GMs Propose Hit to Head Rule Change

At the GM meetings this week, the GMs across the league are recommending a league-wide ban on shoulder hits to the head. This topic was going to be a hot one before the Matt Cooke incident. What that incident did was provide Evidence A in the case against such hits. Evidence B is David Booth. Evidence C is…well, you get the point.

The proposed rule change is as follows (from TSN):

“A lateral, back pressure or blindside hit to an opponent where the head is targeted and or the principal point of contact is not permitted.

A violation of the above will result in a minor or major penalty and shall be reviewed for possible supplemental discipline.”

I support this as long as it targets the blatant offenders. There is a very fine line here though, much like the boarding calls we have seen. What happens if a player changes his body position last second, and a clean hit to the shoulder becomes a hit to the head? Sure, the player delivering the hit may not get suspended, but the powerplay that comes from it could alter the outcome of the game.

It is a very fine line to draw, but it is the same judgment call being used in the other big sports. Baseball umpires have to determine if a pitcher blatantly threw at an opposing batter. Football referees have to determine if a hit was late or dirty. Basketball referees have to determine if a foul was flagrant. These shoulder to the head hits have ended, or at least greatly affected, careers in the NHL (see: Lindros, Eric). It is good to see that the NHL wants to protect its players from dirty hits, but let’s hope the league recognizes what is dirty, and what is just a clean hit with unfortunate timing/results.

Trade Deadline Open Thread

Well, today’s the day. What will Glen Sather do? We all know he will buy, but what is his plan? We will find out today.

Unfortunately for me, I again will not have internet all day. So a combination of all of us here at BSB will be updating this post as trades occur (Rangers trades will be bolded).

So, this is your thread to discuss all trades and rumors. The deadline is at 3pm. It should be a fun day.

Update 11:30am Some trades:

• As confirmed yesterday, Pittsburgh acquired Alexei Ponikarovsky from Toronto for Martin Skoula and prospect Luca Caputi.
• Matrin Skoula was flipped to NJ for a 5th round pick in 2010.
• Derek Morris is headed from Boston to Phoenix for a 4th round pick in 2011.
• Matt D’Agostini was traded from Montreal to St. Louis for prospect Aaron Palushaj.

Update 11:33am Boston acquired Denis Seidenberg and Matt Bartkowski from Florida for Craig Weller, Byron Bitz, and a 2nd round pick (TB).

Update 11:45am Aaron Ward is heading to Anaheim for Justin Pogge and a 4th round pick.

Update 12:00pm Edmonton claims Ryan Jones on waivers. Enver Lisin and Aaron Voros clear waivers.

Update 12:50pm: Three trades:

• Peter Mueller and Kevin Porter from Phoenix to Colorado for Wojtek Wolski.
• Yan Stastny from St. Louis to Vancouver for Cedric Labrie.
• Scott Walker from Carolina to Washington for a 7th round pick.

Update 1:00pm: Rangers trade Jordan Owens to Detroit for Kris Newbury.

Update 1:35pm: Mathieu Schneider has been traded from Vancouver to Phoenix. Jeff Halpern traded from TB to LA. When the return for each is tweeted, I’ll post it here.

Update 1:45pm: For the Halpern trade, Tampa gets Teddy Purcell and a 3rd rounder.

Update 1:46pm: Eric Belanger has been traded from Minnesota to Washington, for a second round pick

Update 2:09pm:Calgary gets Vesa Toskala from the Ducks in exchange for Curtis McElhinney

Update 2:09pm:For the Schneider trade, Vancouver gets Sean Zimmerman and a 6th round pick.

Update 2:27pm:Raffi Torres goes from Columbus to Buffalo for Nathan Paetsch and a 2nd rounder

Update 2:38pm: Sabres send Clarke McArthur to Thrashers for a third and fourth rounder

Update 2:50pm: Columbus sends Milan Jurcina back to Washington

Update 3:08pm: Lee Stempniak to Phoenix for a 4th and 7th rounder…Steal of the day

Update 3:09pm: Carolinia trades Joe Corvo to Caps for Brian Pothier and Oskar Osala and a 2nd rounder

Update 3:16pm: Fredrik Modin heads to LA for a conditional pick

Update 3:17pm: Leafs trade Joey MacDonald to Anaheim for 2011 7th rounder

Update 3:18pm: Andrew Alberts to Vancouver for a 3rd rounder

Update 3:19pm: As per Brooks, no NHL trades for the Rangers. Owens-Newbury only trade.

Update 3:35pm: Lubomir Vishnovsky traded to Ducks for Ryan Whitney

Update 3:37pm: Penguins get 2010 6th round pick from Toronto for D Chris Peluso (currently at Bemidji State)

Update 3:37pm: Blue Jackets trade Mathieu Roy to Panthers

Update 3:38pm: Flames trade Dustin Boyd to Nashville

Update 4:06pm: Edmonton moves Steve Staios to Calgary for Aaron Johnson and a 3rd round pick in 2010

Update 4:08pm: Per Zipay, Rangers have a minor league deal coming up.

Update 4:09pm: Stephane Yelle traded to Colorado with Harrison Reed for sixth-round pick and Cedric Lalonde-McNicoll

Update 4:10pm: Blue Jackets trade Alex Picard to the Coyotes for Chad Kolarik

Update 4:46pm: Rangers have acquired veteran defenseman Anders Eriksson from Phoenix in exchange for goalie Miika Wiikman and 7th rounder in 2011

Update 4:47pm: Rangers will assign Eriksson to Hartford

Update 4:48pm: Anaheim trades Petteri Nokelainen to Phoenix for a 6th round pick

Nashville Deals for Grebeshkov

The Nashville Predators are buyers at this deadline. The Predators have acquired Edmonton defenseman Denis Grebeshkov in exchange for a second round draft pick. Grebeshkov ($3.15 million cap hit), a RFA at the end of the year, has a line of 6-13-19 in 47 games with a 3.2 GVT. He is also a -16, but the entire Edmonton team is a minus, so sticking with GVT is your best bet.

This is a very interesting move for Nashville. The Predators have an owner-induced cap that is well below the $56.8 million NHL cap. Acquiring Grebeshkov, while being unable to retain Dan Hamhuis, is curious to say the least. Maybe they think Grebeshkov can be resigned for less.

Curious deal.

Update 5:35pm: Expect the Oilers roster to be completely dismantled by Wednesday’s deadline.

Florida Will Sell

Add another team to the sellers list. With the Jordan Leopold deal, Florida General Manager Randy Sexton has unofficially named the Panthers as sellers this year. The only other UFA on the Florida roster is defenseman Denis Seidenberg, who will most certainly be traded before the deadline. Other players have popped up in pipe-dream scenarios (Nathan Horton), but I don’t see the Panthers moving someone like Horton, or David Booth.

Seidenberg would have been nice at the beginning of the year, but he doesn’t fill a hole on the current Rangers roster. I don’t see the Panthers as a good trading partner for the Rangers.

And So It Begins…

The post-Olympic trades have begun, with Pittsburgh acquiring Jordan Leopold from Florida in exchange for a second round pick. The Pens now have eight defensemen, so expect a minor deal to move one, probably Martin Skoula, to be announced before the deadline.

A trade deadline counter has been added to the side bar. The trade deadline is March 3, 2010 at 3pm.

Bourque Gets Six Years

So much for my pipe dream of seeing Rene Bourque on Broadway. Calgary has resigned the winger to a six year deal, with a cap hit of $3.3 million per season ($19.8 million total). Bourque had a breakout season last year, finishing with 21 goals, 40 points, and 70 PIMS while playing in just 58 games. This year, Bourque has already set career highs in points (41), assists (23), and PIMS (74). He is also on pace to set a career high in goals (18 thus far), all this in just 53 games.

The Flames are getting a steal with this. Good job by Daryl Suter.

Pens/Habs Rumormongoring

Breaking news out of Montreal, a press conference has been scheduled for 4pm today to announce “an important announcement regarding the Club’s hockey management”. Bob McKenzie is reporting that the rumors state that GM Bob Gainey, whom Ranger fans love for taking on Scott Gomez, will be stepping down as GM of the Habs.

Also, @NHLConnected is reporting that the Pens and Oilers have reached a deal for center Ethan Moreau. The Pens interest in Alexei Ponikarovsky, from the Leafs, is what is holding up this deal.

Boynton on Re-Entry Waivers

Anaheim has placed defenseman Nick Boynton on re-entry waivers, as per Bob McKenzie. Boynton, 31, will be a UFA at the end of the year, and would definitely fill a role as a seventh defenseman on the Rangers, should they put in a claim.

Boynton makes $1.5 million this season, so his cap hit would be a pro-rated $750,000, which is going to be roughly $250,000 (assuming my math is correct). Honestly, the Rangers need help on defense, and Boynton could provide some stability. It’s a very low risk move. Why not take a flier?

Sneaky Lou

Last night, while I was at the Rangers game, which was actually a fun game to watch, the news broke that the New Jersey Devils had acquired star winger Ilya Kovalchuk. When it was all said and done, it took a package of Niclas Bergfors, Johnny Oduya, Patrice “The Elbow” Cormier, and a first round pick to land the scorer. Coming back to NJ with Kovalchuk is Anssi Salmela, whom the Devils traded to Atlanta last year for Niclas Havelid. The teams also swapped second round picks, probably giving NJ the higher selection in that round.

On paper, this looks like a fleecing by Sweet Lou Lamariello, considering the rumors of what was on the table by the Rangers. It turned out that those were just rumors, and not facts. The Rangers never offered that package, and Glen Sather would have been forced to retire and get burned at the stake if he did.

Sometimes, the best trade you can make is the trade you don’t make. This was the case for Slats, as Kovalchuk would have been a band-aid, not a long term fix, which is what this team needs. Kudos to Slats for showing restraint.

In the end, Atlanta GM Don Waddell took the best package offered to him. The winner of this deal depends on two things: how far NJ goes in the playoffs, and what Niclas Bergfors turns into.

Kovalchuk Available, Rangers a “Finalist”

TSN (via RDS) is reporting that Atlanta GM Don Waddell has informed star winger Ilya Kovalchuk to expect a trade. There are a possible five suitors, with the Rangers being named as one:

There is no indication that any deal with a specific team is imminent, but the Chicago Blackhawks, Boston Bruins and New York Rangers are included on a list of five or more teams who continue to express interest.

There is nothing wrong with expressing interest in Kovalchuk –all GMs around the league are kicking tires here and there– but you have to wonder, and fear, what Glen Sather is offering as a package for Kovalchuk. The package to get Kovalchuk is going to be similar to the package Waddell received for Marian Hossa a couple years ago: two young roster players (Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen), a top prospect (Angelo Esposito), and a first round pick. This would alter my original guess at what it would take to get the star winger. Not by much, but it does nonetheless.

To put this into Rangers terms they would be giving up somewhere along the lines of Brandon Dubinsky, Dan Girardi, Bobby Sanguinetti, and a 2010 1st round pick for Kovalchuk and someone like Armstrong / Rich Peverley (I didn’t run the numbers, this is just a fair value comparison to the Pitt/Atl trade). I believe that is what the market for Kovalchuk will be, and I believe that Glen Sather should balk at this deal. That is way too much to give up, especially with the Rangers chances at playoff success past the first round dwindling faster than Lindsay Lohan’s career.

Maybe that’s a bit much for Kovalchuk, maybe someone pays more. All I know, is that if the Rangers sacrifice any top prospects or young roster players, someone is going to attempt to assassinate Glen Sather. Not me. But someone will.

Update 5:00pm: Kari Lehtonen will be traded as well.