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I get a voluminous amount of hockey-related correspondence through the inbox at HockeyBuzz, a general e-mail address set up on Y!, and the new information vehicle of the world, Twitter. It's more gift than curse; a lot of the time, it's readers who simply want to offer their take in a more private matter, and I do my best to respond to the majority of that.
To others, it can be a green light to spread false information, or at least attempt to. I've never been a rumor guy, mostly because I don't have or pretend to have the assortment of connections that every other MSM // blogger has in the hockey world.
Allegedly.
Still, I read through 'em all -- just in case. Once in a blue moon(or, a few blue moons), something catches my eye -- enough to generate a bit of investigation on my end.
The latest example of such? An amusing war of words between the Winnipeg Jets and Ottawa Senators front offices right near the trade deadline on February 27th -- one that was started as the direct result of a Winnipeg Jets action, and exacerbated by the Ottawa Senators going absolutely ballistic in response.
Two independent parties sent the above-mentioned story using extremely similar wording, putting clear emphasis on a potentially shady transaction or non-transaction on behalf of the Winnipeg Jets.
Could the story be entirely contrived? It's possible. Actually, it's borderline-likely.
Here's why I'm hesitant to write this one off, though. First, the story has only recently hit my inbox (four months later -- emphasis added), and it's not exactly the most glorious of false rumors. Second, how is it that two independent parties,
one of which has been on the mark before, have heard and subsequently delivered the Winnipeg // Ottawa story verbatim?
I'm not buying it. I'm just not selling it, either.
Until it's verified as accurate or, alternatively, dismissed as a complete falsity, it's best to treat this story for what it is -- a story. An incredibly amusing story, though -- one that's certainly generated some serious interest on my end.
Let's assume that the above-referenced is accurate, though. The Winnipeg Jets and Ottawa Senators were discussing something trade-related right near the deadline, and the Winnipeg Jets were the ones that set the Ottawa Senators into a frenzy with --
allegedly -- shady business acumen and, potentially, foul play.
Immediately, one take came to mind: The Winnipeg Jets were trying to sell on a player to the Ottawa Senators that may have been injured, or whose injury details weren't public knowledge. Another idea would follow soon thereafter, but we'll get to that in a bit.
Contacting
Patrick Williams on the Winnipeg Jets beat, I questioned him on what players may have had injuries and may // may not have been playing through said injuries leading into the trade deadline. The two responses? Zach Bogosian and Eric Fehr.
A third name -- Dustin Byfuglien -- would soon emerge, but for a few reasons, one being a potentially absurd asking price and Ottawa's rather frugal business outlook in 2011-2012, that seems pretty implausible.
Bogosian and Fehr both have some pretty weird circumstances concerning injuries in that time frame. Bogosian had missed fairly significant time leading into the trade deadline, returned out of nowhere to play a game on March 1st, only to re-aggravate the UBI -- he was also dealing with a foot injury of some sorts -- a day later, forcing him to miss another few weeks.
There's been a bit of smoke with respect to Zach Bogosian trade rumors in the past, and the fact that he's such a desirable top-four defenseman certainly would legitimize any interest on behalf of Ottawa. Following the David Rundblad deal, a bit of help on the back-end -- young help -- couldn't possibly hurt.
Eric Fehr had been one step above unmitigated disaster for Winnipeg, but considering he's just a year and change removed from a thirty-nine point run with the Washington Capitals, there's still a bit of value.
Fehr's injury history in that window, much like Bogosian's, is a bit bizarre. Fehr was a healthy scratch leading into the trade deadline, returned for limited action two weeks after the trade deadline, and was ultimately shelved for an upper-body injury -- one that Winnipeg went out of their way to dismiss as being unrelated to the shoulder injury and surgery he had prior to the season.
Is it possible that the Ottawa Senators inquired about one of the two names above? Maybe. Is it possible that the Winnipeg Jets reached out to the Ottawa Senators organization and tried to sell off one of the two players as healthy at the time, only to watch Ottawa cry foul when the deal inched closer? Maybe.
There's one other angle that I didn't consider until others pointed it out, and that's concerning ex-Jets defenseman Johnny Oduya. The Chicago Blackhawks made their trade deadline move for Oduya under-the-gun, sending off a pair of premium draft picks -- a second and third-rounder in consecutive years -- the way of the Winnipeg Jets with only a few seconds on the shot clock.
The name Johnny Oduya was only briefly mentioned concerning the Ottawa Senators at the trade deadline, as most assumed they'd sit tight and let Y1 of the rebuild play out. Still, consider Oduya as a player -- a fair $3.3M cap hit on a multi-year deal, and a potentially stabilizing force on an Ottawa blue line that had been inconsistent all season long.
Further, knowing the cloudy future of rearguards in Sergei Gonchar, Filip Kuba, and Matt Carkner, perhaps Murray showed interest in Oduya to help with the short and long-term health of this franchise?
Here's what I'm getting at: Another way to really burn bridges around the hockey league? Negotiate a trade with one team, then flip the switch and send the primary asset of the deal to another city. Could Winnipeg have strung Ottawa along with Johnny Oduya? Or, is it possible Ottawa just didn't bid enough on Oduya, then grew enraged with Winnipeg when their offer was bested by Chicago's?
Again, entirely speculative, but ultimately, a possibility.
Whatever the case may be, and whatever Winnipeg may have done, the Ottawa front office --
allegedly -- was irate. The verbiage exchanged between the two sides wasn't pleasant -- consider the United States and Soviet Union during Cold War peace talks as a parallel.
While Bryan Murray was not specifically mentioned in either e-mail, Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff was -- twice. You'd assume that, if this scenario actually played out, Bryan Murray would've had to have been involved. Can you imagine the tirade he could've thrown down?
So, there's your story. The Winnipeg Jets and Ottawa Senators may or may not be on great terms, and the front offices may or may not have had a back-alley brawl the likes of
Anchorman.
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Have you heard a story of any potential disagreement between the front offices in Winnipeg and Ottawa? If so, please drop me a message here, on Twitter, or via e-mail. The tip jar is always open.
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Thanks for reading!
Ottawa Senators Blogger • 
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