04/23/24
February 18, 2004
Bonnnnzaaaaiii!: The Senators land Peter Bondra, and the Eastern Conference arms race is on. Will the Leafs, Flyers, Bruins and Devils retaliate?
I just saw this, and the words out of my mouth were: "shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit". But the Sens are still soft, so don't start planning the parade route already.
posted by mkn at 01:02 PM on February 18, 2004
There's no parade route planned yet mkn, but I really think Muckler knows what he's doing on this one. Would an opponent realistically want to play smashmouth hockey against that power play? Take a bad call and you're burned. Muckler wants a high-scoring team, and Bondra is pretty good defensively too. On top of that, a few of the Sens injured grit players (Varada, Volchenkov, Fisher) should be back for the playoffs. And the last time a goon squad won the Cup was...when?
posted by Succa at 01:19 PM on February 18, 2004
I think this is retaliation to the Flyers' trade activity. They've been the most active and effective in the trade market, and with pork bellies at an all time high, Mortimer & I have decided..... Jokes asides, as a Leafs fan, I'm a little nervous....b/c we're f-ed up the cornhole if Belfour goes down. Gonchar would be nice, but Olaf might be the better way to win the Cup.
posted by garfield at 02:39 PM on February 18, 2004
The Leafs need to secure a solid goalie, watching Trevor Kidd the last couple of games has been incredibly painful. We've been so used to top-notch goaltending that with a subpar goalie, every single one of the team's holes show up. I agree with Garfield, perhaps Kolzig would be a lot more useful than Gonchar. The Bondra pickup will be a fantastic one, he fits into that system so perfectly.
posted by dfleming at 04:21 PM on February 18, 2004
*sigh* I kept hearing that the Blues might be in the market for Bondra, but I guess not. I wonder if St. Louis might blow up its team in the near future. Anyone need a Doug Weight for the stretch run?
posted by wfrazerjr at 04:34 PM on February 18, 2004
With Kidd playing the way he's playing, I don't understand why Quinn doesn't play Telqvist more. He's been pretty solid this year, aside from the 4 goals allowed vs. Pittsburgh (this after not playing for a long time, though). If this guy really is the future, then why not play him more? Besides, he's still undefeated this season! Going for Kolzig would be a waste. Especially if Belfour gets better and Kolzig becomes a really expensive back-up (we don't want any of those Detroit shenanigans). Gonchar is the most logical pick; however, with the way they've been playing lately, a more stay at home defenseman would be best. But I can't imagine that many will be available... even from the lousy teams (Carney?).
posted by mkn at 05:28 PM on February 18, 2004
Carney would be awesome. Kolzig as an option came to mind because of my complete and udder lack of faith in Trevor Kidd. There was a reason he ended up in Florida, and the Leafs should've left him there.
posted by garfield at 07:01 AM on February 19, 2004
Weeks ago I'd read baseless net rumours or speculation that Bondra was headed to Ottawa (and now it has happened), Gonchar to Toronto and Kolzig to Vancouver. Should be interesting to hear talk about Gonchar and Kolzig in the near future. But of course, before we start speculating too much about Gonchar I think we all know he's going to.... Colorado. It's that time of year again.
posted by gspm at 07:30 AM on February 19, 2004
That didn't take long Zhamnov to the Flyers.
posted by mkn at 05:59 PM on February 19, 2004
no way caps deal kolzig. they want to rebuild, they need strong netminding. kolzig stays. mkn, i was just talking about zhamnov with a friend who is a caps fan. he said zhamnov to philly....
posted by owl at 06:31 PM on February 19, 2004
Poor old Robert Lang. The Art Ross Trophy suddenly seems further away...
posted by Philfromhavelock at 01:23 AM on February 20, 2004
And yes, there is a shit-eating grin the size of Wichita on my face today. I feel like Mr. Miyagi. Bonnzzaaaaiiiiiii! My prediction is that the Caps deal either Gonchar or Kolzig but not both. This Bondra trade might be good for the Caps, in that the stakes have been raised and other teams in the East have to respond, thus raising the asking price. I would not be surprised to see Philly and Toronto duking it out over Gonchar. Not sure where Kolzig would end up. I love the weeks approaching trade deadline time. Best part of the regular season.