Last week I opened one of my favourite pieces of mail….my Toronto FC season seat package. It brought back the days when I was a kid going to Dominion on a Saturday morning and buying tickets to the Toronto Blue Jays game that afternoon for 2 bucks to sit in the outfield seats. It was a different sports scene then. The hometown team was who people came to see and they supported them 100% of the way!!!
In today’s sports market in Toronto, there is a whole whack of teams eagerly competing for fans. There are soccer, baseball, hockey, football, lacrosse, and basketball teams at almost every level of competition. And that doesn’t include the one-offs like curling, figure skating, and golf. Ticket prices continue to climb as the cheering is starting to diminish. There needs to be a pretty big change if we ever want to start seeing parades down Yonge Street with championship cups!!!
Here is the problem. Sports ticketing is now a BIG business and in the end, fans are not going to the games and when they are, they are there to cheer on specific players who may or may not play for the home team.
Corporate Toronto purchases tickets, scalpers purchase tickets, and fans either don’t have access to tickets or have to pay well over the face value of the tickets to attend a single game through an auction site or Tickets Now (which contravenes the Ticket Speculation Act and is punishable by a fine of up to $5000 incidentally). I am one of the lucky few who has access to seats; as one of the 16 000 TFC seat holders…..access to discounted tickets through work, or Leafs seat access through my Marlies season tickets. As a result, my extra seats go to friends and family and I don’t try to make money off them.
On the fans side, since people can no longer afford to buy tickets to local teams, they’ve chosen to support others instead. That’s why you see Crosby jerseys, A-Rod, “Bills in Toronto” and any number of others.
There needs to be a change. The Attorney General needs to shut down Tickets Now and the auction sites for people selling seats over and above the face value of the tickets. That is how you stop seat holders from across Canada and the United States who speculate on tickets (never attending the games themselves) to give them up and put them back in the hands they belong…..local fans! That’s when you’ll see the sale of local team jerseys soar. That’s when you’ll start hearing cheers for the hometown players. That’s when the word “Toronto” on the front of your shirt will REALLY matter.
I will wear my FC jersey proudly all summer long when I finally hang up my Marlies one, eagerly awaiting the day when it comes out of my closet once again for another 40 games of hockey.
You can email Chris with comments and questions about the blog, Duke’s Dog Pound Supporters Club, or the Marlies anytime to dukesdogpound@yahoo.ca.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Why “Tank Nation” Tanked
Recently, TML blogger Mike Ulmer wrote a blog about the ongoing debate among Leafs fans about whether to tank in favour of draft picks or to demonstrate “integrity” and have the strongest year possible. In the blog, Ulmer says, “They (Leafs fans) want a better draft choice (forgetting for a second the mathematical nuances of the system) and they have endured a pretty rough season. If any fan base deserves a last-place finish, it’s Leafs Nation.”
As someone who holds a Political Science degree and spent considerable time and effort studying Canadian Consititutionalism, it has been fascinating to watch the debate drag on amongst what Constitutional scholar Peter Russell would call “the chattering classes” (Leafs “academics” vocal on the streets and on the various message boards) but in the end, what all Leafs Nation citizens must eventually come to realize is that under no circumstances can we allow “Tank Nation” to prevail; it is not a matter of integrity either but rather the efforts on behalf of the leaders of “Leafs Nation” to introduce measures which shall serve, as section 91 of our Canadian Constitution calls, “the Peace, Order, and good Government” of our team. A culture of winning is sorely missing and instilling that within the organization is critical to ensuring that we succeed.
For far too long, it has been acceptable for the Leafs to have a losing season with the hope of suddenly turning it around and winning the following one. Ticket prices have been raised without consequence (since the corporations are happy to pay whatever it costs) and performance has deteriorated. The Leafs need to turn the tide. We need a management structure in place where losing is not acceptable and inculcated into the team’s players and culture. Brian Burke and Ron Wilson may not be the solution to all of the Leafs' problems, but they are certainly starting to fix the issues that have plagued the leafs for decades.
This week marked the first 100 days of the Burke regime and in political circles, it would be closely scrutinized with detailed accounting published of his accomplishments. What has the Burke administration done?
December 6th – Appointment of Dave Nonis as SVP of Hockey Operations
December - January – Travelled with players from Leafs and the Marlies.
January-February – Met with fans from the Leafs and the Marlies in candid Q&A sessions.
January 21st – Trade Earl for Hamilton.
February – March – Lost Kronwall and Mark Bell to the waiver wire.
March 4th – Active on trade deadline day.Traded Antropov and Moore for 2 second round picks in 2009, and 1 conditional 2009 pick. Picked up Kolzig, Heward, Rogers, and a 4th round pick in return for Petiot. Claimed Gerber and Reitz of waivers. Signed Jeff Hamilton to contract.
March 11th – Signed Jeff Engel to SPC, acquired Ashton Rome on reassignment, and signed Jeremy Swanson and Andrew Martens to PTOs on AHL Clear Day.
Now that the dust has settled, we’ve called up 7 Marlies to the Leafs, picked up 11 players into the organization, lost 6 players, and captured 3, possibly 4 draft picks. It has been a busy 100 days but we’ve managed to put in place a fix to the goaltending problem, picked up players or picks that will be useful over the next few years, and started on the long road ahead to fix the attitudinal problems.
What comes next? That’s easy. There are five key things that need to be done between now and the start of the next season:
- Finish the season strong. Changes have been made to the composition of the team in the hopes that we are stronger. We need to prove that we are by posting more W’s both at the Marlies and at the Leafs levels of the organization.
- Fight for a playoff berth in the AHL. We need the Marlies to make the playoffs this season to give the organization more playoff experience.
- Gear Up For, and Have a Solid Draft Day. With big changes to the rosters, Burke will need to start putting the pieces of the puzzle together for next season. Answering the question who will stay and who will go will help to drive the decisions on draft day. With a strong scouting organization, the Leafs are in a good position to pick wisely and with tough decisions ahead, we need good choices at the draft.
- Determine what both the Marlies and Leafs should look like next season. Once we know who we have to work with internally, we can go after the UFAs and refine what both rosters will shape up to be. Burke has put in a whack of temporary fixes (particularly on the goaltending front) and making decisions that permanently fix the problems are the next logical step in the rebuilding process.
- Share the vision. Fans need share Burke’s vision for the future. Fans need to move away from “tank nation” stances and start moving towards “if we build it, Lord Stanley’s Mug will come”. Fans need to get involved in the building process because they are needed more than ever before if we are to succeed.
With less than 20 regular season games left for both teams, tanking is NOT an option. Let’s go out there and make each and every one of them count!
Finally, on behalf of all DDP members, I extend my sincerest sympathies to the family members and friends of the following soldiers who gave their lives in Afghanistan over the past week and thank them for their bravery and service to Canada:
Trooper Marc Diab
WO Dennis Raymond Brown
Cpl. Dany Fortin
Cpl. Kenneth O'Quinn
Rest in Peace.
You can email Chris with comments and questions about the blog, Duke’s Dog Pound Supporters Club, or the Marlies anytime to dukesdogpound@yahoo.ca.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
After the Deadline
On February 15th, I went to every Leaf fans paradise….CentreSports! I was extremely angry when I left. There, on the wall of jerseys were Crosby, Ovechkin, Sabres, even Sens jerseys! Why would they sell the jerseys of other teams?
On March 3rd, I went back to CentreSports and it was remarkably different. All the other team jerseys were gone. What was funny is that the wall of jerseys had tons of blank jerseys, a handful of Kaberle jerseys, and nearly a full row of #2 Schenn’s. Evidently the merchandising team at the Air Canada Centre got the memo that for trading purposes, it was anybody but Schenn! What was interesting was all of the blank jerseys; a clean slate of jerseys for the future players names and numbers to be crested.
Let’s take a look at the fallout of the trade deadline for the Marlies and the Leafs:
Dominic Moore and Nik Antropov Jerseys Priced to Sell!
Any remaining Dominic Moore and Nik Antropov merchandise will be priced to sell at CentreSports since they’re on their way to Buffalo and New York respectively. This was a good deal for both the teams and the players, but particularly beneficial for the Leafs organization who have 2 second round draft picks and a conditional out of the deal since neither player would have likely been re-signed.
For Marlies fans, it would be nice to see the picks they’ve been traded for play a season or two with us since we’ve missed the pleasure of Luke Schenn and only had limited exposure to Kulemin (thank heavens for the playoffs where we’ll hopefully get to know him WELL).
Stralman and Tlusty Jerseys Remain On Sale at the Regular Price at Blue Line!
It was nice to see that the trade rumours involving Jiri Tlusty and Anton Stralman never materialized and that they’ll be back in the blue and white for the rest of the season! We would have never seen any benefit out of those deals if we traded solid prospects for little in return. Giving up Tlusty and Stralman for picks would be like saying, “let’s not go to Dollarama because they’re cheaper at Everything for a Dollar”. After another exciting night where Tlusty racked up another 6 points against Providence on Wednesday night, it is clear that Burke has made the right decision.
New Name Between the Pipes
I think the bad news has to be on the goaltending front. The loss of Toskala for up to 4 months with his groin/hip injury will prove to be a real challenge for the Leafs. Personally, I am not a big Toskala fan (and would like to see him off the roster) but it has meant that we’ve had to pick up Martin Gerber on the wires.
Why Gerber? Pogge isn’t ready to make the transition. This was supposed to be Pogge’s big year and I think it has been. Pogge has had to face pressures, losses, and the reality of the fans, media, and scouts in Toronto….harsh!
After Sunday’s pull from the net against the Griffins, Pogge was quoted as saying, “It was a bad goal…You shouldn't let a goal in from there. We turned it around after that, but I'm at fault. We lose by one goal and it's pretty much because of that." Marlies Head Coach Greg Gilbert also commented on Pogge, "He's got to continue to work through his weaknesses and get better…We're going to keep supporting him and playing him and working him and making him better." Pogge needs to clear his head and focus on the task at hand…stopping pucks!
We Are Leafs Nation, Not TANK Nation (Don’t Expect Tavares!)
At the end of the trade deadline, hopefully Leafs fans have heard loud and clear what Burke has said from day one…..that he doesn’t like to finish last! The rebuilding has officially begun in earnest and if you think the trade deadline was interesting, just wait until the off-season when the UFA season starts and we make our picks at the draft. By then, those blank jerseys at CentreSports will be flying off the walls to be crested with the names and numbers of new players in the dressing room and some of our favourite Marlies could be leading the pack!
Next Wednesday, March 11th we’ll see who’ll be sent down and who’ll be called up for the Marlies playoff run on Clear Day Roster deadline day. That is when we will really see Burke’s desire to win in Toronto. He told us at the meeting with him for season seat holders that he’s on board with the Marlies and he’d like another Calder Cup (he got one as a player with Springfield in 77-78), so look for a competitive Marlies team to challenge opponent in the playoff run.
Expect great things between now and the fall because we’ve got a lot of hockey left in Toronto! When you only need 16 wins and 12 or less losses, anything is possible.
GO MARLIES GO!!!
You can email Chris with comments and questions about the blog, Duke’s Dog Pound Supporters Club, or the Marlies anytime to dukesdogpound@yahoo.ca.
On March 3rd, I went back to CentreSports and it was remarkably different. All the other team jerseys were gone. What was funny is that the wall of jerseys had tons of blank jerseys, a handful of Kaberle jerseys, and nearly a full row of #2 Schenn’s. Evidently the merchandising team at the Air Canada Centre got the memo that for trading purposes, it was anybody but Schenn! What was interesting was all of the blank jerseys; a clean slate of jerseys for the future players names and numbers to be crested.
Let’s take a look at the fallout of the trade deadline for the Marlies and the Leafs:
Dominic Moore and Nik Antropov Jerseys Priced to Sell!
Any remaining Dominic Moore and Nik Antropov merchandise will be priced to sell at CentreSports since they’re on their way to Buffalo and New York respectively. This was a good deal for both the teams and the players, but particularly beneficial for the Leafs organization who have 2 second round draft picks and a conditional out of the deal since neither player would have likely been re-signed.
For Marlies fans, it would be nice to see the picks they’ve been traded for play a season or two with us since we’ve missed the pleasure of Luke Schenn and only had limited exposure to Kulemin (thank heavens for the playoffs where we’ll hopefully get to know him WELL).
Stralman and Tlusty Jerseys Remain On Sale at the Regular Price at Blue Line!
It was nice to see that the trade rumours involving Jiri Tlusty and Anton Stralman never materialized and that they’ll be back in the blue and white for the rest of the season! We would have never seen any benefit out of those deals if we traded solid prospects for little in return. Giving up Tlusty and Stralman for picks would be like saying, “let’s not go to Dollarama because they’re cheaper at Everything for a Dollar”. After another exciting night where Tlusty racked up another 6 points against Providence on Wednesday night, it is clear that Burke has made the right decision.
New Name Between the Pipes
I think the bad news has to be on the goaltending front. The loss of Toskala for up to 4 months with his groin/hip injury will prove to be a real challenge for the Leafs. Personally, I am not a big Toskala fan (and would like to see him off the roster) but it has meant that we’ve had to pick up Martin Gerber on the wires.
Why Gerber? Pogge isn’t ready to make the transition. This was supposed to be Pogge’s big year and I think it has been. Pogge has had to face pressures, losses, and the reality of the fans, media, and scouts in Toronto….harsh!
After Sunday’s pull from the net against the Griffins, Pogge was quoted as saying, “It was a bad goal…You shouldn't let a goal in from there. We turned it around after that, but I'm at fault. We lose by one goal and it's pretty much because of that." Marlies Head Coach Greg Gilbert also commented on Pogge, "He's got to continue to work through his weaknesses and get better…We're going to keep supporting him and playing him and working him and making him better." Pogge needs to clear his head and focus on the task at hand…stopping pucks!
We Are Leafs Nation, Not TANK Nation (Don’t Expect Tavares!)
At the end of the trade deadline, hopefully Leafs fans have heard loud and clear what Burke has said from day one…..that he doesn’t like to finish last! The rebuilding has officially begun in earnest and if you think the trade deadline was interesting, just wait until the off-season when the UFA season starts and we make our picks at the draft. By then, those blank jerseys at CentreSports will be flying off the walls to be crested with the names and numbers of new players in the dressing room and some of our favourite Marlies could be leading the pack!
Next Wednesday, March 11th we’ll see who’ll be sent down and who’ll be called up for the Marlies playoff run on Clear Day Roster deadline day. That is when we will really see Burke’s desire to win in Toronto. He told us at the meeting with him for season seat holders that he’s on board with the Marlies and he’d like another Calder Cup (he got one as a player with Springfield in 77-78), so look for a competitive Marlies team to challenge opponent in the playoff run.
Expect great things between now and the fall because we’ve got a lot of hockey left in Toronto! When you only need 16 wins and 12 or less losses, anything is possible.
GO MARLIES GO!!!
You can email Chris with comments and questions about the blog, Duke’s Dog Pound Supporters Club, or the Marlies anytime to dukesdogpound@yahoo.ca.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
NHL Trade Deadline Central
The NHL Trade Deadline Central will provide up to date trades throughout the March 4, 2009 deadline. Without further ado, here are the deals making there way in the NHL today.
To Ottawa Senators: Pascal LeClaire + 2nd round pick 2009
To Columbus Blue Jackets: Antoine Vermette
Columbus receives the center they have been coveting for weeks, and Bryan Murray takes the gamble on the often injured goaltender in Pascal LeClaire. This deal can favour Ottawa long term if LeClaire can get past his injuries and provide solid goaltending Ottawa so desperately needs.
To Pittsburgh Penguins: Andy Wozniewski
To St. Louis Blues: Danny Richmond
The Woz gets a shot at playoff glory with the Pittsburgh Penguins or the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins with this deal. If the Woz does get called down to the AHL, look for the members of DDP to have fun chanting against the Woz at an upcoming game.
To Calgary Flames: Jordan Leopold
To Colorado Avalanche: Lawrence Nycholat, Ryan Wilson (from Quad City AHL), 2nd round pick 2009 (from Montreal)
More details to follow on the return for Colorado. Calgary trades for a puck moving defenseman who knows the Flames system, and was on the Stanley Cup finals team previously. Look for Leopold to step right into Mike Keenan’s system and help the flames on the blue line for the playoff push.
Other notes: Bob McKenzie of TSN is confirming that talks are ongoing between the Calgary Flames and Phoenix Coyotes to trade Olli Jokinen to Calgary. Further updates to follow.
Waiver Pick-up: The Leafs claimed goalie Martin Gerber on re-entry waivers from Ottawa and defenceman Erik Reitz from the Rangers.
With the possibility of Vesa Toskala going in for surgery, the Maple Leafs pick up Martin Gerber off the waiver wire for extra help on the big club. Look for the Gerber/Joseph tandem for the remainder of the season, with Justin Pogge getting a couple more call ups for management review.
To Buffalo Sabres: Mikael Tellqvist
To Phoenix Coyotes: 4th round draft pick 2009
Buffalo trades for a solid back-up goaltender for their playoff push. This move provides some added insurance with Ryan Miller getting injured.
To Calgary Flames: Olli Jokinen
To Phoenix Coyotes: Matthew Lombardi, Brandon Prust, 1st round draft pick 2009
You heard this deal on the internet first prior to the trade being made official earlier this morning! As speculated by Bob McKenzie earlier on and posted in this blog, Calgary does pull the trigger for Olli Jokinen!
With Todd Bertuzzi, and Rene Bourque both injured, the Flames were looking to get an impact forward to help on the top lines. The Flames could make another deal to make this one work with Phoenix, as the salary cap hit could be too high for the Flames with Jokinen now on board. Look for another possible trade with Calgary, where it could be a possible player being moved as a salary dump for a draft pick in return to the other team.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have gone on record of their intention to take on expiring contracts for cap room. The Flames could look to Toronto to dump a salary for a draft pick going to the Leafs. More developments to follow.
UPDATE: As reported earlier on the pickup of Martin Gerber, it has been confirmed just now that Vesa Toskala is done for the season and will be having surgery to repair his hip. So far, Duke’s Dog Pound is on fire with these predictions of deals and scenarios! Let’s see if the Flames do trade salary to the Leafs or another team as mentioned earlier.
To Boston Bruins: Steve Montador
To Anaheim Ducks: Petteri Nokelainen
The Bruins obtain a shut down defenseman for their playoff push in Steve Montador. This works perfectly for Boston, as Montador will become an unrestricted free agent next year and the salary hit will not be on the books for the Bruins next year. The Ducks get a 23 year old center in Nokelainen for their re-tooling/rebuild for next season. This is a win-win deal for both teams at their current stage in the season.
To Boston Bruins: Mark Recchi and 2nd round pick (2010)
To Tampa Bay Lightning: Matt Lashoff and Martin Karsums
The Bruins pick up a gritty veteran forward for their playoff run to complement the young guns up front. The Lightning take on the 22 year old defensive prospect in Matt Lashoff and the 23 year old winger from Riga USSR in Martin Karsums for their re-tooling for the future. Tampa Bay gets to relief some salary as expected, and the Bruins get the forward with playoff experience to take them to the next level.
Breaking News: TSN Reports that Peter Forsberg will be announcing his retirement from hockey later on today.
Update: The Denver Post claims that Forsberg could still consider playing next season, and we will have to keep an eye on the developments of this story.
Also, there is a possibility for Gary Roberts to announce retirement if he clears waivers and is not picked up by a team today. The possibility of Roberts playing in the American Hockey League would not bode well for the proud Roberts, and his retirement could be imminent if no other NHL team is willing to pick him up on waivers by the waiver deadline.
To Pittsburgh Penguins: Bill Guerin
To New York Islanders: Conditional draft pick
With the Pittsburgh Penguins putting Miroslav Satan on waivers, it was inevitable for Ray Shero of the Penguins to make a move at the trade deadline for a winger to play alongside Sidney Crosby. With the previous weekend deal falling through with another team for Guerin, the rookie General Manager Garth Snow pulled another deal to send Guerin to the Penguins. The conditional pick could be contingent on how well the Penguins do in the playoffs this year, and we will have to wait to see what the exact conditions will be in the near future.
To Philadelphia Flyers: Daniel Carcillo
To Phoenix Coyotes: Scottie Upshall, 2nd round draft pick
Philadelphia has gained a gritty forward in Daniel Carcillo, while freeing up some salary cap room by sending Scottie Upshall to the Coyotes. Look for this deal to be a preamble to another possible deal with Phoenix, where the Flyers could pick up Derek Morris for their defensive need.
To New York Rangers: Nik Antropov
To Toronto Maple Leafs: 2nd draft round pick and conditional draft pick
Brian Burke finally gets to recoup the second round draft pick that was lost in the Grabovski trade. However, this second round pick will be higher than the Toronto pick, but getting something for the unrestricted free agent in Antropov is better than nothing for the Maple Leafs.
To New York Rangers: Derek Morris
To Phoenix Coyotes: Nigel Dawes, Dmitri Kalinin, and Petr Prucha
New York Rangers upgrade their defense by adding the gritty Derek Morris to their lineup. The Coyotes acquire younger players in Dawes and Prucha who have potential to be more then what they are today. Dmitri Kalinin provides veteran defense with the loss of Morris in their locker room. This is a good deal for both teams based on their current and future needs.
To Buffalo Sabres: Dominic Moore
To Toronto Maple Leafs: 2nd round pick 2009 (from Carolina)
Just like Nik Antropov, the unrestricted free agent Dominic Moore was shipped to regain lost picks from past trades. Both teams get what they are looking for and expect Dominic Moore to play a crucial role in Buffalo's playoff hopes for this year.
To Anaheim Ducks: Erik Christensen
To Atlanta Thrashers: Eric O'Dell
The Anaheim Ducks are the clear winners in this trade. The re-tooling of the team is well on its way to being accomplished, and look for more moves by the Ducks this summer.
The deals keep trickling in.....here they are:
To Columbus Blue Jackets: Kevin Lalande
To Calgary Flames: 4th round draft pick
To Chicago Blackhawks: Samuel Pahlsson
To Anaheim Ducks: James Wisniewski and conditional draft pick
To Florida Panthers: Steve Eminger
To Tampa Bay Lightning: Noah Welch and 3rd round draft pick
To Philadelphia Flyers: Kyle McLaren
To San Jose Sharks: 6th round draft pick
To Carolina Hurricanes: Patrick O'Sullivan
To Los Angeles Kings: Justin Williams
To San Jose Sharks: Travis Moen and Kent Huskins
To Anaheim Ducks: Nick Bonino, Timo Pielmeier, and conditional draft pick
To Carolina Hurricanes: Erik Cole
To Edmonton Oilers: Patrick O'Sullivan
And in a weird twist of fate....Erik Cole back to Carolina for the recently traded Patrick O'Sullivan? Now that is a twist coming out of left field!
To Toronto Maple Leafs: Olaf Kolzig, Jamie Heward, Andy Rogers, and 4th round pick
To Tampa Bay Lightning: Richard Petiot
As eluded to earlier in this central deadline report, salary dump considerations from other teams could be used in a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Brian Burke has taken Olaf Kolzig's $2.5 million salary (pro-rated to be less after the trade) and Jamie Heward off the Lightning's hands with the benefit of Andy Rogers and the fourth round draft pick. The only loss to the Maple Leafs is Richard Petiot, while the Leafs add a large former first round selection in Andy Rogers and the fourth round draft pick.
To Edmonton Oilers: Ales Kotalik
To Buffalo Sabres: 2nd round draft pick
To Ottawa Senators: Pascal LeClaire + 2nd round pick 2009
To Columbus Blue Jackets: Antoine Vermette
Columbus receives the center they have been coveting for weeks, and Bryan Murray takes the gamble on the often injured goaltender in Pascal LeClaire. This deal can favour Ottawa long term if LeClaire can get past his injuries and provide solid goaltending Ottawa so desperately needs.
To Pittsburgh Penguins: Andy Wozniewski
To St. Louis Blues: Danny Richmond
The Woz gets a shot at playoff glory with the Pittsburgh Penguins or the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins with this deal. If the Woz does get called down to the AHL, look for the members of DDP to have fun chanting against the Woz at an upcoming game.
To Calgary Flames: Jordan Leopold
To Colorado Avalanche: Lawrence Nycholat, Ryan Wilson (from Quad City AHL), 2nd round pick 2009 (from Montreal)
More details to follow on the return for Colorado. Calgary trades for a puck moving defenseman who knows the Flames system, and was on the Stanley Cup finals team previously. Look for Leopold to step right into Mike Keenan’s system and help the flames on the blue line for the playoff push.
Other notes: Bob McKenzie of TSN is confirming that talks are ongoing between the Calgary Flames and Phoenix Coyotes to trade Olli Jokinen to Calgary. Further updates to follow.
Waiver Pick-up: The Leafs claimed goalie Martin Gerber on re-entry waivers from Ottawa and defenceman Erik Reitz from the Rangers.
With the possibility of Vesa Toskala going in for surgery, the Maple Leafs pick up Martin Gerber off the waiver wire for extra help on the big club. Look for the Gerber/Joseph tandem for the remainder of the season, with Justin Pogge getting a couple more call ups for management review.
To Buffalo Sabres: Mikael Tellqvist
To Phoenix Coyotes: 4th round draft pick 2009
Buffalo trades for a solid back-up goaltender for their playoff push. This move provides some added insurance with Ryan Miller getting injured.
To Calgary Flames: Olli Jokinen
To Phoenix Coyotes: Matthew Lombardi, Brandon Prust, 1st round draft pick 2009
You heard this deal on the internet first prior to the trade being made official earlier this morning! As speculated by Bob McKenzie earlier on and posted in this blog, Calgary does pull the trigger for Olli Jokinen!
With Todd Bertuzzi, and Rene Bourque both injured, the Flames were looking to get an impact forward to help on the top lines. The Flames could make another deal to make this one work with Phoenix, as the salary cap hit could be too high for the Flames with Jokinen now on board. Look for another possible trade with Calgary, where it could be a possible player being moved as a salary dump for a draft pick in return to the other team.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have gone on record of their intention to take on expiring contracts for cap room. The Flames could look to Toronto to dump a salary for a draft pick going to the Leafs. More developments to follow.
UPDATE: As reported earlier on the pickup of Martin Gerber, it has been confirmed just now that Vesa Toskala is done for the season and will be having surgery to repair his hip. So far, Duke’s Dog Pound is on fire with these predictions of deals and scenarios! Let’s see if the Flames do trade salary to the Leafs or another team as mentioned earlier.
To Boston Bruins: Steve Montador
To Anaheim Ducks: Petteri Nokelainen
The Bruins obtain a shut down defenseman for their playoff push in Steve Montador. This works perfectly for Boston, as Montador will become an unrestricted free agent next year and the salary hit will not be on the books for the Bruins next year. The Ducks get a 23 year old center in Nokelainen for their re-tooling/rebuild for next season. This is a win-win deal for both teams at their current stage in the season.
To Boston Bruins: Mark Recchi and 2nd round pick (2010)
To Tampa Bay Lightning: Matt Lashoff and Martin Karsums
The Bruins pick up a gritty veteran forward for their playoff run to complement the young guns up front. The Lightning take on the 22 year old defensive prospect in Matt Lashoff and the 23 year old winger from Riga USSR in Martin Karsums for their re-tooling for the future. Tampa Bay gets to relief some salary as expected, and the Bruins get the forward with playoff experience to take them to the next level.
Breaking News: TSN Reports that Peter Forsberg will be announcing his retirement from hockey later on today.
Update: The Denver Post claims that Forsberg could still consider playing next season, and we will have to keep an eye on the developments of this story.
Also, there is a possibility for Gary Roberts to announce retirement if he clears waivers and is not picked up by a team today. The possibility of Roberts playing in the American Hockey League would not bode well for the proud Roberts, and his retirement could be imminent if no other NHL team is willing to pick him up on waivers by the waiver deadline.
To Pittsburgh Penguins: Bill Guerin
To New York Islanders: Conditional draft pick
With the Pittsburgh Penguins putting Miroslav Satan on waivers, it was inevitable for Ray Shero of the Penguins to make a move at the trade deadline for a winger to play alongside Sidney Crosby. With the previous weekend deal falling through with another team for Guerin, the rookie General Manager Garth Snow pulled another deal to send Guerin to the Penguins. The conditional pick could be contingent on how well the Penguins do in the playoffs this year, and we will have to wait to see what the exact conditions will be in the near future.
To Philadelphia Flyers: Daniel Carcillo
To Phoenix Coyotes: Scottie Upshall, 2nd round draft pick
Philadelphia has gained a gritty forward in Daniel Carcillo, while freeing up some salary cap room by sending Scottie Upshall to the Coyotes. Look for this deal to be a preamble to another possible deal with Phoenix, where the Flyers could pick up Derek Morris for their defensive need.
To New York Rangers: Nik Antropov
To Toronto Maple Leafs: 2nd draft round pick and conditional draft pick
Brian Burke finally gets to recoup the second round draft pick that was lost in the Grabovski trade. However, this second round pick will be higher than the Toronto pick, but getting something for the unrestricted free agent in Antropov is better than nothing for the Maple Leafs.
To New York Rangers: Derek Morris
To Phoenix Coyotes: Nigel Dawes, Dmitri Kalinin, and Petr Prucha
New York Rangers upgrade their defense by adding the gritty Derek Morris to their lineup. The Coyotes acquire younger players in Dawes and Prucha who have potential to be more then what they are today. Dmitri Kalinin provides veteran defense with the loss of Morris in their locker room. This is a good deal for both teams based on their current and future needs.
To Buffalo Sabres: Dominic Moore
To Toronto Maple Leafs: 2nd round pick 2009 (from Carolina)
Just like Nik Antropov, the unrestricted free agent Dominic Moore was shipped to regain lost picks from past trades. Both teams get what they are looking for and expect Dominic Moore to play a crucial role in Buffalo's playoff hopes for this year.
To Anaheim Ducks: Erik Christensen
To Atlanta Thrashers: Eric O'Dell
The Anaheim Ducks are the clear winners in this trade. The re-tooling of the team is well on its way to being accomplished, and look for more moves by the Ducks this summer.
The deals keep trickling in.....here they are:
To Columbus Blue Jackets: Kevin Lalande
To Calgary Flames: 4th round draft pick
To Chicago Blackhawks: Samuel Pahlsson
To Anaheim Ducks: James Wisniewski and conditional draft pick
To Florida Panthers: Steve Eminger
To Tampa Bay Lightning: Noah Welch and 3rd round draft pick
To Philadelphia Flyers: Kyle McLaren
To San Jose Sharks: 6th round draft pick
To Carolina Hurricanes: Patrick O'Sullivan
To Los Angeles Kings: Justin Williams
To San Jose Sharks: Travis Moen and Kent Huskins
To Anaheim Ducks: Nick Bonino, Timo Pielmeier, and conditional draft pick
To Carolina Hurricanes: Erik Cole
To Edmonton Oilers: Patrick O'Sullivan
And in a weird twist of fate....Erik Cole back to Carolina for the recently traded Patrick O'Sullivan? Now that is a twist coming out of left field!
To Toronto Maple Leafs: Olaf Kolzig, Jamie Heward, Andy Rogers, and 4th round pick
To Tampa Bay Lightning: Richard Petiot
As eluded to earlier in this central deadline report, salary dump considerations from other teams could be used in a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Brian Burke has taken Olaf Kolzig's $2.5 million salary (pro-rated to be less after the trade) and Jamie Heward off the Lightning's hands with the benefit of Andy Rogers and the fourth round draft pick. The only loss to the Maple Leafs is Richard Petiot, while the Leafs add a large former first round selection in Andy Rogers and the fourth round draft pick.
To Edmonton Oilers: Ales Kotalik
To Buffalo Sabres: 2nd round draft pick
Monday, March 2, 2009
NHL Trade Deadline Preview
With the NHL trade deadline a little over 43 hours left as of this writing, there are many rumors circulating around the league and within the media of who could be staying or going from their respective teams. The Toronto Maple Leafs currently hold only five draft picks for the upcoming 2009 NHL entry draft. For a rebuilding team with a low prospect pool, the need to acquire draft picks and prospects will be high on President/General Manager Brian Burke’s to do list.
With this in mind, let’s look at the potential Maple Leafs players that will be packing their luggage on Wednesday.
1) Nik Antropov: With contract negotiations at a stalemate, look for Nik Antropov to be moved out of Toronto. General Managers Scott Howson of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Dale Tallon from the Chicago Blackhawks seem to be interested in the big forward. Brian Burke’s asking price is a first round draft pick.
2) Dominic Moore: After years of futility, Dominic Moore has his break out season at a time when he becomes an unrestricted free agent next year. Moore is looking at top six forward contract extension under $3 million per season. If Dominic Moore does not accept an offer in the $1.5-$1.8 million range, expect Burke to trade Moore by the trade deadline.
The Chicago Blackhawks are once again rumored to be interested in Moore, and the asking price would be a second round draft pick. Other playoff teams could use a third line center that is top 20 in the NHL for face off win percentages. Expect Moore to be a slightly hot commodity for Brian Burke at the trade deadline.
The above players will most likely be moved because of their unrestricted free agent status for next year. There is some interest in Jamal Mayers from playoff teams like Detroit, who would like to add some veteran presence to their line up. Apparently, it is rumored Mayers is not happy in Toronto and would welcome a change of scenery. Matt Stajan is garnering some interest around the league, as his young age and contract is attractive to teams wanting to add a solid third line player to their team.
As for the defenseman, don’t expect Pavel Kubina to be moved at the trade deadline because he has requested not to be traded. Tomas Kaberle will be the best commodity for Brian Burke, but with offers only coming from ten Eastern Conference teams, the offers would have to blow Burke away to pull the trigger for Kaberle. The chances of Kaberle being traded is 50/50 depending on what offers are presented. Look for Eastern Conference playoff teams to put in their best offers for Kaberle depending on what happens with Jay Bouwmeester and Chris Pronger in the next 43 hours.
Every Maple Leafs and Marlies player is available with the exception of Luke Schenn. This will be one of the wildest trade deadlines ever for the Toronto Maple Leafs, as literally the entire roster is for sale with many buyers waiting. Tomorrows game against the New Jersey Devils could be an excellent indicator of who could be moved shortly, as a scenario like Bill Guerin can occur where the Leafs decide to sit out some players in case of injury. However, do not expect any major movement of players and look to see at most anywhere from three to four players to be moved from the Maple Leafs roster from now and till Wednesday.
With this in mind, let’s look at the potential Maple Leafs players that will be packing their luggage on Wednesday.
1) Nik Antropov: With contract negotiations at a stalemate, look for Nik Antropov to be moved out of Toronto. General Managers Scott Howson of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Dale Tallon from the Chicago Blackhawks seem to be interested in the big forward. Brian Burke’s asking price is a first round draft pick.
2) Dominic Moore: After years of futility, Dominic Moore has his break out season at a time when he becomes an unrestricted free agent next year. Moore is looking at top six forward contract extension under $3 million per season. If Dominic Moore does not accept an offer in the $1.5-$1.8 million range, expect Burke to trade Moore by the trade deadline.
The Chicago Blackhawks are once again rumored to be interested in Moore, and the asking price would be a second round draft pick. Other playoff teams could use a third line center that is top 20 in the NHL for face off win percentages. Expect Moore to be a slightly hot commodity for Brian Burke at the trade deadline.
The above players will most likely be moved because of their unrestricted free agent status for next year. There is some interest in Jamal Mayers from playoff teams like Detroit, who would like to add some veteran presence to their line up. Apparently, it is rumored Mayers is not happy in Toronto and would welcome a change of scenery. Matt Stajan is garnering some interest around the league, as his young age and contract is attractive to teams wanting to add a solid third line player to their team.
As for the defenseman, don’t expect Pavel Kubina to be moved at the trade deadline because he has requested not to be traded. Tomas Kaberle will be the best commodity for Brian Burke, but with offers only coming from ten Eastern Conference teams, the offers would have to blow Burke away to pull the trigger for Kaberle. The chances of Kaberle being traded is 50/50 depending on what offers are presented. Look for Eastern Conference playoff teams to put in their best offers for Kaberle depending on what happens with Jay Bouwmeester and Chris Pronger in the next 43 hours.
Every Maple Leafs and Marlies player is available with the exception of Luke Schenn. This will be one of the wildest trade deadlines ever for the Toronto Maple Leafs, as literally the entire roster is for sale with many buyers waiting. Tomorrows game against the New Jersey Devils could be an excellent indicator of who could be moved shortly, as a scenario like Bill Guerin can occur where the Leafs decide to sit out some players in case of injury. However, do not expect any major movement of players and look to see at most anywhere from three to four players to be moved from the Maple Leafs roster from now and till Wednesday.
Change.....
This is a year of change……….
The financial meltdown has meant changes at work and changes to my personal finances. At the rink, with call ups and returns and losses to the waiver wire, you never know who’ll you see at the Ricoh in a Marlies jersey. Changes to the Marlies as part of an “edgy” new look and feel, talk of new jerseys, and with talk of even more changes, the only thing that seems to be staying the same are Marlies ticket prices!
Over the weekend, I went from a real high at the game at Copps (thanks to all who made it out with the DDP crew and I for one will never look at a goalie’s glove the same ever again!) where we won 7-1, to a real low…..a loss to the Griffins and a question lingering over the rink…..will Tlusty and Stralman go, and who will be called up after the ice chips from Wednesday’s trade deadline clears. As I gear up for Tuesday’s Leafs/Devils game (it’s DDP night at the ACC!), it will be even stranger as you know players like Kaberle and Antropov are likely on their way our, and that players like Staal and Tangradi suddenly be Leafs.
If there is one thing for sure, we are in for a very interesting week and the DDP crew will be with you on Wednesday all day as part of our Trade Deadline up-to-the-minute update blog by DDP co-founder Eric Ognjanovic. Don’t get your jerseys crested until Thursday at the earliest!
GO MARLIES GO!!!
You can email Chris with comments and questions about the blog, Duke’s Dog Pound Supporters Club, or the Marlies anytime to dukesdogpound@yahoo.ca.
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