sources tell me it looks like Billy Guerin is probably headed to the Flyers once they are able to rid themselves of some salary. The deal has not gone through as of 6:15 central time.
The Flyers and Bruins all along have been the top suitors for Chris Pronger who may or may not be dealt.
If he goes to Philly I'm told the Ducks want Lupul, Carle, and a pick.
If he goes to Boston I'm being told the Ducks are asking for Kessel, prospect, and a pick.
I'm not suggesting the Flyers can take on both Guerin and Pronger.
On to Big Walt....
The chances of the Blues trading All-Star winger Keith Tkachuk have significantly reduced after the club’s recent surge. The Blues are thinking playoffs and realize it makes little sense at this point to disrupt the momentum the team has generated.
I'm told he's staying put
I recently wrote the games leading up to the deadline will pretty much make the decision for Blues management and it appears that’s the case.
The only way the Blues trade Tkachuk is if the player they receive in return makes the Blues a better hockey team heading into the final 20 games.
The Blues are not desperate for draft picks therefore a pick may not be as attractive to the Blues as it might be to another club. Don’t take this to mean the Blues have no interest in picks. The organization feels very strong about their amateur staff led by Jarmo Keklainen who has a very impressive track record of identifying NHL prospects.
The Blues aren’t in the same situation as an organization as they have been in recent years.
I don’t see a scenario where Tkachuk isn’t playing for the Blues Thursday night. This doesn’t mean the Blues will just sit back and do nothing on prior to Wednesday afternoon.
I guess there is always a chance a bad loss Tuesday night changes things but as we sit right now this the straight goods.
Will Chris Pronger be joining him?
First of all if anyone saw the Anaheim, Dallas game Saturday afternoon it makes you wonder why in the hell anyone with their head screwed on straight would consider trading this guy.
He was obviously the most dominating player on the ice and the Ducks remain in a good position to make the playoffs.
Sources close to Pronger tell me all this talk about him being traded is still too premature. All around the league there is a lot of dust but the dirt has yet to settle.
First off Ducks GM Bob Murray is trying to determine if there is a deal to be made that won’t be available in the summer.
The bottom line is this….
1. How many teams can piece together a package to satisfy a hockey trade?
2. How many teams have the necessary cap space to make such a deal a reality?
The answer to both questions is not too many.
Every year at this time you have basically every GM talking because they feel that’s what they are supposed to do based on the fact they carry the GM title. Despite what you may be hearing everyone is still kicking tires.
The Ducks don’t have to move Pronger, but it makes perfect sense for Murray to utilize these next few days to determine what his value is. I had one GM tell me the trade deadline is simply a guide to determine what the value is of your assets.
Some would argue Pronger’s value is greater at the deadline because teams will be willing to pay more with the playoffs are at stake. Others say Pronger’s return value will be much greater at the draft because more teams feel they have a legitimate shot at getting a deal completed.
There are probably 6-7 teams who think they can get Pronger before Wednesday’s deadline, but that number increases significantly at the NHL draft. The return value for a player of Pronger’s stature may increase at the draft with 25 teams negotiating off one another and in turn driving up the market.
From what I’m being told, GM’s are still testing the waters but the real action will begin Monday around noon. This is when the real players step up and start throwing their cards on the table and the imposters begin to weed themselves out. The respectable GM’s will be honest and tell other managers that they can’t make a deal, while there are some out there who know they can’t make a deal but continue to act like they can. That’s when certain people develop reputations to the point to where they can’t be trusted down the road.
Injuries can of course force a team away from their original plan. It looks like Oilers forward Ethan Moreau will miss a decent chunk of action with an eye injury and you can expect more team to suffer unexpected injuries between mow and Wednesday.
Ducks GM Bob Murray has communicated very well with Pronger’s agent throughout the last few weeks. With the uncertainty of Scott Niedermayer’s future one would think Murray would be very cautious and not position himself to where he loses both Scotty and Pronger heading into next season.
Pronger has stated publicly his desire to stay in Anaheim and if I had to place a wager I would lean towards Anaheim keeping the former MVP for at least the rest of this season.
St. Louis definitely remains in play for Pronger if the Ducks do elect to move him. In reality St. Louis can put together as attractive of a package as any team in the NHL.
Again, the Blues may have to think hard about parting with prospect Alex Pietrangelo to make such a deal a reality.
With young D-men Erik Johnson, Roman Polak, Jonas Junland, and Ian Cole already in the system it could make Pietrangelo expendable.
The Blues wouldn’t even consider making such a move if they didn’t feel they could re-sign Pronger to a three or four year extension.
Puzzled By Derek Morris Sitting Out….
I find the situation with Derek Morris very interesting. If he went to the club and expressed his desire not to play to avoid possible injury then one can make the case that he quit on his Phoenix teammates.
Saturday night’s game Vs. St. Louis was a huge game for the Coyotes. Why would they allow a player to not dress for them while they are still fighting for the playoffs? If it was management telling the player not to play, then they better have a deal that was 99% completed. Trade the player a month ago if you’re afraid of injury! I would have told the player to get his butt out there and play.
There has been some talk about which coaches deserve Jack Adams consideration for the coach of the year. I may not always agree with his decisions, but if the Blues make the playoffs how can you argue there is a coach out there who has done a better job than St. Louis Head Coach Andy Murray?
Wasn’t this team picked to finish last in the West? That was before the injuries.
More to come,
Andy Strickland
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St Louis Blues Blogger •1380 ESPN • 
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