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NHL Thoughts : Keeping Karlsson Kerfuffle |
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Don’t read too much into the title. Recently; Hockeybuzz was graced with a question posed by our patron Eklund. You are the GM: Make Me an offer for Erik Karlsson. The gist being to make a compelling trade offer for Erik Karlsson. As with most fan offerings, the jokes were often less funny than the earnest attempts.
What really annoys me is how the NHL games have poisoned the ideas surrounding trades. With the “equalizers.” Which are essentially additional fluff with no substance, that for some reason must be added or the deal is off. These are always throw-ins like third or fourth round picks or AHL lifers that at one time were hyped as a prospect.
For Example:
Or the Islanders: Sorokin, Ho-Sang, Pulock, Beauvillier, 1st for Karlsson, a 3rd, and a 5th.
On the surface. This is actually an okay deal if the Sens are going full rebuild. Sorokin is a top tier goalie prospect. Ho-Sang a potential young top-six player. Pulock a potential 4/5 PP specialist. Beauvillier a young bottom-six NHLer (already). Plus a first. I’m sure the Sens would want a more substantial roster player, but regardless, this is a pretty decent offer. Why the 3rd and 5th though? Seriously? What does that even add? Why would the Sens feel the need to add pity party points on a deal giving up their franchise multi-Norris winning Captain? Garth Snow is just going to throw the Karlsson out with the sewage water over a 3rd and 5th round picks? What kind of petty nonsense is that? “Well we tried to get the best defenseman in the world…but he wouldn’t budge on those 10% chance at a mediocre NHL players. We have instead moved to acquire a 7th defenseman that plays “tough” for a second round pick!”
As an aside. Karlsson has apparently been asked to provide his 10 team list. Now, I don't want to fault Dorion for looking at all of his options and keeping an open mind...but come on. You just had to move Kyle Turris because you knew you couldn't sign him to as friendly a deal as you'd like, and now you're thinking of trading arguably the best defenseman in the league preemptively? The Sens already traded to get older and more "competitive" with the Phaneuf and Brassard moves. They've brought in a slew of veterans. There can't be a trade on the table where Karlsson goes and the teams plans are able to be maintained. There just can't with the Phaneuf, Ryan and internal Cap limits. If Karlsson is moved, it spells the end of Dorion to me. Or it proves he's a puppet, which would be disheartening. If they thought that getting fans to make the 35 minute trek down the highway was difficult...try it without one of the most explosive players in the decade on the team. Melnyk will need to remove more than just 1500 seats this time.
Dylan the “D-Boss” Larkin – There are times I’m sad that the internet has made us privy to an overabundance of information. This is not the case when I learned Dylan Larkin’s apparent nickname. The D-Boss. Now I’m no expert in hockey nicknames, but how did this one pass the cutting room floor? Does it signify that he is the “Dylan-Boss?” If so, is he self-employed? Is there another Dylan we don’t know about? Is this a dig at how selfishly he plays on the ice?
Generally hockey nicknames are much more intellectual and powerful. Take Tyler Bozak of the Toronto Maple Leafs nickname. “Bozie.” See, now there is a nickname that states the very nature of the players being. Let us dispose of the “D-Bosses” of the world and go back to the sane and sensible approach…of adding “ie” or “er” to the end of a person’s name.
Seriously though…D-Boss…embrace the D-Boss. How did nobody see the potential jokes about this? Especially since he apparently got this nickname at 12. 12 year olds are the masters of “the D” jokes. Those bubbleheads sure are something, I bet all the ladies will be rushing to grab their very own D-Boss.
Best Line in the NHL – Is it too early to declare this one? Probably. I’ll do it anyways. When playing together has there been a better line than Schwartz-Schenn-Tarasenko? I really don’t think so. I’ll go on record and admit I’ve always thought that Brayden Schenn was one of the most overrated players in the NHL. A PP specialist that was porous defensively and never brought the tenacity he showed in junior to the professional level. I loved the trade to the Blues…how could you not? They traded a fourth line centre for seemingly a top-6 winger. I doubt anybody envisioned these levels of success at the time.
While they were recently taken apart due to Schwartz’ ankle injury, they were destroying the league as a trio prior to that. Doing so in such a way that all three members of the line were clicking at relatively the same levels, unlike Stamkos-Kucherov-Namestnikov where one of the parts is clearly more part than the others.
Schenn sits fifth in the league in scoring with 37 points. Schwartz in 10th with 35. Tarasenko in 13th with 33.
It’s a shame that this line won’t be together for some time. Still…I’d argue they were the best line in the NHL thus far this season.
Thanks for reading.
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