leafs gm talks about trades

toronto maple leafs gm,

(blaring trumpets sound)

BRIAN BURKE!!!



(you may all rise from your knees now)

had an interesting take on the deadline, and the weeks leading up to it...

why on a sabres blog?...we'll get to that, but here he is:





first off, the reason i went to this sportsnet page was news that leafs d-man, tomas kaberle, would only accept a trade to boston as part of his no-trade clause...my last two blogs concerned the sabres dealing with boston for the bruins 1st-round pick via toronto...

what came out of watching this video was how burke does things that darcy regier should be doing...things like:

• "try[ing] to get out in front of the trade deadline...before the cattle stampede...and you're stuck with a lesser alternative"
• "when you make a mistake and a player's not working out, fix it"...words of advise from his former boss, harry sinden
• "we've been busy on the phones for a while"

yeah, say what you will about burke, but the guy does make moves to try and better his team...

i still think he's a wind-bag and a snake-oil salesman and that leaf-fans who turn towards mount maple-leaf every day to hear the call of burke have been rail-roaded...but?...whatever...the leafs were, are and always be a bitter division rival...

interesting note:  i went to the page to find out about kaberle, and the video that was there, the one that i posted, had nothing to do with kaberle...(shrugs)

redemption for darcy regier is right there

in the previous blog i wrote about wanting the first-round pick that the bruins got from toronto in the phil kessel deal...my thinking was that boston may be looking to bolster the team down the middle due to the loss of center marc savard and that tim connolly would be a fit as a rental...


i used the mike fisher to nashville trade as a base...the return on fisher was a first and either a second or third...

i also brought out the point that anywhere from three to six teams could use connolly's skills in a top-nine/top-six role including boston, pittsburgh and washington as well as, possibly, atlanta, calgary and columbus...

dallas stars center brad richards
is out indefinitely with
a possible concussion

since then, dallas center brad richards went down with an "upper-body injury"...speculation is that it is a concussion as he will not be flying with the team on their road trip which began last night in edmonton (a 4-1 loss) and continues tonight in calgary...

dallas is falling fast (2-7-1 in their last 10 games)...injuries have decimated the stars and are the main reason they've gone from tops in the pacific to a couple of losses away from dropping out of the playoff race...

i'm not saying connolly will be traded, but darcy regier has a shot at redemtion for the $9m contract he gave connolly two years ago as well as the innanity of his "two top-twenty centers in the league" statement...

nor am i saying that dallas would be the place that connolly ends up...but, what we have is another team that could use help up the middle...supply and demand...demand is getting higher and supply is tight, especially with ufa's...

with the bruins trading for bottom-six forward, chris kelly, the likelyhood of them going after another center diminishes...but the fact remains that the sabres could get a good return for connolly no matter where he goes...

redemption is there, mr. regier...

(knock, knock, knock)

that's opportunity at the door

i want the sabres to get boston's #1 pick in 2011

no, not the bruins own pick...i want the one that they got from toronto in the phil kessel deal...

and the player i see them using to get it?..........tim connolly

hear me out...

the sabres will not win the cup this year unless there's an almost unprecedented alignment of the stars; so why cling to an asset that can bring back a very good return?....there are other players on the team who can be moved, but connolly will be a player that quite a few teams will covet...

why?

tim connolly has mad skills, plays in all situations and can be considered a #2 center on many teams...he's a #2 center on the buffalo sabres right now...when healthy, he does produce and has shown that he can produce in the playoffs (last season not withstanding)...and, as of late he's beginning to heat up...

with "#1" center derek roy out for the season, moving the sabres #2 center would leave the team perilously thin up the middle, but, so what?... right now the sabres have as good a chance at making the playoffs without him as they do with him...in addition, he's is very marketable right now as teams bolster try to their roster for the playoffs...

the trade deadline is based upon supply and demand which is why there's so much overpayment for hockey commodities...right now, at least three teams in the east could be looking for a #2 center based upon injuries and/or lack of depth--boston, pittsburgh and washington...

the plight of bruins center marc savard is well documented...the skilled center just can't stay healthy and he's out, yet again, with a concussion...boston also has two #1 picks in the up-coming draft, their own and the one they got from the leafs in the phil kessel deal...

the pens have been decimated by injuries to sidney crosby (out indefinitely with a concussion) and evgeni malkin (out for the year with torn mcl and acl)...although jordan staal can move up to the top line, injuries to the pens top-two centers leave them really thin...

washington is having a helluva time scoring this year...they're strong on the wing and only have one legitimate center--1st-liner nicklas backstrom...they're falling fast right now and could use a #2 center to boost scoring...

even atlanta, who's been plummeting in the standings could use a center to bolster their playoff chance...in the western conference there's columbus and calgary who are battling for a playoff spot...

all-in-all that's anywhere from three to six teams, at least, that could be bartering for the services of connolly...and, since the sabres have eaten most of his contract this season, teams should have more flexibility eating what's left of his $4.5m salary...

what could the sabres get for him as a return?...high demand and low supply should equal a pretty good return for the sabres...

we'll start with the mike fisher...fisher was sent from ottawa to the nashville preds for a 1st-round pick and a conditional pick...although they are two different players, both connolly and fisher are top-nine centers who could help a team from the deadline and on into the playoffs...

based upon connolly's skill, the fact that he can play in all situations, the laws of supply and demand and the mike fisher trade, is there any reason to believe that he'd fetch anything less than a low first-rounder?...

yeah, possibly...and you're probably sayin' to yourself, "self?, boos may be right, but even if there's a snowball's chance in hell that connolly's worth that much, how would the sabres get the leafs top-10, possibly top-five pick that the bruins own?"...

almost every playoff-bound team, especially the ones with stanley cup-aspirations, looks to bolster their defense at the trade deadline...

the sabres have eight d-men on the roster, surely one of them not named myers could be available...ufa-to be steve montador and his inexpensive salary would make sense for boston...

so now we're looking at connolly and montador for the pick...that's the BASIS for the trade...fill in the rest to get it done...

oh, and one more thing when it comes to the boston bruins, jim benning, a part of the sabres organization for a number of years, is gm peter chiarelli's assistant with the bruins...

far-fetched?...maybe...but it's that time of year, isn't it?

every fan wants to play gm this time of year...it's one of the big-three "arm-chair gm" days, the others being draft day and july 1st...

and?.................................i'm a fan...


: )

this sport reserved for non-wussies

for posterity's sake:



pennsylvania governor ed rendell at the
rescheduled vikings/eagles game
tuesday december 28, 2010

washingtonpost.com,Tuesday, December 28, 2010; 4:49 PM

Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell spoke out against the NFL's decision move the Minnesota Vikings - Philadelphia Eagles game to Tuesday night because of the blizzard. As Cindy Boren reported:

After calling the postponement "a joke" and saying that "Vince Lombardi would be spinning in his grave," on Sunday, his anger was unabated Monday, when he made frequent use of the "w" word.

"My biggest beef is that this is part of what's happened in this country," Rendell said in an interview on 97.5 radio in Philly. "I think we've become wussies. ... We've become a nation of wusses. The Chinese are kicking our butt in everything. If this was in China do you think the Chinese would have called off the game.

People would have been marching down to the stadium, they would have walked and they would have been doing calculus on the way down."

He needs to focus on the big picture: Moving the game to Tuesday -- the NFL's first on that day since 1946 -- means that there have been NFL games on four of the last five days. Who doesn't like that?

Jonathan Capehart agrees with Rendell, mostly:

"A nation of wusses"?! Ouch! But he's got a point. With our padded playgrounds and safety helmets, the next generation perhaps will never know the joys of and lessons learned from a skinned knee or an ill-advised trick on a bike, rollerblades or skateboard. What I take issue with is Rendell's musings on the Chinese. Yes, the people would have been marching down to the stadium -- by order of the state.

~~~~~~~~~~

the following game between the pens and isles ended up with these suspensions:  eric goddard (pitt,) automatic 10-game for leaving the bench...trevor gillies (nyi) nine games for delivering a blow to the head of pittsburgh's eric tangradi...matt martin four games for punching pittsburgh's max talbot from behind...apparently the nhl also thought that the isles were out of line, especially when you throw in the call-up of ahl tough-guy for the game, michael haley, and fined the team $100k...

the pens/isle melee' was on the heels of a brawl between original-six rivals montreal and boston...the fights featured habs goalie carey price and bruins goalie tim thomas do-si-do in a feingned fisticuff...it also drew some high-browed disdain from pti co-hosts tony kornheiser and mike wilbon...



wonder what governor rendell thinks of these two hockey games?

i like mike

"I have never felt comfortable...I'm always on my toes"
--mike weber, from a 2006 prospects interview with hockeysfuture.com

"always on [his] toes" because sabres d-man mike weber realized early on that nothing would be given to him, that, although he "might not be the best or most talented player on the ice," he'd be the guy "working the hardest, trying to be the smartest."

it's a great q&a with a young prospect who would spend the next 4+ years battling his way into the nhl...

what stands out in the piece is the comfort level he has with himself and his game, his focus on what he needs to do to reach the nhl and his humble thanks to the teammates who helped him early on...what also comes through in the interview is his discomfort with complacency, as there are constant references to working hard and a realization that "there are always younger guys coming up the ranks looking to take a job"...

when you look at weber's game, you see the same things that lured the sabres to pick the pittsburgh, pa native with the 57th overall pick in 2006...as a big (6' 2", 210 lb,) stay-at-home d-man with an attitude, weber represented a departure from the traditional darcy regier-era top-round pick...

although it wasn't really that shocking that weber was picked in the 2nd round that year (he was the #34-ranked north american skater at the time,) it was somewhat surprising...the sabres were in full "new-nhl" mode usually drafting highly skilled, smooth-skating puck-movers on the back end when they drafted weber, and it was a pick that got this blogger, and much of the fan-base excited...

yeah, i knew the guy could hit, fight and punish the opposition...i knew he was a stay-at-home d-man and was impressed (lately) with the way he passed the puck with authority in his own zone...but what stood out last night, and it's something that i haven't noticed with him, was his skating...he seems to be alot faster...and it seems as if it's a confidence thing, as if he's passed through a thresh-hold to another level...

as i'm writing this, i'm listening to wgr...howard simon keeps bringing up weber mentioning him to paul hamilton as well as mike robitaille...both agree with simon that weber's game is worth noting...the focus of sabres talk is mostly on tyler myers' game winning ot goal, the sabres first three-game winning streak of the season, a nearly perfect road game last night and how they're knocking on the door of the eastern conference top-eight...all well worthy of talk...

i really like the fact that simon brought up weber because i thought he played a helluva game last night and has been playing well for a number of weeks...he's playing with a ton of confidence and it shows in his skating...

there's been alot of talk about drew stafford and the panic over his impending rfa status come years end, but this morning i woke up thinking that the sabres should seriously consider signing weber to a five or six year extension...even though jeremy white today, as i was typing this, mentioned trading him in one of his typical hubristic "epiphanies"...

nah, jeremy...weber has attributes like toughness, grit, 100% effort, and attitude...he's also comfortable in himself and with his game...and...he skates with a sense of purpose which is an endearing quality to those who've watched "la core" skate with a sense of entitlement the past 3+ seasons...all of these attributes are fully ingrained in him and no matter what the situation, as long as he's physically able, he'll bring these to the table...he's the type of player that's a building-block, not trade-fodder...

yeah, i like mike

some random thoughts for february 10, 2011 (Andrej Sekera, Marc-Andre Gragnani)

how do you go from a 3-9-2 start, which put you at or near the bottom of the league, to 2 games below .500, and very near a top-eight spot in the conference without winning three games in a row?...very simple, don't lose more than two in a row...

and that's exactly what the sabres have done...since nov. 6th the sabres have gone 22-13-3 while losing two games in a row four times, once in late november (tampa, pitt) and once in mid december (fla, tampa) and once in late december (fla, calgary)...in that same time-span they've won two in a row seven times (four times since derek roy went down on dec. 23) including the latest (vs. totonto and tampa)...

been hearing alot of squawking concerning the lack of a three-game winning streak, and it's well deserved...but at least they haven't gone into a prolonged slump

~~~~~~~~~~

vancouver d-man dan hamhuis got leveled by the ducks ryan getzlaf last night and was out of it for a few moments...no comment on the hit here, except to say that it was a hockey hit, but ya gotta look at the canucks and see possible trading partner...their defense has been battered all season and, even with the return of sami salo possibly on saturday, they are still missing keith ballard who may be out 4 weeks and alex edler who's out indefinitely with back problems...

if darcy regier were to talk with 'nucks gm, mike gillis, i'm sure he'll bring along photos of nathan paetsch, jeff jillson and rory fitzpatrick...been there, done that, got bounced

~~~~~~~~~~

i want toronto's first-round pick in the 2011 draft...boston has it, and it looks to be around a top-five...word on the street is that it may be available...

bruins gm peter chiarelli is believed to be taking a look at rookie center zach hamill first, but "acknowledged he’d have to consider taking a look at what's available in the trade market."

ummmm....hello...darcy?....you remember jim benning, don't you?...yeah, he was with the organization for a while and went to boston where he's now assistant general manager...seems as if they could really use a veteran center as well as a veteran d-man...sure, it's within the division, but think about it--a top-five pick in the draft this year

~~~~~~~~~~

sorry guys (and gals,) i've not been sold on andrej sekera all season...love the way he can move the puck up-ice, don't like much else...as previously blogged, he needs to get away from tyler myers...myers has enough problems of his own and really doesn't need the scatter-brained defensive liabilities that rej brings to the table...park his ass on the third-pairing or, better yet, move him at the deadline...

one thing that makes rej moveable is the fact that the sabres are deep with "puck-movers" in the organization...marc-andre gragnani was poised to make the sabres out of training camp before his quest was derailed by injrury...last season was an ahl breakout year for the 6'2", 200lb. third-round pick (2005)--he had 12 goals, 31 assists and was a plus-2...this season's he's looking to better those marks...presently he's second on the team in scoring with eight goals, 24 assists and is a plus-11...the sabres also have fast-developing drew schietsel as well as tj brennan, alex biega and nick crawford plying their trade in portland...in addition, dennis persson, who at one point looked to be a lost-cause/first-round-bust, seems to be "getting it"...

would it really hurt the sabres near or long-term to move sekera, especially at the deadline when they'll get the optimum return?

~~~~~~~~~~



did y'all realize that portland back-up (and williamsville, ny native) david leggio is 14-4-0-1 with a 2.64 gaa and has a .915 sv%?...not bad for an undrafted free agent...(for more on him check out my previous blog)

~~~~~~~~~~

with the trade of ottawa's mike fisher to nashville today (no real surprise in "mr. underwood" heading to music city,) the 2011 trade deadline is off to an early start with the fisher deal being the fourth in the last 24 hrs...

with the gun sounding, how long will it be until regier joins the race?...yeah, i know...february 28th, noon is the over/under with the heavy money on the over...

peace

looking for that #2/3 lw, part deux

ahhhh, the trade deadline...and new ownership ta boot...both are headed buffalo's way pretty soon...the question to ask would be, "will any player(s) be headed to the sabres under the directive of new owner terry pegula and his hockey people?"...

a few things to look at as we head towards the trade deadline:

• i doubt the sabres will trade for a true #1 center at the deadline for a myriad of reasons including availability and cost...although nothing is impossible, it's highly improbable
• the defense is pretty much set, although if the opportunity to snare a top-pairing d-man (like robyn regehr?) were to present itself, solidifying the d is always a good thing in the stretch-drive
• back-up goalie is still a problem, but will it be addressed?...(shrugs)...it should be, but it's getting to the point where it doesn't matter...they'll be riding miller all the way (perhaps right into the ground)

in addiiton to personnel, there's always the financial aspect...not only is the player's actual salary/cap-hit a serious consideration, but the ancillary effect of the player needs to be taken into consideration as well (see previous blog)...

the sabres have relied upon revenue-sharing for the "viability" of the franchise post-lockout...i can't see them deviating from the norm for the rest of the season...pegula and his people will have a clean slate for next season and the opportunity to formulate their plan over a full season...

that being said, as scary as it is for the sabres to be involved in a stretch-run with jochen hecht, tim connolly, rob nierdermayer, paul gaustad and rookie, paul byron at center, that may be what we're looking at for the rest of the season...hell, tim connolly may not even be here march 1st...

as for the right wing, jason pomminville, drew stafford, patrick kaleta, mike grier and even thomas vanek--who has seen plenty of time there--make for a pretty solid right side...

the problem for me is still the left side...tyler ennis and thomas vanek are in the top-six, then the we're looking at nathan gerbe and cody mccormick...gerbe is still inconsistent and mccormick is bottom-nine, although i like what both bring to the team...so it's back to an area we looked at back in november in looking for that #2 lw ...

the three players we looked at were, tampa bay's simon gagne, cory stillman of the florida panthers and wojtek wolski who was traded from the phoenix coyotes to the ny rangers in the interim...

here's three more as the trade-deadline draws nearer:

brooks laci

• brooks laich, washington capitals--the caps, by their standards, are having a very average year...washington is a highly skilled team, as we all know, but their 2.69 goals/game average (17th in the league) is way off their pace of last season when they lead the league with 3.82 g/g...they are strong on the wing and weak down the middle with only bonafide #1 center nicklas backstrom as a legit top-six...they have big bodies on the wing in jason chimera and mike knuble and they have the mad skill of alexander ovechkin and alexander semin out there as well...soon-to-be ufa laich comes in at 6'2", 200 lbs...the former 6th round pick (ottawa, 2001) is not affraid of the "bloody-nose" areas and has scored 20+ goals in each of the last three seasons...at 27, he seems to have found his game, much like undrafted free agent rene' bourque of the calgary flames...although he's having a mediocre year by those standards, and remains inconsistent, his play is north-south and edgy and he leaves it on the ice every minute....why would the caps trade him?...the caps could really use a center behind backstrom, especially a set-up man...tim connolly would certainly fill their void (while creating a void at center for the sabres)...both are ufa's come seasons' end and this could be one of those deals that benefit both teams...although there are cap problems for washington (they have $1.6m in cap-space to work with,) in this scenario, the difference could be made up somewhat easily...



curtis glencross

• curtis glencross, calgary flames--the flames are one of the hottest teams in the league right now...they are 7-0-1 in their last eight, and this surge has them knocking on the door of the western conference top-eight...28 year-old glencross seems to be following in the footsteps of fellow undrafted free agent bourque and has potted four goals during the flames run...although it doesn't look as if he'll reach the level of bourque, there's no reason to believe that he can't be right around 20 goals consistently...his price is right--$1.2m--and the guy works his butt off every game...his skill level is a notch above mccormick and, even in his inconsistency, he's still more consistent than the young gerbe is...why would the flames move him?...might be an low-impact ancillary move to free up some cap-space...the flames can take on about $1.3m in salary right now so moving glencross would give them even more to work with as they climb to a playoff spot...
• nick foligno, ottawa senators--sentimental pick?...mmmmmmm, yeah, in a way...in my humble opinion, i'd really love to see the sabres enter the pegula-era with the brother's foligno (nick joining sabres prospect marcus, who, btw, made the hockey news' hot list this week) battling for the blue and gold...is there any reason to think that foligno could contribute more in the goal department than mccormick?...i'm not sure, he's still young, and at 23, the former #1 pick (28th overall, 2006) still has up-side...maybe you can look at his last goal when he rifled a backhand from the slot top-shelf (i really like players who can pot a goal on the backhand) as a window to his skill-level...he's a character guy as well as big (6' 0", 210 lbs.) and gritty...ottawa will be in sell-mode this deadline and foligno might be available for a pick...that pick will probably be no less than a third, possibly a second and either well within darcy regier's comfort zone...

all-in-all, i really can't see the sabres making a big splash at the deadline, and this season i'm really ok with that...adding some punch on the left wing would be a move that would allow the team to up-grade without doing much damage to the roster for the start of the pegula-era...