|
Caps Serious About Vokoun? Habs and Kings Deals. Rangers Pushing for BR. |
|
|
|
|
|
So tonight, nothing may happen, and yet I am going to be staying up, pretty much through the night tonight as I put together some of the rumors and a new feature which I believe will make this deadline more interesting than ever before...
It is funny in this biz. Teams talk all the time, and I know of two deals which late last week the GMs essentially said they would likely complete on Saturday. It is very common for teams to leave a trade discussion with a line like, "Ok let's talk Saturday. I see no reason why we can't put this together then..."
However those timelines, at least the ones I knew of, were pushed back today due to yesterday's mini frenzy. One of those deals involved the Habs. One involved the Kings.
From a source...
"The Kings deal looks to be off the table, but the Habs deal is more likely to happen with a tweak or two over the next 48 hours.."
I get the impression the Canadiens were in on Ian White. It has not been confirmed, but it feels as if they were based on a few people I have talked to.
And now, the irony is I am hearing a rumor involving both the Kings and Habs. A deal which could happen late tonight/tomorrow that would send Dustin Brown/or Wayne Simmonds to Montreal for a prospect and draft pick which would be used by the Kings to make another trade. A trade which would land them a star.
Caps DEEPLY considering moving for Vokoun..
One source told me, quite simply, the Panthers are sitting on a deal with Washington.
"It's all in the Caps hands. They can have Vokoun with one phone call, and for the first time I am getting the idea the Caps know they need Voks."
This is the promise Leonsis made to his fans last year when he lost to the Habs. Ted Leonsis is one of my personal favorite people in the sport. He came out in his blog last year, after his Caps were knocked out by Halak and the far less talented Habs, and said they were outplayed in many places, but mainly in goal, and his team would have to be better...yet so far this year, they have been worse and they have been trying everything they can to make it work with their young goalies.
The Caps have shown their young goalies the utmost confidence from day 1. And in return have essentially destroyed the confidence of the rest of the team. When a team loses complete faith in their goalies, that team stops playing confident hockey and they stop playing hockey "with an edge."
The Caps are an incredible team when they play on the edge. When they don't play with an edge they become a good team, but not a Cup favorite....at all.
Rangers pushing hard for Richards.
This from a GREAT source...
"It is commonly known that Tortorella and Brad Richards are very close from their days in Tampa, and they still talk all the time. It is also become commonly known out there that Brian Burke is preparing an offer for Brad Richards this summer that no one will be able to come close to."
And now, with Richards' injury making the rest of the season very uncertain, the Dallas Stars are "more open then ever" to trading Brad Richards...
The Rangers need a spark....their performance against NJ two nights ago, in a 1-0 loss was essentially as lifeless as I have ever seen them.
I fully expect to see the Rangers and Richards rumors picking up in a big way by Tuesday..and for the rumors to be rampant next weekend.
Also...
Look for the Blackhawks to perhaps be the next team to pull off a surprising big name trade in the middle of the night.
More to come...
Join the Discussion:
»