No big surprise: the Plymouth Whalers have dealt goaltender Michal Neuvirth to Windsor. Breakout talents with remaining OHL eligibility like Neuvirth's are often dealt by rebuilding teams. And last season certainly was a breakout one for the Caps' second-round pick in the 2006 draft. Plymouth, however, is a solid six games above .500 in the West division of the OHL's Western conference. Problem is, Kitchener is 17-3.

The surprise here is that the deal didn't come in the offseason. At a Hershey Bears' playoff game last spring, Caps' goaltending coach Dave Prior forecasted to me Neuvirth's being dealt during the summer, precisely because Plymouth wasn't expected to return to the Memorial Cup.

Of Neuvirth Windsor GM Warren Rychel said, "Michal is a world-class player, a proven playoff performer and one of the top goaltenders in the OHL."