With the NHL Trade Deadline looming, teams are preparing for a tough day of decisions on how to better themselves for the playoffs, or for the future.

Here is a list of things I believe to happen (or to not happen) by Wednesday, March 4th at 3 p.m. EST.

-    Ryan Smyth will stay put in Colorado.  He has already stated he does not want to waive his no-trade clause.

-    It has already been announced on TSN.ca that Nik Antropov and Dominic Moore will sit tonight’s game against the New Jersey Devils.  Dominic Moore will be shopped, but GM Brian Burke will not find any deals that please him.  Antropov will be dealt to a Western Conference team, possibly the Edmonton Oilers or the Minnesota Wild, who are both still battling for their playoff lives.

Continue reading "Trade Deadline Predictions"

With the NHL salary cap in place and newly drawn-up rules and regulations, NHL teams have found it tough to move players on a whim nowadays.  But plenty happened despite that, so lets get started by looking at the big deals that went down today.

Columbus trades Pascal Leclaire and a 2009 second round pick to Ottawa for Antoine Vermette.

  -Columbus acquired another veteran forward, which is something fans have been asking them to address.  Vermette, 6’1” 197 lbs, was used in many defensive roles for the Senators, as well as playing on the second line behind the Jason Spezza line most nights.  Ottawa gets the starting goalie that they have been desperately searching for in Patrick Leclaire as well.  Leclaire, bothered by injury all season, has played in just twelve games this season, recording a dismal 3.83 goals against average and a .867 save percentage.  But Leclaire has been a bright for Columbus in the past on non-playoff teams, as his career numbers show an impressive .907 save percentage and a 2.82 goals against average.

Continue reading "NHL Trade Deadline Analysis: Part One"

With Part One in the books, let’s continue on to see what else happened on this busy day.

Pittsburgh trades a 2009 conditional pick to New York Islanders for Bill Guerin.

  -After acquiring Chris Kunitz a few days ago from Anaheim, the Penguins were back at it today.  Bill Guerin has always been a strong forward to add to your lineup to count on goal scoring, and he also adds grit and leadership to a young Penguin team.  For details on the conditional pick traded from Pittsburgh, TSN.ca offers an explanation at http://tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=269735&lid=sublink01&

Ponder’s Call:  Pittsburgh has bulked up on offense with these recent acquisitions.  Guerin is a fierce competitor with a strong background in tight situations.  I do not like this deal for the Islanders; they made this trade with just over one hour to go in the deadline.  It is my belief that if they had held on to Guerin about a half hour longer, they could have gotten better than a fifth round pick (which could turn into a third round pick, but who’s counting?).  Advantage Pittsburgh.

Continue reading "NHL Trade Deadline Analysis: Part Two"

The date is March 23rd, 1994.  A packed Great Western Forum hears loud cheers and screams for “The Great One” Wayne Gretzky, to score his 802nd goal, passing his childhood idol Gordie Howe for the all-time NHL goal record.  Geoff Courtnall of the Vancouver Canucks loses the puck on a short-handed opportunity, which results in the Kings skating it back down the rink and Marty McSorley finding an open Wayne Gretzky in the slot.  It was given; the man would score the goal.  Even before the puck was in the net, people rose from their seats and announcer Gary Thorne already had the play call in his head:  “To Gretzky… He scores!  He did it!  He did it!  The greatest goal scorer in National Hockey League history is Wayne Gretzky!”  This game was televised all across the United States and Canada, since the NHL knew that no one would want to miss the special moment.  This was one of the most important days in NHL history.

Continue reading "Brodeur Deserves More Exposure"

Just a few weeks ago, the St. Louis Blues could not find a way to win when it was needed, and were considered to be out of the playoff picture by almost everyone.  But a recent rush by this young team has proven otherwise.  After wins against Los Angeles, Vancouver and two huge wins against Columbus in a home-and-home series, this team looks serious about a playoff push.  They are now clinging to the eighth and final spot in the Western Conference.

There are many factors as to why this team has been rejuvenated as of late.  “The Kid Line,” consisting of youngsters David Perron, T.J. Oshie and Patrik Berglund, has terrified opposing goaltenders night in and night out, the defense has stepped up their play and Chris Mason has been stellar between the pipes.  The most important reason for the success of this team has been the damaging team play.  Every line is finally clicking and every player is contributing in their own way.

Continue reading "Blues are Surging in Wild, Wild West"