Monday, February 28, 2011

Trade deadline live-blog

3:45 - Burke is addressing the media; the Leafs are done for the day, with just one minor trade (John Mitchell to the Rangers for a seventh round pick).

We've had a handful of names dealt in the last hour, including Jason Arnott to the Caps and ex-Leaf Frederik Modin to the Flames. More deals may still come in, although there's very little chatter right now.

So all in all, the 2011 deadline day seems like a bit of a bust. Of course, if you count the weeks leading up to today then we had plenty of action. But today... not so much.

Thanks for stopping by. I'll be taking a look at the deadline winners and losers tomorrow morning.

3:00 - The deadline is here. You will now be bombarded with dozens of reminders that trades can still "trickle in" as trade calls are completed.

2:35 - Finally, a quasi-blockbuster as Dustin Penner heads to LA. Seems like a decent return for the Oilers. Still no word on Hemsky, but maybe this will open the floodgates.

2:00 - We're up to four trades, with one hour to go. Everyone knows that the deals don't pick up until the afternoon, but it's starting to look like today could wind up being an enormous bust.

Ah well, at least I didn't try to liveblog it, right? Oh, right. Crap.

1:25 - Sorry about that Joffrey.

12:30 - Clarification: When I said that a quiet day would be a best-case scenario, I was referring to Brian Burke and the Leafs. Not, you know, everyone.

12:05 - This live shot of the Leafs trade deadline war room is oddly fascinating.

If Burke gets bored, shouldn't he walk into the room, dramatically swipe everything of the table, then storm away? Wouldn't that crash twitter instantly? He needs to make this happen.

Yeah Boyes!
11:35 - Hey, speaking of trades, remember the one the Leafs made late in 2003? They acquired Owen Nolan from San Jose in exchange for budding star Alyn McCauley, prospect Brad Boyes and a first round pick in one of the greatest drafts in history. Everyone hated the deal at the time (including Pat Quinn, who looked like he wanted to punch himself during the press conference announcing the deal), and in the years since it's appeared on various "worst trade ever" lists.

Is it time to have another look?

McCauley had injury trouble and was out of the league before he turned 30. The Leafs first round pick was used to pick Mark Stuart, who has had a pretty mediocre career so far. And Brad Boyes, who looked like a superstar just a few years ago, was just dealt for a second round pick in a salary dump.

Was it a good trade for the Leafs? No, since Nolan was hurt and never did much for the Leafs other than say "boo hoo", which was pretty awesome. I've been known to argue that Leaf trades everyone hates were actually good deals, but I'm not going to go that far here.

But was it a disaster? One of the worst deals ever? Maybe not.

11:00 - Have you ever had a guy in one of your fantasy pools who makes a terrible trade, followed immediately by everyone making fun of him, him getting defensive, and from then on every offer he sends out is terribly one-sided because he doesn't want to screw up again?

I'm kind of getting the sense that Joe Nieuwendyk may be that guy.

9:55 - Heading to breakfast. If you see a guy eating bacon and eggs and furiously hitting refresh on his iphone while his wife glares at him with her arms crossed, come say hello.

9:30 - Coffee acquired.

Some Leaf thoughts... I've spent the last two deadlines knocking Brian Burke for not doing enough. But today, I think a quiet day from the Leafs would be completely acceptable, and maybe even a best-case scenario.

I'm a big fan of what Burke has done so far -- the Kaberle deal was a borderline miracle -- but the team still has holes. They could use another defenceman or two, and there's still no center for Phil Kessel. But those won't come cheap, and it sounds like Burke has decided he won't overpay for J.M. Liles. That's the right approach.

Stick to the plan, Burkie. No panic.

Update: Mike Ziesberger says the Leafs are in on Stephen Weiss, but the asking price is Nazem Kadri and a first round pick. Just say no, boss.

8:40 - Welcome to the 2011 DGB Trade Deadline live blog. I'll be updating whenever something major happens, which means... see you all next year!

Well, it may not be that bad. Even though NHL GMs jumped the gun over the past two weeks, it sounds like we should expect anywhere from 10-15 trades this year. There could even be a few big names still in play.

I'll be updating once or twice an hour, so check back for the latest. For quick hits throughout the day you can also follow me on twitter, and there may even be some discussion on facebook.

Off to get coffee...




11 comments:

  1. Off to get Coffee... to mix with Baileys?

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  2. What's the talk about Tyler Bozak? Any news?

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  3. Haven't heard anything about Bozak. Doubt he's in play.

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  4. Oh okay. There were a few rumours floating around on twitter about trading him... " Bozak could be packaged in with a picks/prospects package to land the Leafs a top line guy, if available."

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  5. can't believe you haven't mentioned the blockbuster between FLA and ATL yet

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  6. Worst. Liveblog. Ever.

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  7. That Boyes trade doesn't deserve to be on the worst trades ever list, if anything we should be lucky as Leaf fans to not have had to get our hopes up with Brad Boyes

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  8. The offer for Liles was insulting, honestly. He's grown up over the last year and has the best heart in the room. He works, day in and day out. I'd prefer the Avs keep him. Now, if you guys want Hunwick, let Sherman know....

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  9. Stuart is the rock that holds the Wings defense together.

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  10. It's a shame you're tied up with other obligations, because this "serious" Leaf blogging mixed with humour is - in my opinion - your bread and butter.

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