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I spent the weekend, among other things, digesting the ins and outs of the Phil Kessel move by the Toronto Maple Leafs. My initial reaction was, "Holy shit, the Leafs got Kessel. They're a lock for the playoffs." Then I quickly changed to,"What the fuck? Two firsts and a second for Kessel? Really?" Now I'm somewhere in the middle.
Kessel is obviously Toronto's best player on offence (and could be their best player period.) He's young (21) and he's not making a ton for his skill set ($5.4m/season for five years). That being said, he played with Marc Savard who is easily a top ten play-maker. Toronto doesn't have anyone close to him at centre. Also, I really wish the NHL had an equivalent of the NBA's "Ted Stepien rule" (see below for details). I'm never a fan of teams giving up so many high draft picks nor do I support trading a first and second round pick in the same draft.
Then there's the sticky situation of trade vs. offer sheet. At an average salary of $5.4m, Boston's compensation would have been picks in the first, second and third round as opposed to the two firsts and a second. But GMs are reluctant to use this option as it fosters poor relations with their fellow GMs by "inflating" salaries.
However, I get the sense that Brian Burke isn't done shaping this team. He knows that other GMs covet Tomas Kaberle, especially at his price point. If Burke can get Kaberle to waive his no-trade clause, we'll probably see the Leafs back in the first round and maybe acquiring a top-six forward as well.
In all, I'm neutral on this trade. It makes the Leafs better in the short term and likely puts them into the playoffs this season. But the playoffs aren't Brian Burke's stated goal; the Stanley Cup is. Trading high draft picks on a team that has no chance of making the Cup Final is a step sideways. Ladies and Gentlemen, it's your 2000, sorry, 2010 Toronto Maple Leafs.
The Ted Stepien Rule
Ted Stepien owed the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 1980s and had a tendency to trade his first round picks. In one case, he traded the Cavs' pick in 1982 draft to the Los Angeles Lakers. The Cavs would finish last in the Eastern Conference and the Lakers drafted James Worthy. The NBA went on to ban teams from trading away consecutive first round picks.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Friday, September 18, 2009
The Good, the Bad and the Obvious
The Good:
Pittsburgh-Washington: Guarantee of four great games. Three of the best players in the world. Strong defences. The likely matchup in the Eastern Conference final. One of the two are almost certain to play for the Cup. And I have a stupid man-crush on Ovechkin.
Calgary: Best defensive corps since the 2001 Avalanche. Best fans in the league. Best leader in the league. Best Canadian hope for a Stanley Cup.
San Jose: All offense, all the time. See previous post for my thoughts.
Chicago: Mix of youth and experience; strong run to the Western final last year; Huet is clearly number one in goal; Havlat gone, Hossa in - good upgrade.
Anaheim: Young team gelling at the right time. Smart move to jettison Pronger. Koivu and Teemu want a Cup together. Getzlaf, Ryan and Perry could be the best line in the league. Jonas Hiller is the real deal (see: the triple OT game in Detroit, which I saw first hand).
The Bad:
The situation waiting to happen in Edmonton: Pat Quinn wanted Dany Heatley, fine. Pat Quinn wanting to give up Cogliano et al for Heatley, not so fine. Quinn loves his vets (see: Toronto from 1998-2006), won't hesitate to grab a vet for prospects (see: Boyes-Nolan trade) and has Steve Tambellini (read: the guy he wanted to replace him in Toronto) running the team. This won't end well.
The Leafs' lack of scoring: Defense is good, offense not so great. Grabovski and Blake aren't going to win the Rocket Richard Trophy and they're the best the Leafs got. 1-0 and 2-1 will be a familiar score out of the ACC this year. And too many times, the Leafs will be on the wrong end of it.
Ottawa: Dysfunction reins supreme in Sens land. Still no defence beyond Volchenkov, goaltending remains a problem, Heatley's gone and is replaced by an overhyped second-liner and one season wonder. This will get ugly.
Phoenix: Nuff said
The Obvious:
The Habs are short: Fast? Yes. Talented? Yes. Tough? Maybe. Big? Not so much. Can they make the playoffs? Probably.
Rick Nash will regret that long term deal in Columbus: The shirt was ready for in Toronto. And bias aside, he is perfect for the Leafs. I see a Dany Heatley situation in the making.
Vancouver need more: Roberto and the Sedins got them to the second round. Roberto and the Sedins got big long term deals. Roberto and the Sedins didn't get noticeable help this off-season. Roberto and the Sedins need more if they want to go further.
The Red Wings will contend: But likely can't win their third straight Western Conference.
The Avalanche suck: My boys will be painful to watch this year. Really painful. Like, historically.
UPDATE:
The Leafs have mortgaged the future by grabbing scoring now. Phil Kessel will score goals. The Leafs have a better shot a making the playoffs. Two firsts and a second was a very steep for a 21 year-old. Good move in the short term. Maybe not so much in the long term.
Pittsburgh-Washington: Guarantee of four great games. Three of the best players in the world. Strong defences. The likely matchup in the Eastern Conference final. One of the two are almost certain to play for the Cup. And I have a stupid man-crush on Ovechkin.
Calgary: Best defensive corps since the 2001 Avalanche. Best fans in the league. Best leader in the league. Best Canadian hope for a Stanley Cup.
San Jose: All offense, all the time. See previous post for my thoughts.
Chicago: Mix of youth and experience; strong run to the Western final last year; Huet is clearly number one in goal; Havlat gone, Hossa in - good upgrade.
Anaheim: Young team gelling at the right time. Smart move to jettison Pronger. Koivu and Teemu want a Cup together. Getzlaf, Ryan and Perry could be the best line in the league. Jonas Hiller is the real deal (see: the triple OT game in Detroit, which I saw first hand).
The Bad:
The situation waiting to happen in Edmonton: Pat Quinn wanted Dany Heatley, fine. Pat Quinn wanting to give up Cogliano et al for Heatley, not so fine. Quinn loves his vets (see: Toronto from 1998-2006), won't hesitate to grab a vet for prospects (see: Boyes-Nolan trade) and has Steve Tambellini (read: the guy he wanted to replace him in Toronto) running the team. This won't end well.
The Leafs' lack of scoring: Defense is good, offense not so great. Grabovski and Blake aren't going to win the Rocket Richard Trophy and they're the best the Leafs got. 1-0 and 2-1 will be a familiar score out of the ACC this year. And too many times, the Leafs will be on the wrong end of it.
Ottawa: Dysfunction reins supreme in Sens land. Still no defence beyond Volchenkov, goaltending remains a problem, Heatley's gone and is replaced by an overhyped second-liner and one season wonder. This will get ugly.
Phoenix: Nuff said
The Obvious:
The Habs are short: Fast? Yes. Talented? Yes. Tough? Maybe. Big? Not so much. Can they make the playoffs? Probably.
Rick Nash will regret that long term deal in Columbus: The shirt was ready for in Toronto. And bias aside, he is perfect for the Leafs. I see a Dany Heatley situation in the making.
Vancouver need more: Roberto and the Sedins got them to the second round. Roberto and the Sedins got big long term deals. Roberto and the Sedins didn't get noticeable help this off-season. Roberto and the Sedins need more if they want to go further.
The Red Wings will contend: But likely can't win their third straight Western Conference.
The Avalanche suck: My boys will be painful to watch this year. Really painful. Like, historically.
UPDATE:
The Leafs have mortgaged the future by grabbing scoring now. Phil Kessel will score goals. The Leafs have a better shot a making the playoffs. Two firsts and a second was a very steep for a 21 year-old. Good move in the short term. Maybe not so much in the long term.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Defending Dany Heatley
What would you do if you were a top-flight winger on a team going no where?
What would you do if you had signed a six-year contract with a no movement clause by one GM, only for him to be fired four days later?
What would you do if your were on a team that consistently had a problem with both its goaltender and its defensive corps and done nothing to improve it?
What would you do if your team has had four coaches in less than two years?
What would you do if you were on a team that had gone from the Stanley Cup final to missing the playoffs in less than two years?
And what would you do if, after 24 months of this garbage you went to the GM and in confidence asked for a trade, only for him publicly state it thus greatly diminishing your trade value?
You probably would have acted like Dany Heatley has for the past three months.
That Dany Heatley was going to be traded was never an issue. He remains one of the five best pure goal scorers in the NHL. He's still only 28 and has a contract that lasts until he's 33 -not exactly at the end of his career. But the Senators have no one to blame but themselves for the events that transpired. Or specifically, GM Bryan Murray. Murray's complete mishandling of the situation has resulted in the Senators losing their best goal scorer (arguably their best player).
Heatley was not going to waive his no-movement clause until the deal was right for him because he had earned it. He wasn't going to leave until he received the roster bonus. And when a trade finally occurred it was going to be to team that Heatley wanted to play for (read: not Edmonton). The end result shouldn't surprise anyone. Heatley got his money, his trade and his chance to win a Cup. It's now on him (and the rest of the San Jose Sharks).
Finally as a little sauce for the proverbial goose, the Sharks are now in a better position to compete for the Cup without having to give up that much to get there. All the Senators were able to acquire was San Jose's second round pick (which will likely be in the end of the round) and a pair of border-line top six forwards. While it's possible that Jonathan Cheechoo will rediscover his form of '06 and Milan Michalek finally lives up to his hype, I wouldn't count on it. Hockey-wise, everything in this deal favours Heatley.
What would you do if you had signed a six-year contract with a no movement clause by one GM, only for him to be fired four days later?
What would you do if your were on a team that consistently had a problem with both its goaltender and its defensive corps and done nothing to improve it?
What would you do if your team has had four coaches in less than two years?
What would you do if you were on a team that had gone from the Stanley Cup final to missing the playoffs in less than two years?
And what would you do if, after 24 months of this garbage you went to the GM and in confidence asked for a trade, only for him publicly state it thus greatly diminishing your trade value?
You probably would have acted like Dany Heatley has for the past three months.
That Dany Heatley was going to be traded was never an issue. He remains one of the five best pure goal scorers in the NHL. He's still only 28 and has a contract that lasts until he's 33 -not exactly at the end of his career. But the Senators have no one to blame but themselves for the events that transpired. Or specifically, GM Bryan Murray. Murray's complete mishandling of the situation has resulted in the Senators losing their best goal scorer (arguably their best player).
Heatley was not going to waive his no-movement clause until the deal was right for him because he had earned it. He wasn't going to leave until he received the roster bonus. And when a trade finally occurred it was going to be to team that Heatley wanted to play for (read: not Edmonton). The end result shouldn't surprise anyone. Heatley got his money, his trade and his chance to win a Cup. It's now on him (and the rest of the San Jose Sharks).
Finally as a little sauce for the proverbial goose, the Sharks are now in a better position to compete for the Cup without having to give up that much to get there. All the Senators were able to acquire was San Jose's second round pick (which will likely be in the end of the round) and a pair of border-line top six forwards. While it's possible that Jonathan Cheechoo will rediscover his form of '06 and Milan Michalek finally lives up to his hype, I wouldn't count on it. Hockey-wise, everything in this deal favours Heatley.
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Welcome to the blog
I finally did it. Two years after finishing with the Tribune and the brief stint with a soccer magazine, I'm back at it and putting my words on the page. I suppose it shouldn't have taken this long but that's how it is. So welcome to this site that I'll be updating on a frequent, but not consistent basis and oping on any thing that I feel like. This will be mostly a sports site though occasionally politics or some of my life observations will creep into these posts. Enjoy.
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