Trade Deadline in Review

Trade: The Buffalo Sabres trade Alexi Ponikarovsky (F), Peter Kalus (F) and Staffan Kronwall to The Calgary Flames for Kristian Huselius (F) and Andy Sutton (D)

Comments

Rob: I think this was a heck of a price to pay by the Sabres; needless to say he got the players he feels make him a strong player in the playoffs. Calgary gets good return using the strong play of Huselius to his advantage.

Ben: With four weeks remaining in the regular season and 74 point between 15th and 18th there is quite a fight for the last two remaining spots in the UFHL Playoff race. Randy acquired two players who will help him maintain his status in the playoff race. However it could be said that Randy over paid for these guys services but two sure fire NHLers for one everyday player and two prospects who haven’t yet proved themselves doesn’t look that bad.

Trade: The St. Louis Blues Trade Chris Neil (F), David Leneveu (G), and Evgeni Artukhin (F) to The Buffalo Sabres for T.J. Oshie (F), Nikolai Lemtyugov (F), and Sean Brown (D)

Comments

Rob: This is a win –win deal for both teams, they swap good prospects in Oshie and Lenevau. Neil helps The Sabres more at this point so I give the edge to Buffalo.
Ben: This is a win – win deal for Buffalo. St. Louis gives up too much in current points and future points in LeNeveu for Oshie and a throw in enforcer in Sean Brown, definitely the odd man out when all the defensemen in Vancouver get healthy.

Trade: The New York Rangers trade Adrian Aucoin (D) to The Buffalo Sabres for Cory Schneider (G)

Comments

Rob: This deal was done in a win now mind set, The Sabres get an NHL dman for a prospect goalie who might not be here for 3-4 years so it is a win now , I got to go with The Sabres

Ben: This deal confused me. Aucoin is injured for the rest of the year and with all the hot stud men developing in the Chicago system, I don’t see Aucoin playing much in Chicago anymore. Don’t have to say anything positive for the Rangers to for them to win the deal.

Trade: The Edmonton Oilers trade Adam Munro (G), Garth Snow (G) and Cal3 to The St. Louis Blues for Chris Osgood (G)

Comments

Rob: This deal was done because Edmonton needed an NHL goalie and found one very cheap. Too bad he is basically a backup goalie

Ben: Another deal that confuses me. Edmonton does not need to do anything to maintain his status in the UFHL. He’s a lock for 4th place and if he felt he needed to improve his goaltending for 2006-07 season he could do so in the off season.

Trade: The Anaheim Mighty Ducks trade Ana1, Los 2 and Sergei Kostitsyn (F) to The Los Angles Kings for Cristobal Huet (G) and Darryl Sydor (D)

Comments

Rob: Abstain

Ben: Rob had encountered what Randy will soon encounter a log game in goal with young goaltenders. Rob was able to get prime price from Gino with Huet’s strong play as of late. With acquiring Huet and Sydor it give Gino a shot to hit 5th place in the league. The sleeper of the deal is the Belarussian Sergei Kostitsyn.

Trade: The Anaheim Mighty Ducks trade Kim Johnsson (D) and Danny Richmond (D) to the The Boston Bruins for Mike Van Ryn (D) and Antony Stewart (F)

Comments

Rob: This deal is a win for both teams, although with Johnsson’s injury history this deal may come back and bite the bruins in the rear

Ben: This definitely a win for both teams. I agree with Rob in the injury status of Johnsson, however I consider this a wash with the injury of Stewart. Injury at the end of a player’s career is less significant than an injury at the beginning of a player’s career.

Trade: The Edmonton Oilers trade Martin Rucinsky (F) and Bryan Smolinski (F) to The Toronto Maple Leafs for Sergei Fedorov (F) and Pho3.

Comments

Rob: I really like this deal, Toronto who is in the middle of a fierce battle for #1 ov in The UFHL didn’t stand back and watch as other teams picked up players. He made the smart move and got two good NHL forwards in exchange for an aging vet who seems his best days are behind him. Toronto wins this deal by a mile even without Smolinksi

Ben: I really like this deal too. We are not sure in how much longer Fedorov will play, but playing with sniper Nash and the shifty Zherdev will definitely help his points, but every time Jagr gets a point you’ll see Rucinsky as the goal scorer or a player receiving an assist. It’s very beneficial to have a player who plays on the same line as the NHL’s leading scorer.

Deadline 3/11/2006

*TRADE DEADLINE*

Has

PASSED

No More Deals

UFHL - Future Watch

The Hockey News recently released their future watch edition for the 2005-06 Season. We have compiled who has the best prospect list in the UFHL.

Our rating scale:

• THN 1-10: 10 Points
• THN 11-25: 9 Points
• THN 26-50: 8 Points
• THN 51-75: 7 Points
• Team 1-5: 3 Points
• Team 6-10: 1 Point

Disclaimer: The players listed are the players that were selected by the hockey news. Some prospects were not listed because the hockey news claimed they have already established themselves in the NHL

1. Washington Capitals - 104 Points: Nicklas Kronwall (THN - 5), Marc-Andre Fleury (THN - 6), Jiri Hudler (THN - 29), Marc-Andre Pouliot (THN - 39), Marek Zagrapan (THN - 41), Jimmy Howard (THN - 47), Alexandre Picard (THN - 55), Loui Eriksson (THN - 56), Valtteri Filppula (THN - 60), Roman Voloshenko (THN - 63), Konstantin Pushkarev (THN - 69)
2. Los Angeles Kings - 71 Points: Jack Johnson (THN - 2), Anze Kopitar (THN - 11), Carey Price (THN - 12), Robbie Schremp (THN - 15), Brian Lee (THN - 22), Denis Grebeshkov (THN - 26), Lauri Tukonen (THN - 35)
3. Buffalo Sabres - 68 Points: Evgeni Malkin (THN - 1), T.J. Oshie (THN - 33), Alexei Kaigorodov (THN - 59), Cory Schneider (THN - 68), Danny Irmen (THN - 70), Dustin Penner (THN - 72), Justin Pogge (THN - 73)
4. New York Rangers - 59 Points: Gilbert Brule (THN - 7), Jack Skille (THN - 13), Wojtek Wolski (THN - 24), Derek Roy (THN - 32), David Bolland (THN - 46)
5. Minnesota Wild - 58 Points: Bobby Ryan (THN - 3), Luc Bourdon (THN - 18), Marek Schwarz (THN - 34), Nicklas Bergfors (THN - 38), Stanislav Chistov (THN - 57), Steve Bernier (THN - 66)
6. Chicago Blackhawks - 58 Points: Travis Zajac (THN - 21), R.J. Umberger (THN - 43), Lauri Korpikoski (THN - 45), Ondrej Pavelec (THN - 58), Adam Cogliano (THN - 75)
7. Phoenix Coyotes - 52 Points: Drew Stafford (THN - 16), Guillaume Latendress (THN - 23), Ryan O'Marra (THN - 36), Yann Danis (THN - 74)
8. Pittsburgh Penguins - 49 Points: Cam Barker (THN - 9), Ladislav Smid (THN - 10), Alexander Radulov (THN - 19), Scott Upshall (THN - 48)
9. New York Islanders - 35 Points: Marc Staal (THN - 8), Mark Stuart (THN - 31), Pascal Leclaire (THN - 51)
10. Calgary Flames - 35 Points: Patrick Eaves (THN - 17), Devin Setoguchi (THN - 27), Andrei Kostitsyn (THN - 53)
11. Ottawa Senators - 32 Points: Eric Fehr (THN - 30), Josh Harding (THN - 40), Brandon Bochenski (THN - 50)
12. Anaheim Mighty Ducks - 25 Points: Alvero Montoya (THN - 26), Carlo Colaiacovo (THN - 54)
13. Montreal Canadiens - 24 Points: Benoit Pouliot (THN - 14), Timofei Shishkanov (THN - 52), Kyle Chipchura (THN - 71)
14. Tampa Bay Lightning - 21 Points: Andrew Ladd (THN - 20)
15. Boston Bruins - 21 Points: Anthony Stewart (THN - 44)
16. St. Louis Blues - 20 Points: Ryan Parent (THN - 67)
17. Colorado Avalanche - 19 Points: Jeff Tambellini (THN - 35), Eric Nystrom (THN - 65)
18. Carolina Hurricanes - 19 Points: Noah Welch (THN - 64)
19. Toronto Maple Leafs - 17 Points: Shae Weber (THN - 4)
20. Edmonton Oilers - 17 Points: Matt Carle (THN - 62)
21. Dallas Stars - 17 Points: Blake Comeau (NYI - 3)
22. San Jose Sharks - 16 Points: Tuukka Rask (THN - 37)
23. Vancouver Canucks - 14 Points: Blake Wheeler (THN - 25)
24. New Jersey Devils - 14 Points: Matt Niskanen (THN - 49)
25. Philadelphia Flyers - 10 Points: Steve Downie (THN - 61)
26. Detroit Red Wings - 7 Points: Aaron Johnson (CBJ - 4)
27. Florida Panthers - 3 Points: Petr Vrana (NJ - 6)

Congrats to the Washington Capitals for blowing out the rest of the UFHL Teams in this year's future watch. The future sure looks bright for Washington.

What do you think of your UFHL Future Watch Report?

Theo, Theo, Theo

Man I was really rooting for this guy ... always (well not always) loved him and the way he played. Also, just seeing how this blogger thing works - Heal

BASINGSTOKE, England (CP) - Theo Fleury is in trouble again.

Fleury's future in Britain's Elite Ice Hockey League is in jeopardy after the ex-NHLer was ejected from Saturday's game between the Belfast Giants and the Basingstoke Bison.

According to a report on the HockeyRefs.com website, The Giants forward was given a game misconduct and match penalty for firing a puck at referee Mike Hicks in the final minute of Basingstoke's 4-1 victory. The puck reportedly missed the referee's head by inches.

After being assessed the match penalty, Fleury reportedly threatened the officials, earning himself a second match penalty.

Fleury and Hicks had clashed earlier in the game, when Fleury refused to go to the penalty box after being assessed a two-minute elbowing minor. Hicks hit him with a 10-minute misconduct.

Saturday's outburst was the latest for Fleury, who was kicked out of an EIHL game Jan. 10 after tussling with Coventry fans from the penalty box.

Fleury, 37, recorded 1,088 points in 15 NHL seasons with Calgary, Colorado, the New York Rangers and Chicago.

The Russell, Man., native played with the Horse Lake Thunder of the Alberta Senior Hockey League last season, leading the team to the semifinals at the Allan Cup, the Canadian senior league championship.

He was under contract with the Chicago Blackhawks the previous season, but didn't play a single game because he was suspended by the NHL for violating the league's substance abuse program.

Since joining Belfast this season, Fleury has recorded 22 goals, 55 assists and 217 penalty minutes in 35 games.

Kings "Huet" named NHL Defensive Player of the week

Huet began a six-game road trip by making 32 saves in a 5-3 victory over the New York Islanders Feb. 28. He turned aside 24 shots in a 1-0 win over the Florida Panthers March 2, his third shutout of the season, and made 27 saves in a 6-2 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning March 4.

Huet is 9-5-3 with a 2.26 goals-against average and .929 save percentage in 20 games this season, including a 6-0-2 mark in his past eight starts.

There are rumors around Huet as rookie goalie Hannu Toivonen is getting healthy that huet could be dealt for help in other areas

In other Los Angeles Kingsnews they have locked up a key member of their team. The Kings signed defenceman Mattias Norstrom to a two-year deal worth $4.25 million per season. Norstrom was eligible to become an unrestricted free agent at season's end.
''We're happy to have Matty continue his career with the Kings,'' said Kings GM and president of hockey operations Dave Taylor. ''We appreciate his leadership, dedication and commitment to our organization.''
The stay-at-home defenceman has three goals and 19 assists in 58 games with the Kings this season - his tenth with the franchise.
In 742 career games Norstrom has 13 goals and 123 assists and a +30 rating.


''I am really happy to be staying here with the Kings and excited about the direction we are headed,'' said Norstrom. ''This organization is committed to winning and I am thrilled that they want me to continue to be apart of it.''