Late trades!
So San Jose gets Bill Guerin
Detroit picks up Todd Bertuzzi
Those are the big names in the last-minute NHL deals. If Bertuzzi makes it back from back surgery, that's a great pickup for Detroit, a big, fast veteran built for playoffs. And he can light it up.
San Jose needed something to get going again and Guerin could help. Although I liked Ville Niemenin, who they gave up, a lot. he goes to the St. Louis Blues, a team that has made a remarkable comeback since firing coach Mike Kitchen and hiring Andy Murray, the former LA Kings coach. In fact, St. Louis, which had the worst record in the league into December, was almost at .500 before dumping Keith Tkaczuk and now Guerin.
But these aren't bad moves for the Blues, who realistically didn't have a shot at the playoffs this year. With Big John Davidson as team president, a young team and a solid coach, they will be a team to watch next year. They also just re-signed their goalie, Manny Legace, which is interesting, because I'm not sure he's the kind of goalie you build a team around. Time will tell.
Detroit picks up Todd Bertuzzi
Those are the big names in the last-minute NHL deals. If Bertuzzi makes it back from back surgery, that's a great pickup for Detroit, a big, fast veteran built for playoffs. And he can light it up.
San Jose needed something to get going again and Guerin could help. Although I liked Ville Niemenin, who they gave up, a lot. he goes to the St. Louis Blues, a team that has made a remarkable comeback since firing coach Mike Kitchen and hiring Andy Murray, the former LA Kings coach. In fact, St. Louis, which had the worst record in the league into December, was almost at .500 before dumping Keith Tkaczuk and now Guerin.
But these aren't bad moves for the Blues, who realistically didn't have a shot at the playoffs this year. With Big John Davidson as team president, a young team and a solid coach, they will be a team to watch next year. They also just re-signed their goalie, Manny Legace, which is interesting, because I'm not sure he's the kind of goalie you build a team around. Time will tell.
posted by Les at
3:48 PM
2 Comments:
I am a Red Wings fan, and I admit I question the move for Bertuzzi, simply because it could end up costing the Wings some big draft picks. While they have deep pockets and can do well with free agents, they need young talent to strengthen them for the future. Bertuzzi is an excellent player (a fact that gets overlooked because of an extremely stupid brain lapse in the Moore incident), but he will be a FA at the end of the season, so there is no guarantee that we will ever see him in a red sweater. I hope he can come around and do some good for a big playoff run.
As for the Canes deal for Anson Carter, I like him. He is not as productive as he was once thought to be, but he is a fast skater and a scrappy player, and I suspect that we will see him rack up some big plays if he gets put on a productive line.
Manny Legace was great for the Wings, but unfortunately the guy has never had a chance to be the number one goaltender he could be for a team, because he has always been paired with another goalie of equal or greater talent. So he has always had the pressure on him of producing results or getting benched. He was second fiddle to Cujo, and to Hasek, and for a season, third fiddle to both of them. In St. Louis, he has been on again, off again. But I think if he is with a team that believes in him, supports him with good D in front, and lets him play without that big time pressure, he can do well.
By
Russ Reaves, At
12:21 PM
Russ,
Good to see another Wingnut loose down here.
I like the Bertuzzi pickup and hope he plays with the edge he did before. If Only Hasek doesn't blow a groin. Thank God there were no Olympics this year
By
scott, At
12:22 PM
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home