HockeyBuzz: We're a week away from the Trade Deadline, there hasn't been a lot of talk about your impending UFA status. Do you have anything you can say about your contract status?
Luca Sbisa: No, not really. Just here to play hockey. Obviously, as a player, you're aware the Deadline is coming, especially being a UFA. There's nothing you can do as a player.
David Perron: No...I don't feel like talking about stuff like that.
HB: Do expect to still be here in Vegas after the Trade Deadline?
LS: I hope so.
We've got a good thing going. I definitely want to be a part of this. Just take it day by day, see what they do.
DP: (laughs) I don't know. It's a question for George, I think. I don't know what to think. But I'm hoping I am. The way success has been here, we're in a really good spot right now.
HB: What's the mood like in the locker room with the Deadline coming? Is there a lot of tension?
LS: To be honest, not really. You play on a Canadian team, it's a different story.
[They] try to make a lot of things out of nothing. Here, we don't get that kind of media attention. I think the players are a bit more relaxed.
But like I said, there's nothing you can do as a player. You can't really go [to George] and say, "Hey, what's your plan? What do you want to do with me?"
It's not how it works. You just have to go out there and play hockey. It's all you can do.
HB: Can you describe why the Deadline is harder in a Canadian market?
LS: It's just harder to block those things out. You get constantly reminded about it. Questioned about it. So it's tougher to block it out and focus on what you can do, which is play hockey. You can't control what they're going to do at the Deadline.
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Personally, I think there's a good chance that George McPhee will add (and not subtract) to the Golden Knights. He has a history of being aggressive at the Deadline when he has a competitive team:
• 3/5/14: Acquired Jaroslav Halak/2015 3rd rounder from Buffalo for Michal Neuvirth/Rostislav Klesla
• 3/4/14: Dustin Penner from Anaheim for 2014 4th rounder
• 4/3/13: Martin Erat/Michael Latta from Nashville for Filip Forsberg
• 2/28/11: Jason Arnott from New Jersey for David Steckel/2012 2nd rounder
• 2/28/11: Dennis Wideman from Florida for Jake Hauswirth/2011 3rd rounder
• 3/3/10: Joe Corvo from Carolina for Oskar Osala/Brian Pothier/2011 2nd rounder
• 3/3/10: Eric Belanger from Minnesota for 2010 2nd rounder
• 2/26/08: Matt Cooke from Vancouver for Matt Pettinger
• 2/26/08: Cristobal Huet from Montreal for 2009 2nd rounder
• 2/26/08: Sergei Fedorov from Columbus for Theo Ruth
• 3/11/03: Sergei Berezin from Chicago for 2004 4th rounder
• 3/13/01: Trevor Linden/Dainius Zubrus/2001 2nd rounder from Montreal for Jan Bulis/Richard Zednik/2001 1st
• 3/24/98: Jeff Brown from Toronto for Sylvain Cote
• 3/8/98: Esa Tikkanen from Florida for Dwayne Hay/4th rounder
Discounting 2003-07 and 1998-99 -- the Caps missed the postseason by a wide margin in those years -- that's eight out of 12 competitive seasons where McPhee has made a key Deadline addition. That's also four second-rounders and one first shipped out.
McPhee did surrender a star from a decent squad at the Deadline once -- he sent Adam Oates to Philadelphia for top goaltending prospect Maxime Ouellet and a 2002 first, second, and third in March 2002. The 2001-02 Capitals missed the playoffs by just two points.
However, this swap was considered a huge overpayment by the Flyers:
It was, by [Flyers GM Bobby] Clarke's admission, a heavy price to pay for a player who is 39 and will become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. (Ed Moran, Philadelphia Daily News, March 20, 2002)
So if somebody's giving a first-round pick plus more for James Neal or Perron, okay.
But otherwise, I wouldn't expect a Golden Knights blockbuster either way -- McPhee seems likely to protect his 2018 first-rounder jealously, as will most teams, considering this draft is shaping up to be very deep.
But will he add around the edges? I think so.
Vegas does have seven second-round draft picks over the next three seasons:
View post on imgur.com
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Tonight's
warm-ups will be interesting with the call-ups of Stefan Matteau and Tomas Hyka from Chicago. After morning skate this morning, Gerard Gallant indicated the line-up had many questions, including Neal. He also wouldn't commit to Shea Theodore's return from illness.
Two things we do know: Marc-Andre Fleury will start and Pierre-Édouard Bellemare will be placed on IR with an upper-body injury. According to unconfirmed reports, Bellemare suffered a rib injury against Montreal. Gallant noted that the top penalty killer will be out for a few games at least.
On the other side, Ryan Kesler's status is still up in the air, as Anaheim didn't have morning skate today. He missed the last game, but is traveling with the team.
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