Believe it or not, I'm gonna defend Scott Howson a little bit today. Certainly not for the job he's done here but we won't get into that right now as I've beaten about a dozen horses to death lately on that one. But I did like seeing him come out swinging against that ridiculous "clock block" goal that won the Kings the game two nights ago. Anyway you slice it, Columbus got royally screwed.
If there is a bright side, I'm glad that happened now instead of during a game that meant something. Still, there is no excuse for that play to be let go especially with video replay. Lots of checks/balances that didn't get checked or balanced.
I had to laugh though when Howson broke out the word "coincidence" in his letter (see copy here in post by LeeSmit on HFBoards). Shame on him for actually questioning whether there may be more to this than just a "amazing coincidence" that the clock malfunctioned at that specific moment in the game.
Big mistake taking that post down though. I think he felt the heat from the league on that one but once it's out there, stand by it.
Not that there was a boat load of money on this game - but I wonder how Vegas reacts to something like this? Is the end result the end result regardless of circumstance and then they pay out accordingly?
Speaking of questioning. Dark Blue Jacket weighed in yesterday on my previous post questioning if the protest had any influence on Columbus getting awarded the All Star Game.
Agree, disagree and/or bash away. What is important is he does a nice job of actually taking the time to read the post, represent it in a fair fashion and then construct a well thought out response covering each point. Check it out here.
The Lamb has spoken - at least to the Dispatch, about all the trade rumors floating around about him.
“There’s not much I can do about that,” Carter said. “That’s something I can’t worry about or control. My main focus right now is just getting healthy and getting back into the lineup.
“There’s talk about a lot of guys (in here) right now. Our team, with the way the season has gone — the injuries, the standings, and stuff — I don’t think it should come as a surprise to anybody on our team if they end up (in rumors).”
“I haven’t asked for a trade,” Carter said. “Nothing. I’m here to play hockey.”
Not sure about you all, but that doesn't exactly scream keep me in Columbus as I want to be a key piece to turn this thing around!
I'll keep caveating these posts with the fact I don't think Howson should be allowed to make this trade but it appears he will. So with that in mind, the question shouldn't be "if" this guy is gonna get dealt, but when and for what return?
I think he'll go by the deadline and I think he ends up a Leaf for Luke Schenn, Nazem Kadri and a 3rd. That certainly isn't as good as what we gave up but while I think we'll get good value, we won't get great value if we move him now.
With Tim Connoly's injury history and their lack up depth up the middle, Toronto can certainly use a center who can score in Carter. I would imagine Carter would welcome being traded to a big time traditional hockey market as well.
As just age 22, Schenn is basically a young Adam Foote. By all accounts has the type of character this team desperately needs more of. Plus he can play big minutes on the back end. He has a good cap hit at 3.6 mil and is signed for 4 more seasons.
The hope (I'm really growing to hate that word) is Kadri is NHL ready and with the loss of Carter, we will need more depth down the middle. Kadri is 21, has 6p in 19g and has been up and down this season. He's got one year left on his entry level deal at 1.72 mil.
ASSETS: Has excellent shutdown ability and leadership qualities. Is steady, bull-like strong and takes the man with aplomb. Loves to hit and block shots. Strong positionally, he has the mobility to recover when beat. Makes a solid first pass.
FLAWS: Has a heavy blast from the point, but he doesn't possess great offensive instincts, which will limit his ability to put up points consistently at the National Hockey League level. Can be guilty of putting himself out of position from time to time.
CAREER POTENTIAL: Big-minute shutdown defenseman with upside.
ASSETS: Has great scoring instincts, hands and offensive flair to make spectacular plays. Also skates extremely well. His creativity is off the charts. Can line up at all three forward positions.
FLAWS: Is a little undersized for the highest level, so he must gain more strength in order to withstand the pounding of the NHL. Also needs to make the simple play more often (when required).
CAREER POTENTIAL: Skilled scoring forward with good upside.
LA is another team that makes some sense for Carter if Bernier is included in the package. With names like Huet, (Chris) Mason, Ellis, Vokoun, Clemmensen, Gustavsson, Biron, Harding, Montoya, Nabokov and even Sanford among many others are slated to be UFAs, I'd prefer to address goaltending on the UFA market than move Carter for one. Goalies have some huge bust potential and we need young solid assets that we know (as much as possible anyways) that can perform. Luke Schenn is one of those players that I think could really help this team.
My boss pointed me to this new app called Ice Rage for the IPhone.
It's a lot fun for just a buck.
Sam Gagne with 8 points in 1 game last night. What an accomplishment.
To put that into perspective, through 51 games, only 10 Blue Jackets have scored 15 points or higher. Guy got 8 in just one tilt! Amazing.
Both Edmonton and Carolina won last night which has extended the difference from 30th to 29th to 13 points. Both Edmonton and Anaheim are 29th and 28th with 45 total points.
Even the Jackets are gonna have a hard time screwing up last place at this point which is a good thing.
Great night for hockey. The OSU Buckeyes play at 7:05 tonight and that will put you at home (or a bar) just in time to watch the Jackets take on Anaheim at 10.
-LTL
