12/04/24
March 03, 2006
Backchecking: McCabe Moving?: With the trade deadline looming, Toronto might be shopping soon-to-be free agent Bryan McCabe. Plus, a list of other players that might be floating in the trade winds.
posted by wingnut4life to hockey at 09:01 PM - 15 comments
McCabe and Belfour might be gone. Will be interesting to track. The Leafs are looking awful -- and desperate. I don't know if they will try to rescue season or think about next year, but they need a salary dump. Quinn could be getting walking papers after the season is over too.
posted by the red terror at 10:45 AM on March 04, 2006
I agree, I don't like Lang either, but with the upcoming draft there are no big name players worth trading him for.
posted by tzeli2010 at 10:57 AM on March 04, 2006
If the Leafs get absolutely demolished tonight (it's against Ottawa, on a back-to-back night, after a loss, so I expect a 7-1 score), then I can see the possibility of a complete tear-down by the Leafs. If they keep it close, or (surprise!) win tonight, then I can see where they'd stick it out and just let McCabe go through free agency. With Roberto Luongo, Brad Richards, Vincent Lecavalier, Wade Redden and Zdeno Chara available as free agents in the summer, the Leafs could do some house cleaning and easily clear a lot of space under the salary cap and add some quality players for their young guns (Stajan, Steen, Wellwood, Antropov, Ponikarovsky).
posted by grum@work at 11:21 AM on March 04, 2006
I dont agree with getting rid of (Lang) he is the type of player that can make the difference come playoff time...That being said, the only way i see him go is if we get someone with youth,speed and hands.
posted by Warminzu at 11:57 AM on March 04, 2006
I don't know about McCabe, but if the Leafs do lose, they should really think about sending Belfour out before they lose him for nothing. Despite everything, Toronto does have a good batch of young goaltenders in their system. This season or next, they need to look through their system rather than trying to get another old, established goalie. It worked for the Rangers this year. It worked for Buffalo. - Calgary's wishlist would include Jokinen, Atlanta's Marc Savard, San Jose's Patrick Marleau, Boston's Sergei Samsonov or Toronto's Darcy Tucker according to the Calgary Sun. That's a lot of wishful thinking. Jokinen I can see, but a lot of teams will want him.
posted by mkn at 12:02 PM on March 04, 2006
You know, regardless of what happens tonight, the Leafs should probably gear down anyway. Even if they do squeak into the playoffs, there's no way they're going to win out. (You can only sweep the Senators once; then you have to play someone else. Bummer.) Bringing up one of the kids to spell Tellqvist while they play out the string would show more foresight than I fear Pat Quinn has. (I'd never have thought I'd say this, but the Rangers have set an example of committing to a younger core, wins be damned. The fact that the Rangers are winning is almost secondary to the fact that that group is going to be together for a few years, and they're only going to improve.) I don't know about losing McCabe, as he & Tomas Kaberle are a winning pair with some quality years left, but if the Leafs can get something for Belfour, and skew younger and commit to the talented core they have (Kronwall, Steen, Stajan, I still think Colaiacovo's going to pan out), then there's a chance that in a couple of years, an aging Mats Sundin, who at that point will be the Grand Old Man of the Leafs, might be able to hoist a cup before he retires back to Sweden.
posted by chicobangs at 12:27 PM on March 04, 2006
What could the Leafs get for Belfour? I don't think he's looked that great this year. And he's not likely to improve. Bags of pucks comes to mind. grum - Lecavalier signed a big contract before the season started.
posted by gspm at 12:46 PM on March 04, 2006
I wouldn't mind Lang and a pick for Boston's Samsonov. Pavel Datsyuk sure is a lonely Russian with all those Swedes in the Red Wing lineup!
posted by wingnut4life at 01:01 PM on March 04, 2006
Anything the Leafs could get for Belfour would be worth the trouble. Couple of prospects? Maybe a 2nd or 3rd rounder? I wouldn't expect much more than that. But what is he to the Leafs now, other than an aging liability who's not going to bring the cup he was brought to Toronto to deliver? Better he go to someplace like Vancouver or Edmonton, a place that needs some short-term support (and of course some mentorship duty) for an aimless young pup on a possible contender.
posted by chicobangs at 01:23 PM on March 04, 2006
grum - Lecavalier signed a big contract before the season started. I stand corrected. And I was all a-titter about Lecavalier being a Leaf. Oh well.
posted by grum@work at 09:41 PM on March 04, 2006
Brad Richards, grummy - Brad freaking Richards.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 12:56 PM on March 05, 2006
in a couple of years, an aging Mats Sundin will retire? He's already 35. It's sad for him, but I don't think he will be able to win the Cup with the Leafs. Also, I know everyone here hates McCabe with a passion, but he has to be doing something right, no? He missed 9 games and he's still the team's leading scorer. And that Flames wishlist is hilarious.
posted by qbert72 at 01:05 PM on March 05, 2006
He missed 9 games and he's still the team's leading scorer. Yeah, but most nights he's close to the other team's leading scorer too.
posted by fabulon7 at 07:00 PM on March 05, 2006
Ah, McCabe's is the phantom 'great' season. In actuality - he had an outstanding first three months of the season (when he was in the top ten in the whole league in points)- and has been pretty much ordinary since. He is a good guy to deal - pretty much the only one you may get some value for. I'm convinced he would wreck for a team like the Canes, Devils, Rangers, Stars, or any team that needs power play help (and where he could play more of a role, and not the guy who plays more minutes than anyone else). I'm always suspicious of players who have career years at 30, unless they're goalies. Belfour isn't worth anything more than a 3rd rounder at this point. He has another year left on his deal and has played below the league average pretty much all year. He is only slightly more attractive than Thoedore in that he will retire earlier. I think he should do it this year so we can remember him as one of the best money goalies of his era - and a great winner. Yes, the Leafs are for shit - but they will have an enormous amount of cap space for this off-season. I think the plan was to save a lot of money for this crop of free agents, after it became apparent during last off-season that the team wasn't going to be able to make the moves that others were. This team needs draft picks though, and stat.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 09:20 AM on March 06, 2006
I think that the Wings are in pretty good shape (personnel wise) going in to the playoffs. If anything, I wouldn't mind them shipping off Robert Lang for a few draft picks. I've never really been a big fan of his.