For the second day in a row there was a big trade in the NHL not involving the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Though I have been imploring Toronto Maple Leafs GM Brad Treliving to at least show up for work, I am glad that the Leafs were not involved in either trade.
I would have liked to take a flyer on Andrei Kuzmenko, and Elias Lindholm would have been a solid 3C, the Leafs need a goalie before they do anything else, and they need a defeneman too.
The Jets paid a 1st for Sean Monohan, and it's a masterclass by the Montreal Canadiens who were paid a first by none other than Brad Treliving to take Monohan in the first place. As for the Winnipeg Jets, it's just classic hockey business - a first rounder for a name-brand player.
Personally, I think there are a lot better players to spend your trade capials on than Sean Monhan, but that's just me. I don't think either the Jets or the Canucks could last five games with Edmonton without getting extremely lucky, so both of these trades are just to placate their fans and are ultimately a waste of assets.
I stand by my philsophy that if you aren't getting a star player you're wasting your time. The only player in either trade that has a chance to be a star is Kuzmenko.
All-Star Draft, Maple Leafs Trade Rumours, Big Trades Going Down
Yesterday the NHL held it's all-star draft and it was a massive success and a huge dud at the same time.
It was a massive success because my son, who is 11, made it appointment viewing and talked about it for the rest of the day. You can't really get more successful than that.
It was a dud because I found it unwatchable and just did not care in the slightest who was picked or when. The banter was lame because anything interested was said behind a covered mic.
The celebrity aspect was terrible too - Will Arnett was on a great show in 2005 and anyone who listens to Bieber or Buble doesn't have very good taste in music. Of course, my dream team of celebrity captains - Jeff Tweedy, Michael Stipe, David Lynch and Don DeLillo - probably wouldn't have gone over too well.
With all the trades going down so far this year (three and counting) the Toronto Maple Leafs Trade Rumours are heating up, but to my mind nothing interesting is being talked about.
It's mostly Chris Tanev rumours, and he's the 4th best defenseman on a team worse than the Leafs. He's OK but the cost to get him will be ridiculous for what he brings. He won't make a differnce one way or the other - he'll help a little, no doubt, but he's not a puck-mover or a goaile, so at best he brings the thing the Leafs need the 3rd most help in.
To some up: Vancouver and Winnipeg are teams with lucky, goalie-based records who are not real contenders and whose recent trades are somewhat foolish. Montreal and Calgary both made out like bandits, and