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NHL Week in Review

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NHL Week in Review
by Chris Kober
Hockeytalk.biz

February 16, 2010

Although the biggest trades leading up to the NHL’s Olympic trade freeze occurred over the past two weeks there was plenty to talk about as the 2010 season’s first trade deadline arrived on Friday.

Five days after trading away Ilya Kovlachuk, Atlanta Thrashers GM Don Waddell was at it again.  Tuesday Kari Lehtonen was traded to Dallas for prospect Ivan Vishnevskiy and a fourth round pick.

Lehtonen holds the Thrashers’ franchise records for games played, wins and shutouts, but has not played an NHL game this season while recovering from a July back surgery.

 The deal sparked many rumors regarding the future of Marty Turco in Dallas, as the veteran goaltender is slated to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.  However, Stars GM Joe Nieuwendyk told the Dallas Morning News that the team will carry three goalies for the time being.

The Ottawa Senators acquired center Matt Cullen from Carolina for defenseman Alexandre Picard and a second-round pick Friday morning.  To make room for their new acquisition the Sens waived former 56-goal-scorer Jonathan Cheechoo and relegated him to Binghamton of the AHL.

Also on waivers Friday morning was Rangers’ enforcer Donald Brashear.  After signing a two year $2.8 million contract in the summer, Brashear only dressed in 36 of New York’s games this season.  The reasoning behind Glen Sather’s waiving of Brashear was made evident when the blue shirts picked up Jody Shelly from the Sharks in exchange for a conditional sixth round pick.

Friday’s most significant trade, however, came when Chicago dealt defenseman Cam Barker and a first rounder to Minnesota for Kim Johnsson and the rights to prospect Nick Leddy, currently of the University of Minnesota.

Barker had been the center of several trade rumors involving the Blackhawks recently due to his $3.08 million cap hit for the next two years.  After signing Marian Hossa to a twelve year deal in the summer and franchise staples Johnathan Towes, Patrick Kane and Duncan Keith to contract extensions in December, Hawks’ GM Stan Bowman was in need of cap relief for next season and found some with the acquisition of Johnsson a UFA-to-be.

The Florida Panthers moved forward Dominic Moore to Montreal for a 2011 second round pick in what could be the first of many moves for GM Randy Sexton in the near future. 

Cliff Viner & Stu Siegel, the club’s Managing Partners, released an open letter to the Florida fans announcing that a complete rebuild is in the offing for the franchise.

 “Clearly, we are not satisfied with some of the players on this team that do not possess the characteristics we need to be successful,” the letter stated, “We must be accountable for that. Our task moving forward is to acquire players with the attributes, skills and qualities we want in a Panthers player. We must admit the significant shortcomings we have as an organization, and we must move quickly and efficiently to overcome these shortcomings and reshape this franchise on a much more solid foundation.”

The Managing Partners added that the changes will begin with the trade deadline this season, continue through the draft and free agency over the summer and may be unpopular or difficult to understand for the fans.

Opening Ceremony

Just hours after the NHL trade freeze went into effect the Olympics officially got underway with the Opening Ceremony at BC Place in Vancouver and hockey played a big part.

Seven of the flag bearers in Friday night’s opening ceremonies were athletes representing their home countries in the men’s hockey tournament, including former NHLers Jaromir Jagr, Peter Forsberg and Ziggy Palffy.

Although he did not carry the stars and stripes for the United States, Los Angeles King Jack Johnson made a tremendous effort to be in Vancouver for what he called “probably the coolest thing” he has ever done.

Shortly after playing in the Kings’ 3-2 shootout loss to Edmonton Thursday night Johnson chartered a private jet to Washington state and was driven up to Vancouver with his family for the opportunity to march in the Parade of the Nations.  Immediately following the ceremony it was back in the car and back on the plane to LA where he arrived in time for the team’s morning skate at 10 o’clock.  He tallied two assists that night in LA’s 3-0 win over Colorado.

Hockey legends Bobby Orr and Wayne Gretzky also played large roles in the ceremony. 

Orr was one of eight Canadians from many realms of influence to present the Olympic flag, while Gretzky was one of four Canadian athletes to light the Olympic cauldron officially opening the games.  The Great One also ran the final leg of the torch relay to light the publicly displayed cauldron on the Vancouver waterfront.

Olympic Rosters Set

The women’s hockey tournament got underway on Saturday with the two gold medal contenders, Canada and the United States, earning 18-0 and 12-1 victories in their respective opening games.  The Men’s tournament begins Tuesday and on Monday the 12 competing nations’ rosters were locked in, but questions remained over several players leading right up to the noon Pacific deadline.

First among the week’s concerns was the status of Ryan Getzlaf.  The Canadian center sprained ankle Monday in Anaehim’s 4-2 win versus Los Angeles.  As a precaution, Team Canada’s Executive Director Steve Yzerman named  Jeff Carter of Philadelphia as Getzlaf’s replacement, but that move proved unnecessary as Getzlaf returned to the Anaheim lineup Sunday after missing two games.  He posted two goals and two assists in 19 and a half minutes of ice time against Edmonton.

The Canadians also had a momentary scare Sunday when Sidney Crosby limped off the ice after blocking a Kevin Kline shot with his shin.  Crosby returned to the game, however and Yzerman announced Monday morning that the roster he named on Dec. 30 will not change.

The Slovakian squad’s two marquee names, Marian Gaborik and Marian Hossa, both missed time going into the break as well. 

Gaborik was cut on the thigh in practice by the skate of teammate Henrik Lundqvist.  The Rangers’ leading scorer missed games Wednesday and Sunday and saw only four minutes of ice time Saturday.

Hossa left the ice for Chicago, Saturday after being hit by Colby Armstrong and missed Sunday’s tilt in Columbus.

Both Gaborik and Hossa remain on the Slovak roster.

Finally, the defending gold medalists from Sweden found a spot for Johan Franzen on their roster, although it comes at the expense of his Detroit teammate Tomas Holmstrom. 

Franzen was initially left off the Swedish roster while he recovered from a torn ACL that saw him miss four months, but was added in place of Holmstrom who will sit the tournament out due to a bruised knee he suffered Feb. 6 in Los Angeles.

Franzen returned to the Red Wings’ lineup Tuesday and has tallied two goals and an assist in his three games since.

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