Leclaire

After a solid day of thinking about it, I'm a little disappointed in the Leclaire acquisition. He may be a legit starting goalie, but any goalie with a history of injury problems is bad news. There's nothing more frustrating than a goalie that's in and out of the lineup. As long as he stays off the IR, I'm hopeful. But I see brittle goalies as a thing to shy away from.

I'm probably just as disappointed that the Sens aren't loaded with draft picks/prospects. I was sure that Bell, Schubert, Neil, Kuba, or Comrie were going to bring in something. Anything. It would have at least given the appearance of change/hope. 

My deadline dream was getting rid of Spezza, for a top tier goalie. I'd sacrifice the offense to shore up the goaltending.

The bottom line is that the rest of the season will be tough to watch. There's nothing to play for. Leclaire probably won't play until next season. PK will be worse with Vermette gone.

My only hope is that, with the current state of goaltending, the Sens will slide down the ranking and improve their draft pick. I guess I'm rooting for a 29th or 30th place finish.

Meh

A rather underwhelming trade deadline. I guess the biggest trade was the Coyotes shipping Ollie Jokinen to the Flames, for a pick and younger players. Flames also brought back Leopold. Coyotes and Ducks were the biggest sellers.

Gerber got picked-up off waivers by Toronto. That seemed like an April Fool's joke. Sens and Leafs are big rivals. They definitely wouldn't want the Sens has-been goalie, or would they? Turns out Toskala is done for the year, with injury. Leafs aren't making the playoffs. Gerber is an experienced goalie, that can finish the season. Still, the Maple Leaf fan forums will be buzzing with trash talk by Sens fans.

It's interesting that Neil wasn't moved or signed. I thought for sure a team would want him for a playoff run. I guess Murray wanted too many high draft picks/prospects and Neil wanted too much money. A weird situation now.

The Kings moved O'Sullivan and got Justin Williams. I've been impressed with O'Sullivan's speed this year, and he looked good in spurts this year. Maybe the Kings don't see him getting better, but they might be giving up on him too early. Williams is an upgrade, might be the boost to get them in the playoffs. If not, it's still a safe trade.

I think the Bruins getting Recchi may play out to be the smart pre-playoff upgrade. We'll see.

 

 

First Deal

Sens trade Vermette to Columbus for goalie Pascal Leclaire and a 2nd round pick in '09. On the surface this deal seems exactly what the Sens need, but I'm not familiar with Leclaire. He needs to be a starter next year, is coming off ankle surgery and a horrible year. His price tag is high, $4-million the next two years. Could be a disaster, but a bold move. Im not crazy about it, as Leclaire also has a history of injuries. But Murray is addressing what the Sens desperately need, goaltending.

Buyers remorse will happen. Vermette will probably be productive, especially if paired with Rick Nash. The guy is a faceoff wizard, and kills penalties. I think he will have career numbers next year. He just doesn't get enough playing time in Ottawa.

The Sens also extended Kuba for 3-years, $3.7 million. So that's a trade deal that won't happen. I just wish he used his big frame more. But he's had a pretty good year, despite the team not playing very well. I think he can be even better, once the team has a full year of Clouston, and a 'real' goalie.

Very quiet

The first domino has yet to fall. Several players have been placed on waivers.  But no trades have gone down just yet. Just over 25 hours to go...

Shutout watch

I'm still on Brodeur watch. With the Sens struggling to find a netminder, it's that much easier to appreciate an all-star. But Martin got shutout #100. Three more ties Terry Sawchuck for all time NHL shutouts. That's pretty huge.

Missed the Sens game this weekend, but read that it was plagued with poor goaltending. I think they managed to ruin a decent prospect in Brian Elliott. Right now his confidence is in shambles. Like a typical LA Kings move, they might have brought him in too soon. Speaking of, the Kings need to right the ship and get some wins. The Western Conference playoff race is slipping away with consecutive losses. Not good.

I'm hoping for good news by the middle of this week. Trade deadline. Maybe some prospects or draft picks to talk about.