Internet Hot Stove
With trade talk heating up I decided to take a look at some of the rumors being published and throw in my thoughts. The Florida Panthers have plenty of players who have been mentioned in trades but haven’t made any moves thus far. Spector suggests that the Red Wings have been linked with Jozef Stumpel and Gary Roberts.
Veteran center Jozef Stumpel, 34, and left winger Gary Roberts, 40, were linked to the Red Wings in a Detroit Free Press report.
Roberts would be a better fit than Stumpel, but he seems destined to go to Ottawa. Roberts wants to go back to Toronto but the Leafs seem to be saying “thanks, but no thanks”. Martin Gelinas would be a good fit in Detroit. The only way I see the Wings going after Todd Bertuzzi would be if they struck out with every other high-end forward and could receive Bertuzzi for a reasonable price.
The word on the street is that Keith Thachuk has waived his no-trade clause and is bound for Atlanta. The Thrashers paid a hefty price if the reports on the terms of the deal are true.
TSN.ca Staff report
In exchange, the Thrashers gave up a first-round pick and a third-round pick in the 2007 Entry Draft, a second-round pick in 2008 and centre Glen Metropolit.
The Thrashers also parted with their future in order to win now by dealing young up and coming defenseman Braydon Coburn to Philadelphia for veteran d-man Alexie Zhitnik.
This is relevant as it will likely drive up the price for Tkachuk’s former teammate Bill Guerin. There are no shortage of suitors for Guerin’s services as Spector reports:
Sources say 8-10 teams — including the Sabres, Sharks, Rangers, Wings, Canucks, Penguins, Ducks, Leafs, Hurricanes and Senators — have held talks with the Blues over Bill Guerin, but the asking price (a top young roster player and a No. 1 draft pick) is considered too steep.
There seem to be two types of deals going down right now. There are teams that absolutely feel pressure to win now - Nashville and Atlanta - and they are overpaying to get those deals done. They can afford to spend more than other teams so they have. The other deals are the ones that are more reasonable, like Calgary’s trade for Craig Conroy and Carolina’s trade for Anson Carter.
If there is another team that feels the need to drive up the price to get Guerin then we could see another big overpayment. Since there are reportedly a lot of teams in on the bidding I think it is more likely than not that someone overpays. Given what Nashville and Atlanta have sent the other way in return for acquiring Peter Forsberg and Keith Tkachuk one of these teams is going to cave and end up giving more than what is being reported as the asking price for Guerin. My guess is two high draft picks (1st through 3rd round) and a solid prospect.
Ansar Khan reports over at MLIVE that the Wings have set up shop in Chicago as they decide what they will try to do regarding trades prior to the trade deadline. Right now I have to say I am pessimistic on Detroit’s chances of acquiring Bill Guerin, who has been by top choice as a free agent acquisition all along.
NHL Trade Talk Red WingsNo Comments
No comments yet.
Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI
Leave a comment
