A Day Off, Let's Monger Some Rumors

As Grier has said before, Eklund is a nice source of entertainment (no link purposely). He's right some of the time, but a lot of times he seems to be talking out of his ass. But hey, it's Sunday! What else are we going to talk about?

So I'm going through my usual hockey blog list, click on the latest Eklund, and see a story on the new ownership group falling through in Tampa Bay... then this:

So does that mean that Vinny LeCavalier, perhaps the best player in the world, could be gone?

...

I talked to another source who told me something that I also believe. "Of course every team out there would cherish Vinny, but a there are a few that would massively overpay for him. Two are of course Montreal and Toronto, but don't count out Philly, Pittsburgh, San Jose, or LA."

Of course there's a firestorm of comments with various trade proposals. One from an Sharks fan that offered Marleau, Carle, Bernier (or Cheech) and a 1st round for Vinny.

For one, It would actually be pretty difficult to "massively overpay" for Vinny if you just offer young players and/or prospects. Outside of Crosby, Kane, Toews, Phaneuf, and AO, it's more or less a crapshoot. Anybody outside of that group that isn't an established NHL player yet is a roll of the dice. Some with pretty damn good odds (Sam Gagner) and some not as good (Gilbert Brule).

The trade the Sharks fan offered above doesn't make a whole lot of sense from the 'Ning's standpoint- they would be taking on some big contracts, and the whole point of the trade would be to reduce salary.

So to the Lightning I say: You want young talent? How about this deal: Bernier, Pavelski, Ehrhoff, Greiss or Patzold (your choice) and a 2nd rounder.

I'm trying to hide the fact that such a big trade doesn't make a whole lot of sense from the Sharks' perspective either- ownership doesn't appear to want to gain salary, and we would be adding yet another high-priced center. Unless Patty becomes a winger (and I'm not convinced that's a good idea) the Sharks would be idiotically deep at the pivot position, and still troubled at the wing.

That being said, Vinny is the clear-cut leader in the Hart trophy race right now. Who among us wouldn't want to see him in teal?

Ask, and Ye Shall Receive

So Nick asked in the comments of the previous post:

in my limited-knowledge opinion I think the one name that hasn't been talked about, but should be, is Cheechoo. I know everyone think back to 2 years ago and how he broke out under big joe but in the end I think history will show that he had one miracle year and fizzled out. While he doesn't pull a huge contract I think he would be the best form of trade bait despite his poor numbers this year. Your thoughts?

I decided to make a whole post on it, because I tend to get long-winded at times like these.

Let's talk about the prospect of the Sharks trading a major player first (Marleau, Cheech, Joe, etc.). It doesn't make a whole lot of sense, given Doug Wilson's history of deliberate moves. I think it's a unnecessary panic move. Given how stacked the Sharks are with young talent, I don't think any trade like this would happen this year. Unless the Sharks gain a big time piece that would stick around for several years. This isn't an aging team that needs to win now.

About Cheech- first of all, being tied for 14th in the league (last year with 37 goals) isn't 'fizzling out' in my opinion. Here are some players who scored fewer goals than Cheech last year ( a 'disappointing' year according to some): Hejduk, Zetterberg, Briere, Jagr, Smyth. Let's not call him a flash in the pan quite yet. Only 1 guy since 2000 has had back-to-back 50 goal seasons, and only 3 guys have had back-to-back 40 goal seasons.

None of that means he's not having a brutal year so far. Of course he is. As I said in my first Teal Spiel call, I'm not convinced the Sharks' coaching staff are giving Cheech the best opportunity to succeed. At that time, I thought they were punishing him for playing badly, putting him on the fourth line where he has basically no chance to score. He needs a guy feeding him. Since then, he's showed a bit more spark, hasn't spent as much time on the 4th line, and still hasn't opened it up. He's working very hard, but the biscuit ain't going in the basket.

We're still only a quarter of the season in. I don't think you trade a guy who's in a 20-game scoring slump after he had two great years. Reason #1 - you won't get the best value for him. Reason #2 - it's bad business. As you said, he's not breaking the bank, and the Sharks aren't up against the cap. The problem with the Sharks right now seems to be lack of scoring- why would we want to dump our top scorer the last two years? Even if we package him with other players or picks for a truly elite scorer, is that really going to make enough of a difference? Best case is we'd gain 50 goals (if we're damn lucky) plus a huge contract and lose 30 goals and a cheap contract.

So here's my prescription. You don't trade Cheech this year, regardless of what happens. He goes half a season with 10 goals, you put him on the fourth line again, you put him in the press box, and you hope the disincentive pushes his buttons. He's a ferociously competitive guy. I've seen it personally at Sharks practices. He's the first guy that knows he's sucking, and the last guy that wants to drag his team down. If that mentality changes AND his output stays horrible, you consider trading him after the season is over.

Trade rumors/Matvichuk

I want to go on record as saying that the rumor of Pavelski to Montreal for Halak and an unnamed defensemen must be bogus. I can't imagine Doug Wilson trading Pavelski for anything other than an impact Top 2 defensemen. This isn't going to happen, not with Pavelski. I think if the Sharks are going to play "let's make a deal" - here are the guys who could be bait.

Marcel Goc - I don't want to lose Marcel, but with the emergence of Torrey Mitchell and Logan Couture waiting in the wings, he could be used as a pawn.

Patrick Rissmiller - A UFA next season. Looks like his days with the Sharks could be numbered.

Steve Bernier - Has improved a bit, but still nothing to show for it on the scoresheet. I think Setoguchi takes his spot on the 2nd line when he is healthy.

How about the Sharks making a deal with the Devils again - this time for Richard Matvichuk. There is no risk, he has one year left on his deal @ 1.4 million. He is better than Davison/Murray/Semenov. The Devils are probably selling cheap, you probably could get him for Davison or Semenov. A tough, stay at home D-man sounds good to me. Matvichuk anyone???

Also, if Doug Wilson is concerned about Patzold as the back up (as I am) then why not sign a proven NHL back up. Scott Clemensson is out there. Robert Esche is too. How about the Shark killer himself, CuJo? A one year deal would get it done with either of these guys and the Sharks wouldn't have to part with anything in the process.

What do you think??