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I've never been good with titles. I'm told they're supposed to captivate the reader and bring him or her in -- regardless of content. Usually, I end up dropping something entirely boring and generic, and really, I'm fine with that.
Today is my attempt at bucking the trend, but know full well that the above -- that is, Sergei Gonchar as Chris Pronger's replacement in Philadelphia -- was a real sentence, one that emanated from a local Ottawa newspaper. We'll touch on that later.
The other choice for the blog title? "Dan O'Rourke is Working the Stanley Cup Final -- Again." Pretty catchy, right? Except that's true, too. For the second year in a row, O'Rourke -- public enemy number one in the nation's capital after his grinding of the Ottawa Senators in the middle of the regular season, highlighted by his war of words with Erik Karlsson -- is apparently not only good enough to officiate NHL games, but work the most important seven-game series the league has to offer.
That's per the league, and per the NHL Officials Association. Bone-chilling.
Below, some hockey thoughts.
-- So, let's talk about
Bruce Garrioch's column on the Ottawa Sun , if only because there's little else better to do right now. Garrioch highlights five trade targets for the Ottawa Senators, and I'll run through them accordingly.
Sergei Gonchar's name made the list, but again, it really isn't all that surprising. What rebuilding team emphasizing total youth movement wouldn't want to sever ties with an aging and depreciating commodity?
That's the problem, though -- everyone knows the expiry date on Sergei Gonchar as an elite puck-mover passed years ago. Gonchar's still a top-six defenseman, but his offensive game is experiencing diminishing marginal returns, and his defensive game continues to raise eyebrows
(and blood pressure, and heartburn..)
Even if a team was desperate for an asset that's more dollar than productivity, it certainly wouldn't be now, and it certainly wouldn't be to replace Chris Pronger. Again, not my words.
The Flyers have Gonchar listed as one of the possible replacements for Chris Pronger, whose career may be over due to post-concussion syndrome.
There's a slight difference between Chris Pronger and Sergei Gonchar, folks. One's downright terrifying in the defensive zone, looking to remove head from body at every opportunity; the other is a glorified turnstile with moderate offensive upside.
Even before the severe-concussion symptoms, CP20 -- how is this not his nickname? -- was one of the league's elite defensemen.
Forget the NHL. Where does Sergei Gonchar rank on his own team?
Gonchar may have had a bit of a bounce-back year at least offensively[5G/32A] in 2011-2012, but trade suitors are going to be few and far between for a thirty-eight year old rearguard that's visibly struggled from time-to-time in the defensive third?
If Ottawa's lucky, they'll get comparable production from him once again, and perhaps even find a club or two that's willing to part with a respectable pick or player as the trade deadline nears.
Chris Pronger's replacement, though? Perhaps in a parallel universe, but probably not there either.
-- The two names I do agree with concerning potential trade targets are Nick Foligno and Robin Lehner. Foligno's a quirky case, as his contract is set to come off of the books this summer, and Bruce Garrioch appears certain he's not going to accept any qualifying offer.
As frustrating as Foligno's been over the years, I think we have seen him slowly develop in the NHL ranks. Consider his fifteen goal, thirty-two assist season in 2011-2012 with spotty minutes and ever-changing linemates. The potential's there; the frame is there; the skill set is there.
Sometimes, with Foligno, it's getting it all together on the same night.
Regardless, it does make him a bit of an interesting trade piece -- even though I do believe he'll be back next season.
Regarding Robin Lehner -- well, there's an interesting trade piece; perhaps the most intriguing of all. With one bona fide NHL G in Craig Anderson and two talented prospects in the system, it's pretty obvious that Ottawa's going to make some sort of goaltending move in the coming months.
Largely, I think the fan base has become more attached to Robin Lehner over Ben Bishop, and rightfully so. Lehner's younger, has shown the same flashes of brilliance at the AHL and NHL ranks, and has the kind of name in the trade market that can seriously woo suitors.
Perhaps that's why Robin Lehner -- as opposed to the more-popular trade choice in Ben Bishop -- could be heading out the door. My guess is Bryan Murray only pulls the trigger here if the deal concerns some type of package or one-one flip for a top-six forward // top-four defenseman.
After all, Lehner does have blue-chip value, and Murray would be foolish to not get maximum value.
What I'm saying: Anytime you're ready, Chicago, pick up the phone and let's talk about Patrick Kane.
-- Zack Smith and Bobby Butler rounded out the list of five, and at this point, I question whether Bruce was just trying to file the piece on-time.
The idea of moving Zack Smith right now isn't just bad -- it's asinine. Smith was a quality bottom-six talent that gives you everything you need in a grinder at a fraction of the cost(
ahem, Chris Kelly). Fourteen goals, twelve assists, and a well-channeled mean streak that effectively frustrated the opposition on most nights.
In fact, the only way I could see Smith heading out of Ottawa is if there was a logjam at the center position -- one that Bruce Garrioch references in his column:
If he’s moved, Smith is simply a victim of depth at centre.
There has been plenty of talk about the Senators bringing back Chris Kelly from the Bruins as a UFA on July 1. He is currently negotiating a contract with the Bruins, but the two sides aren’t close to a deal.
If Chris Kelly was brought back, then yes -- there would be a bit of an issue down the middle at the center position. But, considering how far apart Kelly and the Boston Bruins are on the dollar, and further understanding that Kelly -- after the best year in his career -- is going to command a pretty penny, the idea of bringing the ex-Senator back is becoming less and less desirable.
Without Chris Kelly, above-mentioned logjam really doesn't exist. Jason Spezza's your L1; Kyle Turris is your L2. After that? It's a crap-shoot, and I'd wager that Zack Smith (along with Mika Zibanejad) have a leg up on the competition for a variety of reasons -- one being that there isn't a legitimate challenger on the roster that's really pushing either for TOI.
Peter Regin's an option, but he's certainly not doing himself any favors with injury, after injury, after injury.
At such a small cap hit ($700k through 2012-2013), Ottawa has an incredibly cheap and productive talent. Would Chris Kelly or another comparable offer much more at four or five times the cost? Probably not.
It's money management.
As for Bobby Butler -- well, to say the trade market isn't saturated for his services is probably the understatement of all understatements. Butler's value is almost near-zero, and the only plus in his column is that he's a younger player who has looked like an NHL F in the past.
That's not to say that Bobby Butler still can't become this player; rather, that Bobby Butler doesn't have any realizable trade value right now, and that moving him from the roster would simply be a moderate-risk, no-reward scenario. Butler may not develop into what Ottawa wants, but why fork him over to a team for absolutely nothing?
At the very least, let him get some productive minutes and then look for a suitor in a more desirable spot. Right now, there's nothing attractive about his game.
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Back with more tomorrow.
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Thanks for reading!
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