Anyway, what I watched was a fiercely disputed game that showcased Toronto’s Vesa Toskala and New York’s Steve Valiquette.

There were plenty of chances at either end of the rink, including several posts by each team. The score could have been much more inflated had the two netminders not been razor-sharp.

Anyway, here’s some things I noticed, from both teams:

• Scott Gomez is ridiculously fast! Unless the Leafs are particularly slow, which they didn’t appear to be save for a few individuals, Gomez is simply lightning quick. I’m surprised he doesn’t score more goals, since he seems to be able to win individual footraces against the likes of Tomas Kaberle… Gomez should definitely be taught to shoot rather than pass…
• Vesa Toskala might blow the Leafs’ chances at landing Tavares or Hedman. Really! He’ll end up winning some of those tight games, and with a bit of improvement on his shootout play, the Leafs will wind up in about 6th from the bottom. Maybe they will go after Brayden Schenn???
• Toronto has no star power up front. This team was full of a bunch of over-hyped youngsters like Nikolai Kulemin and Michail Grabovski, and then you had the third and fourth line type players who filled out the roster. It’s very bad when your marquee forwards are Nik Antropov and uhm…
• Steve Valiquette is capable of starting more games than the Rangers give him. His sheer size is intimidating to shooters, and he covers a lot of the net. I think this is key, to keep Henrik Lundqvist fresh and healthy. It’s nice to see that Valiquette can win a tight game. The Leafs were very intent on winning last night, but Valiquette kept his composure, and was rarely forced to make any “lucky” saves.
• Toronto has a surprisingly good pickup in Johan Frogren. He didn’t figure much on the stats sheet, but he played a very solid defensive game, especially against some of the Rangers’ quicker guys, like Nikolai Zherdev. Frogren seemed to find good lines of attack in his coverage. I’m not sure he can be considered as good of a pickup as that Fabian Brunnstrom guy in Dallas, but it’s a nice move for a rebuilding team…

Anyway, as you can no doubt tell, I’m trying to view things as objectively as possible. The Rangers are having a great season, but last night was a far closer game than I expected. Clearly we still have plenty of room for improvement, mainly in terms of finishing scoring chances. Tonight’s game against Detroit should show if Lundqvist’s presence in goal gives the team more confidence in initiating rushes. I’m predicting the Rangers win 4-2.

Key Players: Lundqvist, Naslund, Rozsival

Reports suggest that he died of cardiac failure. At the arena, there are questions as to the condition of the defibrullator equipment that could possibly have re-started his heart, but so far, there is nothing concrete. Adding to the tragedy, it appears as though an ambulance, which is always present at hockey games, had already left the arena, and had to be re-called. It took a reported 17-20 minutes to get Alexei to the hospital. He was pronounced dead on arrival.

Cherepanov was a highly skilled player, who surpassed the rookie goal scoring record of 17, set by Pavel Bure. He was, by all accounts, playing amazing hockey this season, his last year under contract to Avangard Omsk. It was expected he would attempt to make the Rangers squad next season.

From his agent Jay Grossman, it seems as though Cherepanov and Jaromir Jagr had just finished a shift where they had a two-on-one attempt thwarted. Jagr had apparently been speaking to Cherepanov about how they should have scored on their opportunity, when Cherepanov collapsed. TV footage then shows absolute chaos on the Avangard Omsk bench, as players, coaches and medical staff attempted to revive Alexei. Tragically, they were unsuccessful.

My favourite memories of Alexei were from the World Junior Championships in Leksands, where he tallied 3 goals and 3 assists in 6 games en route to a silver medal. He simply oozed raw talent and skill, and looked to enjoy the game as much as Alexander Ovechkin does. I was thrilled when the Rangers saw him fall from a consensus top-5 draft pick to land in New York at 17th overall.

Perhaps most fitting is that Alexei had scored the first goal of the game on Monday. He went out doing what he loved.

REST IN PEACE AC! You will be missed!

It’s still weird adjusting to life with no Jagr, but then again, it’s been easy adjusting to the Zherdev era, at least as a fan, as he is clearly not rolling at full tilt yet.

However, despite what someone’s dog apparently told them at some point, Henrik Lundqvist seems fine, and didn’t really look like a player who was ever sore, much less injured.

I still believe it would be more productive to sign Shanahan than Sundin, although it seems neither of them get much mention in the NYR press these days, other than to report that nothing has changed. Realistically, I think the top forward lines are set with Gomez, Drury, Zherdev, and Naslund serving as the core of the offence. Brandon Dubinsky will hope to continue progressing his career, as will Dan Fritsche and Aaron Voros. I think Nigel Dawes will be a fun player to watch this season, as he is turning into a Mike Fisher style player who is all out all the time, and has just enough raw talent to net himself a few 25 goals seasons if he earns a spot in the top lines. A wild card is Ryan Callahan, who like Dawes is a player who thrives on his relentless effort. He’s great on the forecheck, and generates a lot of scoring chances from down low that might be converted on a more potent offensive line.

Defensively, Wade Redden has a lot to live up to in my books – and I live in Ottawa… If Ottawa didn’t think he was worth more than $3.5M per season, then what the hell was Sather thinking by offering $6.5M? Sure, the Rangers needed a puck-moving defenceman… I totally disagreed with that back during the offseason, and I still do. With Michal Rozsival and Marc Staal, you have the foundations of a very good set of powerplay lines, provided you split those guys up. Then you sign Brendan Shanahan, and play him with one of those units, and hope that someone like Dmitri Kalinin can step up to play on the point. Let’s face it, our scoring will mainly come from up front!

Finally, “King” Henrik “Henke” Lundqvist. The dude looked sharp in Europe, save for the goal in the second game, which trickled through the back of his pads after a very nicely designed faceoff play by the Lightning, that was capped off by Adam Hall. He doesn’t appear to have had more than a single cortizone shot over the offseason for his ailing knee, and that is a good sign. I’m hoping the Rangers play him a little less, maybe about 65 games maximum, and give Valiquette some starts against the weaker teams they face over the course of the season. He needs to be sharp for what appears to be a playoff berth that is the Rangers’ to lose…

My prediction? Rangers finish first in the division, third in the conference.

It’s always easy to point at a coach when a team fails as dismally as the Lightning did this season. Hell, they’re only a few years removed from winning the Stanley Cup (2004)! This year, they managed to finish dead last in the NHL. In fact, since the lockout ended (the lockout was the season following their championship), the Lightning have struggled for two playoff berths before their plunge into the league cellar this year.

So, has Tortorella lost the room? What is the reason for a sudden, covert coaching change, assuming it happens?

Tortorella is notorious for being a hard-liner, often in conflict with his players. A few seasons ago, it looked like he may have alienated Vincent Lecavalier, to the point where trade rumours were floated almost daily. The two apparently made peace, but it is possible that Tortorella simply isn’t getting the most out of his players anymore.

But, on the other side of the coin, one has to consider Tampa’s woeful goaltending situation this past season. They started with the tandem of Johan Holmqvist and Marc Denis, who might well be considered a pair of backups on any other team. Neither looked particularly comfortable in the starter’s role, and neither met with much success. It got to the point where prospect Karri Ramo was inserted into 22 games as the go-to guy, also without great results.

A third factor that people point to is the absence of Dan Boyle, who only played 37 games after having wrist surgery. Boyle is viewed as a very solid puck-moving defenceman, and his absence definitely didn’t help the Bolts, but to attribute their failure this season to his absence is a bit of a stretch.

In reality, the Lightning’s awful season was due to a combination of all of the above, and that necessitates change.

Tortorella will have no trouble finding a job, and Barry Melrose can hop back behind the bench of a team that isn’t very good, just like in the old days of his Billy Ray Cyrus mullet.

Now, let’s take a look at who is out there, and who is looking for a coach.

• Toronto Maple Leafs: The Leafs canned GM John Ferguson Jr. and coach Paul Maurice, and had high hopes of luring in a big name to take charge of both the GM and coaching roles. However, to date they have been rebuked in most of their efforts, save for a multi-day interview with former Canucks’ GM Dave Nonis. In terms of a coach, there hasn’t been much said. Realistically, this could be a great fit for Tortorella, as the Leafs are in desperate need of a whip-cracking coach who will not hesitate to call out players who aren’t pulling their weight.

• Ottawa Senators: The Sens fired John Paddock after the team began a mid-season nose-dive. Many people point the finger to Paddock’s inability to rein in loose cannon goaltender Ray Emery for his firing, but the team overall seemed divided and directionless. More aptly, it was Paddock’s inability to gain the respect of the room that led to his dismissal. So far, it seems that Pat Burns, Pat Quinn and Doug McLean are the top candidates to take over from “interim” coach Bryan Murray. Oh, wouldn’t it be ironic if they ended up with Pat Quinn…

• Colorado Avalanche: They fired agreed to part ways with Joel Quenneville after being ousted from the playoffs in the second round, and have since replaced him with former Avs head coach Tony Granato. This is somewhat odd, since Granato was replaced by Quenneville at the end of 2004. Granato holds a solid 72-33-17-11 record in his previous stint with the Avs, and is a good replacement for Quenneville, who just never caught on in the Mile High State.

• Vancouver Canucks: Tired of not making the playoffs? Fire your ASSISTANT coaches! That’s the approach that new Canucks’ GM Mike Gillis took, sending in head coach Alain Vigneault to do the dirty work. Then, Gillis turned around and extended Vigneault, who is widely viewed as the wrong style of coach on an offensively challenged team like Vancouver.

• Atlanta Thrashers: When Don Waddell fired Bob Hartley early in the 2007-08 season, the thought was that he’d replace him temporarily. Well, that stretched out to the end of the season, and another season of not making the playoffs. So, the impoetus now has to be on finding a capable bench boss to turn things around. A prime candidate here would be Joel Quenneville, at least in my opinion. Other possibilities are Brad McCrimmon or maybe Pittsburgh assistant coach Andre Savard.

I have always been one of Alexei’s supporters, even when he was heavily frowned upon by the denizen of Ottawa. He was unpopular because of contract disputes, an apparent disdain for playoff hockey, and for reneging on a promise to contribute to the National Arts Center.

Firstly, I must say, the only part I ever felt was an actual poor reflection on Alexei’s character was his contractual problems, but I always managed to point the finger where it belongs, on agent Mark Gandler, who is notorious for guiding young Russian stars down the green path towards money rather than Cups. But, I digress…

This season, Yashin was bought out by the New York Islanders, and received nothing but undervalued offers (his opinion and his agent’s) from NHL teams, and he fled for home: Russia. In the motherland, he joined up with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, which is one of the anchor clubs in the Russian Super League. He is earning $3M (USD) tax-free, plus receives club-paid accommodation in the form of an apartment plus a car (from all accounts).

Yashin led his team with 16 goals and 43 points in 56 games.

Now, the reason I mentioned Forsberg is that we will again see a situation where a team could add without subtracting. One way would be via free agency, which will likely see Yashin get a few offers to come back to North America. I estimate it would take an offer of between $5M and $6M for him to even consider it… The other way would be for a team to wait until December or so to try to sign him. I’m sure there are some contractual issues that would need to fall together in order to facilitate such a transfer in mid-season, but in Russian hockey, a player only has to give two weeks’ notice to terminate his employment. It definitely is do-able.

The big question is: Does Yashin want to return? On the surface, there’s really no need for him to ever come back to the continent that treated him as a whipping boy. But, he did make a lot of dollars here, and even hooked up with aging supermodel Carole Alt. Whether or not the two are still in a relationship is something that I am unclear on, but I imagine they still are, as celeb-splitups make more news than anything else these days…

I, for one, would like to see Yashin get another shot, but in a second line capacity. I believe a lot of the problems his career faced were a direct result of being the frontman for the Ottawa Senators for so many seasons. I met him on several occasions, and he sounded like a poor choice for a captain, but a guy who really wanted to contribute on the scoresheet and highlight reel. Maybe it’s cultural, maybe it’s something else.

Either way, I’ll ask the reader:

Would you want Alexei Yashin on your team?

In a detailed email obtained by Golbez, Štastný urges IIHF President René Fasel to oust Široky based on his strong ties to the regime of the Soviet, who occupied the former Czecholovakia from 1968 to 1990. Here is the email:

From: Mr. Peter Štastný

To: Mr. René Fasel, President of the International Ice Hockey Federation

Cc: Mr. Hans-Gert Pöttering, President of the European Parliament
Mr. Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee
Mr. Gary Bettman, Commissioner of the National Hockey League
Mr. Bill Hay, Chairman and CEO of the Hockey Hall of Fame

Re: Mr. Juraj Široký, President of the Slovak Ice Hockey Federation as a real threat to democracy and integrity of the game of ice hockey

Dear René,

Please accept my warm greetings and my apology for the second open letter. Myself and all Slovak hockey fans are grateful for your significant contribution in correcting injustice against our team and our players by improving fairness of Olympic tournaments with the new format starting in Torino 2006.

Today, seven years later, I have equally serious matter to present concerning democracy and integrity of our game.

Mr. Juraj Široký is current president of the Slovak Ice-Hockey Federation and he also serves on IIHF Council. His past was revealed last summer by the official Slovak institute dealing with communist era. UPN (Nation´s Memory Institute) delivered undeniable verdict.

Mr. Široký was high ranking officer (captain) in feared communist STB (same as Soviet KGB, East German Stasi etc.). In height of Cold War he served as spy resident and second-in-command in Washington D.C., USA. Why is this official verdict important and what was revealed from his files?

- Mr. Široký always denied ever working or collaborating with STB. He was therefore constantly lying to media and public. It is almost certain he lied on application to IIHF Council where he probably wrote “diplomat” as a past occupation. As full fledged professional spy loyal to communist ideology he certainly worked hard to subvert and destabilize Western democracies, the external enemies of communist regime. Such a job does not fit the definition of diplomat.

- UPN published only tip of the iceberg from his files. There was his application to work for STB where as a reason he stated his desire to help regime to fight against internal and external enemies. Cruel and inhumane communist regime was so clear about its objectives to dominate the world that every 12 years old understood definition of internal and external enemy. Internal enemies were all people living in the country who did not agree with Marx-Lenin ideology. Like myself, my entire family and millions of Czechs and Slovaks believing in God and / or basic democratic freedoms. External enemies as mentioned above were Western democracies led by USA and any group or individual trying to bring real democracy back to our country. Again I was clearly enemy of regime and target of Mr. Široký along with all democratic countries and almost all Slovaks and Czechs living abroad.

- UPN also published report of Mr. Široký to his superiors that particularly shows how low one can drop and how sleezy one can become in guest of a “career”. He reported on his own mother having correspondence with her relatives in USA.

- Now the most important fact either not published by UPN or missed by me. As high ranking officer he swore and signed Pledge of Allegiance to STB. He swore to fight the enemies of Soviet Union, CSSR and enemies of socialism. This document is most direct evidence of Mr. Široký conspiracy against democracy and hundreds of millions citizens living at the time in free democratic countries. Same document can be interpreted as conspiracy against his own country and majority of co-citizens.

Under overwhelming evidence and authority of UPN, Mr. Široký stopped denying his past. He only stated that every country had, has and will have intelligence service and he only served his country. Another bogus attempt to lie. As he himself so eloquently wrote about his desire to help regime fight those internal and external enemies he knows too well his activities served against his own country, citizens and against democracy. He served the regime!

STB has been proved to be the most feared architect and executive arm of evil communist regime. Its job to keep communism in power at any cost was very painful and tragic for Czechoslovak citizens. They lived in constant fear of persecution and punishment. Hundreds of thousands were prosecuted and jailed. Hundreds were executed or killed, tens of thousands got long term jail and forced labor camps. Millions others suffered from consequences for their beliefs. Loss of job, no chance of promotion, limited education past elementary schools etc. They were all innocent people.

We owe it to the memory of all these victims to insure that any person closely collaborating and condoning such crimes should not participate in public life in true democracy. That is my belief. I called publicly few times on Mr. Široký ´s resignation. It fell on deaf ears. Now I am turning to all who share my conviction to at least isolate any person who openly conspired against democracy and values we all hold dear. If we act, it will undoubtedly contribute to strengthening of democracy and adding to integrity of our beloved game of ice hockey.

To conclude, I am announcing my decision to add to public debate. If Mr. Široký does not abandon all the positions in Slovak ice hockey in 3 months period from today, I will withdraw from Slovak Hockey Hall of Fame. At the same time I will ask to pull out the banner with my name and image from ceiling of Slovan Bratislava stadium for as long as Mr. Široký remains the majority owner of my alma mater club. Unless my requests are fully satisfied, my decision will rest firmly in place.

Yours truly,

Peter Štastný

Now, without getting into too much detail or speculation, it sounds like this Široký fellow needs to be tried for his part in the Soviet cruelty that our people endured under their occupation. He definitely doesn’t sound like a good representative for his nation on any level. It is interesting to see who, other than Mr. Fasel, was Cc’ed by Štastný. With his position as Slovakian representative to the European Union, Štastný appears to be playing this out on two fronts, one political, one more directly focused on hockey.

Either way, I hope he wins his case, for the betterment of Slovak hockey, and also to ensure that these traitors, who jumped ship on their fellow countrymen and joined the Communists, are not able to continue tainting the proud Slovak culture.

After a few days of silence, Paddock finally addressed the media about being fired, and things he may have done differently if time were rewound.

“One of the things I would do over would be the Razor stuff. And it’s not really the tardiness,” Paddock said about Emery showing up late for practices. ”The tardiness has never changed. That’s been there for two seasons. When it came to (showing up) five minutes before practice or five minutes after, I didn’t let him (dress).”

Clearly a shot at Emery’s work ethic and commitment to the team, and by Paddock’s tone when he said it, he sounded defeated and resigned. He did say that Emery showed a lot of remorse for his conduct this season and whatever contribution it may have made to Paddock’s current lack of employment.

But Paddock wasn’t done there. He was asked about Emery’s actual work habits for practices he did attend, to which he responded:

”I should have pulled him off the ice in some of those practices where he wasn’t working,” said Paddock of Emery’s work ethic. ”I think it’s a minor thing to kick somebody off the ice at practice but I think it’s major in this (case).”

”I don’t know what else we could have done. I met with him three or four times (to discuss) tardiness and about working,” Paddock said. ”Everything Bryan (Murray) spoke to him about three or four times prior. There are only so many things you can do. There is one more – I wish I just did it.”

The very last part of that quote seems to imply either benching Emery or putting him on waivers. Paddock didn’t have the leeway to do either, in my opinion. The situation seems to be hinged on Bryan Murray, who is responsible for Emery’s big contract, and seems to want to back his guy until the end. Emery has been given so much rope that he will inevitably end up hanging someone (or himself) with it. And yet, when Murray stepped behind the bench, it was Emery who had the start.

Clearly Paddock is bitter, and he has every right to be. But a lot of the blame for the team’s poor play has to be attributed to decisions he made as coach. He kept giving Emery starts despite his pitiful work habits and bad attitude, not to mention mediocre play. He didn’t enact his right as coach to keep the cancer on the bench or in the press box. He is the man who stood broodingly behind the bench and never seemed to interact with his players or the officials.

There are deeply rooted problems in the Senators’ system right now, and one thing is for sure: Eugene Melnyk will be making vast changes in the summertime if things don’t improve.

2008-09 – $3.2M

2009-10 – $3.4M

2010-14 – $3.6M

Schultz has been a solid performer for the Wild over his career, and will continue to serve as part of the club’s defensive backbone. At only 25 years of age, Schultz has spent his entire 5 season NHL career with Minnesota, where he has at times shown the potential to become a decent offensive contributor. He isn’t an “elite” defenceman, but is one of those guys that every team would like to have.

Just listening in on Eklund’s Hockeybuzz Talk Cast, and according to what he’s saying right now, there appears to be a deal brewing that involves Sundin and possibly Tucker to the Canucks… As always, take these things with a grain of salt, as rumours are not fact. Until a deal is signed, there is no trade…

Only 6 minutes later, and Eklund is changing his call to Brad Richards going to Vancouver… Things seem to be happening today, and FAST!!! More to follow…

And as all things Hockeybuzz (or many rumour sites) go, I spent 45 minutes on CHAT MUTED, being able to listen but not actually ask my question – which was about the whole NYR situation and why they’re mentioned in conjunction with almost every big name out ther without having cap space (which would follow with the whole Jagr question, which I find Ek’s opinions absurd about).  I never got to ask my question, but heard a lot of ridiculous proposals from both callers and Eklund and co-host Julie Robenhymer.  At least they were entertaining…

I then went to TheFourthPeriod.com to check out their latest video production with David Pagnotta and Todd Hlushko (sp?).  I work(ed) for Dave, and think he’s a real good hockey mind.  I think he’s got connections, and obviously knows some players, as Todd Harvey was also on the last edition of the video cast.

They talked a lot of sense, but again, none of it seemed rooted in anything but speculation and “best fit scenarios” and the like.  Most of the proposed moves didn’t take into account movement clauses, and if they did, they were usually assumed to be waived without question.

Basically, my point is that with little action actually taking place in the NHL trade frenzy right now, it seems the rumour mills are churning up some fascinating, but fictitious ideas.  Far-fetched (J. Staal and R. Whitney for Radulov and Suter, are you kidding???) to simply impossible (Kaberle to anywhere).

We ain’t seen nothing yet, and seeing is believing.

Watch what you read!

The team that looked like a shoe-in to win the Eastern Conference developed a nasty little trait called “mortality”. In fact, the Sens haven’t even looked like a team who should be heading for the playoffs since then, posting a record that hovers right around the .500-mark since their improbable start.

What changed? Ray Emery came back…

Emery was the favourite to be the team’s starter this season, but offseason wrist surgery delayed his debut, meaning the 16-2 record fell under the watch of supposed backup, Martin Gerber. Gerber looked like he had supplanted Emery as the team’s go-to-guy, as his stats were among the best in the league and the team was playing well in front of him. But goaltenders are a unique breed of hockey player.

A forward or defenceman can always adjust to more or less playing time. They can adapt to new linemates, and many can even adopt new role definitions if asked to (just ask Steve Yzerman about becoming a two-way forward instead of a 50-goal scorer). Goaltenders are different. They need to play in order to keep momentum and confidence moving in the right direction.

So, when Ray Emery began splitting time with Gerber as the team’s starter, it was natural that Gerber experienced a bit of a let-down. He was still to be the starter, but would see some time backing up Emery as he got back into peak form. However, in order to get into top shape, one would think Emery would be a beast in practices, take extra skates, and generally do whatever was required to fully recover from missing training camp.

Instead, “the Rayzor” went the opposite direction, acting like someone with a sense of entitlement. He was late for practice twice, and was sent home both times by coach John Paddock. He drew criticism from his teammates, including captain Daniel Alfredsson, for his lack-lustre work ethic. In essence, he stole the show in all the wrong ways.

Coach Paddock had a choice to make when Emery missed the second practice in Long Island after the All-Star break. Emery had claimed that he went to Nassau Colisseum (on time) for the team’s 4PM practice, when the team was at the Islanders’ practice facility at the Farmingdale Iceworks. He did make it there eventually, but not until 4:04, when the practice had already began.

Following a hefty fine that Emery rightly donated to the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (I believe the amount was just under $15,000), it looked like the circus was finally leaving town, but it was not to be. Emery then got into two scrums in ensuing practices, with Chris Neil and Brian McGrattan, both of whom are among the team’s pugilists. Oddly, coach Paddock continued with his “win and you’re in” policy of alternating two goalies who couldn’t get on a roll.

So, what has Martin Gerber been up to during all of this? By all accounts, he’s been taking it for the team, and working as hard as he can to get back in the game.

Oddly, Emery hasn’t even been winning. He’s been playing alright, but has been overcompensating for the shooters he’s facing, often throwing himself out of position in the process. So the Senators have been winning one, losing one, all with Emery between the pipes.

Still, no audible peep from Gerber, who must be wondering what he’s done wrong.

So, as the Sens head down the stretch, it will likely be Emery who is given the golden keys, and the team will live or die by his efforts. Gerber, again, will have the best seat in the house, which must be a horrible disappointment for him.

But, Gerber is like all goalies. If he isn’t playing, he has little confidence in his game, which shows on nights Paddock gives him the nod. He’s fighting the puck, having trouble with angles, and generally not playing to his potential.

The problem with what Paddock is doing is that Emery is still an injury risk. His wrist has troubled him at times during the season, and his penchant for fighting can’t be anything other than an insurance risk. Will Gerber be ready to jump in the line of fire if Emery goes down with another injury?

Personally, I would have gone the opposite direction from Paddock, and put more faith in Gerber. It was, after all, he who propelled the Sens into the luxurious position of being so far ahead of the rest of the Eastern Conference pack that they still haven’t caught up despite mediocre performances by the Senators. Gerber was the guy who took extra time at practice. Gerber was the guy who didn’t complain and ask for a trade due to lack of playing time (Emery reportedly asked for a trade in December, which was confirmed by Bryan Murray). It will be Gerber who will be there to pick up the pieces if Emery hurts himself again, or simply can’t get out of his current “slump”. Paddock really did him a disservice by showing him that hard work and loyalty to the team will not be rewarded with playing time.

It’ll be interesting to see if the Sens can get back on the horse, or if they’ll drop back into the Eastern Conference quagmire. Pittsburgh, New Jersey and Montreal are all within striking distance, and surely gunning for that top spot.

So, in the case of Emery versus Gerber, I’d say “better the enemy you know than the enemy you don’t know”. Emery’s unpredictable nature is something not worth risking the season on.

Vandermeer adds depth to the Flames’ back-end, and can play in a variety of situations, including the power-play. He currently has 3 goals and 18 points on the season.

The reality is that we’ll likely see a lot of these kinds of moves as we near the deadline. Teams are looking for cost-effective depth players to make a push at a deep playoff run. Many of these players who are moved will be second or third tier guys who are not under contract beyond this season. They’re not really rentals, more like mercenaries.

I think this move also gives the Flyers something in return for Vandermeer, who they may not have re-signed in the offseason anyway. It also frees up a little more cap space for some deadline dealing. Vandermeer is making $1.1M for this season.