The Carolina Hurricanes welcomed back veteran defenseman Frantisek Kaberle back from off-season shoulder surgery.
To make space for Kaberle, the Hurricanes demoted blueliner Anton Babchuk, who played in 51 games this season for the club.
Reports out of Carolina had GM Jim Rutherford shopping either Andrew Hutchinson or David Tanabe to make room for Kaberle, and at one point he was reportedly in talks with two teams but ultimately the deals fell through, leading to Babchuk's demotion.
Should Rutherford move Hutchinson and/or Tanabe by the deadline, it could result in Babchuk rejoining the Hurricanes.
**UPDATE** The Hurricanes suspended Babchuk the following day for refusing to report to their minor league affiliate. As one reader pointed out, it looks like Babchuk just punched his ticket out of Carolina.
I could certainly see Hutchinson or Tanabe being moved. Tanabe has increased his stock as of late with some determined play and could be a great 5 or 6 dman on a playoff-bound team. Hutchinson also has some value on the power play. I would also not be surprised by Rutherford shopping Ken Balanger and/or Trevor Letowski to possibly sweenten a deal involving on of the dmen. Belanger would be a great pickup for a team seeking depth at center and Letowski could regain his scoring touch on a team that could offer him more meaningful minutes than he is getting Carolina. Neither player has made quite the desired impact on the Canes, but they could be valuable pickups for a playoff team.
Any chance of an inter-divisional trade between the Bolts and Hurricanes? CAR needs forward help and TBL needs defense...
The teams both have a need, and they dont play each other any more this season (barring a playoff matchup) so there's no chance a player could come back to haunt his former team unless both teams make the playoffs, which is a possibilty as the division is now up for grabes with ATL's recent stinkage. And even in that scenario, the team would be in the playoffs, which is a minor victory in itself.
I'm thinking Karlson and a draft pick for Babchuk, or a few of our minor league players in a multiplayer deal for Tanabe annd a few of theirs.
Or Fedotenko straight up for Kaberle of Wallinn.
I think that Kaberle would definitely be an upgrade for the bolts, but I agree with Spector. I don't see much of a chance of a trade between the bolts and 'canes.
The Canes have been missing Kaberle all season - no way they part with him to anyone for anything. I would think that Tanabe would garner the most interest as he skates well and can move the puck, it's too bad he just can't seem to stick anywhere for any length of time.
boltsfan - The Lightning sealed their fate in the offseason and may just have to ride their horses the rest of the way. They have been trying to deal away Prospal and Fedotenko for a while with no takers so far. The return for them at this point will be slim and not much help. They also have no depth on the blueline down on the farm so they can't even turn there.
To the contrary, Gregski, the bolts have some real good talent on the farm. With Paul Rangers progression into a top two defenseman, along with the likes of Andy Rogers, Matt Samby, Doug O'brien and Mike Egener on the way, the bolts D-corps of the future looks pretty good, allowing they all live up to some of their hype. NOt to forget Doug Janik, a good d-man from the Buffalo system thats really playing his first full season. Samby and Rogers were hih draft picks and apparently theyve been playing wel enough in Springfield to warrant a decent shot at next years training camp.
As fopr the teams success this year, here's to hoping that this recent streak is the team actually coming together and going on a run deep into the playoffs, and not just a lucky streak.
I dont think anyone will deny that this team could perhaps be the most dangerous in the playoffs, bar none. If our goaltending stays hot (and what a series of games Holmquist has had) and our "Big 3" come up big agian like they did in '04, this team can potentially make a run to the finals.
Hey Spector, is it too soon to start debating who should get MVP?
***Correction to my last post***...I meant to say that "Tanabe" would be an upgrade for the Bolts. (I guess I have a problem confusing 3-sylable names -- haha). It's obvious that the 'Canes have no plans to let go of Kaberle.
Last edited by BlackGoldPenguin21 on February 7th at 4:12 PM.
Hey BGP, tell Crosby to knock it off. How is St. Louis supposdes to make up the 14 points between them when your boy keeps putting up 2-3 point nights every game?
Oh well, at least I can settle for Lecavalier taking the Richard trophy.
As a true hockey fan I couldn't argue against Brodeur as the MVP i####oalie was to be picked. The Devils have not won a game without him and his stats are insanely good. The only caveat that I have to Brodeur's numbers is the obvious defensive game that is played by the entire Devils team. The Devils Goals Allowed is the lowest in the league. And their Goals For is 7th-lowest in the league, which puts them in the same mix with some of the worst teams in the league. Anyone who has watched a Devils game can see that their style leads to low scoring afairs, aside from Brodeur's great play.
If a forward were to be chosen as the MVP, I don't see anyone but Crosby being picked. He's currently leading the league in scoring by 14 points and the Pens can hardly win without his points. Some say that Crosby has a stronger cast of plays as opposed to Ovechkin, for example. But the reality is that Washington has had an easier time winning even when Ovechkin doesn't register a point, as opposed to the Penguins. The Pens have only won one game the entire season when Crosby was kept off of the scoreboard. The Value in an MVP is their ability to help their respective team win and Crosby has proven crucial to the Penguins ability to win games.
Sidenotes for Bolts fans:
- Bolts have won 3 games when Vinny was kept off of the scoresheet
- Bolts have won 5 games when Marty was kept off the board
I know. Crosby doesn't know that a 19-year old isn't supposed to be this good. It's crazy. And it's making the other youngsters on the team believe in miracles too.
On a nightly basis, I'm not sure that there is a player more important to his team than Crosby. In the 10 games he has been held scoreless, the Pens have only one win. (That was the most recent time. They were also winless all of last season when he failed to get a point.) So considering they're 1-9 when he doesn't get a point and 26-8-9 when he does, that's a very strong case.
The only other player who probably stands a real chance is Brodeur, who has recorded all 33 of NJ's wins and has played in all but 2 games and is among league leaders in every stat category.
As far as the West, Luongo may be the best bet there. He has played great after a slow start and is also high up in stat categories. Without him Vancouver has no shot at the division title or the playoffs.
An interesting case could be made for Marian Gaborik too. In the only 21 games he's played Minnesota is 14-5-2 (.714 winning percentage) as opposed to only 15-17-2 (.471 winning percentage) without him. Because of the injuries though, I don't see him winning it. Maybe the Masterton Trophy though.
I would agree that the West is stronger than the East, no doubt, but that has never been a consideration in the MVP voting. The question is who is Most Valuable to their team, not who excels against the best opposition. Who in the West has been as important to their team's number of wins as Crosby and Brodeur have been?
Last edited by BlackGoldPenguin21 on February 8th at 6:23 AM.
boltsfan - I go to Springfield games just about every weekend and I see this "future d-corps" first hand. I don't know where you get your information from, but I can promise you that they DO NOT have a bright future. Egener is too slow even for the AHL, Smaby is terrible in his own end and the same for Rogers. O'Brien is the ONLY one who has any true ability to make the big club and that is mostly for his offensive play as he too is suspect in the defensive zone. If not for the stellar play of Ramo this team would be far worse than they already are.
BlackGoldPenguin21: Let me preface by saying that Crosby probably will win the Hart this year, and should, based on the numbers I showed in my previous post. But I also stand by my claim that in the West, Luongo and Gaborik are candidates.
Vancouver has struggled offensively for much of the year and their defense doesn't have much depth, and when Luongo struggled early in the year they weren't winning. Then he picked his game up. No way Vancouver makes the playoffs without him. I would say if Brodeur is a candidate then there's is no reason Luongo shouldn't be considered as well.
And if you want importance to a team's wins, Gaborik is to Minnesota what Crosby is to Pittsburgh. The only difference, and what will cause Gaborik to not win, is that he missed over 30 games. But considering that without Gaborik the Wild are 2 games under .500 and with him they are 9 games over .500, that is significant. Had he been healthy all season, Minnesota would be running away with the division.
I'm Lyle Richardson, also known as Spector, Foxsports.com 's "Prince of Pucks".,which is based on the fact I live in Prince Edward Island, Canada and I couldn't think of a better byline. I've been an NHL hockey commentator since 1998 on my website, Spector's Hockey, and I'm a contributing writer for Foxsports.com , The Hockey News and Eishockey News. I'm also a regular on The Faceoff Hockey Show and a frequent guest on "The Late Crew" on The Team 1200 Ottawa.
