Last night I received an e-mail claiming ESPN radio in Pittsburgh reporting Phoenix Coyotes forward Georges Laraque could be on his way to the Penguins provided he waives his no-trade clause.
I received another e-mail from a source this morning claiming the deal was all but done, and a report in today's Arizona Republic suggests this swap could occur soon. No word on what the return would be from the Pens.
Keep an eye on this one, folks, for if these reports are correct (and I don't see any reason why they wouldn't be), this deal could go down as early as today. Stay tuned...
**UPDATE** According to reports, the Coyotes apparently put a steep asking price on Laraque's services: a No. 1 and a prospect,
for Laraque and a second- or third-round pick". Hat tip to "BlackGoldPenguin21" for posting this in the comments thread. I agree, that's too much to pay for an enforcer like Laraque, and I don't see anyone, let alone the Pens, paying that price.
The Coyotes will have to come down on that price if they intend to move Laraque, who's apparently been told he won't be playing another game with the Coyotes between now and the deadline on Tuesday.
I have to admit, I've been among those that have thought that Pittsburgh did not need to ruin the chemistry of their scoring lines by pulling in an enforcer.
However I never thought they'd be able to swing Laraque, who can provide offense in addition to being a bad mamma jamma. This would be great for Pittsburgh.
I'm not a big fan of keeping a roster spot for an enforcer over a skilled player, but if this were to happen it would be a good move for the Pens. They need some grit and protection so nobody takes runs at the stars. They need someone to keep things honest come playoff time. Too many times this year runs at Sid have gone unanswered. If a situation like last nights hit on Drury were to happen to Crosby or Malkin they need to have a response. Big George would fill that role and may even prevent that kind of thing from happening at all, plus he may score a timely goal or two.
you know, for some reason he has always been in the doghouse with wayne. How many times has he been a scratch? how many times has he fought, I don't think it has been many.
It seems like when he wants to actually play he is decent, you see him camp in front of the net and do some of the little things, other times, you see him just skate circles on the ice, like is is so far behind the play or he is totally confused of what to do out there.
Kinda seems like he got his big contract and was satisfied and gave up....
But watch out thou, the yotes are cleaning house, the last two days wayne has said they are calling up a BUNCH of guys in the minors, he keeps saying only only a couple of guys are putting out an effort, So I would serioulsy expect a lot of trades to happen with them. Including names you haven't heard or expected.
Apparently wayne is pissed off, and I can't blame him.
Last edited by coyoteslover on February 23rd at 7:32 AM.
Laraque maybe an enforcer, but the few times I have seen him this year, he also looked to me to try and contribute in all of the "other" areas of the game. I think this is would be a solid move for Pittsburgh. If nothing else, Sid and Genya might need Georges to protect them from those "thugs" like Goalie/Enforcer Ray Emery (yes that was another attempt to be funny-sorry).
He had a no trade clause because he wanted to go somewhere where he could stay a few years. He doesn't like to move. He would've signed in edmonton, but they wouldn't give him a NTC.
I completely agree with Coyoteslover about Laraque's play this year. There are games where he goes out and plays his heart out and looks fantastic. There are other days when he looks completely lazy and gives a 25% effort if even that much. I was stoked when I saw we got him in the off-season thinking he would be a nice improvement to our lines. Had he played with heart and intensity every night he might have been worth it and his NTC. As it stands... wouldn't mind to see the GMS pull the trigger on this deal.. lets just hope that Barnett uses some sense and gets us something for him. Barnett has got to be one of the worst GMS in the league in terms of getting something for his players. We always seem to be on the bunk end of the trade (a la Comrie for a suspended Russian player).
Agreed that Barnett hasnt done the greatest job at getting the best value for his players but in that Comrie trade, Kaigodorov does have potential and beings a Sens fan, I was intrigued when he was named to the team at the start of the season. He needs to smarten up and realize that he may have to spend some time in the AHL before making it the NHL. Comrie wasnt doing much anyways in the desert so at least they got something for him.
As for Laraque, I'm surprised that Gretzky doesnt value the enforcer role a little more because if it wasnt for Semenko, other players would've taken a few more shots at him knowing that they were not going to get pounded for it
Rosa... Don't necessarily agree with the statement that Comrie wasn't doing anything in the desert. Fact of the matter is that he was injured for a good portion of the year (2 seasons in a row) and still managed to leave being the highest scoring forward on the team. Then ironically they booted Nagy when he was the highest scoring forward on the team...
Agreed Barnett, I may have been a bit harsh regarding Comrie's production in Phoenix. I think I'm still upset at the way he buckled under the pressure and left his hometown Oilers in the way that he did.
You do bring up an interesting point about the Coyotes trading away their leading scorers, thats pretty ironic. Gretz & Barnett better hope this strategy pans out sooner rather than later
Just curious to what the Coyotes plans for the future are. They haven't been very competitive for a long time. Does the Great one really want to go through another 3-5 years of rebuilding before they can be a threat.
The Coyotes and Pittsburgh are working to complete a trade that would send Phoenix enforcer Georges Laraque to the Penguins.
An NHL source said the Coyotes are offering Laraque and either a second- or third-round draft pick to Pittsburgh and are hoping to land a first-round pick and an American Hockey League player or two in return.
Laraque said Friday morning that he has yet to be approached about waiving his no-trade clause, but he did reveal the Coyotes told him he would not be playing another game for them.
A deal could be completed by Friday afternoon. The NHL trade deadline is Tuesday at 1 p.m.
I respect Georges Laraque greatly. He was ten year-old daughter's favourite Oiler and she still hasn't recovered from his departure last summer. He is a professional in every sense of the word and a very solid citizen off the ice to boot. Should he be off to the Penguins, it would be great to see him with that young, promising team.
The way the rules are called nowadays, though, having an enforcer in your line-up doesn't provide you with much deterrent from the headhunters or the cheap-shot artists. You've got guys like Jody Shelley taking liberties without fear of reprisal and others like Matt Cooke who refuse to answer the bell for what chicken-salad they do. The Code might not be dead, but it ain't looking so good…
Remember the good old days? Like that night in Edmonton when NY Rangers blueliner Tom Laidlaw decked Gretzky? Northlands went silent as Gretzky lay on the ice, and slowly got to his feet. Sather menacingly put a foot on the boards, pointed at Laidlaw and shouted, "Laidlaw, you’re going home in a bleeping body bag!" Then Semenko skated over to Laidlaw, a bit of wild look in his eyes, and growled "Tommy, are you going to be doing that to Gretz anymore?" And Laidlaw replied, rather thoughtfully, "You know, David, I don’t think so. I’m all set, thanks."
You must think things would be different if Laraque was still here. I mean look at the guys getting pushed around, even if he pushed guys around that were running into Rollie. At least Stortini is showing some fight.
i hope this deal happened! the pens are so much fun to watch, they'll be even more fun when guys aren't taking liberties on crosby. i think enforcers are still an important part of the game; at least as long as players continue to disrespect each other by taking cheap shots. greztky needed mcsorley in order to get all those records. that should be enough said of enforcers in the league.
Laraque really does seem like a good guy on and off the ice. Perhaps it was a compatibility issue (maybe or maybe not relating to his speed or lack thereof). I think what seemed most disappointing is the fact that there were several games where Georges wouldn't even finish his checks or stand in the crease let alone drop the gloves. He seems to think now that he is a finesse player instead of the grinder and pounder that everyone loves him for. I hope the deal works out and he regains his old form in PA. It was fun watching the old Laraque... but the new one is not what the yotes thought they were signing up for (probably why Gretzky and him have not seen eye to eye according to the rumors)
Latest word out of Pittsburgh is that the asking price for Laraque may be too steep for Shero's blood. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
"Although neither Shero nor Barnett would comment on a possible Laraque deal last night, there were strong indications that the Penguins would not be willing to give up a first-round draft choice, let alone a No. 1 and a prospect, for Laraque and a second- or third-round pick, a variation that has been reported in Phoenix."
Although I would love to see the addition of Laraque on the Pens roster, I wouldn't give up a first rounder for him either, even if there was a second rounder thrown in from the 'Yotes to sweeten the deal.
I wouldnt give more than a late round pick for him. You must remember though Therrien swung a trade for him while in juniors and ended up winning it all. I am a huge Pens fan, and I am not sure they are stacked for a deep run. Adding him will help open ice for Crosby, but not at the expense of the future.
I think that Shero knows that even with Laraque it's going to be awfully tough for the Pens to have a legitimate shot at the Cup. But in another year or two, watch out. I predict that the Pens will win a round or two this year and that still will be a huge accomplishment for this team.
Last edited by BlackGoldPenguin on February 24th at 12:05 PM.
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.
