Reviewing the Trades
June 20th, 2008 by Jason ChenAn unprecedented 13 trades on draft day, most of them involving teams moving up or down, but also the first time in a long time big names like Olli Jokinen were moved. The disgruntled captain was moved to the desert in exchange for Nick Boynton, Keith Ballard and the 49th pick at this year’s draft. I’m sorry, but weren’t the Panthers trying NOT to get fleeced on another trade? Despite the knock against Jokinen that he’s not a “winner,” he’s still a top-calibre centre who isn’t afraid to get gritty. As good as a young defenseman Ballard is, he’s not going to be a huge difference maker, and Boynton is a depth defenseman at best. This was the best deal that Jacques Martin could get? The Panthers are going down the toilet so fast they’ll be at the bottom of their division for several years. Kudos to the Coyotes and Don Maloney, who have turned the team right around and could very well be one of the dark horses next year. They’ve got the pieces in place - now it’s time for their youngsters to prove their worth. I absolutely love this deal for Phoenix. They’ll have some work to do to replace the defensemen but it shouldn’t be too hard of a task. Even with a patchwork defense Ilya Bryzgalov should be able to handle the load.
The Flames made a great move by dumping Alex Tanguay to Montreal and nabbing Michael Cammalleri from LA. Cammalleri is much cheaper than Tanguay and will be a more effective player playing under Mike Keenan. Tanguay frustrated coaches and fans alike with his inconsistent play and failed to really mesh with Jarome Iginla, the original motivation behind his trade and signing. Tanguay will be much better suited with the Habs in their system, a little more free-flowing than the Flames’, which will allow Tanguay to make some plays, while the Habs got their wish and finally got the French Canadian star they wanted. With Cammalleri onboard, and Daymond Langkow expected to re-sign it gives the Flames some solid depth down the middle. However, with the top two centre positions set it means that Matt Lombardi will once again be (mis)used as a checking forward with his amazing speed.
With Jeff Carter signed, it left very little room to get RJ Umberger under contract, and as a result he was dealt to Columbus, where he attended Ohio State University. Umberger’s probably not the playmaking centre Rick Nash was asking for, but it does give them some more offensive depth, and it doesn’t necessarily mean that the Patrick Marleau won’t end up in a Blue Jackets sweater either. The Flyers also added Steve Eminger from the Caps for depth, a nice pick up.
Meanwhile Mats Sundin could end up in a Habs sweater next year, which will be rather odd, but there’s no guarantee he’ll suit up for them… or any other team, for that matter.
Also, Darren Dreger noted that the Canucks and Hurricanes could be talking a Kevin Bieksa for Erik Cole or Justin Williams swap. I speculated on this in one of my previous posts before Dreger and TSN got their hands on that rumour. Me 1 - TSN 0.
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One Response to “Reviewing the Trades”
By scotty on Jun 21, 2008
Panthers don’t have a clue! What was the rush? Surely better offers were out there or would have arrived. I guess they’re satisfied with mediocrity year after year.
I like the move the Flames made and this should improve their club. And the Flyers had to do something to keep Carter so they come out winners too with a high pick for Umberger. The Canucks maintain their silence, though Cody Hodgson will fit well with their team (but not right away). I’d rather have Williams over Cole personally if I were them.