- The first significant trade of the 2007-08 season occurred Thursday as the Colorado Avalanche acquired goaltender Jason Bacashihua from the St. Louis Blues for a conditional seventh round pick in the 2008 entry draft. Bacashihua was then assigned to the Avalanche’s AHL farm team.
Don’t read too much into this move, rumor fans. It doesn’t mean Jose Theodore or Peter Budaj will be on the move soon or by the trade deadline. It’s at best a depth move, perhaps with one eye toward next season when Theodore will likely be gone and the Avs will require someone to share the goalie duties with Budaj.
It’s been a tough road for Bacashihua since being selected in the first round (26th overall) by the Dallas Stars in 2001. He never got close to cracking the Stars roster and was dealt to the Blues in June 2004, where he saw limited action as a backup for two seasons.
The Blues acquisition of Hannu Toivonen from the Bruins this summer meant the writing was on the wall for Bacashihua, meaning he was destined to start this season in the minors. Barring injury to either Theodore or Budaj, he faces the same fate with the Avs this season.
At 25 Bacashihua still has time and the potential to become a regular NHL goaltender, but he’s already on his third team and has yet to show that he has what it takes to play at the NHL level. He’ll have to start picking up his game soon or be destined to spend his career as a minor league goalie.
- Earlier this week the New Jersey Devils demoted veteran defenseman Richard Matvichuk to their minor league affiliate in Lowell, Mass.
Matvichuk failed to adapt to the up-tempo style of new Devils head coach Brent Sutter and had yet to play a regular season game with the team.
GM Lou Lamoriello tried unsuccessfully to shop Matvichuk, likely owing to his contract ($1.368 million), his recent injury history and concerns over his speed.
Still, with some teams already hurting on the blueline this season (Vancouver, Tampa Bay) it’s possible he could attract interest if the Devils place him on re-entry waivers, as then the Devils would be on the hook for half his salary.
Kinda suprised by the move, but at least the Avs have a bakcup for next year. Wonder what they are going to with the extra money that they will save when Theodore is off the books?
I say Colorado needs to upgrade their defense. Aaron Ward might be a good choice. He's won 3 Stanley cups, is having a good start this year. He probably wouldn't be too expensive, either. If the get ahold of him they could probably also afford to upgrade their goalie.
If Colorado got a goalie upgrade they could trade Budaj and a forward for another defenseman and they'd be looking pretty deadly. Man what am I saying? I hate the Avs.
Theodore has actually looked decent enough that perhaps, and it's a big perhaps, he's rounding back into form somewhat. That would certainly be a break for the Avs, because while they never seem to worry offensively, I too question the D a bit and wonder about the goaltending platoon. As for Matvichuk, if the Devs want him off the books, they need only do re-entry waivers with him because between injuries and slow starts, he'll certainly be claimed. He may not have much left in the tank, but he'll get another chance to prove it.
no way Matvichuk gets placed on re-entry waivers this season, because if he gets claimed, that's $700k of salary cap that they can use to acquire someone else. RM will be stuck in Lowell the rest of the season unless Lou can trade him for a bag of pucks
This move is very surprising to me. It seems as though the Avs have several young goalies in the system. Tyler Weiman and Mike Wall have been spoken of highly by Avs management, and they still have Vitaly Kolesnik (whom I think is playing in Europe) who played very well for the few games he was called up two years ago. As for trades, the Avs could use another reliable D-man; but Finger and Cumiskey have been playing very well, and when Skrastins comes back, he'll be a big help. Leopold (if he somehow manages to stay healthy) could be very helpful as well. The goaltending tandem of Theo and Budaj have been playing great and I think that the Avs will leave it like that for the season. The Avs look to be in great shape this season, and with about 4-5 mil in cap room, they could make a splash at the deadline and be serious contenders in the West.
Last edited by ScarfacedAvsFan on November 9th at 7:04 AM.
Not a bad idea for the Avs. It's pretty apparent Theodore's out at the end of the season, and Budaj seems comfortable as a starter. Bacashihua can play the role of backup, and Budaj has probably learned all he can from Theodore.
Aaron Ward and Zdeno Chara are the only Bruins capable of skating backwards most nights, Thadd. I don't think he's going anywhere. Since the trade from the Rangers, he's done really well. Solid defense, chipping in in the offensive end, and like I said, he can skate. Fools though they are, I don't think the Bruins can possibly consider trading him.
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.
