The Hockey Thread

[Ruki]

I can't find any details, but....

NHL Kovalchuk headed to New Jersey

3 minutes ago from web

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

Elliotte Friedman is covering it on Twitter, @FriedmanHNIC if you're interested, and says Johnny Oduya is one of the players headed to Atlanta.

[The Sultan of Swank]

Atlanta really seems to have gotten the shit end of this one.

Halak it like that! 45 saves, perfect in shootout, Gionta victimizes Rask in the shootout. 6th place.

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

What? Unless Lou is convinced he can stop Kovalchuk from bolting to Russia, that's an amazing haul for a rental.

[The Sultan of Swank]

I feel that they could have gotten much more than Oduya, Cormier and a first.

[Gabriel]

What? Unless Lou is convinced he can stop Kovalchuk from bolting to Russia, that's an amazing haul for a rental.

Granted, I'm having a bit of an issue remembering off the top of my head, BUT, when Atlanta traded rental player Marian Hossa to Pittsburgh, did they not receive a checking line center in Erik Christensen, a first/second line winger in Colby Armstrong, a defenseman AND a first round pick?

I think that deal was MUCH better for Atlanta. I like Cormier, and a 1st is never something to scoff at...but Bergfors and Oduya are, at best, "safe choices". Brian Rolston would have provided much more coming out of New Jersey in terms of helping to replace the lost offense in Atlanta, and he's a veteran player with playoff experience. This deal says to me, that Waddell is not as focused on this season as he was saying a week ago. A week ago, he said it would take a top 6 forward, a top 4 defenseman and a 1st round pick to get the deal done. He said this, because he wanted to move Kovalchuk without sacrificing the season... but the return for Kovalchuk he got from New Jersey hardly even counts as a band-aid on the open wound left by Kovalchuk's departure.

Fans in Atlanta should be happy about Cormier and the 1st, for the future... but they should be cheesed off that with less than 30 games remaining, their General Manager moved their best player and didn't even come close to filling the gap.

[Evil Chase K]

Rumor from Pittsburgh is that Dallas wants either Kris Letang or Alex Goligoski but the Pens won't part with them unless James Neal is sent from the Stars.

[Reddaye]

Don Waddell was in a bit of a tough situation here. Despite having one of the best goal scorers in the league on the table; he wasn't dealing from a very strong position. Kovalchuk was leaving one way or another, and you know every GM that was dealing with him knew that too. Factor in that Kovalchuk could very likely be merely a rental before bolting to Russia, or signing somewhere than the team he was traded to.

I don't think Atlanta got the greatest package back for him. They didn't make out like bandits; but all things considered you had to know they wouldn't. You aren't going to fill the gap left by Kovalchuk in a trade like this; not with the situation being what it was.

He did better than Florida did with JayBo last season.

[Plubby]

http://www.fannation.com/truth_and_rumors/view/154370

Move over Montreal, there's some new bad Canadian fans in town trying to take your title.

[Gabriel]

He did better than Florida did with JayBo last season.

Not at all.

Atlanta gets back a defenseman and a rookie who's goal total is respectable for a 2nd/3rd line guy.

Florida replaced Bouwmeester with Jordan Leopold in the deal with Calgary. While Leopold doesn't sound like much, I can assure you that he's been just as good as Bouwmeester has this season.

So, Atlanta loses top goal scorer, tries to fill void with a safe defenseman and a rookie who's overachieving and will probably drop off a bit in production.

Florida lost a top puck moving defenseman and patched things up by acquiring a puck moving defenseman with a little less offensive flare, and a little more defensive responsibility.

[Reddaye]

I actually forgot they got Leopold in that deal. I thought it was just a pick. Still think he did well with what he could. He get's a defenseman, rookie with respectable scoring, a potential third line guy in Cormier, New Jersey's second rounder (which they swapped), and first.

Draft intelligently and you dunno what those picks can turn into. Maybe flip them and make another deal. I believe Atlanta has two first's for this year? Fact is you weren't going to get anything back in a package to replace Kovalchuk's scoring.

Maybe (now accounting for Leopold) not as good as JayBo; but still reasonable enough given the circumstances.

He did better than Florida did with JayBo last season.

Not at all.

Atlanta gets back a defenseman and a rookie who's goal total is respectable for a 2nd/3rd line guy.

Florida replaced Bouwmeester with Jordan Leopold in the deal with Calgary. While Leopold doesn't sound like much, I can assure you that he's been just as good as Bouwmeester has this season.

So, Atlanta loses top goal scorer, tries to fill void with a safe defenseman and a rookie who's overachieving and will probably drop off a bit in production.

Florida lost a top puck moving defenseman and patched things up by acquiring a puck moving defenseman with a little less offensive flare, and a little more defensive responsibility.

[Clawson]

Halak it like that! 45 saves, perfect in shootout, Gionta victimizes Rask in the shootout. 6th place.

He's saved your season this year. You should be with us.

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

Going to Leafs/Sens tonight

In other news, wow was the 1996 draft ever weak.

Two future all-stars in the first round (Marco Sturm and Daniel Briere), neither of whom were taken in the top 20. A top 10 that included Alexander Volchov (3 NHL games) and Johnathan Aitken (44 games). Other first-rounders included Dan Focht (#11, 82 games), Mario Larocque (#16, 5 games), Matthieu Descoteaux (#19, 5 games), Peter Ratchuk (#25, 32 games), Jesse Wallin (#26, 49 games) and two players who never even reached the NHL.

I tried to make a 'dream team' of 96 draftees and this is what I came up with:

Mark Parrish - Daniel Briere - Dainius Zubrus

Dan LaCouture - Marco Sturm - JP Dumont

Fernando Pisani - Boyd Devereaux - Marcus Nilson

Ronald Petrovicky - Josh Holden - Dan Hinote

Zdeno Chara - Tomas Kaberle

Tom Poti - Chris Phillips

Sami Salo - Derek Morris

Robert Esche

Tyrone Garner

I mean yeah, that's an awesome defense, and the forwards are still better than the current Leafs, but compare it to the team from 1995:

Jochen Hecht - Marc Savard - Jarome Iginla

Brad Isbister - Petr Sykora - Shane Doan

Michal Handzus - Daymond Langkow - Radek Dvorak

Mike LeClerc - Alyn McCauley - Aleksey Morozov

Wade Redden - Kyle McLaren

Bryan Berard - Stephane Robidas

Filip Kuba - Petr Buzek

JS Giguere

Martin Biron

Landslide victory for the '95 team.

[Plubby]

So, this Giguere guy. He seems good.

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

Who'd have thought a former Hartford Whaler would feature in Burke's plans?

Fun game to attend though. Unusually great atmosphere, and it was kind of neat being part of The Wave for five minutes (although what morons keep doing it once play has resumed?). Unfortunately it was a case of Ottawa playing like shit rather than the Leafs being good, but still a fun night.

[Clawson]

Oh MPH...the Leafs played an amazing game tonight and if you took off the Goggles of Hatred you would realize that. They controlled the play and stymied the Sens and any chance they actually managed to get off was immediately smothered by Giggy.

And I love how much The Bear Leaf has shored up our defense. Gonna be beastly when Komikazi is back next year as well. Just need to work on the first-line center despite Bozak putting up some solid numbers (2G 8A in 14 games).

Edited February 7, 2010 by Clawson

[Guest Mr. Potato Head]

A Pension Plan Puppets in-game commenter is telling me I'm the one with the perception problem?

[NobBe Nobbs]

Dion Phaneuf's nickname is the Bear Leaf? Serious?

[Ananas]

I've never heard him called that, but that's a great nickname if you've seen Inglourious Basterds.

[Clawson]

It started on Pension Plan Puppets a couple of days ago.