Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Where Will Our Free Agents Go? Well, Where? HMMMMM? HEEENNNGGH?

Player: Niclas Havelid

Trade Value: Good

Potential Suitors: Phoenix Coyotes, Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, Edmonton Oilers, Dallas Stars

Likely Scenario: Havelid will go to the Phoenix Coyotes. You can take that to the bank and smoke it; remember you heard it here first, folks. They could use someone like him, especially in a playoff run. Who would we get back? Much as I like Shane Doan, I'm afraid all the Yotes will offer is a young cactus.

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Player: Mathieu Schneider

Trade Value: Reasonably Good to Fair

Potential Suitors: Montreal Canadiens, Philadelphia Flyers, Vancouver Canucks, Phoenix Coyotes

Likely Scenario: No idea, but if the Canucks have any intention of pulling themselves together and making a playoff run they'll need someone like Schneider to help out on the power play. I think they could do a lot worse than to go after him; I'm sure we could get the creaking, schlerotic end of Mats Sundin's career in return. The other teams might offer 2nd or 3rd round draft picks. The Coyotes might give us Ken Klee.

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Player: Colby Armstrong

Trade Value: Reasonably Good

Potential Suitors: Pittsburgh Penguins

Likely Scenario: I'd really like to hold on to Army, but he seems miserable here, so we might as well ship him back to his buddy. They might give us Pascal Dupuis in return.

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Player: Marty Reasoner

Trade Value: Good

Potential Suitors: Everyone

Likely Scenario: Reasoner is one of maybe three Thrashers players whose performance this season I can praise without qualification. I would really, REALLY like to hold on to the Party; in fact, I refuse to watch him go. If he must go, any number of teams would take him. I say he'd be mighty useful on the Canadiens or the Bruins, possibly the Sabres as well.

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Player: Kari Lehtonen

Trade Value: Depends on how you look at it, but I'd say Very Good Indeed

Potential Suitors: Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis Blues, Los Angeles Kings, Colorado Avalanche, Ottawa Senators

Likely Scenario: You might have noticed that only one of those teams will be going to the playoffs. A talented young goalie like Kari would come in quite handy during the playoffs; I don't think Osgood is going to get it done this year, and I just can't see Conklin carrying a team to the Stanley Cup. Meanwhile, the Blues and the Kings and the Avs and the Sens are all in dire need of a goalie (well, maybe not the Kings so much, thanks to the advent of Jonathan Quick). Who knows what we could get in return? I predict Kari joins Hossa in Detroit and we end up with some Red Wings player with amazing stats whose production falls off dramatically as soon as he comes to Atlanta. IF he's traded, that is.

5 comments:

FrenchCatalogues said...

I hate this team. If Nicki went to Phoenix that'd be boss.

FrenchCatalogues said...

I'd just want to hold on a bit and keep Kari and wait for Moose to retire to make him goalie coach so Pavs can come up. That's the only good thing I can see for us in the future. We just need defense and the Kari will break out. He's been playing great lately except that Islanders game obviously.

Razor Catch Prey said...

The Pens are fairly desperate and are talking about moving Jordan Staal in order to get somebody to play with Crosby. I say give them Army back along with whatever draft pick or Marty Reasoner they want to get Staal.

Ship Schneider to the Canucks for a draft pick on the hope that they'll continue to tank and the pick will be a good one.

I don't see Kari going anywhere. He's not shown enough stability for a team to put much stock in him and he's up for a new contract after this season. Even as an RFA, why trade anything but a draft pick for such a gamble?

aaron said...

I can't see Colby going anywhere, he's too big of a producer here, even if he is miserable, and I don't think Shero would part with anyone that would entice DW to move his #5 goal scorer. Shero's gonna be in a tough spot if/when the cap comes down - he can't afford to move too much youth.

Anonymous said...

kari to detroit for flip. he would be a good 1-2 line pivot with contract left and might mesh with czar! Please!