2009-2010 NHL Hockey Chatter

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Leafs get Phaneuf, Giguere in blockbuster trades

With his team's playoff hopes all but dashed, Leafs General Manager Brian Burke announced a pair of major trades Sunday, bringing in goalie J.S. Giguere from the Anaheim Ducks and elite defender Dion Phaneuf from the Calgary Flames.

Burke said the moves are intended to shake his team into action after a disappointing season.

From the Flames, the Leafs acquire:

* Phaneuf

* Forward Fredrik Sjostrom

* Youngster Keith Aulie

To the Flames, the Leafs sent:

* Forward Matt Stajan

* Forward Niklas Hagman

* Forward Jamal Mayers

* Defender Ian White

In the second major trade, the Leafs grabbed former Conn Smythe winner Giguere, sending two players to Anaheim:

* Goalie Vesa Toskala

* Forward Jason Blake

Phaneuf, 24, is considered one of the league's top defenders, but his point production has slipped this year. In 55 games this season, he's notched 10 goals and 12 assists with the Flames.

Burke said he hopes the new blood will help revive his troubled team, which is tied for second-last in the league and in the midst of a six-game losing streak. The Leafs haven't made the playoffs since 2004.

Burke described Phaneuf as a "warrior."

"He's got a cannon for a shot. He plays the game hard."

Meanwhile, Giguere and Burke's relationship has paid big dividends in the past, as both were part of the Anaheim Ducks' Stanley Cup victory in 2007.

"I've never had a goalie that works as hard as J.S. Giguere," Burke said.

"He takes every scoring chance in practice as a personal challenge and works like a dog."

Burke said bringing Giguere to Toronto is about "stabilizing the goaltending position, which we have been unable to do this season to our detriment."

He won the Conn Smythe trophy for most valuable player during the 2003 playoffs.

Giguere, 32, is 4-8-5 with Anaheim so far this year, registering a .900 save percentage.

Removing a sense of 'entitlement'

Burke said he hopes the changes will rid Leaf players of a "sense of entitlement," where players expect they will lace-up regardless of performance because there is a lack of strong players on the team.

He said he wants to bring top-flight talent to the team so that players have to fight for ice time.

Darren Dreger, TSN's Hockey Insider, said the move is important as the Leafs attempt to hit the reset button and rebuild their squad for next year.

"Toronto moved good players for three young men who will be big pieces of the Maple Leafs continued rebuild," Dreger said.

"Moving Hagman and White was only going to be done if the return was substantial enough. Clearly, it was."

Fans happy about the big names

At the Maple Leafs online web forum Leafspace.com, fans were excited for Phaneuf and Giguere, but were skeptical about the lesser-known players.

User IanSpitzig said pairing Phaneuf with current Leafs defender Tomas Kaberle, Luke Schenn, Francois Beauchemin and Mike Komisarek will create the best defence in the league.

"They are going to crush people," he wrote.

User PinkFloydSound17 said he thinks Phaneuf is so good, he will eventually become Leafs' captain.

"He is a leader who provides offense from the blue line as well as a physical presence that is second to none."

But other fans were upset about the Leafs bringing in lesser-known players, like Sjostrom.

"This season at Calgary Flames he played 46 games, scored one goal and made five assists," wrote user NorwegianLeaf.

"We need better players, not bench warmers."

Source: http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/loc...31?hub=Toronto

.................................................. .................................................. ...

Maybe now we'll see Phaneuf beat the crap out of Avery...

 
ok i don't quite get one thing about this Toronto trade, why do you get rid of your most prolific scorer Hagman?

 
Maybe that is what the Flames wanted, in order to do the trade - just a guess

Dion will be a great asset to the Leafs!

 
Nice win for the Leafs tonight! I gather all those changes were for the better.

Caps won again too! They are riding an 11 game franchise record streak. Yes I hope they don't peak too early.

Thrashers tell Kovalchuk he will be traded

By Staff

Ilya Kovalchuk’s days in Atlanta are numbered.

Kovalchuk was informed by Thrashers general manager Don Waddell after practice Wednesday that he will be traded. Kovalchuk then phoned agent Jay Grossman, who later was told the same thing by Waddell.

“It certainly appears to be the direction the club is moving in,†Grossman told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Ilya’s disappointed. But we appreciate the fact they’ve been honest about what their plans are.â€

Waddell was not available for comment.

Negotiations between the Thrashers and its captain and star player, who will become an unrestricted free agent following the season, have been ongoing for months without reaching agreement on either the salary or duration of a long-term contract.

The Thrashers’ next game is Friday night in Washington. It seems unlikely the team would want Kovalchuk in uniform, while negotiations for his departure are ongoing. His destination, most likely a playoff contender, and a timetable for a deal have not been determined. Teams most often mentioned as interested in Kovalchuk have been Los Angeles, Boston, New York, New Jersey, Calgary and Philadelphia.

“I’m the player and my job is to go on the ice and play hard,†Kovalchuk told the AJC following practice but before he spoke to Waddell. “We are all professionals. I’ve worked here for eight years and hopefully I will stay but you know it’s a business and you never know what’s going to happen.â€

Kovalchuk has been seeking the maximum salary allowed under the collective bargaining agreement, which is 20 percent of the salary cap, or roughly $11.3 million per season. Grossman confirmed that he has not come off that number during negotiations and was asking for a “lifetime†contract in the 10-to-12-year range.

The Thrashers have offered multiple deals, none close those terms. Waddell has approached the cap allowance with an offer of $10 million a year, but sought shorter terms (at three, five or seven years). According to Grossman, the Thrashers’ last offer on the table was for $101 million but the deal would span 12 seasons for an annual average of $8.42 million.

WhileKovalchuk’s demands may seem excessive, even Waddell has conceded there is no contract comparable, because no other player of his status has ever been on the verge of unrestricted free agency. The closest comparables are Columbus forward Rick Nash ($8 million per year for eight years), Carolina’s Eric Staal ($8 .25 million for seven years) and Tampa Bay’s Vinny Lecavalier ($9.71 million for eight years).

In each of those cases, the player signed his contract extension the year before unrestricted free agency. The bigger contract belongs to Lecavalier, who is three years older than Kovalchuk (26).

Kovalchuk said Wednesday that he recently spoke with several members of the Thrashers to ensure that his situation was not becoming an issue. He said he was more concerned with the team’s playoff future than his own.

“You don’t want to be a distraction,†he said. “We are in a playoff race and we are only one point from the playoffs.â€

The Thrashers entered Wednesday’s NHL schedule 11th in the Eastern Conference standings, one point behind three teams tied for the eighth spot.

“We are all aware of the situation,†defenseman Ron Hainsey said following practice. “To say we are not would be lying. At the same time we are playing every other day for two months and we don’t have that much time to worry about it, especially when it seems like every game is against a team that’s a point ahead of us or a point behind us. It’s a lingering issue for the team, but really we have bigger ones trying to keep ourselves in one of the playoff spots."

“This happens every year in more than one place. We can all see a calendar and know we are close to a resolution one way or another.â€

A deal involving Kovalchuk would likely happen sooner than later.

NHL rosters will be frozen from 3 p.m. on Feb. 12 until 11:59 p.m. on Feb. 28 due to the Winter Olympics. The trade deadline falls three days later on March 3.

"As players you have to perform every night,†forward Todd White said. “You’ve got to be ready. Things are out of your control. You can’t be worried about it. Those guys from Calgary [Dion Phaneuf, Jean-Sebastian Giguere and Fredrik Sjostrom, who were traded to Toronto on Sunday] played the other night when there were rumors that they were traded. When you put the jersey on, you have to have your head in the game.

“Anybody can be traded at any time.â€

Kovlachuk, the No. 1 overall pick in 2001, is the franchise’s all-time leader in most offensive statistical categories, including games, points, goals and assists. He currently has 31 goals, fifth in the NHL. He missed six games earlier this season with a broken foot.

“It’s part of the business,†forward Marty Reasoner said. “Kovy has been a professional. He hasn’t really talked about it. He doesn’t let it get to him. We all go about our business ... but we know that’s out of our hands. You go out and do what you are supposed to do. As you get older you realize that the only things you can control are the things you do on a day-to-day basis.â€

src

 
Looks like Ila just got traded:

The Atlanta Thrashers look to have parted ways with the most celebrated player in franchise history, trading star winger Ilya Kovalchuk to the New Jersey Devils, reports USA Today.

It is not yet known what the Thrashers will be getting in return.

Kovalchuk, 26, became the subject of trade rumours recently after reports surfaced that he could not come to terms on a multi-year contract with general manager Don Waddell. The Russian sniper is in the final year of his current contract and is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.

The high-scoring winger has 31 goals and 27 assists with a plus-1 rating.

A seven-year NHL veteran, Kovalchuk was selected first overall by the Thrashers in the 2001 NHL Draft. In 594 career NHL games with Atlanta, he has amassed 328 goals and 278 points.

Kovalchuk scored a career-high 52 goals with the Thrashers in 2007-08 and was co-recipient of the Rocket Richard Trophy in 2003-04 with a league-leading 41 goals.

 
OK its official forget about the stupid bowl later on today. The best game of the day occurred at Noon! The Penguins showed up at the Verizon Center on a snowy saturday and really gave them a good game. They were up 4-2 after two periods and i honestly thought the Caps 13 game win streak was up.

But Ovetchkin had a fabulous game, with a hat trick to put the Caps back into it. The Penguins look like they didn't have the same edge that they started with. So for the Caps # 14!

Karren, haven't been seeing much of you on this thread recently.....

 
I saw most of the game - unfortunately not the third period though.

Even though Pitts was leading 4-2 after 2 periods, I knew that Wash was going to fight for the win.

This is the kind of hockey we'll see in the Olympics - Russia vs Canada! Can't wait!

 
So soon our thoughts will turn to the Olympic Hockey coming up.

So what is it Canada #1 and Russia #2?

 
I love hockey!!!

Its so great!

I was at the Ottawa vs. Calgary game on Tuesday. It was so amazing. I loved seeing Iginla and Kiprusoff right before the Olympics. Ottawa won 3-2 and there were some great fights and amazing saves
bronzecup.gif
. I love seeing hockey in person. Its so much more exciting. I think its the atmosphere. I wore my sens jersey and so did my sister. She had her jersey signed by Winchester and Donavon. She is now majorly crushing on Winchester.
inlove3.gif
lol

 
Hope Ottawa kicks the Capital's butts tonight!!! Like Montreal did last night.....
smile.gif


 
Originally Posted by ploHouse /img/forum/go_quote.gif Canada owned the winter Olympics hockey!!!!(sorry, I'm still psyched about that)

You're right and Canada has great reason to celebrate, but be fair about it that game could have gone either way at the end.
It was exciting and well played but face it Canada had its roster stacked, I expected nothing from the US and they overachieved, so both countries have lots to be proud of.

What i am more surprised is that Gary Bettmann (NHL Commish) would actually say that this will be the LAST Olympics with NHL players. what a huge mistake, those Olympics game prove it. Hockey is live & well throughout the world and to not support the Olympics is just plain stupid for the NHL. thoughts?

 
Its nice to see the NHL back in action.

Carolyn any comments about all the last minute trades that went down? I know the Caps got like 4 players but i am not familiar with any of them.

 
To be honest, I've been ticked at Toronto for doing so poorly this year.

I think they are going to coast at last place so that they can get the number one draft pick.

I haven't followed the trades - no one stands out to me except that Toronto did get rid of some decent players - another mistake on their part?

At least Kaberla is still with Toronto - but then he does have a no-trade clause...

Washington wants to maintain the players they have as they will definately be going into the playoffs as the clear winner. They did get some new players - hopefully Wash won't burn out in the playoffs this time.

 
And we thank the Leafs for winger Alex Ponikarovsky.. 19 goals and 44 points in 61 games. Too bad work visa issues are keeping him from entering the US. I figure someone in DC who is a Caps fan is behind this??? Also D Jordan Leopold from Florida will help shore up the defense..

We loose ahl played Luca Caputi which is a shame because I just likes saying Luca Caputi.. Sounds like a mob boss's name! What was his parents thinking?? Also Skoula left.. He's been a healthy scratch all year so no impact. And a couple draft choices.. Like we need them?

The pundints say Pittsburgh did good.. Ray Shiro knows what he wants and how to get it.. And not pay a lot. Like last year a few extra really helps for the run to the cup..

 

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