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FORSBERG IS BACK!

Peter Forsberg signed a one year deal with the Colorado Avalanche to play the rest of the season!
 
ok this SERIOUSLY pisses me off:
Penguins add another scorer in Marian Hossa
Shawn P. Roarke | NHL.com Managing Editor
Feb 26, 2008, 4:07 PM EST

Marian Hossa makes the Penguins an even more legitimate contender for the Eastern Conference crown. Marian Hossa
Atlanta Thrashers GM Don Waddell saved the best for last Tuesday.

In a deal that was consummated just before the trade deadline arrived at 3 p.m. ET, Waddell pried Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, uber-prospect Angelo Esposito and a first-round pick from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Marian Hossa, the premier potential unrestricted free agent on the market.

Atlanta also sent Pascal Dupuis to Pittsburgh in the deal.

The move shook up the Eastern Conference picture after the Western Conference dominated the early part of Tuesday’s action. San Jose made a strong play by acquiring puck-moving defenseman Brian Campbell and Dallas stole the early headlines by acquiring Tampa Bay center Brad Richards in a five-player deal.

But Hossa was considered the crown jewel of the trade targets available, especially after Toronto’s Mats Sundin refused to waive his no-trade clause earlier in the week. Several teams were said to be hot on Hossa’s trail. But the Penguins were not on many of those lists.

Yet, it was Pittsburgh GM Ray Shero who walked away with Hossa, making his Penguins an even more legitimate contender for the Eastern Conference crown. The 29-year-old right winger has 26 goals and 30 assists in 60 games this season, ranking second on the Thrashers in points.

“This is a deal that was made more or less at the last minute. The chances a month ago for us to get Marian Hossa was about five percent,” Shero said. “I think he is a world-class player. He’s going to be a huge asset for our team.”

Hossa figures to be a perfect complement to first-line center Sidney Crosby, who is expected back soon from the high ankle sprain that has sidelined him since Jan. 18. Until Crosby returns, Hossa will most likely play with Evgeni Malkin, the Penguins’ leading scorer and top setup man with 48 assists, including one in Pittsburgh’s 4-2 win over the New York Islanders on Tuesday.

Either way, Hossa should see his goal numbers climb during the final month of the season and the Penguins are hoping he will provide the offensive boost that will help them pass the New Jersey Devils for the top spot in both the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference.

Hossa, who's expected to join his new team in Boston for Thursday's game, said he's thrilled to be a Penguin.

“I’m really looking forward to joining this group,” he said. “You look at the centermen and you have Sid, Malkin and (Jordan) Staal. They are some really strong, great young players. They have good goaltending and good moving defensemen. They create lots of offense. I am really looking forward to playing with these guys.”

Hossa may play on a line with Crosby once he returns to the lineup.

“I don’t know who I will play with. If I play with Sid, that’d be great,” Hossa said. “He is the best centerman in the league, and it would be a pleasure to play with him.”

Caps acquire Fedorov, Huet
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Fellow Russian Sergei Fedorov moves to Washington to play with Alexander Ovechkin. The resurgent Capitals also picked up Cristobal Huet from Montreal and Matt Cooke from Vancouver. ...more 
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The Senators filled a need for toughness on the third line Tuesday by acquiring veteran right winger Martin Lapointe from the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for a 2008 sixth-round pick. ...more
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The Penguins are in fourth place in the East before the deal, but are just one behind the Atlantic Division-leading Devils, the No. 1 team in the conference with 80 points. Each team has 18 games remaining. Ottawa, which was also in the Hossa hunt, is tops in the Northeast Division and second in the East with 78 points, one ahead of Montreal.

Southeast Division-leading Carolina has just 71 points, but is third in the conference by virtue of leading its division.

Pittsburgh also received Dupuis, a versatile 28-year-old forward who has 10 goals and 15 points this season. Dupuis has scored at least 10 goals in each of his six NHL seasons.

Pittsburgh also made another deal Tuesday, obtaining physical, shut-down defenseman Hal Gill from the Toronto Maple Leafs for a pair of draft picks.

“He’s a good shot blocker, and he’s had playoff success,” Shero said. “He’s a big guy to play against bigger players. I think he will match up well with bigger players.”

As expected, the cost of changing the face of the Eastern Conference race via the acquisition of Hossa came at a huge price.

Waddell insisted for much of the last month that he could easily hang onto Hossa and try to ride him deep into the playoffs. But a recent run of poor results has left the Thrashers seven points out of the last playoff berth with just 19 games left. So Waddell opted to play several contending clubs against one another to compile the best possible package.

"I had six pretty darned good options," Waddell said. "If the deadline would have been (two hours later) at 5 o'clock, I don't know what I could have done by that time."

That package ended up being two NHL wingers in Armstrong and Christensen, a first-round pick from last year’s draft in Esposito and a first-round pick in the 2008 Entry Draft, considered to be one of the deepest in recent memory.

However, Waddell dismissed the notion that he threw in the towel on this season by trading Hossa.

"We weren't packing away our season," he said. "If we were, we'd have traded all our (unrestricted free agents). There's no quit on this team, we'll play until the end."

Despite losing two talented young players, Shero said he wasn’t worried the players the Penguins traded — he was more interested in the ones they got and how to get them integrated into a team hoping to make a run at the Stanley Cup.

"Chemistry is very important, and this team has to come together very quickly," Shero said. "But I still think we have the young assets to be a long-term contender."

Armstrong, 25, was a first-round pick in 2001 and is a classic power forward in training. He has nine goals and 24 points in 54 games this season and has 37 goals and 98 points in 181 games. He is also a character guy that brings passion to the room.

Christensen, 24, is a lower-line center who has nine goals and 20 points this season in 49 games. He recently returned to the lineup after missing several games with a shoulder injury. In 143 NHL games, Christensen has 33 goals and 33 assists. He’s also one of the NHL’s best performers in shootouts.

Esposito was Pittsburgh’s first-round pick, No. 20 overall, in last year’s NHL Entry Draft. Esposito, one of just two players to be cut from Canada’s World Junior team three times, is having a middling season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. The 18-year-old center has 55 points in 48 games with the Quebec Remparts.

The Thrashers will receive a first-round pick in the extremely deep 2008 Draft — which means that when all is said and done Waddell and the Thrashers will be able to add four under-25 assets for Hossa.

In the meantime, Waddell got his first taste of life without Hossa — the Thrashers lost 5-1 Tuesday night in Montreal, falling seven points out of the last playoff spot. The true measure of the deal won't be felt until Armstrong and Christensen join the team.

"Now I tell them to just put it all behind them," Waddell said. "Tomorrow's a fresh start. We have two new players who will join our team and obviously they'll play on the top three lines. We'll have a good skate and then try to set up some lines."
Click to expand...

Don't get me wrong, Hossa is an AMAZING player, but after seeing everything the Pens gave up it looks like they are thinking more of short term success than a long term "dynasty". Who knows how long Hossa will stick around with the Pens and to give up good wingers in Armstrong and Christensen and also give away Esposito... I'm pissed. I also don't know what to think of the acquisition of Gill for two draft picks....
 
Gill's a decent defenseman, and he'll do good.

It all depends on if Hossa signs in Pittsburgh.  If he does, then it's worth it.  He might even take a cut in the money to have the chance to play shooter for Crosby & Malkin.
 
I hope he sticks around for at least 3 seasons, he's young enough. Also did you read about Huet? The dude thinks he got traded because he's playing badly, when in reality he is giving Washington a big boost at the position with Kolzig getting old and all and Montreal could afford that thanks to having Price. Big moves all over. Washington became pretty scary on paper...
 
Gainey thought he had the inside track on Hossa, so he traded Huet to get the extra pick to send to Atlanta.  But instead Hossa went to Pittsburgh.  Very similar to how he had the inside track on Daniel Briere...starting to get a little frustrated here.
 
It was a very risky move to trade Huet.  Last year Montreal bombed after the trade deadline.  Hmmm...

And the Leafs still can't get rid of their defencemen and Sundin.  They'll get nothing for their biggest scorer; he'll just quietly end his days in TO.  Hah-hah-hah. 
 
It's the legacy of John Ferguson Jr.

Five players in Toronto have no trade clauses.  None of the five agreed to be traded.  I guess they all like swimming in mediocrity.  All five players were signed by John Ferguson.

1. Mats Sundin is really the least damaging.  His contract was only one year, and he has lots of points and stuff.
2. Darcy Tucker.  3 million dollars/year, no trade clause, until 2011.  So far this year he has 14 G, 10 A, -4.
3. Pavel Kubina.  5 million dollars/year, no trade clause, until 2010.  This year: 6 G, 22 A, even.
4. Tomas Kaberle.  4.25 million dollars/year, no trade clause, until 2011.  This year: 7 G, 33 A, -6.
5. Bryan McCabe. 5.75 million dollars/year, no trade clause, until 2011.  This year: 4 G, 11 A, -1.

Each one of these players had interest from a contender.  Sundin had offers from Vancouver and Dallas, Tucker had offers from Carolina and San Jose, Kubina had interest in Buffalo, Pittsburgh, and New York, Kaberle had offers from Carolina and San Jose, and McCabe had an offer from New Jersey, New York Islanders, Anaheim, Detroit, and Dallas.

Sundin could have gotten a first round pick.  Kubina could have gotten a 2nd and a 3rd round pick.  Tucker was worth a prospect and a 3rd.  McCabe, rumour has it, was offered a 1st round pick and 2 prospects from Jersey.  Kaberle, they could have had a similar deal that Buffalo got for Brian Campbell - a young forward (who scored twice so far for Buffalo tonight) and a late round pick.

Who am I kidding?  Toronto would trade all that plus their own pick at the deadline to Colorado for the rights to sign Patrick Roy if he decides to come out of retirement, plus sending Vesa Toskala and Matt Stajan to the Cinncinati Racers for their original contract on Mark Messier.

It drives me nuts watching this team.  Owners finally decide to rebuild, and NOBODY will accept a trade.  We're not talking small trades here.  Sundin could have ended up in Vancouver.  With the Sedins and Luongo.  That's a hell of a team.  That could go all the way.  McCabe could have gone to New Jersey.  He lives in New York City in the off season.  Kaberle could have been in San Jose, a serious contender.

Instead, they're all going to be in Toronto for the next years to come.  A team that will take so long to recover because they have no prospects.  They have been so preoccupied with now that later has never come into play.  Toronto, as a team, is fucked.  Absolutely fucked.
 
Like you stated, Sundin is indeed the least damaging since the 1 year deal and not only that, probable last season since he becomes a free agent come July. But all the others... good god. Also Sundin's decision I respect, he doesn't believe in the 'rental player' mentality and he is sticking with his team through good and bad... that's guts, not stupidity. But he's got the stats and respect to back it up, the others? Furgie was a moron to sign so many to no-trade clauses.
 
According to the newspaper Toronto Sun, 66% of Leaf fans think the Toronto trades were the worst possible.  I can't believe that 34% of the fans like the trades (or lack thereof).  Some Leaf fans have their head up their butts so high.  :D
 
I think it is equivalent to Bush's 32% approval rating... it will never be lower than that, because that is the hard-core, die-hard fan base.

Also, fuck this shit man, Hossa has an unspecified knee injury in his first game as a Pen...
 
I was pissed. But meh, one game, the other dude they got in the trade was the only one who scored, so that was a good thing
 
I watched them get demolished by Boston last night.  Well, I only half watched.  Ottawa lost too.  That's great.  The two big Hab competitors need to keep losing.  Habs play the Sabres for the first time without Huet.
 
Both games so far without Huet have been a success; and I'd say he's made a showing in Washington with a shutout win on his first night.  Montreal plays New Jersey tonight, in a battle of Eastern Conference heavyweights - if Montreal wins in regulation they lead the East.  Price is starting for Montreal.
 
So let it be written, so let it be done.  ;)

I hope they keep the lead.  Playing with an 8th seeded team will be easier than 4th or 5th.

They play with the Sharks on Monday.  I've not followed the team, but apparently they're doing just as well in the West.
 
And if they fall, let them fall to 6th to play whoever comes out of the Southeast.
 
That's a good strategy. Fleury won his first game back, Hossa is due back soon and Crosby is EXPECTED soon... who knows about Roberts though :(. Aside from the pens, I'm impressed with Washington's late push and SJ's, specifically Nabakov's, performance as well.
 
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