March 09, 2004
Trade Deadline Update
Some folks thought that Brendan Witt might be going to Ottawa, but it looks like Glen Sather has jumped the gun on Washington, acquiring Karel Rachunek and Alexandre Giroux from the Senators in exchange for defenseman Greg DeVries.
Expect Washington to make another move, as they've picked up Jean-Luc Grandpierre and Bill Lindsay off the waiver wire. That means GM George McPhee is going to need to plug some holes in the lineup created by bodies leaving town.
Other waiver pickups -- Sandy McCarthy is back in New York after being waived by Boston. Toronto has picked up defenseman Chad Kilger after he was waived by Montreal. And in some news that hurts if you're a Caps fan, retired defenseman Calle Johansson has signed with the Maple Leafs. By adding Kilger and Johansson, might Toronto be telegraphing the fact that someone else on the blue line might be headed out of town?
Keep up with the up-to-the-second changes at TSN TradeCentre.
You knew Colorado GM Pierre Lacroix would do something dramatic at the deadline, now didn't you? What you might not have expected was the fact that he pulled two deals out of thin air to add some critical depth to his lineup. Just 24 hours after seeing Phil Suave get torched by Calgary, Lacroix acquired Edmonton's Tommy Salo in exchange for college defenseman Tom Gilbert and a sixth round draft pick. Right after the trade, Suave caught a bus ticket to Colorado's AHL club in Hershey.
Next, Lacroix shipped Derek Morris and prospect Keith Ballard to Phoenix in exchange for hulking center Chris Gratton and defenseman Ossi Vaananen. As others have noted, Morris' play had suffered recently, and when you're shooting for what might be the last Stanley Cup in a long time, was pretty much expendable.
The news out of Detroit says Robert Lang is going to be out three weeks after suffering a rib injury the last night against Tampa Bay. With Kris Draper, Pavel Datsyuk, and now Lang sidelined down the stretch, can Ken Holland afford not to make a move to bolster his depth down the middle?
UPDATE: Toronto has acquired Ron Francis from Carolina in exchange for a fourth round draft pick in 2005. Captain Ron waived his no-trade clause in order to get the deal done.
OT UPDATE: Dear God, they're stripping the copper wire out of the walls at MCI Center, as Mike Grier has been moved to Buffalo. Brian Savage gets rescued from the scrap heap by St. Louis. In what sounds like an airline with a horrible connecting flight, Jeff Jillson goes from Boston to Buffalo by way of San Jose. Alexander Karpovtsev escapes from Chicago, and winds up on Long Island.
Remember folks, the 3:00 p.m. deadline is just for deals to be reported to the league office, so this is by no means all that's going on. Expect at least a few deals to be announced over the next hour or so that have been conveniently, back-dated, as it were.
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Not sure what Lacroix is thinking here picking up such an inconsisten goalie, unless he's going to flip him to the Caps as a throw in for a Kolzig trade so that the Caps have a decent number 1 after they trade Olie, which they don't have. Just wild speculation though.
Posted by:
at March 9, 2004 02:27 PM
I can't believe the Avs picked up Gratton. Are they the only team in the league that still thinks that guy has any talent? He stinks. Vananen (sp) is the guy they really wanted...to give up Morris and 1st rd pick Ballard from UMinn is a big chunk of change. PHX did itself well in that deal.
My Sabres got some desperate blue line help and a power forward who can't skate all that well in Grier. However, we are better now than we were before the deadline and the fact that Miro "Nokia" Satan will be in a Buffalo uniform makes the natives quite happy I am sure.
Posted by:
at March 9, 2004 03:55 PM
I don't think Grier's skating is his biggest problem (which I don't think is all that bad anyway) its his inability to score on the ton of breakaways he creates for himself but can never finish.
Posted by:
at March 9, 2004 04:34 PM
How did Kolzig and Witt get stuck being the only two NHL-calibur players left in DC? Colo made the right move getting Salo over Olie, I think. But I'm real surprised he didn't get moved.
Posted by:
at March 9, 2004 05:47 PM
Apparently no Kolzig/Witt trade. The NHL just released its list; they said earlier today they weren't going to do a partial, so either they've forgotten something or Olie and Brendan are still in D.C.
Can't imagine seeing Calle play for another team, but Caps' site says management gave him their blessing to go elsewhere to make one last Cup run and then return to the organization.
Posted by:
at March 9, 2004 05:50 PM
Only a fourth-rounder for Ron Francis?! Yes, I know he's likely retiring at the end of the year, but I can't believe the Canes couldn't get better for him.
Guess I'll be rooting for the Leafs in the East this year.
Posted by:
at March 9, 2004 05:58 PM
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