Trade Deadline '08 - Why it's good news for the '09 Leafs

Apparently a few readers have noted that this blog tends to take a somewhat pessimistic view of the Toronto Maple Leafs. This is probably a fair observation. I do tend to be a tad negative about the Leafs, largely due to the fact that I have two eyes and a functioning brain.

But the whole "wah wah, go cry emo fan" routine can get stale after a while. So I'm pleased to announce that this week will be Optimism Week. For one solid week, it's going to be nothing but puppies and birthday cakes here at Down Goes Brown. Enjoy it while you can, we'll be back to reality next week.

Today's post: a look at the 2008 NHL Trade Deadline, and why it's shaping up to be good news for the 2009 Maple Leafs.

I know, I know. The 2008 deadline was a disaster for the Leafs. Their desperately needed rebuilding plan was torpedoed by Mats Sundin and the rest of the loser brigade, tying the hands of Cliff Fletcher and dooming Leaf fans to another half decade of soul-crushing misery.

Hm, this optimism thing is harder than I thought.

But in addition to watching a bunch of fat millionaires destroy the Leafs rebuilding plan, the 2008 deadline was also notable for a constant theme in the coverage leading up the big day. Story after story made sure to point out that recent history seemed to show that deadline blockbusters didn't work out. The big deals in 2007, such as Ryan Smyth to the Islanders, Keith Tkachuk to the Thrashers, Ladislav Nagy to the Stars and Peter Forsberg to the Predators had all amounted to a big hill of jack squat come playoff time.

So let's take a look back at the '08 deadline, with an eye towards how the big deals have impacted the playoffs so far.

- The Penguins acquire Marion Hossa from the Thrashers - Probably the biggest deal of the day. When the trade went down, most observers agreed that the Pens had given up too much. Fast forward ahead two months, and the Penguins have rolled through the first two rounds of the playoffs, knocking out the Rangers today thanks to an OT winner by Hossa. They'll be heavy favorites in conference finals.

- The Sharks acquire Brian Campbell from the Sabres - This deal moved the Sharks from solid contender to quasi-favorite. They closed the season on a tear, and were touted by many as Cup favorites. They knocked out the Flames in round one, and as of this writing are still alive against Dallas (although hanging by a thread). Speaking of Dallas...

- The Dallas Stars acquire Brad Richards from the Lightning: Richards had four assists in his first game with the Stars, and has been a steady contributor ever since. The Stars shocked the experts by knocking out the defending champion Ducks in the first round, and are on the verge of eliminating the heavily favored Sharks in the round two.

- The Capitals acquire Cristobel Huet and Sergei Federov in separate deals - Thought to be playoff longshots, the Caps loaded up at the deadline and went on a tear. The stormed through the rest of the regular season, winning the division on the final day. While they lost a seven game heartbreaker to the Flyers, the Caps put themselves back on the hockey map thanks in part to their aggressive dealing.

Other teams also made efforts to bulk up. The Flyers added Vinny Prospal, and are headed for the conference finals. The Avs picked up Adam Foote and free agent Peter Forsberg, and won a playoff round before being overcome by injuries. The already stacked Wings picked up Brad Stuart and are looking like odds-on favorites to take the title right now.

Meanwhile, some teams stood pat:

- The Ottawa Senators were struggling badly and looked like they needed to make a big move. But as per team tradition, the went deer-in-the-headlights on deadline day, only making one minor deal for Martin Lapointe who had no impact during his Sens stint. Instead, the team continued to freefall. They almost missed the playoffs, backing in on the season's final weekend, and then were embarrassed during a listless first round sweep.

- The Anaheim Ducks, who had won a Cup the previous year without making any major deadline moves, once again stood pat. They were pushed aside with relative ease in the first round.

- The Montreal Canadiens actually managed to get worse at the deadline, moving Huet to the Caps for a draft pick. The looked strong to end the season, but their lack of goaltending depth killed their promising post-season chances. They managed a round one win over the eight seed Bruins (barely), but surrendered easily to the Flyers behind Carey Price's best Andre Racicot impression.

Bottom line: For the most part, the teams that went big at the deadline have reaped big rewards. The teams that played it cautious are sitting at home with tire treads on their jerseys.

What does any of this have to do with the Leafs? Simple. When next year's deadline rolls around, we're going to hear all sorts of talk about how the 2008 playoffs were shaped by the trade market -- especially if the Stars or Penguins win the Cup. And all that hype can only be good news for the teams that will be selling at the 2009 deadline.

And make no mistake, the Leafs will be sellers next year. When it comes time to trade whichever veterans are left -- McCabe, Tucker, Kaberle, Blake, Sundin, or even (dare I say it) Vesa Toskala – there should be a very nice seller's market waiting for them. That could translate into a nice windfall if the new GM plays his cards right.

It will be a year too late, but good news delayed is still good news.

The Price is wrong

The magic hockey jersey could
predict a player's post-season GAA

Clearly, the big story in the Habs/Flyers series so far has been Carey Price. There's no nice way to say it, the kid looks very shaky right now.

That said, if the Toronto media has taught me anything it's that the Canadiens organization is smart and wise and can always be counted on to make the right move.

So don't fear, Habs fans. I have no doubt that they'll make the obvious decision, and switch to Cristobal Huet for game four.

If MLSE made their own beer

The comment section for my last post ended up being sidetracked by a discussion over what would happen is MLSE went into the booze business. This was frustrating for me, because the post was clearly intended to be sidetracked into a discussion of Al Bundy quotes.

Nevertheless, I have to give my readers what they want. So with a tip of the cap to Navin, Loser Domi and Jaredoflondon, here’s my view of what would happen if MLSE decided to make and market their own brand of beer.

• Richard Peddie would hire a brewmaster who had no experience making beer
  
  
• Every bottle produced would have to be taste-tested by each director at the next regularly scheduled board meeting and approved with a majority vote
  
  
• Each case would come with one outstanding Swedish premium brew... but for some reason the beers on the left and right of it would always be terrible.
  
  
• Every year, the beer would be ice cold from October through February, warm up unexpectedly in March, go completely flat in early April and be discontinued by spring
  
  
• The McCabe Lager would come with its own can opener
  
  
• The Tlusty Pale Ale would be refreshing, but the front label keeps slipping off
  
  
• The Colaiacovo Pilsner bottle would shatter as soon as you took it out of the case
  
  
• When you tried to take the empties back for your deposit, you’d find out that half the bottles came with a no-returns clause
  
  
• You’d always have to drink straight from the bottle, since nobody involved in making it would have the slightest idea how to lift a cup
  
  
• You'd spend all your time thinking "This sucks, but at least I don't have to drink that swill they make up in Ottawa".
  

Burke staying in Anaheim

I'm a Leafs fan and a Leafs fan only until the day I die (which will be this summer, by the way, of self-inflicted head wounds when we don't get Brian Burke).
- Me, from a post two weeks ago

Well, full credit to the hockey gods. They ball-kicked us much earlier than expected on this one.

Burke is apparently not going anywhere, according to TSN.

Is Oprah right?
Are you a big fat woman?

I remember the episode of Married With Children where Al is looking for an obscure record of a song he can hum but not name. At the end of the episode he finds a store that specializes in exactly what he wants, but they tell him they can't help him. He reacts by looking skyward, smiling knowingly, and asking "Not even this, huh?"

That's how I feel. Not surprised. Not even disappointed, somehow. Just vaguely annoyed at myself for getting suckered in in the first place.

There's a very small part of me that's almost eager to see how badly the Leafs will screw this up now. At least that would bring entertainment value. Who's the worst possible candidate they could settle on? Muckler? Healy? I know, what about bringing Ferguson back? You could make him wear a paper bag with a giant frowny face at all times.

Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go look for a shaving mirror and a hammer.

The Ten Most Memorable Game Seven OT Goals

Welcome to the club, Joffrey Lupul.

With his goal tonight, Lupul became the 30th player in NHL history to score in overtime of a game seven. Time will tell how this one will be remembered, but in the meantime here my picks for the ten most memorable overtime game seven winnners in NJL history.


#10 - Dale Hunter
Capitals vs Flyers
1988 Patrick Division Semifinal

Playoff warrior Dale Hunter scores on a nifty breakaway move. Revenge would come 20 years later.




#9 - Andrew Brunette
Wild vs Avalanche
2003 Western Conference Semifinal

While the goal was memorable for Brunette and the Wild, it will probably be best remembered for ending the career of Patrick Roy.




#8 - Stephane Matteau
Rangers vs Devils
1994 Eastern Conference Final

The ugliest goal on the list by far, but certainly memorable. Fun fact: According to ESPN Classic, the 1994 post-season is the only one ever played in NHL history.




#7 - Pat Lafontaine
Islanders vs Capitals
1987 Patrick Division Semifinal

Definitely not the prettiest goal on the list, but one that ended what was at the time the fifth longest game in league history. Long OT games have become more common during the dead puck era, but in the 80's a quadruple overtime game was virtually inconcievable.




#6 - Nikolai Borchevsky
Maple Leafs vs Red Wings
1993 Norris Division Semifinal

This is probably the most memorable goal of the post expansion era for the Maple Leafs, whatever that tells you. The Leafs were emerging from Harold Ballard's reign of terror, but despite the additions of Doug Gilmour and Pat Burns weren't really taken seriously as a contender. (For more on the unintentional comedy goldmine that developed in the aftermath of this goal, read this post.)




#5 - David Volek
Islanders vs Penguins
1993 Patrick Division Finals

The Penguins had won back-to-back Cups and were coming off arguably their greatest season. To this day, I still can not believe this actually happened.




#4 - Pavel Bure
Canucks vs Flames
1994 Smythe Division Semifinal

Pavel Bure was the original Ovechkin. In 1994 the Canucks fought back from a 3-1 series deficit, winning three straight overtime games capped off by Bure's breakway goal and helicopter stick celebration in double OT.




#3 - Todd Marchant
Oilers vs Stars
1997 Western Conference Quarterfinal

A classic first round upset by the Oilers, largely thanks to Curtis Joseph's standout goaltending. His breathtaking overtime save set the table for Marchant to turn on the jets.




#2 - Yvon Lambert
Canadiens vs Bruins
1979 Wales Conference Final

This is the infamous "too many men" game (although that famous penalty lead to the tying goal, not the winner). With a weak Rangers team waiting in the finals, this game was essentially for the Stanley Cup. Guy Lafluer sent the game into overtime and Yvon Lambert won it, continiong the Habs dynasty, sending Don Cherry on the road to Coach's Corner, and making Bill Simmons' nose bleed.

For the life of me, I can't find a clip of this goal. If anyone has a link, please let me know and I'll update.


#1 - Steve Yzerman
Red Wings vs Blues
1996 Western Conference Semifinal

This one ended a 0-0 tie in double overtime. Quite possibly the greatest goal of Yzerman's career, set up by his neutral zone steal off of, of all people, Wayne Gretzky. While the long distance shot looks like a bit of a weak one at first, the replay shows it to be the perfect shot -- Yzerman practically turns the puck on its side to sneak it past Casey.