On Frozen Blog

7 Comments

1. usiel wrote:

   Nice deal on zubrus considering they could not come to terms. Who knows they might go after him again as a FA. Looks like Novotny is injured but is an intriguing prospect.

   27 February, 2007 at 8:21 pm | Permalink
2. Empty Maybe wrote:

   Decent return, mostly hinging on the 1st rounder. There are a lot of Buffalo fans who don’t agree with Mr. McGuires’ take, and Novotny hasn’t impressed me when I’ve seen him. The names Beech and Klepis pop up when you look at his numbers. It will be interesting to see if he gets handed the keys to the car (read: centering Ovechkin) immediately.
   All in all a good deal for both teams, with no clear ‘winner’.
   It sounds like niether Zubrus or Novotny will be playing for their new clubs tonight.

   27 February, 2007 at 9:43 pm | Permalink
3. usiel wrote:

   The main return is the 1st round pick. Novotny is a bit of a stalled prospect. IMO a change of scenary type exchange so ya never know.

   27 February, 2007 at 10:21 pm | Permalink
4. David wrote:

   Robber mask? HA! Novotny has been an underachiever, he barely cracked the Sabres lineup.

   28 February, 2007 at 2:35 am | Permalink
5. pepper wrote:

   I’ve given further thought to this trade deadline dealing, and come to the
   conclusion that at least some of you already have reached – these deals for
   picks are the smart thing to do because its a cap era, because of the talent
   currently assembled, our present position, and because of our perceived
   budget.
   Which are the two teams (arguably only two) which have emerged seemingly out
   of nowhere to be contenders? Buffalo and Pitt. The latter did it by
   tanking and, by happenstance in the case of Crosby, drafting at the top of
   the order multiple times in rapid succession – Fluery, Crosby, Malkin, J.
   Staal. Now with a few veteran additions (Gonchar among them, admittedly),
   they are poised to make a run. The former did it by collecting draft picks
   and watching their prospects grow together in Rochester and emerging out of the lock out with a strong young nucleus, again adding a few missing veteran pieces.
   And while I’m borrowing a lot of this from the collective thoughts of the
   panel of Monday’s Prime Time Sports on the fan590, the Buffalo example fits
   the Caps to a tee.
   We have compiled a nearly unprecedented number of top round picks and
   prospects the last several years, and are, through shear numbers, developing
   franchise cornerstones – Ovechkin, Semin, Backstrom, Gordon, Green, Schultz, Morrisonn, and possibly also Fehr, Bourque, Jurcina, Finley, and Varlamov.
   So the model, in the cap era, appears to me to be that which is being followed religiously by GMGM, which is – stockpile enough picks to collect
   and develop about 4 solid D-men (Mo, Green, Schultz, ?) and 3 top forwards
   (Ovie, Semin, Backstrom) and acquire the rest at the deadline (or the
   off-season before!). Zubrus may be a top 2 line winger, but not a top two line center. As such, he was worth a wing position at best on line 2, and more likely a shut down 3rd line checking center, and asked for much more than that, by duration and $.
   The youngsters, according to “the plan,” stay for 3-4 years and, as they become too expensive to re-sign, you pick and choose and let the rest go into the
   FA pool. The window is then that same 3-4 years (unless you are the Devils
   and can somehow continue to bring up drafted talent no matter where you
   draft and how successful you were the season before). After that you
   rebuild again. Otherwise you’re a team stuck on the cusp of a playoff berth
   and first round exit year after year.
   The summer will tell it all. We can contend for the Cup if we assemble that
   second group, the “rest” to be acquired by free agency, the use of our enormous cap space asset. We absolutely must acquire a top center the likes of Datsyuk / Drury / Gomez this off-season, and also a D-man the likes of
   Souray or Rivet – or insert your own dream. That should be the plan.
   Otherwise, “the plan” looks like saving money rather than one that leads to
   the Stanley Cup.
   Let’s hope this all leads to a busy off-season and a feeling of real
   excitement, and robust season-ticket sales, come September.

   28 February, 2007 at 2:59 am | Permalink
6. OrderedChaos wrote:

   The Sabres’ first-round pick for a two-month rental? I’ll take it, regardless of how Novotny turns out. Hopefully the Caps will reacquire Zubrus this summer for 2nd-line Centre or 1st-line Winger duties.

   28 February, 2007 at 4:26 am | Permalink
7. Gustafsson wrote:

   Per Tarik, Novotny will debut tonight (1 Mar) vs. Tampa.

   1 March, 2007 at 1:16 pm | Permalink

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