The Deal Is Done

Of course, not long after I finished the Peepin' Foes and watched the rest of the Calgary game, the trade we've all been waiting for has finally gone through: the Rangers have dealt Ales Kotalik and Chris Higgins to the Flames for Olli Jokinen and Brandon Prust. Sorry to see Higgins go but this trade is a win for the Blueshirts. Kotalik's New York experiment was not unlike Valeri Kamensky's at the turn of the millennium - the guy put up points but that contribution wasn't enough to overcome his defensive weaknesses and he didn't get the ice time he wanted. As for Higgins, as I have always said, at least he tried. Smithtown's hustle was admirable, but his inability to score was distressing (at best).


So in return for those guys, the Rangers add a playmaking center in Jokinen who clearly needed a change of scenery. The guy had been a all-world talent for a span but somehow lost that of late. But if there is a single coach in the NHL who believes that Olli Jokinen can still be a star, John Tortorella has to be it. Post-lockout, Tortorella saw Jokinen skate against his Lightning on Florida 23 times and Jokinen scored 33 points in those games, including six three-point nights. The last two times he played against the Rangers, he grabbed an assist in each game (one with Phoenix on Nov. 24, 08 and one with Calgary Nov. 7, 09).

Now Torts can slot Jokinen in the middle between Prospal and Gabby, and can slide Dubi down to the second line. A second unit of Dubi, Cally and Avery could be outright scary. Dru or Arty can get slotted out on the wing on the third line with Lisin while you put Boyle, Prust and @Voros34 out as a don't-f@#k-with-us, grind-it-out fourth line. Or mix them in with the third line "talent" to balance the bottom two lines out. Seeing as Prust can fight, this could also hopefully be the end of Brashear's stay on Broadway, which would make this deal an outright victory - even if Jokinen never scores a single point.


Sorry for the Photoshops, they were quite rushed.

Sale Update

I stopped by the Garden on my way to work this morning. They seemed to be selling a lot of the same stuff that they had at the sale earlier this summer. Prices were about the same for shirts and hats (five bucks a pop) but jerseys were just $40. Of course, they had a ton of Scott Gomez and Petr Prucha sweaters but there were also a few Markus Naslund, Jaromir Jagr, Kevin Weekes (??) and Michal Rozsival.

Personally I was considering getting a Gomez and taking it to another place to have the named swapped for Bettsy but in the end I went with a Rozy. He may, may actually be on the team this fall so what the hell, call it a leap of faith. Worse comes to worse, I always liked James Patrick ...

One Sale Wasn't Enough?

Such A Deal!

I go to this pretty much every year and there are usually some great deals on good stuff ...

Peepin' Foes: NHL Trade Deadline Edition

NHL general managers have two days a year when they get to step in to the limelight and tomorrow is one of them - the trade deadline. The final bell rings at 3 p.m. EST but since the NHL insists on using archaic faxing technology, deals will come to light all the way up until six or so. Much like the first day of free agency, GMs can make or break their franchises on deadline day. Granted, more often then not it is break (Atlanta, 2007), but it is still great fun for us hockey fans.

Where We Are: The Rangers are really close to the cap and still needing a scoring winger and help on the blueline.

Where They Are: Philadelphia is flirting with the idea of Jay Bouwmeester. New Jersey already added a solid defenseman in Havelid and still have a goaltender to trade. Pittsburgh added Chris Kunitz in what is turning into a stellar deal but is still sorely in need of help all over the ice. The Islanders are going to deal Bill Guerin, it is just a matter of to which team. The other teams we will be fighting with outside of the Atlantic - Buffalo, Carolina and Florida - could all make big moves. Buffalo needs a goaltender, Carolina needs ... well, Rod Brind'Amour to return to being Rod Brind'Amour, and Florida could use some veteran help up front (but not much else, these kids are hungry).

Who To Watch For: Buffalo and Columbus. If Buffalo gets a goalie to fill in for Miller, they will certainly up the ante in the race for the playoffs. Columbus is worth watching because they are almost certain to make a big move and that is what makes deadline day fun.

What To Watch For: If Boston makes a big move, Montreal will almost certainly follow. The Habs reaaaaallllyyy want to win this season and they need more then a revival by Alex Kovalev to get there. The B's are the Beast of the East right now and any move they make to get better would make their Original Six rivals (and the team that beat them in the playoffs last season) look worse.

What We'll (Hopefully) See: Glen Sather not doing anything stupid. Blair Betts not getting traded. Buffalo not getting their netminder. Islanders not getting any return for their veterans. Dominic Moore to end up somewhere good that isn't in the East (always liked that guy).

Also Check Out: The first place you should go is TSN since they are usually the first to report big deals, Blue Notes since Zipay is really on the ball lately with Blueshirt news, SB Nation's Deadline Center, the new crew at Barry Melrose Rocks plans to live blog and that should be good for some laughs and Puck Daddy, just cause I like those guys.

I Don't Get Why They Hate Him So ...

The NHL.com Store is having a big sale and check out one of the first results on the list, right behind useless Prague merch that didn't sell ...

You Know Your Franchise Is In Trouble When ... 2

New York Islanders Holiday Pack
Pick 3 of the 7 Games Below!
Plus Receive a $50 Debit Card!

Date Day Time Opponent
12/26 Fri 7:00PM MAPLE LEAFS
12/31 Wed 2:00PM* PANTHERS
1/13 Tue 7:00PM RANGERS
1/15 Thu 7:00PM BRUINS
1/17 Sat 7:00PM DEVILS
1/19 Mon 2:00PM* CAPITALS
1/21 Wed 7:00PM DUCKS

Features:
Receive Over 50% Off of Box Office Prices!
Great Gifts Included with Package…
$50 Debit Card!
Islanders Team Duffle Bag!

Prices are based on two seats
2 seat $299.00 $249.00 $199.00
4 seats $598.00 $498.00 $398.00
6 seats $897.00 $747.00 $597.00
8 seats $1,196.00 $996.00 $796.00

So with the card, you essentially get two tickets to three games for $150 and not have to pay ticketmaster fees or anything? You also get a team duffle bag that you can give to charity - this being the holidays and all. And, it being the Islanders and all, you surely can move to better seats with no problem ... such a deal!

You Know Your Franchise Is In Trouble When ...

I am speechless.