Trades
– Thomas Vanek was traded to the New York Islanders for Matt Moulson, a 2104 1st round pick and a 2015 second round pick. See my write up about it.
– The Sharks picked up Mike Brown from the Oilers for a 2014 4th round pick. The Sharks seem a little desperate to add some toughness after Dan Boyle was hit from behind and knocked out against the Blues. Brown also has one of the best staches in the league.
Rumors
Courtesy: Bob Leverone Photography
Onto what you really want.
– Ryan Miller. I have to start with Miller because he’s the hottest rumor going on at the moment now that his teammate Thomas Vanek has been dealt. Miller’s name is popping up everywhere, from the Flames to the Capitals. There was a LOT of talk that the Edmonton Oilers wanted to trade Nail Yakupov to the Sabres in a package for Miller and Vanek. Obviously, that’s not gonna happen, and it probably wouldn’t have happened because Miller has a limited no-trade-clause and Edmonton is on the list of teams he wouldn’t go to. Edmonton is still rebuilding and Miller has been there-done that for 11 years in Buffalo. He wants to go to a contender and here is where I think the Anaheim Ducks are perfect. Miller’s wife is an actress. She lives in SoCal. The Ducks have Jonas Hiller and Viktor Fasth who are both great goalies, but have had their struggles this season. Trade one of them out for Miller. Then trade the other to fill another hole and bring up young American Josh Gibson to back up Ryan Miller. Perfect. Miller will be traded soon. The Sabres are stockpiling draft picks (17 1st and 2nd picks in the next 4 years) and Miller does not want to rebuild again. He wants to win.
– Jordan Tootoo. The Red Wings have been shopping Tootoo’s contract around the league for months and no one is biting. Tootoo is an energy player who can knock your lights out if you have your head down. I’d love to see the Caps make a run, but Tootoo’s contract is too much. The Florida Panthers will probably come calling at some point in the season.
– Ilya Bryzgalov. Remember who? Bryz just ended a brief sting in Vegas playing for the Wranglers to prove that he could still play. Not that anyone doubted that he could. No one is really banging down the door to sign the free agent and he isn’t going to the KHL anytime soon. However, Nashville just lost Pekka Rinne for at least a month with a hip infection, something that could sideline him for a while. Chances are, the Preds will take a chance with Bryz and sign him to a one year deal. It could very well work out.
– Shea Weber. Weber signed a monster deal with the Preds after the Flyers presented him with an offer sheet. Because of that, Nashville is handcuffed. They desperately need offense and with the progression of future stud, Seth Jones, the Preds could be in a position to trade Weber and his hefty payday. Weber doesn’t have a no-trade-clause and teams with any kind of extra cash laying around will be banging down the door. One of those teams, of course, is the Flyers. They have been chomping at the bit to get that elusive shut-down defenseman ever since Chris Pronger went down with a concussion. For some reason the Flyers just can’t get over the fact that Pronger isn’t coming back. If Weber is up for grabs, the Flyers will pay a kings ransom to get him.
– Paul Stasny. Stasny has a big contract. A stupid one. He’s not worth it. The Avs are a team on the rise and whether or not Stasny is a part of that remains to be seen. He’s a UFA at the end of the year and the Avs could just let him walk, unless some team comes forward and offers up a top-6 player or high draft pick. The Avs would most likely have to take on some of his contract, and I doubt they’d want to do that. Stasny is getting along well with new coach Patrick Roy, but if the Avs and Stasny do go into negotiations, would they go well considering Stasny has not lived up to his contact? The Canucks and the Maple Leafs are teams that would love a Stasny if he could fit in financially.
– Nail Yakupov. Someone has been in the doghouse since the beginning of the season in Edmonton (psst… it’s Nail Yakupov). With the injury to Taylor Hall, Nail has been moved back into the lineup. When Hall comes back, that could change again. When Sam Gagner comes back, that will definitely change. Yakupov has been linked to a few teams in desperate need for offense. He’s still on his entry level contract and doesn’t cost much, but the Oilers will want a at least a top-6 and a draft pick for him. The Montreal Canadiens are very interested in the young Russian, and I’m sure the Nashville Predators are as well. With someone like Shea Weber on the radar, the Oilers could have what the Preds want.
The Washington Capitals
Where do I start? The Caps are kind of a mess. They’re good, but not great. Then they’re bad, but not terrible. They’ve had a ton of scouts from various teams at their games and vice-versa. There is interest in doing something, but what? The offense, in my opinion, is fine. When they click, it’s the one of the best offenses in the league. The defense, like always, is the problem. The Caps must do something drastic and I really, really, think they need to either trade Mike Green or John Carlson. For some reason they actually have a decent pipeline of young d-men who can move the puck. Nate Schmidt, Conner Carrick, Cameron Schilling and Dmitry Orlov (remember him) can easily fill either spot. One team who would benefit from Green or Carlson would be the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers are struggling mightly. Like the Caps they have a potentially powerful offense, but they’re younger and need a crafty veteran defensive presence like a Green or Carlson. They also need a better goaltender, like say Michal Neuvirth. Neuvirth’s name has come up in trade talk. GMGM must be shopping him around and Edmonton has been asking about him. One of Edmonton’s trade pieces is an enormous Ovechkin fan and would absolutely love to play side-by-side with him (psst…It’s Nail Yakupov). Picture this: Green/Carlson, Neuvirth and Chimera/Johansson for Yakupov, Smid/ and Dubnyk. Ah, pipedreams. It’s probably not gonna happen, but the Caps do need a better shut down defenseman. Someone who can actually clear a crease, and they are looking. I feel as though the Caps are in the same stage they were in in 1998 when McPhee brought in almost every veteran known to man and the Caps went to the Stanley Cup Final. It could be a year like that.
– The New Jersey Devils are looking for just about anything to make their team better. With the exit of Ilya Kovalchuk, the Devils offense took a major blow and I wonder if all those guys who signed before Ilya’s departure are wishing they hadn’t. The Devils need help defensively and I think Lou has some magic up his sleeves again. Without Kovalchuk’s contract on the books, could Lou make a move and grab Weber from the Preds? With goaltender Cory Schneider pretty much taking over for good and Marty Brodeur backing up for the first time in 20 years, could Lou send Brodeur and possibly someone like Michael Ryder or even Damien Brunner to Nashville in exchange for Weber? Anything is possible, especially in New Jersey. Look what happened during the draft.
– Henrik Lundqvist. He’s a UFA at the end of the season. There have been absolutely no contract talks thus far. He has said that he isn’t particularly happy with the direction of the team. GM Glen Sather really needs to do something to tweak his club defensively if they want to compete, and, more importantly, if they want to keep King Henrik happy enough to stay. IF Lundqvist became available in a few months, I’d expect every team in the league to pounce and find out what exactly the Rangers want, and it could be another Luongo-type hype-fest. Lundqvist could fetch the Rangers exactly what they need to get back on track and the King could go to a team who’s been missing an elite goaltender (ahem… Caps). If he does sign and extension, then the Rangers really need to figure out how else to make the team better or GM Sather will be looking for a new job.
It’s been a very busy last couple months for me and I’m sorry I haven’t kept my readers up-to-date as much as I have in the past. I’ll let you all know shortly what I’ve been working on and I hope you all will support me and my pals. Keep coming back – the season is just getting started!
More to come…
