11. Philadelphia Flyers...B-
a. In a slightly puzzling move, the Flyers sent Scottie Upshall to Phoenix for Daniel Carcillo. Don't get me wrong, Carcillo's one of my favorite enforcers. However, Upshall had chemistry with the team, and was starting to contribute more often offensively. Unfortunately, his salary may have had to do with the problem, and he was probably looking for a raise after this season that the team couldn't give him.
b. The team also obtained defenseman Kyle McLaren from San Jose. McLaren can't do much on offense, but he seems to be the replacement for Ossi Vaananen.
12. Pittsburgh Penguins...B+
a. This grade becomes easier, since I've had time to observe the results of the Chris Kunitz-Ryan Whitney swap. Kunitz has produced offensively so far in Pittsburgh, and he likes to hit and get involved as well. Meanwhile, the removal of Whitney creates room in the lineup for young defenseman Kris Letang.
b. The Pens also acquired winger Bill Guerin. Guerin is on the downside of the career, and picking up the aging power forward may seem like a stupid move. However, GM Ray Shero's approach is clear: the team lost plenty of grit after last season when it saw players like Ryan Malone, Adam Hall, Georges Laraque, and Gary Roberts walk out the door. Guerin, along with recent waiver pickup Craig Adams, are the guys Shero is using to try to fill the void.
13. Tampa Bay Lightning...C+
a. The Lightning's biggest trade in terms of a return was shipping Mark Recchi to Boston for defenseman Matt Lashoff and forward Martins Karsums. Lashoff is the true gem, as he has the potential to be a regular defenseman in the NHL, and has some (but not too much) offensive upside. Meanwhile, Karsums has yet to make the NHL jump.
b. The Lightning's biggest trade in terms of players involved was a clear salary dump move. Goalie Olaf Kolzig, defensemen Jamie Heward and Andy Rogers, along with a draft pick, were sent to Toronto for prospect Richard Petiot.
14. Toronto Maple Leafs...B
a. Brian Burke made deals aplenty. Nik Antropov and Dominic Moore were shipped for draft picks. I'm not going to discuss that absurd trade with the lightning again. This team is rebuilding, and Burke needs all the assets he can get in order to put his stamp on the franchise.
Sorry, but I had to use that again.
15. Washington Capitals...C-
a. The Caps did nothing. I'll ignore the question marks that surround goalie Jose Theodore, and assume he'll heat up and have some level of consistency by the time the playoffs show up. The bigger problem is in the defense. There's no intimidating or hard-hitting defenseman, and nobody was brought in at the deadline to fix that.
Fun, eh?
-brett
No comments:
Post a Comment