It’s that time of year again, folks, when the rumor mill goes into overdrive churning out all sorts of speculation as the NHL trade deadline nears.
And as always, a lot of what’s being spewed out is downright wacky.
Montreal trading Michael Ryder to Calgary for Alex Tanguay or to Atlanta for Marian Hossa?
Sure, if one overlooks the fact Tanguay has no desire to waive his “no-trade” clause to play in Montreal and that Thrashers GM Don Waddell isn’t an ####.
The Los Angeles Kings trading Rob Blake to the Anaheim Ducks?
As if Ducks GM Brian Burke’s blueline isn’t deep enough! Besides, Burke’s interest is in bolstering his offence, not adding another big-name defenseman to an already loaded defense corps.
Tampa Bay trading Brad Richards to Chicago for Nikolai Khabibulin?
Look, I know the Bolts desperately need a quality starting goaltender, but Khabibulin isn’t one anymore, and his salary ($6.75 million) is almost as pricey as Richards’ ($7.8 million), and oh yeah, Richards has a “no-trade” clause and no intention of waiving it.
Dallas trading Marty Turco to Tampa Bay for Martin St. Louis?
Which part of “no-trade clause” did you not understand?
The Carolina Hurricanes trading Eric Staal to the Edmonton Oilers?
I didn’t realize Hurricanes GM Jim Rutherford wanted to get out of his contract to sign with the Toronto Maple Leafs that badly.
Maybe these trades happen if you’re in a fantasy league or playing NHL 2K8. They don’t happen in today’s NHL.
Expect more wild and wacky rumors between now and the trade deadline on February 26th, which is now mercifully close meaning we won’t have to hear these nonsensical speculations for much longer!
The best part of all of the rumors is who will and will not waive their NTC. Maybe the players should do the deals. NOT!
By the way, does anyone know if there is any truth to the story on TSN about Redden rejecting a deal to SJ for possibly Marleau? With Capt. Pat's big contract and lack of production, wouldn't he be a negative option for a team rather than a positive?
Last edited by AlamoSharkie on February 8th at 1:05 PM.
Doesn't Marleau also have that pesky ntc? If not, Wilson recently signed him to a multi-year deal worth big bucks. One or both of these should be enough to let us know Marleau's wearing teal through this season.
Since I failed to remember to add this in the first place, my wild and crazy rumor of the year:
Jagr to Calgary, Tanguay to Ottawa, Spezza to NYR. Wrap your mind around it, because it's never gonna happen.
Hey bwitty...I can only speak for myself, but I usally check in Mr. Spector's blog and web site to get the real scoop on the rumors. Probably one the most reliable sources on the net for hockey info.
My colleagues out in Ontario tell me they are hearing that Wilson is listening to offers for Marleau, but is not that interested in picking a "rental" rather a long term fix. (Whatever long term means in hockey). The guys on XM taled about Campbell and Saku Koivu being the biggest stars to move and that the Kings may not deal Blake
keep in mind that blake is on the ir, and may be out until the trade deadline. a team would really be taking a chance if they were to trade for blake not knowing what his status will be. so he may not be moved.
I'd also rather hear the veracity of existing trade rumors than a bunch of the same recycled slop. That's why I check out the site, and I daresay Spector does a great job separating the wheat from the chaff in that regard. Plenty of other sites for baseless speculation. NTCs are great rumor killers, but never seem to end their generation. I also don't understand rumors in which guys like Marleau get traded when they struggled all season long. Any GM worth their salt is only going to make a move with a talent when they are on the upswing, because obviously you're going to get more in that situation. In addition, there is no goalie market and that's been shown. Had there been one, Bryzgalov wouldn't have ended up in Phoenix. If you don't like these crazy rumors, wait a day. There will be more.
More realistic than Marian Hossa for Ryder. That being said, I don't believe the Canucks want to part with Kesler, who this season has begun to play up to expectations.
I don't get why people are so desperate for rumors and actual trades. I like continuity and stability, and less big trades make them more interesting when they actually happen.
I'm not saying I don't want to see any trades at all, but that fact that there weren't a lot of trades earlier in the season doesn't bother me in the least.
Wow, three posts from me. (I'd better shut up before I get kicked out of here! LOL) Anyway, I agree with you Sakic, but its fun to watch and see how teams make changes to go for the ultimate hockey prize. Plus it gives all of us "armchair" GM's to test knowledge.
By the way, the Sharks radio network confirmed that there was proposed deal btween SJ and Ottawa on Friday. It was Redden for Carle and a draft pick.
James Duthie put it best he said there are only 2 types of people that start Internet trade rumors 14 year olds living in their parents basement and 40 year olds living in their parents basement
I don't know for certain, but I've heard that trade deadline acquisitions rarely pay huge dividends in the latter/post season.
I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for CAL to move Iginla or LA to trade Blake before Feb 26th. The big trades will be made after the SC finals. The big signings will be done before July 1st.
True, but if your team IS lacking something going into the home stretch, of course you're going to want to try and address it, rather than just hope for the best. And if you can get a high end player, even if it's just a rental, and not give up anything big for it, you're gonna want to at least consider it, right?
And besides, it only has to happen once to justify it.
Let's be honest, when was the last time a deadline deal made a huge impact, leading to a win? BUT, if Anaheim or Ottawa or Detroit or, hell, Washington, makes a big acquisition and wins the cup, you can bet that people will be trumpeting the success of deadline deals for years to come.
Actually, I stand corrected. Recchi WAS a deadline deal (though they traded for Weight over a month before the deadline) and he was a fairly major part of that team.
Also, checking out Wikipedia, Edmonton picked up Roloson on the deadline that year too, and he obviously had a huge impact.
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.
