Deadline deals a plenty

If you're a sportsfan, this is an exciting time of year. The NBA deadline has already produced two big superstars coming to the metropolitan area with the Knicks finally acquiring Carmelo Anthony and the Nets stunning everyone by bringing in Deron Williams. While those two main attractions overshadow what's going on with our hockey clubs, the rest of the NHL has been plenty busy with quite a few big names also changing logos.

By now, we already know that Tomas Kaberle finally was traded out of Toronto after the 1,234,567th rumor with the much discussed offensive defenseman becoming a Boston Bruin last week for prospect Joe Colborne, a first round pick and a conditional pick. So, the 12-year veteran who lasted much longer as a Leaf than anyone ever imagined a decade prior when he was rumored along with Nik Antropov to the Flyers for Eric Lindros- now goes to Beantown to try to help deliver Lord Stanley back to the home of New England Clam Chowder for the first time since Bobby Orr skated the Cup in front of my Dad at the Garden in '72.

If only that were the only trade. The biggest one and most shocking in a long time was over the weekend when the Avs and Blues got together with Colorado sending power forward Chris Stewart and rookie blueliner Kevin Shattenkirk to St. Louis for Erik Johnson and Jay McClement. The blockbuster that wasn't announced until past 2 AM on the East coast Saturday morning on Twitter also included a first round pick to the Avs while the Blues got a second rounder with both conditional either this year or next. The deal stunned the hockey world. When a former first overall pick is dealt for an emerging star and an offensive defenseman having a good rookie year, it's no small potatoes. Already, the teams met with Johnson's late goal holding off his former club 4-3. The former cornerstone who was instrumental in Team USA's silver medal at last year's Olympics has already vowed to make Blues' GM Doug Armstrong regret the trade. Even more wild was former Quebec Nordique all-time great Hall Of Famer Peter Stastny ripping into the Avs for doing this deal. When interviewed live during a Colorado loss to Edmonton last night, Paul Stastny's Dad didn't mince words saying:

"That's a one-sided deal. I don't know what they're doing. I'm really mad. ... They set the team back two, three years. I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't say this but that's how I feel."

Strong stuff from a great player who obviously still cares a great deal about the franchise his son still is part of until he's next. On paper, it does seem to favor St. Louis. Especially if Stewart develops into the 30+ goal, 70-point guy we expect. Shattenkirk's no throw in either with 28 points (7-21-28) in his rookie season. Or eight better than Johnson, who has faded from a career best 39 last year to 20 (4-16-20). It got even chipper last night on Versus when Keith Jones criticized the 22 year-old American, indicating that Colorado should expect to be very disappointed, which even stunned Mike Milbury, who of course got blamed even when he didn't run his mouth. It's hard not to think it's better for the Blues but wasn't Johnson expected to be a cornerstone defenseman you build around? Considering the state of the Av blueline, it's worth the gamble, reminding many of another player the Blues acquired in Chris Pronger from the then Hartford Whalers for Brendan Shanahan. That was two Hall Of Famers. They'll be talking about this deal for a while. Until then, let's at least remain on the sidelines before giving our verdict.

Just today, Alex Kovalev returned to Pittsburgh for a seventh round pick that could turn into a sixth depending on the number of games the talented yet enigmatic Russian plays. On his 38th birthday, AK27 gets to play for the team he had his coming out party with. Was it really that long ago that the Kovy274Hart name was born? My aol screename was inspired by a career '00-01 season in which Kovy tallied 44 goals, 51 assists, 95 points along with 12 power play goals, two shorties and nine game-winners. The same year Super Mario returned reuniting with old linemates Kevin Stevens and Jaromir Jagr while Kovalev played with Martin Straka and Robert Lang. Now, nearing the finish line of an underachieving career despite 426 career goals and 591 assists for 1,017 total points in 1,282 games, the former '94 Ranger Stanley Cup hero gets one more chance with the banged up Pens without Evgeni Malkin and probably Sidney Crosby. He'd been a bitter disappointment in Ottawa after a few productive years with Montreal. Before a recent run of nine points in 10 games including six goals post-All Star break, Kovalev had been MIA, becoming a healthy scratch. Now, the Pens hope he's got something left.

We're still waiting on other trades. Will Dallas move injured Brad Richards now that they're life and death for the playoffs? Will the Rangers acquire a veteran blueliner? Are the Devils and Islanders doing anything? All that and more shall get answered shortly.

Blues blanket Rangers

It was the Blues tonight at The Garden for the Rangers literally as they were blanketed by a good team 2-0. So much for getting back to .500 on home ice. It wasn't for lack of effort. Simply put, St. Louis is just a better team. Stellar defense, physicality, a great penalty kill and faceoff dominance allowed John Davidson's club to rebound from a shootout loss in Beantown despite little offense.

Alex Steen's second period tally off a three-on-two rush stood up as the winner in a throwback game that saw little time and space for either side to make plays. In a battle of backups, Ty Conklin outdueled Martin Biron, repelling all 27 his way en route to the shutout. Biron, who had little chance on Steen's perfect wrister high blocker, also was solid turning aside 20 of 21 in his third start.

It just came down to a foolish mistake by enforcer Derek Boogaard, who with rookie linemates Derek Stepan and Evgeny Grachev in on the puck behind the net, went for a big hit catching all three deep. Had he backed up instead, there's probably no odd-man break with Brad Boyes dishing across for Steen, who used Dan Girardi as a screen for his second of the season. He would also score into an empty net with four seconds left, sending a disappointed crowd home.

Frustrating, yes. But the Rangers did some good things, competing hard and playing perhaps their best D so far. There's still plenty to work on for John Tortorella's club before hosting the Alex Ovechkin Caps Tuesday and the Sabres Thursday. Figure it to center around faceoffs where they again were victimized badly, losing 38-of-54 (70 Pct). Even a legit boarding major on human wrecking ball B.J. Crombeen with over 12:00 left when he crushed Stepan, who still cameback for his next shift, wasn't enough to get it tied. They couldn't win any draws and never got set up. The best opportunity came late with Artem Anisimov blowing a gimme with Conklin out of position. He didn't realize how much time he had, firing too quick and hitting the side of the net. That was the chance.

Save us the build in MSG excuse about vet ref Bill McCreary erring on a hi-stick call which negated an actual Alex Frolov goal. Yes, the puck probably never touched any Blue and they never gained clean possession before Frolov put in an errant Conklin clear attempt. However, mistakes happen all the time. Too much so these days as I debated with plenty of #NYR Tweeps before. McCreary is one of the best officials out there. He simply missed it. There was enough time for our team to score one measly goal. It just never came with Boogard's boneheaded play costing us at least a point. Speaking of Boogey Man, he also took a needless rough in the offensive zone. If he's not scratched next game, something's wrong. That cannot happen. Cam Janssen was out too. God forbid he challenge him. It's already Brashear II.

As for the five minute power play from Hell, we don't have one PP QB right now, especially with Mike Del Zotto struggling. At least he was stronger in his end. Michal Rozsival was the only consistent defenseman who pinched effectively. Outside of one nice Marc Staal rush, there just wasn't enough aggressiveness. Dan Girardi had another stellar game. He really should have Staal's 'A,' but I get why they're doing it.

As far as Tort's employment of forwards, I felt he didn't use Brian Boyle enough up front and never even gave Grachev a sniff in the third despite another decent outing. In the second, Grach had a nice takeaway and almost broke in clean using his size and reach. Only a hustling defensive play by Vlad Sobotka prevented the big chance. Is eight shifts (4:10) enough for the 20 year-old Russian? No but this stint should benefit his development. When Marian Gaborik returns which might come next week, he'll go back down to Hartford. I don't view him as Jessiman II as some have already unfairly labeled. The instincts are there. He just needs more time to develop offensively.

Frolov had one of his better games. He was more involved on the cycle which included a nifty Stepan backhand pass which Fro fired into Conklin. I get the feeling he's gonna get one soon and that should open the floodgates. D-Step played better, looking more confident with the puck and was rewarded with more ice-time, playing with Frolov and Ruslan Fedotenko in the third. He had one sneaky try from behind the net along with a couple of good passes but as teammates did, was brutal in the dotted circle losing six of seven faceoffs. Insert classic Don Cherry HNIC rant here. If only I could find it.

One other parting shot before we finish up. Fedotenko was properly called for a late hit after a whistle. Fine. But how come a punk like Daniel Carcillo gets away with it against the Islanders in a tie game late in the third yesterday? Simply amazing.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Michal Rozsival, NYR (2 takeaways, 4 blocked shots, hit in 21:23)
2nd Star-Alex Steen, Stl (2 goals incl. decider in 2nd, 7 SOG, +2 in 18:07)
1st Star-Erik Johnson, Stl (2 hits, 2 blocked shots, +1 in 25:47-simply dominant)


Star Note: Neither goalie earned a star because they didn't have to make many tough saves.  

The MSG Blues

Another opportunity wasted. Yet again, the Rangers couldn't take advantage of good fortune. With the hapless Bruins losing in the Matt Cooke Revenge game, our heroes failed by falling to the Blues 4-3 at MSG. Their home record is now 15-23. I don't count OT or gimmick losses. Besides, our team's stunk it up in those instances anyway, further damaging their chances of a fifth consecutive postseason.

How does a team contending for the playoffs have a losing record on home ice? Absolutely brutal. If you check history, the post-lockout Rangers always were reliable at The Garden. Now, we're back to the Dark Ages and it shows. If you can't win at one of the better venues with great support, what does it say about your franchise? There are an awful lot of adjectives I can't use to express my bitter disappointment. Thank God we sold this game and weren't there for another classic tease. A game in which the weakest link Wade Redden actually contributed by tying it. And then in the next breath, one of our better players Ryan Callahan lost his check on Paul Kariya, allowing the vet to score his 400th- further crushing Ranger hopes.

Home Ice Disadvantage: A Closer Look At NYR Post-Lockout

Year         Record at MSG    Without OT/SO Losses
'05-06      25-10-6                25-16
'06-07      21-15-5                21-20
'07-08      25-13-3                25-16

'08-09      26-11-4                26-15 
'09-10      15-17-6                15-23


The last time the Blueshirts were this inept at home, they were finishing up a 69-point season in '03-04. In fact, they won only 13 times back when ties still existed along with the dreaded four column Bettman Era Error. That team went 13-21-3-4 or in more conventional terms, 13-25-3. Coincidence?

In many ways, the way this season's winding up, it eerily reminds us of '02-03 when the Islanders gave the Rangers plenty of chances to comeback and steal the eighth spot. Instead, our hapless team 'led' by Bobby Holik finished five points behind the Isles, whose 83 were enough to lose in the first round to Ottawa. Fast forward seven years later and history is repeating itself with Boston clinging onto the final spot with 74 points. Three better than both the Blueshirts and Thrashers, who doubled up slumping Ottawa to pull into a tie for ninth. Both Beantown and Hotlanta have 12 left to our 11, underlying just how important Sunday's NBC tilt is at TD Northbank.

If only it were that simple. Tampa, who lost tonight is 11th with 68 while the Islanders, who've reeled off three in a row are tied for 12th with the Panthers just six out. Even the Hurricanes, who pulled out an overtime home win over conference leader Washington are at 66 still hanging around. Given how poorly the injury riddled Bruins and Rangers are playing, anything's possible.

That brings us to the latest bad loss for the club that resides on 33rd and 7th. They wasted an inspired effort from Marian Gaborik, who snapped out of it with his club-leading 37th goal while setting up the other two Ranger tallies. Talking head John Tortorella came to his senses and put Erik Christensen back with the Great Gabby while finally demoting lifeless Olli Jokinen to the third line. While the change netted positive results, the team still found a way to lose despite out-shooting St. Louis 29-16.

Unfortunately, Henrik Lundqvist wasn't at the top of his game, permitting a couple he'd like back, including the mystifying unscreened Erik Johnson shot from the right point that left the normally affable 28 year-old Swede waving his arms in disgust. Even if you want to get on Chris Drury for not clearing the puck, it was still inexplicable. Four goals on 16 shots is inexcusable for one of the game's better netminders. He struggled in spurts, letting out bad rebounds off routine shots. This is one of my pet peeves. I can't classify Henrik as elite because he still has areas which need fixing, starting with positioning. He plays too far back. A more aggressive goalie cuts off the angles. Aside from that, the conservative approach makes him vulnerable on breakaways. Something we've seen this season. Everyone knows you can pick high glove. It's the other areas he should focus on with Benoit Allaire during the offseason.

It's not Lundqvist's fault the team is so poorly constructed. Speaking of which, did Matt Gilroy (8:52 TOI) see the ice in the third period? Here we are in Game 70 and the coach doesn't even have enough confidence to play the Hobey winner. What's that thing again about Hobey jinxes? Never mind. Where they lost this one was during the first three critical minutes, failing miserably on an extended five-on-three. So out of sync were they that even blatant homer Joe Micheletti critiqued it by basically saying, 'This is the worst 5-on-3 I've seen.' You know it's bad when such a rare moment happens on Jazzy Jim's Don't Worry Be Happy Network.

Despite not converting with neither point men Gaborik or the Jokester even considering a shot, the Rangers managed to get it tied when an even rarer sight took place in the form of a Redden goal. The play was made possible by Gaborik and Brandon Dubinsky, who Tort stuck out. In this stretch, Dubi's played the best hockey of his career. He won the board battle, freeing the puck to Gabby with the puck eventually coming back to an open Redden, who blasted home his second of the season to loud cheers- snapping a 57-game drought. Hell. He even helped set up Gaborik's 37th back in the first. So, on a night they got three points from their superstar and two from the worst player, they still invented a new way to lose.

One thing we've seen too much of is that this team can't sustain it. How many times have they tied a game just to see an opponent come right back, breaking our hearts? Same losing characteristics the pre-lockout teams had. And coached by the self-proclaimed genius who walks on water and never is accountable. At least Tom Renney always took the blame. The Blues' winner came 73 seconds later with Kariya finishing off a nice play that David Backes and T.J. Oshie combined on. With Jody Shelley making a poor change, Kariya took him off the puck and then made a bee line for the net escaping Callahan while Oshie set him up for the milestone. Congrats to a classy player who would've been a Hall Of Fame lock if not for injuries.


Can anyone please explain to me how it's possible that Shelley overstayed his shift? What was he even doing out there?!?!?!?!?! Hey. This is the same coach who had the audacity to stick out two-thirds of the fourth line in the final shift after Dubinsky tied the Buffalo game, which they predictably lost in overtime 2-1 on 3/7. You gotta be kidding me.

To their credit, the Blueshirts tried everything to get this one tied but couldn't beat backup Ty Conklin. Ser---ious--ly. They couldn't beat the freaking second string goalie, who made 26 saves. In a heated playoff race that's there for the taking, swept by the Blues. There are no words.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Paul Kariya, Stl (game-winner with 11:36 left-400th career goal)
2nd Star-Erik Johnson, Stl (PPG, 4 PIM, SOG, 2 hits in 17:35)
1st Star-Marian Gaborik, NYR (club-leading 37th plus 2 assists, 3 SOG, +1 in 24:09)

Singing The Blues

Where's B.B. King when you need him? Even the King of Blues would be appalled by what's happened to the Rangers' offense. So what if they finally scored a goal in a dismal 4-1 loss to the St. Louis Blues. It didn't matter much. Not when you hardly test their goalie. At one point, shots were 13-7 St. Louis with like seven minutes left in the second period. Somehow, our punchless club managed to be tied 1-1 after 40 minutes thanks to immortal Brian Boyle, who slipped a backhand past Chris Mason from Aaron Voros. That was the extent of our offense.

Just how unwatchable was this? The Blues led in SOG 15-12. Outside of Team USA wrecking ball David Backes absolutely destroying our team, there was little entertainment value. Unless you caught a rested Henrik Lundqvist during first intermission and the one and only John Davidson back with Sam Rosen during an emotional segment. It's always a joy to see JD, who admittedly is balder now with whiter hair but definitely has dropped a lot of weight and still has the passion for the sport. Something missing from our cigar smoking son of a gun that somehow continues to cash Jazzy Jim paychecks. At least I caught it because there was little else to keep from switching to awful playoff football and a much more entertaining Sabres/Islanders conclusion in the shootout which Rick DiPietro finally won in his Coliseum return. Ah. Emotion. There was plenty of it written all over his face, thanking just about everyone.

Who should the Rangers thank for another listless performance that made watching a chore? They're slowly killing their own fans. It's no wonder so many sold their tix to Devil fans at the game of the season. Well, it should've just been the final game. Period. That's the lone highlight. Mike Brodeur would disagree since he won a second consecutive start for the Sens in the Hockey Night In Canada match-up over the Habs. The same club our team returns home to play tomorrow. Scott Gomez and Paul Mara's MSG return. How thrilling. They'll probably have a lot more to smile about.

So, how much did I see? Enough to conclude we weren't winning. Even with two bit scrubs like Voros- in for Huggy Bear- and Boyle combining for the club's first goal in 172:00 wasn't enough to inspire most of their teammates. At least Enver Lisin dressed in place of Ally and played hard. Watch Tort healthy scratch him Sunday for some unknown reason. Speaking of the coach, when does he finally realize that Vinny Prospal isn't the same since returning. Why is he still on the top line? Marian Gaborik is being wasted. He must feel like he's in jail. Teams are keying on him, taking away time and space. He's been stuck on 28 goals for a while. Gabby's still trying as evidenced by three break-ins during this putrid stretch but even he's stopped finishing. It's now five games without a goal and only one point. The Big Ticket's scored just twice in eight games this month. Dating back further, it's two over the past 11. It's hard to get on Gaborik because minus him, this would be the worst team. Good job Slats!

Yes. Ocho Cinco got his second start and fared alright, finishing with 21 saves, giving them a chance. Ultimately, our soft as molasses team were overmatched by a much bigger, stronger opponent that pounded away putting the Blueshirts into submission. As Anthony might say in our section, 'how could this team be so soft?' They don't stand up for each other. The other night, the biggest cheapshot artist Jarkko Ruutu did whatever he wanted and nobody answered the bell. Humiliating.


Roman Polak (who???) scored the winner and had a primary helper on Alex Steen's insurance marker. Our great powerless play went 0-for-2 with no shots! Tort even pulled Ocho with over two minutes left using a timeout. As if that was going to save us. My favorite part was when Prosp had a two-on-one downlow and didn't shoot, instead passing for a covered Gabby. You're down two goals! Wow. Twenty-two lousy shots on Mason, who should've had a shutout. Give up a goal to Boyle and you should be sent to the dungeon.

Fittingly, Backes hit the empty to put them out of their misery. When even Joe Micheletti says something negative about the effort, you know it's bad. Dave Maloney sounded comatose. I also heard Pete Stemkowski trashed them on the radio. Think the old-timers are fed up with these cupcakes. They should be sponsored by Hostess.

Well, there's always tomorrow! Annie's warming up.

BONY 3 Stars:

3rd Star-Brian Boyle, NYR (goal-1st in 19 games, 5 hits, +1 in 10:51)
2nd Star-Roman Polak, Stl (GWG/assist, 2 blocked shots, +1 in 21:15)
1st Star-David Backes, Stl (ENG, 5 hits, 2 takeaways, 7-8 draws in 19:14)

Rangers lose to Candy Canes

In a game I didn't care enough to bother with, the Rangers lost to the Canes 2-1 in overtime. The identical score they managed to win by on New Year's Eve in Raleigh. What does it prove that our hapless team can't muster anything against the worst team with a shaky D? That Paul Maurice was dead on about the other night in another game I didn't watch, choosing the USA/Canada classic instead featuring kids who care rather than dead weight just cashing paychecks. Maurice's team was outshot nearly double (63-37) in the home-and-home but still managed a split. This was what he said after Thursday's game after being outshot 35-18:

“I don’t think the Rangers played a real tough game. There wasn’t a lot of momentum to be had in the game either way. It was a slug from one end to the other.”

I think anyone would agree there's nothing tough about this Ranger version. They're a flawed team that was poorly constructed by a GM who continues to keep his job due to some sort of crazy loyalty from Dolan. Or perhaps a wild love affair. Gaborik got the only goal tying it with his league-leading 27th. How must he feel? Erik Christensen is now on the first line. A waiver pickup who has three points in two playing alongside the Great Gabby and Brandon Dubinsky. What does that exactly say?

In other news, the Blues fired Andy Murray today. They had the worst home record and have been in the cellar of the Central, paired with underachievers Anaheim, Columbus and Edmonton. Don't we have like the second worst home record? John Davidson has a pulse and is passionate about his team. He's not resting on laurels. So, he runs St. Louis the right way. For years, many Ranger fans wondered if JD could be our GM and right the ship. Instead, we're stuck with Slats and the garbage contracts that have ruined our cap and destroying the foundation that Tom Renney established. When does it ever end?

Forsberg Back To The Future, McCarty back in MoTown

If you're an avid Back To The Future fan, then yesterday was your day when it came to the hockey scene as two former bitter Western rivals turned back the clock to a decade prior.





Back then, the best rivalry in the game was between the Red Wings and Avalanche featuring some epic playoff battles resulting in Cups for both franchises. Well, it's been a while since these teams had that sort of magic going. Maybe with yesterday's moves, they're trying to rekindle it in hopes of a big Spring.





First, former Colorado star center Peter Forsberg decided after all that he wanted to comeback, reversing course to re-sign with the Avalanche where he had his most success. It was there where Peter The Great became one of the best players in the league helping lead the Avs to their first Cup in 1996 and also being part of that second championship five years later even though he missed the final two series.



For a decade, Forsberg lit up the highlight reel teaming up with captain Joe Sakic to form a dynamic duo. Following the lockout, the Swede left the thin air for the Flyers where he played the last two injury riddled seasons due to a bad right foot.

Not long ago, it looked like a Foppa return to the NHL wouldn't occur because the 34 year-old pivot recently concluded that he wasn't where he needed to be for that to happen. Well, I guess a lot can change in a week. Especially when the Avs are waving lots of cash at their former superstar in the hopes that a less than 100 percent Forsberg will be able to get them back to the postseason after falling short last year.

Currently, the Avalanche rank 10th in the ultracompetitive Western Conference trailing eighth place Nashville by four points and the upstart Coyotes by one. The Blue Jackets are only a point in back of the Avs and five out while the Blues are six behind the Preds.

With 19 games remaining, Colorado is paying Forsberg a pro-rated one million for basically a six week rental. If it were a full season, he'd make five million.

It's certainly no guarantee that the Avs will make the cut but with Sakic finally healthy along with leading scorer Paul Stastny plus a motivated Forsberg, that should give them a leg up on the competition.

Colorado will visit Calgary later tonight and plays Vancouver twice in the next week. Plus the pesky Kings and defending champion Ducks. Certainly nothing easy about the upcoming schedule.

While the Avs are going Back To The Future, Doc Brown and Marty McFly also might want to make a visit to the Joe Louis Arena where the Wings will be welcoming back the comebacking Darren McCarty.

The 35 year-old former member of The Grind Line will get a second chance at the NHL after a battle with alcohol and drugs which left him bankrupt. The Wings gave him a tryout with the AHL's Grand Rapids and IHL's Flint Generals.

With the team struggling lately having dropped seven of eight due to a ton of injuries which has kept out Nicklas Lidstrom, Dominik Hasek, Chris Chelios, Dan Cleary and Niklas Kronwall, Detroit GM Ken Holland decided his club needed to do something despite continuing to lead the league with 89 points (six more than red hot Dallas).

They'll hope the gritty and physical McCarty still has something left to reenergize the Original Six club who he once helped win three Cups with in 1997-98 and 2002.

At the very least, it should be intriguing to see how he fares. Wishing him the best of luck and hoping he makes the most out of this opportunity.


Boyle re-ups with Lightning: With the 3 PM deadline approaching, Tampa Bay and much coveted defenseman Dan Boyle decided they wanted to remain together. The Bolts and Boyle agreed to a brand new six-year contract extension worth a reported $40 million.

The 31 year-old has three goals and eight assists for 11 points in 17 games this season. During his nine-year NHL career with Florida and Tampa, the Ottawa native has tallied 76 goals and 203 assists for 278 points in 503 games.

Most of that production has come with the Bolts. In 374 games since GM Jay Feaster acquired him six years prior, Boyle has totaled 239 points (65-174-239). That kind of reliable production was a big part of the franchise's only championship in 2004.

He'll be continuing to run the power play and log big minutes instead of being dealt elsewhere.


Prospal To Flyers: The same day, Feaster also unloaded forward Vaclav Prospal to the Flyers in exchange for defenseman Alexandre Picard and a conditional 2009 draft pick.

The recently turned 33 year-old Prospal returns to where he began his NHL career a decade ago. After stints with Ottawa, Florida, Tampa, Anaheim and again Tampa, he's come full circle and will try to help the depleted Flyers make the playoffs.

After a disappointing 2006-07 in which he scored just 14 goals and 55 points with a dreadful minus-24 rating, the veteran Czech has bounced back with a strong season notching 29 goals, 28 helpers for 57 points in 62 contests with the Bolts.

With the Flyers' best forward Mike Richards sidelined due to a torn hamstring, GM Paul Holmgren needed to do something to upgrade his roster. This is a solid addition.


Jackman re-signed: The St. Louis Blues also made some news yesterday re-signing defenseman Barret Jackman to a four-year extension. The 26 year-old injury prone physical defenseman was thought to be on the block but instead St. Louis Team President John Davidson opted to retain him.

Following a solid 2006-07 in which he attained career highs in assists (24) and points (27) as well as got into his most games (70) since his rookie season, the British Columbia native has struggled. In 58 contests, he's 2-6-8 with 63 penalty minutes and a minus-12 rating.

One Blogger's Reaction: With Boyle and Jackman staying put, the defensemen to look for who could get moved later today are Buffalo's Brian Campbell, Toronto's Bryan McCabe and Tomas Kaberle along with LA's Rob Blake.


We'll have more on the deadline at some point today as I'll be quite busy. Hope our other bloggers contribute to what should be a fun day!

Pre-Season Roundup

Flyers 5-0 Rangers
Key Goal-Getters: Mike Knuble - 2 Goals, Sami Kapanen, Mike Richards (PHI)

Leafs 4-3 Bruins (Shootout)
Key Goal Getters: Phil Kessel (BOS), John Pohl (TOR)

Blues 3-2 Thrashers
Key Goal Getters: David Perron (STL), Marian Hossa - 2 Goals (ATL)

Senators 2-1 Canadiens
Key Goal Getters: Jason Spezza (OTT)

Red Wings 5-2 Penguins
Key Goal Getters: Kris Draper, Henrik Zetterburg - 2 Goals (DET), Evgeni Malkin (PIT)

Capitals 2-1 Lightning
Key Goal Getters: Alexander Semin (WSH), Martin St. Louis (TB)

Hurricanes 1-4 Predators
Key Goal Getters: Jason Arnott (NSH)

Oilers 5-4 Flames (Overtime)
Key Goal Getters: Jarret Stoll, Shawn Horcoff (EDM), Alex Tanguay, Jarome Iginla, Marcus Nilson (CGY)

Poll Question

Easy: Pick the Best Signing So Far...

My votes would be torn between Ouelett in TB, Lang in CHI, Kariya in STL, and Drury with NYR.

What's your take on this lovely Independence Day?