Week In Review: All Hockey (almost)
I'm sure it must be all the snow out there, but I definitely have hockey on my mind. Sure, it's almost championship week in basketball (absolutely one of my favorite times of year), but until we get to the tournaments, its really hard to provide any really solid analysis. I'll try to slip in some news from other sports, but really, this week in review is all about the hockey.
ITEM ONE: So, tomorrow is the trade deadline for the NHL, and for various reasons, it's more active than any other deadline in the league. There will certainly be more activity than the two trades the NBA saw at their deadline last week. In fact, teams are already overpaying for veteran acquisitions, like Anson Carter, who went to the Hurricanes on Friday and Keith Tkachuk, who moved on to Atlanta yesterday. The bounty for Tkachuk, who is old and has an expiring contract, was Glen Metropolit (meh) and a 1st, 2nd, 3rd and another conditional first round pick. Gadzooks! Just imagine what the Blues would have got if Tkachuk was still in his early thirties! Of course, this mixes things up on the trade market, since, clearly, the bar is very high now. The Predators got Peter Forsberg cheap.
ITEM TWO: Consistently, it seems, the Wild find a pleasant surprise for their season. A few years back, it was Pascal Dupuis. Last season, you might say it was Marc Chouinard. This season, without a doubt, it is Niklas Backstrom, who has done excellent work in net since Manny Fernandez went down. All of this means that the Wild have prospect Josh Harding still waiting in the wings, and proven goalie Fernandez on the shelf. When he gets back, there will be three decent goalies, including a prospect on the roster. You should only have two, and really, you only need one. Dealing one of those goalies at the deadline would bring a king's ransom, if the Wild so desired.
ITEM THREE: I say no to trading Backstrom, however, as he has provided an incredible spark to the team. This past week, the Wild swept their three games, allowing only 5 goals, and getting a shootout win against Colorado. The Wild are going to be a tough team down the stretch in the Northwest, especially after whatever activity they have at the deadline.
ITEM FOUR: There was college basketball this past week, and I'm happy to say that my Purdue Boilermakers may end up in the tournament after defeating Indiana and on the road against Northwestern. Everyone says that if they win their next two , they are in. Keep your fingers crossed. Elsewhere in the Big Ten, I think Wisconsin is much better than Ohio State. They play a better team game, and Brian Butch is now double jointed!
ITEM FIVE: Is it a bad sign when the pitcher you spend about 100 million dollars on shows up to spring training waddling? I think so. Be afraid, Red Sox. Be very afraid.
ITEM SIX: I thought I would point out that the Minnesota Gophers hockey team is on the verge of clinching the WCHA (despite getting swept by St. Cloud State this weekend). It's nice that the U can do something right, athletically this year.
ITEM ONE: So, tomorrow is the trade deadline for the NHL, and for various reasons, it's more active than any other deadline in the league. There will certainly be more activity than the two trades the NBA saw at their deadline last week. In fact, teams are already overpaying for veteran acquisitions, like Anson Carter, who went to the Hurricanes on Friday and Keith Tkachuk, who moved on to Atlanta yesterday. The bounty for Tkachuk, who is old and has an expiring contract, was Glen Metropolit (meh) and a 1st, 2nd, 3rd and another conditional first round pick. Gadzooks! Just imagine what the Blues would have got if Tkachuk was still in his early thirties! Of course, this mixes things up on the trade market, since, clearly, the bar is very high now. The Predators got Peter Forsberg cheap.
ITEM TWO: Consistently, it seems, the Wild find a pleasant surprise for their season. A few years back, it was Pascal Dupuis. Last season, you might say it was Marc Chouinard. This season, without a doubt, it is Niklas Backstrom, who has done excellent work in net since Manny Fernandez went down. All of this means that the Wild have prospect Josh Harding still waiting in the wings, and proven goalie Fernandez on the shelf. When he gets back, there will be three decent goalies, including a prospect on the roster. You should only have two, and really, you only need one. Dealing one of those goalies at the deadline would bring a king's ransom, if the Wild so desired.
ITEM THREE: I say no to trading Backstrom, however, as he has provided an incredible spark to the team. This past week, the Wild swept their three games, allowing only 5 goals, and getting a shootout win against Colorado. The Wild are going to be a tough team down the stretch in the Northwest, especially after whatever activity they have at the deadline.
ITEM FOUR: There was college basketball this past week, and I'm happy to say that my Purdue Boilermakers may end up in the tournament after defeating Indiana and on the road against Northwestern. Everyone says that if they win their next two , they are in. Keep your fingers crossed. Elsewhere in the Big Ten, I think Wisconsin is much better than Ohio State. They play a better team game, and Brian Butch is now double jointed!
ITEM FIVE: Is it a bad sign when the pitcher you spend about 100 million dollars on shows up to spring training waddling? I think so. Be afraid, Red Sox. Be very afraid.
ITEM SIX: I thought I would point out that the Minnesota Gophers hockey team is on the verge of clinching the WCHA (despite getting swept by St. Cloud State this weekend). It's nice that the U can do something right, athletically this year.
posted by Ryan | 12:53 PM
2 Comments:
Item Two/Three: Niklas Backstrom is awesome. I hope the Wild keep him, and I think they will.
Item Four: I'll root for Purdue. I have no loyalties when it comes to basketball.
Item Five: As I have no idea what you're talking about, I should look into it...someday.
Item Six: Minnesota loves its hockey. For all the talk about needing a better football team, better basketball team...Minnesota loves its hockey. I hope the lads can pull it out.
Daisuke Matsuzaka waddles.
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