signed for $7.8 million each of the next three seasons.
- NHL @ Yahoo
It was also announced that the Atlanta Thrashers would ship Marian Hossa to the Montreal Canadiens. Details of the trade have not been released at this time.
Expect the Canadiens to send at least a forward (Michael Ryder?) to Atlanta, which insisted it would only trade the 29-year-old Hossa if it could get a current NHL player in return. Hossa is the Thrashers’ second-leading scorer with 56 points (26 goals, 30 assists and a team-high 229 shots). Hossa is a minus-14 averaging 21:55 of ice time in 60 games.
- NHL @ Yahoo
Details of these trades are yet to be confirmed by their respective teams.
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Posted by admin on 21st, 2008
As the February 26 Trade Deadline approaches more and more people will find themselves glued to their TVs, Newspapers, Radios and Computers waiting to hear any news on trades. Not during any other time of the year do we see this kind of absolute mania.
It’s not without reason though. Just look at last year and how, in the closing minutes of the Trade Deadline there was movement galore across the league. This year we don’t expect to be any different.
But the question, before any of this happens, is what position are specific teams in; Buyers or Sellers? Or, in the case of teams with low cap space, both.
Take the top 3 teams in each conference. In the east, Ottawa, New Jersey & Carolina are only holding their spots by 2 points or less. In the West there is a little more space with Detroit, Dallas & Minnesota.
Ottawa Senators: Ottawa have come back to life since the return of Dany Heatley and Daniel Alfredsson. Many believe Ottawa will remain quiet after having already traded away Joe Corvo & Patrick Eaves to the Carolina Hurricanes. If the Senators do make moves, look for them to be buyers.
New Jersey Devils: New Jersey have been strong over their last 10 games (7-1-2). Zack Parise leads the team in Goals, Assists & Points. There are rumours that the Devils are keen to pick up Marian Hossa, however this is to be seen. I don’t personally see them making many moves at the deadline, but if they do they could be buyers for either a solid defenseman or another scorer up front.
Carolina Hurricanes: Having already made a 2 player trade with Ottawa, giving up Mike Commodore & Cory Stillman, the Hurricanes may not be very active come the deadline. If they do, i see them making picking up a 2-way scorer up front.
Detroit Red Wings: Detroit have recently come off a 6 game losing skid, which revealed to the rest of the league that they are not unbeatable. It became clear during that skid that the Red Wings could do with both another scorer up front and another solid defenseman at the blue line. A potential buy/sell trade scenario could be possible here.
Dallas Stars: Co-GMs Brett Hull & Les Jackson have been 2 of the busiest GMs in the league over the last few weeks, having scouted almost every team looking for that special person. Initially it was believed the Stars would be looking for a scoring winger to play with Mike Modano, but it’s possible the Stars could be looking for a solid scoring 2nd line center instead. Modano has been playing solid defensive hockey and would make a killer scoring checking line center, a role the Stars currently have as the 2nd line. If they do pick up a center, look for Modano to keep the Powerplay minutes, and remain an 18min average ice time guy.
Minnesota Wild: Minnesota have a solid forward pack, with the only concern being Marian Gaborik being prone to injuries. The Wild may look to pick up a scoring winger just in case Gaborik goes down.
Special Mention:
Phoenix Coyotes: The Yotes have been making a run for the playoffs all season and currently hold a very unstable 8th spot in the West. The Coyotes rely on youth rather than big names, so it’s really hard to say what Wayne Gretzky’s team will do come the Trade Deadline. I do see the Yotes making moves to buy both a reliable scorer and also another solid blueliner. They do have a LOT of cap space, so it’s possible they could be a big player in the coming days.
Pittsburgh Penguins: The Penguins sniffed the playoffs last year and liked what they smelt. Malkin has stepped up with Crosby out due to injury, so it’s hard to say what they might do. They have a lot of cap space to work with, so maybe strengthening their blueline could be the way they go.
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