The trade deadline came and now it has passed, here are the deals that have transpired:

BUF:

Raffi Torres

CBJ:

Vancouver’s 2nd round pick

D Nathan Paetsch

My take:

The reality is that Raffi’s a 3rd Line PLUS guy flying high after 2 good seasons with the CBJ, he also happens to be in his late 20’s with a family to support. This upcoming UFA will be Raffi’s last chance to cash in. Signing a home discount extension simply isn’t as good as testing the UFA market, just ask Commodore. Paetsch is a RFA defenseman/4th line forward, who is very versatile but at best a depth guy. The 2nd round pick is a late one, but a 2nd rounder none less.

WAS:

Milan Jurcina

CBJ:

Conditional 6th round pick

My take:

Milan was of interest to 6 to 9 different teams according to multiple sources, until they found out he has a sports hernia. The Olympics costs us a 3rd round pick. He was traded to WAS for a 6th, IF he plays x amount of games. The chances are 50-50 we will actually obtain that pick. Given the circumstances, we at least got rid of his salary for the remainder of the season, and we traded him to the only team willing to take him.

LAK:

Modin

CBJ:

Conditional 7th

My take:

Conditional 7th ???? Really ??? Modin is such an amazing player they had to put conditions on a 7th round pick, if that’s not a testimony to Modin’s downfall I don’t know what is.. Anyways we just saved 1M and lost a player who was absolutely terrible for us.

FLO:

Mathieu Roy

CLB:

Matt Rust

My Take:

We traded a 1 year AHL/NHL defenseman with no offense, who had a good year actually, for a 6.5C prospect that’s 12th on the Panthers depth chart. Reading the scouting reports 3 things stand out: Speed, 2-way player, good vision. It appears this kid’s odds of becoming an NHL top 9 forward are pretty good. I like this trade, it adds depth to our organization for a disposable player. He plays his last year of college next year, he will then most likely play for the Crunch.

Phoenix:

Alexander Picard

CLB:

Chad Kolarik

My Take:

We are trading a complete NHL bust in Picard for a guy who might actually make it.. 6.5B that’s 7th on the Phoenix depth chart. I like his resume, hope he does well for us in the future. He’s already playing in the AHL.

Summary:

I don’t understand why so many CBJ fans are livid about today’s trade deadline. The team underperformed this year and we are sellers this year, it’s that simple. Howsen did a good job in my humble opinion. How often can say you obtained a 2nd round pick for a third line player at the trade deadline, or conditional late round picks for players who are virtually unmovable at this point in their career. Not very often, I can guarantee you that. Furthermore we traded in two NHL bust players (Yes I know Roy has had a couple of good performances in the NHL, with Edmonton and the CBJ but he has been an AHL/NHL player his entire career.) for younger prospects who might actually make it. The real challenge will be in the off-season when Howsen will be responsible for shaking up the team and hiring a new coach. Looking at the prospects it appears Howsen is going to draft and sign speed.

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed