Brendan Morrison is signing with the Ducks. The UFA cupboard is getting pretty bare. We here at The Chronicle for some time have been promoting the idea of trading a goalie and a draft pick (the one from Pitt) for help on the blueline. Obviously that pick has been used, and we have somewhat solidified our defense, but we still have the goalies.
Dare I say maybe we are set on the blueline? Dare I say we need more help at RW and maybe a 1-2 line center (not worried about EC, worried about Little)? Maybe the time is now to trade Pavelec or Kari (Maali, please continue to read our blog despite what you may perceive as blasphemy. ;-) Not saying we should trade him, but with as many needs as we have, I think one needs to go). DW could have been waiting to see how we did in free agency. And while we addressed one need, we certainly have holes to fill on the offensive side of the puck.
Maybe we wait to see where Demitra and a few others fall, but perhaps now is the time to cash in on one of our goalie chips.
Thoughts?
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I will go on the record as endorsing either a Kari for Paul Stastny, or Pavelic for Phil Kessel trade.
Both are young, talented, American centers who have huge potential. Put them one of them on the second line with Kozlov now, then move him up to play with the Czar once Kozzy has him ready. Stastny has already been playing with Hejduk, Smyth, Forsberg, and Sakic out in Colorodo, so he's probably already to play on the top line with Kovy.
Also, the Flyers have to dump some salary to get back under the cap. Mike Knuble, at 35 years old would be a nice second or even first line right winger for us at 2.8 million during this last year of his contract. Or for a little more, we might be able to pry away Scott Hartnell who is locked up through the 2012/2013 season and is only 26.
Hartnell has been a 20+ goal scorer for the last three years and is tough enough to stick up for his teammates. God, wouldn't it be nice to have somebody who can actually skate AND fight? (Jeff Odgers, just HOW retired are you?)
Knuble has at least a few more years in him and has shown in Philly that he's capable of putting up good supporting numbers on the top two lines.
But with Philly's cap issues, taking the richer (and longer) contract of the younger Hartnell off their hands is probably most beneficial to both teams.
Not bad! The Avs may want more than Kari for Stastny (is he considered American?!?!?), but maybe not much more knowing their goalie situation. Both seem like somewhat fair trades and would help our club.
The only thing is, if we go with Pav and Moose this season, we would take a hit (more than likely). Then you have another possible bad season going in to the Czar's last year under contract. I'm not saying, I'm just saying...
I'm really torn on this issue. I mean, I can't decide between using one of our goalie bargaining chips and hoarding them.
I think there's a very, very good chance that given a few seasons Kari is the next Luongo or Nabokov, and it'd be a shame to lose him. And if we have a season like last season going into the final year of the Czar's contract...no, it's just not worth it.
Why not follow the San Jose model of letting two goalies compete for the starting job? That way, both of them will be proven and we can trade whichever one we like less in the future.
I realize we're probably not going to end up with a good trade this way, but isn't it possible that we can salvage some of our dignity next season while still letting Pavs and Kari compete for the top job? I don't think it's totally impossible that we have a winning season next year...I mean, Kovalchuk could continue what was interrupted by his injury last year and get us into the playoffs on his Czar-power alone.
I don't know...I'm clueless as to what to do...
Morty: I would have no problem letting Kari and Pav compete for the starting job if we didn't have so many holes to fill. San Jose was a good team that could stand to wait and see which goalie is the best.
I don't think we have the luxury of being really good in one position and really bad in other areas. If our team looks the same in Oct as it does now, its going to be a long season.
It is risky, because whoever you trade may go on to be great (probably will). Just like in business, once you make a deal you can't look back. Its done. Make the best of it and move on...
One other note: Obviously your trade value is higher with Kari than it is Pav. So you would get more in return, making us potentially better next year.
The risk is throwing the bulk of the work Pav's way next season.
You trade Pav you might not get the best bang for your buck.
Is it possible to trade the entire team except for Kovalchuk and Moose? Perhaps to the future San Juan Cocks for their draft picks?
This is why I don't want DW's job. It is a tough call. The thing is Kari could be just about the most amazing thing with the proper defense in front of him. We all know what he can do. A damn snow leopard, he can be.
The real problem I see is that we are so thin everywhere but in goal, that we have no assets to trade other than a goalie and draft picks. You can't get something for nothing, so we have to package a promising young goaltender with a draft pick or two in order to get something of quality to fill our gaping holes on offense. We're just lucky that we have more than one "goalie of the future."
That being said, if we were to hold on to both Pav and Kari for another year or two, we have the opportunity to catch the New Jersey Devils with their pants down. As ugly a mental picture as that is, try to bear with me here for a second...
The Devils currently have absolutely NO goalie prospects. Brodeur is 36 years old and his backup is Kevin Weeks, only three years his junior. Marty is signed through the 11/12 season, at which time he will be about 39 years old. Time to retire.
No young goalie wants to be Brodeur's backup because he plays 79 games a year. Marty's backup gets less playing time than his sister in law. So when it does come time for Brodeur to give up on his futile attempt to convince anyone outside the Canadian media or the greater Newark area that he's as good as Patrick Roy, the Devils have no one to which to turn.
What they do have, is good young forwards. Czar Kovalchuck, if you'll sign this new 17 year contract with Atlanta, we'll bring in Zach Parise to be your center. He's a lot like Mark Savard, only he's not an asshole. (Well, after being in NJ that long he may become an asshole, but we can blow up that bridge when we get to it.)
But bringing in either Hartnell or Kessel solves our problem for this year right away. Moose can play 60 games as a starter and let Pav get in 22 plus preseason.
Msr. Catalogues, I thought the reason you didn't want DW's job was because your boots aren't good for walking across the ice?
And that my friends, is why we asked Razor to join us. If they only knew how funny your "boot" joke really was.
Ah, but that is the glory of an inside joke!!
aw dude. you hit me where it hurts! just for the record, whatever team KL goes to, i follow. i've got no team loyalty :) you may talk shit about me now.
maybe somewhere else is best for KL. idk. *shrug* we'll see i guess.
I still would prefer to have Kari here. Hope it happens!!
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