The Trade Deadline Blog

As much as baseball in Boston has been a downer this year, it's still hard to ignore the trade deadline. With the exception of the NFL, deadline day is one of the most exciting in all of professional sports. The best part of the deadline is that it appeals to buyers as well as sellers. For teams in the hunt, it's a day for the organization and their fans to anticipate what piece they will add to improve their championship run. If your team is out of it, it's still nice to see what prospects (or in the NHL, draft picks also) your team will come up with for the future. Now I haven't paid nearly as much attention to baseball or the Red Sox as I have in past years, but today is still a fun day for me.

The Trade Deadline is somewhat mis-labeled as a one day event. As we saw in the NHL this past year, the Devils made the biggest move of the "deadline" when they acquired Ilya Kovalchuk about a month prior to the cutoff. It's similar in all sports, so here's what we've already seen:

Lee to the Rangers: Despite being on the verge of bankruptcy, the Rangers made a proactive move and acquired the World Series "almost-hero" from last year. Lee goes to the Rangers and immediately becomes the first actual "ace" that the Texas organization has had in years, if not decades. Justin Smoak was the big piece heading to Seattle, and he is expected to be an elite first baseman in the future. But with the Rangers' current situation and roster, they made the right move in playing for the present.

Haren to the Angels: I applaud the Angels organization for this move. They haven't really been as competitive this year as they have over the last decade, but they are still trying to make a push to get back to the postseason. They let Vlad go in the offseason and Kendry Morales breaking his leg was a huge loss for the Halo's. But when the opportunity to acquire a bona-fide ace presented itself, the Angels jumped all over it. The best part of this deal for LA/Anaheim is that they got Haren for relatively little. The only MLB asset they parted with was mediocre lefty Joe Saunders! Yea, nice haul Arizona!

Oswalt to the Phils: Oswalt isn't the pitcher he was five years ago, but he is still amongst the top 20 or 30 in the game today. He voiced his opinion on the Astros' organizational direction earlier in the year, and it was no secret that he wanted out of Houston. The Astros gave him his wish, and the Phillies jumped all over the opportunity to add a great #2 starter behind ace Roy Halladay. With their offensive struggles and injuries this year, the Phillies are going to need to get to the playoffs with pitching, and they made a great move in getting Oswalt. Similarly, the 'Stros got J.A Happ and Brett Wallace in the deal, a very good package compared to what the D-backs got for their ace.

Berkman to the Yanks: The Astros garage sale continued on Saturday when they shipped Big Puma off to the Bronx. This is a classic trade that will make Sox fans furious. The Yankees are mostly healthy and can already slug with the best of them, and they still went out and added one of the best bats available! Berkman will be a part of a lineup already featuring Arod, Teixeira, Jeter, and Robinson Cano! That's scary, flat out scary. The Sox could have used Berkman's bat (where would you put him, though?), but they were silent in talks with Houston, and that might make fans jump-ship.

Jackson to the White Sox: Edwin Jackson didn't even last a full year with Arizona, despite throwing a no-hitter earlier in the year. Instead, he was shipped back to the AL Central. The White Sox made a fairly good deal here. Daniel Hudson has the upside of a good #2 or 3 starter, but he isn't pennant-race ready.


Those deals were the big ones that were either in-place or completed prior to the actual day of the deadline. Of course, there is plenty of action that goes on throughout the last day of July as well. Some of the deals that have gone through today:

Lilly to the Dodgers: The Dodgers have been a very disappointing team this year, with the exception of Chad Billingsley and Andre Ethier (prior to his finger injury). Lilly is exactly what the Dodgers need to recover and make the playoffs. They've had rotation struggles outside of Billingsley and Clayton Kershaw, so this move should help out.

Capps to the Twins: Some...most...expected that Joe Nathan's injury would be a disaster for the Twins. Well, it's July 31st and they are still within 1.5 games of the AL Central lead, so they've managed just fine. Adding Capps, an All-Star this year, should really give them a needed boost down the stretch.

Busy Padres: They went out and got Miguel Tejada yesterday, and today they've gone out and acquired Ryan Ludwick. It looks like San Diego really believes that they can continue to play division-leading baseball, and who's to say they can't.

Reliever movement: The Yankees just went out and added a much needed bullpen arm in Kerry Wood, and the Rays added to their back-end by acquiring Chad Qualls. The Bronx Bombers are just adding pieces left and right and doing a good job of acting instead of reacting. Qualls is a good pitcher if in a setup role, but if the Rays want to keep pace with New York, they'll have to do more than just this.


Those are some of the deals that have surfaced in recent hours. As you may have noticed...the Red Sox, as of 3:45 pm ET, have been completely dormant. Would fans like to see them go out and add an Adam Dunn, a Cody Ross, or maybe a guy like Matt Lindstrom or Scott Downs? Yes, I'm sure fans would love that. I'm not saying that the Sox should overpay for a "medium-asset," but to sit around with your thumb up your ass and not show fans that you want to win is absurd. The biggest reason, I think, for fans ditching the Sox this year is their laughable offseason. Two years ago they watched the Yankees swoop in and steal Teixeira. This offseason, they watched the Yankees get Curtis Granderson and countered with Mike Cameron and Bill Hall. Yes, Beltre has worked out better than anyone imagined and Lackey was a big-money signing, but their general strategy of "value" and "defense" has worn Sox fans' patience thin. In a market like Boston, you can't preach value to your fans when they help you sell-out Fenway park for hundreds of games in a row (I'm not sure about the actual number). Fans dish out thousands of dollars a year (casual fans!) to watch the Sox, and they have been rewarded with 37-year old defensive specialists. Bill Simmons nailed it on the head the other day (for once, because Bill Simmons sucks and is retarded), but the Sox are boring! The don't have a goofball like Manny or Pedro anymore. Papi is no longer in his prime, Pedroia's hurt, Ellsbury is a pussy, and Papelbon, Dice K, Beckett, and JD Drew have all worn out their welcomes to various extents.

Basically, the Red Sox have a thin bullpen, they're hurt on offense, and their rotation (while good) has struggled with consistency and injuries...yet the Sox are just standing by and watching the Yankees go get the guys that we should be pursuing. Theo and company will make a move by the end of the day, I'm sure of that, but it'll most likely be with the addition of a cheap utility guy or a 6th inning bullpen guy...and that's almost worse than standing pat. Why not just rid yourself and your frustrated fans of a guy like Ellsbury? Package Jacoby, Ramon Ramirez, and a few prospects and go get yourself a prime-time guy! It's a stretch, but why not make a run at a guy like Hanley Ramirez or Carlos Beltran? Why not pull the trigger on Adam Dunn? Would it kill the Sox to get Prince Fielder? Why are they putting such high value in Jacoby and ending all talks when he's brought up? Send him out! Bring in a Hanley or a Prince! If you do that, you'll gain back a lot of those fans who have either given up or just flat out stopped caring.

Again, they won't do it, because they've turned into a boring organization with a poor strategy. So, Sox fans, prepare for a whole lot of mediocre down the stretch!

What Did The Five Fingers Say To The Face?

Fantasy football officially became available on many websites and so I thought it might be a good idea to rank my top 5 players at each position for the start of the 10'-11' season. Let's get right to it...

Quarterback

1. Peyton Manning
2. Aaron Rodgers
3. Drew Brees
4. Matt Schaub
5. Phil Rivers

Running Back

1. Adrian Peterson
2. Chris Johnson
3. Ray Rice
4. Maurice Jones-Drew
5. Frank Gore

Wide Receiver

1. Andre Johnson
2. Roddy White
3. Reggie Wayne
4. Greg Jennings
5. Calvin Johnson

Tight End

1. Dallas Clark
2. Antonio Gates
3. Vernon Davis
4. Owen Daniels
5. Jermichael Finley

Defense

1. Minnesota Vikings
2. Dallas Cowboys
3. New York Jets
4. Baltimore Ravens
5. Green Bay Packers

Note: Please send all complaints to: Idontgiveashit@aol.com/creedthoughts

The Lunch Hour

If you told me that you didn't expect Stephen Strasburg to "wear down" this year or next due to arm fatigue or being over-hyped, I would have kicked you in the nuts and called you stupid...and there are probably several people I owe the nut-kick to. The Nationals decided it was of tremendous urgency in early June to promote their future-ace to boost them from a 58-win season to a 64-win season. Thank god they made the move! Fact: Strasburg has been every bit as good as advertised since the recall. Fact: The Nationals have a better chance of winning whenever he toes the slab. But, Fact #3: The Nationals were and are going nowhere fast with or without their budding star. Washington hasn't been a baseball hot-bead by any stretch of the imagination, so you knew the hype was real when all of the sudden a Nats-Pirates game was on ESPN during primetime hours. I mean, really ESPN? You tabbed those two teams for the nightcap? Guy must be good! But what the Nationals failed to take into consideration was the fact that he's still young, and he's now got a ton of pressure thrown onto his shoulders. With all the hype surrounding him, Strasburg probably came into the league figuring he had to ring-up every batter he faced, which he basically succeeded in doing. Well, all that hype, all that pressure, and all those 100 mph heaters have now landed Strasburg on the Disabled List for the first time...already....yikes. I'm not trying to take away from the pitcher that Strasburg is (because he is already one of the tops in the game talent-wise), but I said then and I say now...you shoulda let him get his innings in the minors, Washington!

Moving on...I saw an article today on NESN.com that said Michael Ryder could be the next cap-casualty for the Bruins. Now, Ryder stinks, I don't like him at all as a player and don't think he is worth the $4 million he gets. BUT, the guy has produced in the past and remains mostly the same player he was when he potted 27 goals two years ago. More importantly...he doesn't struggle with injuries! What baffles me, is that amongst all the cap-hit talk, Marco Sturm is NEVER mentioned. Sturm is almost as frustrating to watch as Ryder. He has zero stick skills! Sure, he's fast, but he's going to be coming off of his second MAJOR knee surgery in the last two years! Now he's got no speed to go with the no stick skills. He carries a similar cap-hit to Ryder ($3.5 mil), yet he won't be on the ice until November, and even then he'll be a shell of what he used to be. Keep in mind, what he "used to be" wasn't all that special either. If the Bruins are desperate to move money around, get rid of Sturm...I don't care how, just find a god damn way.

I'll be brief on Carey Price, but that situation is just an absolute mess up in Montreal. Price has worn-out his welcome with Montreal fans already. He's been approached in the locker room for his "lack of effort" and "childishness," yet he is ready to hold-out because he isn't seeing the money Jaro Halak got from the Blues? Hmmm. Lets think here for a second. Last year, Price was unable to find any form of consistency, leading to choruses of booes from the Hab-faithful, and he was replaced midseason by Halak as the teams starter. Halak proceeded to get the Habs to the Playoffs (nearly single-handedly) and then he (single handedly) beat the Capitals and Penguins. Well, earth to Carey...you don't get the same money for sitting on the bench as you do for single handedly carrying a team back to relevancy! Pierre Gauthier alraedy fucked up once by keeping Price over Halak, and now he's realizing his catostrophic mistake. Yea, Price may have the better upside of the two, but his resume is less impressive than that of Halak. Good luck Canadiens figuring that mess out.

More to come later...maybe

I'm Sorry Maybe I'll Think of Something Soon That Will Excite Me Enough To Blog About

I just put up a blog post 2 weeks ago so I don't understand what all the fuss is about. Anyway since I don't want to put up another bruins related post at the moment, I don't care about the NBA, Lebron James, College sports, NFL training camp, Brett Favre, Terrel Owens, or watching the latenight sox games, I will follow this run on sentence up with a rare commercial featuring Drew Bledsoe. Who knows, maybe I'll use one of those brain storm diagrams like in middle school, to come up with something. Enjoy....

One Man Show

It'd be nice if a few of my "blog-mates" would chip in here and there. It's been a bare-bone establishment for the month of July, and nobody seems willing to step up to the plate. I've been told over the past week by "brian" that there could be "three clogs on the Patriots" (direct quote). Yea, my ass brian. Nobody seems willing to step up to the plate in my "absence," leading me to feel like I'm playing the role of El Pres...only less retarded. Well, due to the lack of effort on the part of my many colleagues, I'll provide the loyal readers with a fucking post.

Alright, I'm gonna start with Dan Haren. How is it possible that the Angels have managed to outbid the Yankees in this sweepstakes? The Yankees reportedly turned down the D-backs because Joba Chamberlain was part of the package that Arizona asked for. HAHAHAHA. Seriously, Cashman? You're keeping a career setup man rather than deal him for a guaranteed repeat? Is that a joke? Well, anyways, sucks for Yankees fans to see the Angels swoop in and nab Haren for.........wait for it!.....JOE SAUNDERS!!!!!!!!!! [Insert here many more HA HA's than in the previous line]. Our sister blog (I say "sister" because JMO and Aloy gave up on us) had a column regarding the D-backs being snake-bitten, but JMO might have been wrong. Maybe they are snake bitten because they deal an annual Cy Young candidate for a marginal fourth or fifth starter! I mean, seriously? Joe fucking Saunders? What a joke! You have the most valuable asset on the trade market (maybe other than Prince Fielder or Roy Oswalt) and you make a "panic move" like that? Yea, no wonder you can't fucking win with the best young lineup in baseball.

Anyways, I'd rather not spend my first blog in a week rambling about a meaningless franchise out in the desert...

On to a meaningful team...the Bruins. And yes, I say "meaningful" with a shitload of confidence. News alert to you Bruin-haters (plentiful in number)...the B's just sold out season tickets in a matter of fucking hours. Can you say Stanley Cup parade next year? I might be getting ahead of myself a little bit, but if the Wheeler and Mark Stuart for Kaberle rumors are true...sign me up for front row of the fucking parade! Yea, viewership of the Boston Pawsox is down this year (I mean Red Sox for all you retards who think they are any better than a Triple-A team), but the Bruins are fucking taking over! Yea, go ahead, jump on the bandwagon, welcome to a real sport. For you basketball fans....nice league, go lick Lebron's asshole and get on with your stupid stage-show.

I'll probably give you fellas (all 3 of you, if that...) more to read tomorrow. For now, I'm just tired and flat-out gassed.

I'll start this post by addressing a comment that was left before I even wrote this blog...yes, we give up. We stop what we are doing and we corner Gary Bettman and end his life by stoning him and beating him with blunt objects. There is no other exit-plan! The worst executive in the history of professional sports continues to find ways to get WORSE! It's incredible how incompetent Gary Bettman is. I love the NHL for what it is. They fucked up huge in 2004 and let a whole season slip away, and they brought the league back up to speed under new "pussified" rules. Why was the lockout necessary? Bettman and his cohorts blamed it on the Players union and the owners for not being able to agree immediately to the boundaries of a salary cap. But now, half-a-decade later, the NHL has the salary cap in place, and yet they've put themselves in a sour spot by giving teams an obvious loophole.

After taking over a year to iron out the parameters for the CBA that cost the league an entire season, Bettman and company still managed to fuck things up beyond belief. You would think that taking that much time and putting the league in the MLS-category would lead to a strict and thorough CBA...not so much. In implementing a "hard cap," the NHL has left a loophole to make it more flexible and bendable to smart NHL teams. Don't get me wrong, I think the salary cap is a great thing for the competitiveness of the league. But, leave it to the NHL to put implement a system so easy to exploit that the Bruins even managed to do it (with the Savard contract). With the current rules, the cap-hit that a player presents for any given season is the average value per season of the deal he signed. So, despite the fact that Marc Savard will make $7 million next season, his cap-hit will stand at $4 million...doesn't make much sense does it? Well, too bad, it's the system that the NHL spent month after month ironing out as to make certain that there were no obvious "loopholes" to the first salary cap system for the league.

Well, teams noticed that loophole immediately. It wasn't exactly a tough thing to figure out. The Red Wings are the genius' of this whole thing, signing Johan Franzen and Henrik Zetterberg to front-loaded deals that put their cap-hit at a significantly lower figure than what they are making during their "prime years." But until now, the NHL didn't seem to mind. I'm guessing that it was mainly because they were incredibly embarrassed about their mistake. They fucked things up. But more importantly...teams were NOT breaking the rules established in the CBA. They were adhering to the rules! The NHL had done a good job until now in realizing that teams were simply taking advantage of the pathetic loophole that their league execs had left them to exploit. Yea, it seemed to be somewhat unfair at times. Marian Hossa and Chris Pronger signed contracts that nobody thought they could play-out, and it saved their respective teams a hell of a lot of trouble against the cap situation. But, what the NHL realized then, and doesn't realize now, is that the Flyers, Red Wings, Hawks, Bruins, and whoever else weren't breaking the god damn fucking rules. They simply exploited a kindergarten mistake that the NHL made during their painful CBA blueprinting.

And then today, I wake up to find that the NHL had "put their foot down" and rejected Ilya Kovalchuk's 17-year deal with the New Jersey Devils (actually a lucky occurrence for the Dev's if you ask me). I was too tired at the time (roughly 6:30 AM), and just stumbled my way to take a shower...and then I realized how absolutely ludicrous it was that the NHL was intervening on this! When they were hammering out the CBA, they were losing fans and losing an entire season...hardly professional thinking on their part. But what Bettman and the Board attributed it to was the stubbornness of the NHLPA and the owners. Those two groups seemingly were at a "stalemate" throughout the process that prevented anything from moving forward. Now, lets move forward to today. The NHL's pathetic mistake (I don't know how many times I can say the word loophole without being arrested) has led to this deal between the Devils and Kovy. But, what happened here was bliss between player and team. The owners and the players are fine with the system in place (or else the CBA would have never been established). But, when the NHL intervened and rejected this deal, they blamed A.) Kovalchuk and B.) the Devils for "circumventing" the salary cap as established in the CBA. Wait, back up. So you're saying that you wish to place blame on the players and the owners for adhering the rules you put in place back in 2004? Yea, that makes sense. Go fuck yourself Bettman.

But that's hardly the worst part. Every hockey fan who has a pulse knows about the KHL's relevance. Bettman didn't want to step-in on any other deal, he let Pronger, Hossa, Franzen...the whole fucking lot...get away with their front-loaded deals and play for a cap-figure far below market-value. But now, he has a player who has a legitimate chance to ditch the NHL altogether and head back to his native Russia to play in their Superleague. Finally, the Devils came to an agreement that put all speculation of Kovy heading to Russia to bed. Kovalchuk staying here and signing in NJ was a small victory for the NHL (because they are by far the superior league), but it was a MASSIVE hit for the KHL. Just when you thought the NHL had escaped their KHL-scare with Kovalchuk, Bettman decides to step right in and say "here you go Russia, have another whack at the now-irritated Ilya Kovalchuk...he'll probably be too pissed to stay in the NHL, so take him." NICE FUCKING WORK BETTMAN. He already had irritated Ovechkin, Datsyuk, Kovalchuk, and a handful of other Russians by "threatening" to not allow them to play for their country in the next Olympics, but he had to go to a new level of fucking stupidity. Kovalchuk was all smiles after realizing he'd make about $100 million over 11 years (then $2 million over the next 6, which he won't play anyways). But before Kovalchuk could spend any of that cash on fine Russian Vodka or crazy Yugoslavian strippers, Bettman said "nah, can't do that, fuck you you fucking asshole Russian for obeying the rules and accepting that deal. I'm nixing that." <
It baffles me how this man is still in charge of a professional sports operation. He lacks any sense of marketing knowledge (nice job taking an extra $600,000 a few years ago to broadcast on Versus instead of ESPN...yes, ESPN had an offer in '05 for that much less that Versus, yet Bettman felt compelled to take the extra cash. Oh, and Versus has since been removed from Direct TV, so that panned out well. Now, with Bettman's shitty sense of marketing, the NHL has very little appeal to casual fans, and ESPN and NBC's offers for full-season coverage of the NHL have sunk to incredible lows. Yes, NBC does late-season games on weekends, covers the Winter Classic, and does some Playoffs, but it's hardly enough. But now Bettman has to add to his idiotic legacy. He put in place an easily exploitable CBA, and he won't take responsibility for it any longer. He let other teams get away with it for years, and he thinks he's done the league a favor this time by "putting his foot down." Well, Gary, you've actually just taken a huge chunk of legitimacy away from the league, and you've probably sent the league's most coveted free agent of the last half-decade to Russia because of your incompetence.

The worst part of it all...he has now, in making this single maneuver, damaged the league's relationship with the NHLPA and the owners enough to make the 2012 negotiations for a new CBA even more strenuous and painful than they were back in 2004. What I'm getting at here, is that Bettman, in making this lone-action, has just put the NHL on a collision course with yet another full-season lockout...or more. So, Gary, congratulations, you are now, have always been, and will always be...the "Worst Executive" award winner in professional sports......Go fuck yourself up your fucking ass you stupid mother fucker.

By the way, if the Bruins happen to win the Cup in the coming few years...I'm going to the clinching game and bringing a gun. When Bettman steps on the ice to praise both teams for their hard work, I'm giving the gun to the kid next to me and telling him to shoot Bettman. That way, I don't go to jail and Bettman still dies...

Uncharacteristic

This offseason, for Bruins fans, could be labeled "uncharacteristic" for several reasons. They have, for once, started using common sense on a daily basis. In addition to that, they had the number two pick in the Entry Draft following a season in which they were one win from the conference finals. So, on those two accounts (and probably many more), this offseason has been an uncharacteristic one for the Black and Gold.

But what they have done thus far seems of-the-norm compared to what Jacque Lemaire has done with his New Jersey Devils. Keep in mind that the Devils are kings of the "system." They have never prided themselves on being flashy (except Brodeur, but he's brilliant by being flashy). The Devils, for decades now, have been defined by their defensive prowess, their physical play, their trap scheme, and Brodeur's Hall-of-Fame caliber play.

This offseason has been much, much different for the Devils. First off, they made an ill-advised trade with Nashville to bring Jason Arnott and his $5 mil cap-hit back to the Jersey shore. I won't ever criticize Arnott for being a poor player, because I am a huge fan of his. But, what the Devils failed to recognize in making this trade is that they participate in a capped-league. This isn't Major League Baseball, where a simply luxury tax will suffice. The NHL is a hard-cap, there is no going over (there are some loopholes). Arnott is a terrific player, even at this point in his career. He has always been a great leader and in ideal 2nd line center. Sure he's old, but he'll get the job done...just not at a reasonable price.

The second of the uncharacteristic moves came when the Devils allowed Paul Martin to escape Jersey and head to their in-division rival, Pittsburgh. Yes, they went out and pulled in Anton Volchenkov and Henrik Tallinder after they lost Martin, but to allocate that many dollars to Arnott and not give yourself a chance to retain your best defenseman was an anti-Devils move. Volchenkov is a great fit for their team, but he was overpaid (as was Tallinder). I won't criticize them signing either of those defenders, but they really should have prioritized Martin better than they did.

And then you have the kingpin of mind-baffling deals...Kovalchuk. Hockey pink-hats will look at this, tilt their heads and say..."17 years? Is that normal?" Yea, 17 years is a lot, but that's one of those crazy, idiotic loopholes of the NHL's CBA that allows teams to pay players $11.5 million in a season and only have him count $6 million against the cap. But it's not the size of the deal, years or dollars, that matters here. This deal is so baffling to hockey fans, or at least it should be, because Kovalchuk is the exact opposite of what the organization has preached over the last twenty years! He's an all offense, no defense type player, which is great for some situations...just not this one. After he was acquired last year, the Devils went from East-favorites to a mediocre hockey club. Adding the Russian sniper disrupted their chemistry both on and off the ice. If they were smart (like they usually are), the Devils would have let Kovy walk on July 1st without even making him an offer.

And now we get to the absolute worst part of that Kovalchuk deal. Kovalchuk will return to the Devils in the same role he was last year...an offensive-minded player and the second best player on the team (third if you count Marty). Zach Parise has been, and will be, the best player on this team. He's more well rounded offensively than Kovalchuk, and he's a great defensive forward. Watching Parise play, there isn't a single thing to dislike about the guy. But, what the Devils seemingly forgot about, is that Parise is headed toward Restricted Free Agency after the coming season...WHOOPS!

Judging from the $7 mil/year contract that the Wild just gave Mikko Koivu, it seems like Parise is a good-bet to get about $8 mil per year for a "short term" contract in the neighborhood of 7 years. Yes, the Devils will have an opportunity to retain Parise (and if they don't, they'll get 3 draft picks as compensation). BUT, what they have done by signing Kovalchuk is put themselves in a position to lose Parise via an offer sheet from another team that is out of their ballpark money-wise. There are plenty of teams with the cap-space to make a run at Parise, and the Devils just made it that much more tempting.

Kovalchuk was the most sought after free agent on the market this year, and in the last three or four years if I remember correctly. But the Devils went against what they are as an organization to bring him back to Jersey. They seem to be headed in a new direction, and it's just a pawn in a very uncharacteristic offseason.

If it hasn't happened yet...

For weeks, even months now, the Bruins and NHL writers have kicked around "rumors" of Marc Savard deals and Tim Thomas trades. But what you have to keep in mind, is that they are rumors, and nothing more. I even bought into some of the hype myself when I heard Savard's name mentioned in the rumors mill, but I can't say the same for Thomas. I've said from the beginning that no team out there is going to give up any significant asset for a 36 year old, injury prone, $5 million goaltender. Maybe a deal would have been more likely had he not undergone hip surgery, but even then I would have found it shocking. So, needless to say, it comes as no surprise that Tank will be in a Bruins uniform in October. The Savard situation has come as a surprise, however. Usually, when a team publicly announces that their leading point-getter in 3 of the past 4 season is available on the trade market, people come calling. Yes, Savard has injury problems of his own, but he is a completely different case. He's younger than Thomas, his cap hit is a million less, and he's a top-line centerman with a good amount of versatility. Then you figure in the amount of teams who could use a playmaking center. You have the Flames, Maple Leafs, Blue Jackets, Rangers, Predators, Wild, and Sabres all in need of a player like Savard. What I'm trying to say, is that the market for Savard is far greater than the one for Thomas, yet we haven't seen any "concrete" action.

A few weeks ago, prior to the draft, there were rumors of a Savard for Robyn Regehr trade in the works between Boston and Calgary. Those pieces seem to match-up nicely. Both are valuable assets, both fit the other teams' need, and both carry a similar cap-hit. But it was just a rumor and nothing more. And while it's been denied by Brian Burke and Peter Chiarelli, you can't help but think of how perfect a trade of Savard-for-Kaberle is. That trade makes too much sense. Maybe it's just Brian Burke being weary of ever making a deal with the Bruins again (I don't think B's fans can thank that organization enough these days). But, again, all of these are just rumors with no concrete foundation. So, will we ever see a deal get done? My guess, a change from a few weeks ago, is that Savard, like Thomas, is still in Black and Gold on opening night in Prague.

My theory, is that if the Bruins were serious about trading Savard, they would have taken action prior to the draft. Peter Chiarelli was fairly open about his interest in defensemen Cam Fowler and Brandon Gormley, yet on draft day he stood by and watched as those two slipped into the early teens. If he was seriously considering a Savard trade, why not package the center with a prospect or a 2nd round pick to move up to the Wild's slot at #9 or the Rangers' at #10?

If the Bruins were to trade Savard at this point, they must know the amount of added pressure they would be putting on recently drafted Tyler Seguin. Trading Savard would undoubtedly say to Seguin, "Hey, you're the #2 pick in the draft, we think you can already be a 90-point player, you'll be our top center." Yikes. Not that I don't think Seguin will be a 90-point player, but asking that of him in year one is far too much. The organization has brought prospects along very slowly since Chiarelli's arrival (with the exception of Blake Wheeler, and we know how he turned out...so far), and he won't want to throw Seguin to the wolves at this stage of his career. At this point, keeping Savard seems to be the path chosen by the B's, and I don't think any B's fan has reason to complain about that.
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In other news, the league's two highest-scoring unrestricted free agents remain unsigned, Ilya Kovalchuk and Lee Stempniak. I'll start with Stempniak, but I won't be long. He's a mediocre skater with a very good shot and fairly good hands around the goal. He scored 14 goals in 18 games last year after he arrived in Phoenix on deadline-day. By no means is he an elite player, but in the right situation, he's a 25-goal scorer. I think the reason he hasn't signed is because he views himself as a $4 million dollar man instead of a $2.5 million dollar man. He's a good player who will be a good fit for somebody, but if my team signed him...I wouldn't exactly be thrilled.

Now, lets move onto the biggest unrestricted free agent the league has seen in a few years. Kovalchuk is an elite player. He's big, he's fast, he has great hands, a great shot, and is a terrific passer. In the offensive zone, there aren't many better than him. Kovie remains unsigned for much of the same reason that I believe Stempniak hasn't signed...he is overvaluing himself. Now, as I said, he is an elite offensive player, one of the games best. While he's great offensively, he's useless defensively. We saw last year that he is a systematic player. In Atlanta, they played high-tempo offensive hockey, and he excelled in that environment. Move to February, and he's playing in New Jersey's "trap" defense scheme and "no offense hockey." Surprise, surprise...he and New Jersey flopped, bigtime. Prior to making the deal for Kovalchuk, the Devils might have been the favorites in the East with their dominant defensive play and the extreme talent of Zach Parise. Once Kovalchuk arrived, it was all downhill. They played mediocre down the stretch, Kovalchuk dropped-off his point per game pace, and they were quickly bounced by the Flyers in Round 1 of the Playoffs. Last year, people noticed how temperamental he was if not in the perfect situation. With his poor performance in New Jersey, Kovalchuk made a lot of potential suitors bow-out of the running for him this offseason, leaving only a few teams with serious interest in his services.

The most baffling part of this is the fact that New Jersey is one of maybe four suitors for the Russian sniper. His arrival only made them worse last year, and now they want to jeopardize their ability to sign Parise to bring him back? I must be missing something. But now we get to the subject of money. Kovalchuk and his agents have the mindset of $10 million a year, which is an albatross figure that he'll never get in the NHL. He is estimating his worth to be in the Ovechkin/Crosby tier, and he's far off. While he wanted $10 million a year, he's been offered roughly $6.5-$7 million a year by NJ and the Kings, and he's not willing to accept that because of his stubbornness and cockiness.

Now, I think the entire Russian "fear factor" is a bit overstated. If there is one thing about Russian's that sticks out, it's their pride. They want to be a part of the best league, they want to play against the best players. But, with Kovalchuk it seems different. Sure, I bet he ideally wants to be a part of the NHL and remain on the biggest hockey stage in the world. But, I think he values money more than most. It seems to me like Kovalchuk would spurn the NHL and head back to Russia just because he's being offered fair-value instead of his outrageous demands. Do I think he goes back to Russia? In the end, no. I think the Kings will end up making a pitch to him that he finds good enough and he'll stick around. But, more than any other Russian player, I do think the KHL is a definite possibility for Ilya. If he does head for Russia's oil-fields and tax-free dollars, there is no doubt it would be a huge boost for the legitimacy of the KHL, and it would be a huge hit to the NHL. So, lets hope Ilya puts his crazy demands aside and settles down in Hollywood in the coming weeks.

Loss of a Legend

There are some things that just can't be argued. No matter who you're a fan of or who you hate, George Steinbrenner's greatness is one of those indisputable subjects. Sure, we in Boston have hated the man for decades on end. He's been the thorn in Boston's side since he bought the Yankees in the early seventies. But love him or hate him, there is no question that he will go down as one of the greatest sports franchise owners in history, if not the greatest.

The Yankees were hardly a hot ticket item when he bought the team. When he bought them, he pledged to fans and staff alike that he would be an "absentee owner," assuring them that he wanted nothing to do with the day-to-day operations of the team...uh, yea, nice try George. George's legacy comes not only from his propensity to spend, spend, and spend more, but from his keen interest in the success of his team. When they weren't winning, he voiced his opinions. When they were winning, he told them to win more. When they won three straight titles in the 90's, George wanted four. What more can you ask for in an owner? He always wanted to be on top, and he was alright with spending outrageous amounts of money to get there.

In the history of professional sports, there is only one other man who could raise a complaint to someone who called Steinbrenner the greatest owner in sports history...Jeremy Jacobs...nah just kidding, Jerry Jones. But for me, Steinbrenner will be remembered as the best the sporting world had to offer. Love him or hate him, he was good for baseball, and he will be missed by the Yankees and Major League Baseball alike.

Dear Claude

Dan's right. He kinda read my mind in thinking that the BSP wasn't providing its readers with enough Boston Bruins content. Fortunately for you all, the Bruins reporting looks to be back. I'm gonna take things in a little different direction than Dan, for now, and go over what it is that the Bruins need to do before things kick off in October.

First-off, I'd like to continue praising the Bruins for using common sense this offseason. Past Bruin teams may have let Seidenberg, Boychuk, or even Shawn Thornton walk, but not the Cam Neely-run B's. They've done a good job of retaining their players, and they've done so at cap-friendly figures (with the exception of Andrew Ference, which is still a mind-boggling deal). The Bruins sort of backed themselves into a corner with the Thomas contract and Bergeron's absurd cap-hit, but they've done a very good job of not letting it hinder their offseason.

Pete Chiarelli knew going into June that he needed to upgrade the frontline. He did so by adding Nathan Horton via trade and drafting Tyler Seguin. The Bruins were starved at wing last year, so despite having great depth down the middle, they still couldn't find the back of the net. Horton is the rich man's Milan Lucic. He'll come to Beantown and be a fan favorite (provided he leaves his lazy man's attitude in the Sunshine State). Most important to his skillset is his lethal shot, which, playing next to any of the Bruins' centers, could yield 40 goals. Then you'll have to figure Claude will move either Seguin or Krejci to the wall, giving them an additional weapon on the wing.

So the offense should be much improved. But, in upgrading their scoring, Chiarelli had to part with a good puck-mover in Dennis Wideman. I know, Wideman was dreadful last year. But what a lot of people aren't realizing is that he was a potential Norris Trophy winner two years ago and he was their best player this past playoffs (with apologies to Lucic and Krejci). And this is where the Bruins need to start the "2nd phase" of their offseason. As pitiful as Wideman was at times last year, he's still a good player. So, what is the gameplan for Chiarelli? There are a few options, and some of them could be pricey. First, he's going to have to decide on the player he wants back there. Should he replace Wideman with a rare puck-mover? If he goes that avenue, he could look toward Tomas Kaberle, Joe Corvo, Marc-Andre Bergeron, or John-Michael Liles. Most of those guys, Kaberle especially, will carry a high price-tag. The other option is for the B's to add a stay-at-home defender capable of separating players from the puck in the defensive end. If that is the road traveled, maybe signing Andy Sutton would work. Maybe Chiarelli actually pulls the trigger on a Savard-trade to Calgary and brings Robyn Regehr to Boston. Either way, the Bruins prime-need has gone from offense to defense, and it needs to be addressed.

Now, if I had to predict a lineup for the Bruins to use in Prague come October, it might look like this...

Line 1: Wheeler - Savard - Horton
Line 2: Lucic - Krecji - Seguin
Line 3: Recchi - Bergeron - Ryder
Line 4: Paille - Campbell - Thornton

The Bruins could elect to let Wheeler and/or Campbell walk via free agency, but it seems like a priority to them to get both under contract. If Wheeler moves on, I think the Bruins could realistically start the season with one of their young-guns on Savard's left-side. As Dan pointed out, Jordan Caron has drawn rave-reviews at development camp and could be NHL-ready. Joe Colborne, while a center, has played wing before and offers great offensive upside.

D-1: Chara - Boychuk
D-2: Seidenberg - [Outside Hire]
D-3: Hunwick - Stuart

If the Bruins and Wheeler go to arbitration, then the Bruins will have the opportunity to buy-out one of their roster players in order to get under cap restrictions. If this happens, I have to imagine that it's Ference that gets bought out. Another scenario to move money around is to package Thomas, Savard, Wheeler, or Ryder in a deal. In that case, I'm sure they would look to bring in another defenseman via trade. Either way, the Bruins will be looking to bring in a first or second pairing blueliner to help fill the void left by Wideman.

Aside from what the have now and what they could bring in via trade or free agency, the B's have good depth in the system. Some of the young guns we could see this year:

Brad Marchand: Played a few games last year, but without any great success. Marchand could be a 20-goal scorer one day, but he might just be an Quadruple-A player, NHL style.

Zach Hamill: The 8th overall pick in 2007 has played a grand-total of one game for the B's. He played pretty well in that game, notching an assist, and has had great success in each of the two previous preseasons. The talent is there, but the opportunity isn't. Hamill is a natural center, and a playmaking one, so the need for him isn't drastic and he might never get a real shot with the B's. (Trade Bait)

Joe Colborne: He's been compared to Eric Staal, so that tells you something people's perception of his size and skill. On a talent-basis, he'd make the Bruins over guys like Ryder, Wheeler, and Paille. But with Colborne, it's a matter of NHL readiness. He will likely get a season in Providence to adapt to the pro-style game, but if the Bruins experience injuries like they did last year, then Big Joe could get his shot early on.

Jordan Caron: When they drafted him two years ago at the end of the first round, Chiarelli called him "Lucic Light." He's big, he's tough, and he's NHL ready. He won't wow people with great skill, but he could be capable of contributing right away with his net-drive.

Yuri Alexandrov: Drafted out of Russia years ago, it looked like Alexandrov would never come to play in North America, having been on a KHL team already. Fortunately for the B's, he's here. He figures to be one of those rare puck-movers down the line, but I'm not sure he has NHL size just yet, and he isn't as well refined defensively as coach Claude would like him to be.

Maxime Sauve: Another guy without "wow" skills. If they elect not to retain Campbell, it could very well be Sauve taking his place. He's a perfect fourth-line center and plays much like a smallish bowling-ball they just traded, Vlad Sobotka.

Musical Chairs

Seeing how it is only July, the current Bruins roster is one that could easily change between now and October, but I find it fun to look at the current roster and see what sort of line combinations the Bruins could throw out there. Here is a lineup I quickly made up that I feel could work for the start of the '10-'11 season.

Line 1: Sturm, Savard, Horton
Line 2: Lucic, Bergeron, Recchi
Line 3: Wheeler, Krejci, Ryder
Line 4: Paille, Seguin, Satan?

Defense:
Chara & Boychuk

Seidenberg & Stuart

Ference & Hunwick

It is still unkown what the Bruins are going to do with their centers, and whether or not one of them could move to a wing postion (Krejci or Seguin maybe?). But going on current postions, I feel that as much as people want to see Seguin atleast on the 3rd line, a nice idea would be to put him on the 4th line to start and let him get a feel for the NHL at the start of the season and go from there. Unfortunately for him the fourth line isn't exactly filled with great talent, but if they put Thornton out there over Satan, he could potentially score 50-60 goals. Another young player that could see some ice time is winger Jordan Caron who many are saying is one of the closest to being NHL ready and plays a pro style game.

As far as the defensive pairings go Boychuk impressed me enough last season to put him on the first line with Chara and have two guys who can mash the puck on the point. Following it up with Seidenberg who may take that spot but could be a nice combonation with Stuart. From what I hear Yuri Alexandrov didn't look all that good in the first on ice session, apparently getting caught in between plays alot. However coming from the KHL he certainly has the skills and potential to take over Hunwicks spot.

Stay tuned for a possible lineup provided by our very own Kyle D. in the coming week

Sucker

I'm gonna start this rant by saying I don't blame Lebron James for one thing, and one thing only. If I were a star athlete buried in a city like Cleveland, there is no way I'm staying there once my contract is up. He signed a short-term deal with them to try and bring them a championship, but he knew full-well that he was bolting town once he inevitably failed to do so. Over the years, the Cavs have tried everything to give this guy what he "needed" to bring the city the title it had long waited for. They had Ilgauskus when he showed up, they traded for Shaq, Mo Williams had an All-Star year, and then they went out and brought in Antawn Jamison. In his seven-year tenure with his hometown team, James only reached the NBA Finals one time! For those of you not keeping track...Wade won one, and Kobe went to four and won two. Oh, and that one time Lebron made it to the show...he got swept by Tim Duncan and the Spurs. During the last seven years, it has been obvious that James has cared more about his "brand" than winning.

Now, like I said, I don't blame him for leaving Cleveland. But, signing on with two other superstars in South Beach is the most laughable part of all this. To me, it never really was a debate. Kobe has and will always be the best player of this generation. I'm not really a big NBA guy, in fact, I despise the league, but it's been my firm belief that a guy with two rings during a given period will always trump a guy without any. A lot of people thought Kobe needed Shaq to win on the big stage...he thwarted that argument fairly quickly. Where Bryant was able to do it himself, James could never elevate his game to win it "by himself," despite the fact that he was "the best player in the world." Watching Celtics playoff basketball was never about watching the Green win, because I don't care. For me, it was all about watching them knock Lebron out of the Playoffs. Especially this year. Cavs' owner Dan Gilbert said it right, Lebron quit. He knew the Celts were a hard matchup, so he fabricated an injured elbow and used that as an excuse to take a Sunday-stroll through the series...bravo Lebrick!

But lets get back to the current situation. Had he ditched the Cavs for a team like Chicago, it would have been fine. He would have done what any other "real" superstar would have...go head to head with your enemy! Instead, he chose the easy rode and said to himself..."Well, I guess I can't be Dwayne and Chris when they're together, I guess I'll just join them and hope they can get me a ring!" Can you imagine if Magic, Bird, Jordan, or Kobe did the same? You can't? Me neither, because those guys are competitors. Instead of trying to cement his legend as one of the greatest basketball players of all time, Lebron was more concerned with the Lebron James brand. He would rather have all the spotlight put on him in Miami, where me might be fortunate enough to ride D-Wade to a title, instead of being the lone-stud in Chicago, New York, or even Cleveland in an effort to vault himself into the category of all-time greats. He has said time and time again that he is all about winning, and that it was the reason he chose South Beach. But don't be fooled, his decision was made from a marketing stand-point...anything to be the most recognizable face on the planet. Oh, and Lebron...Kobe already dominates the world market in terms of fanfare. Why? Because he wins, and he wins by himself! That is something you'll never be able to do.

Now, the most questioned aspect of this whole ordeal is how 3 "stud" players who all love to score are going to distribute the basketball. The NBA has been and always will be a league where one player can drastically change the face of a game. More than any other sport, it promotes the play of superstars. A team can win with a single player taking control of a game. For Lebron, it was much like that during his tenure in Cleveland...it's just too bad he isn't Kobe-good or else he might already have a ring. But now you've got three of those guys on one team. Two things that all of those types of players have in common is that they are selfish and they're cocky. It will be a matter of time until James or Wade starts getting uncomfortable when the other gets to take the last second shot. It'll only be a matter of time before Chris Bosh gets sick of going under-noticed in Miami when he could have been the "IT" player in another city. It will only be a matter of time before the ego's of all 3 get in the way of winning. So, for the Heat, I hope you enjoy it. For Bosh and James, I hope both of you regret your decision come this time next year.

Lets get back to this whole marketing ploy for a second. Lebron just couldn't bear to be like everybody else. Instead of us reading that he signed with the Heat on the bottom-ticker of any sports channel, Lebron had to take it to new heights. He couldn't just break the heart of every person in that horrible city in Ohio (which he still laughably calls "home") in a normal way. Instead, he had to call a one-hour "The Decision" special so that he could make a mockery of all the fans that had given him everything over the last seven years. And as much as I understand the marketing aspect for ESPN...they should be embarrassed for the whole ordeal. Yea, I know they wanna boost their ratings, it's their job. But to promote James' selfish and self-promoting behavior is something I thought even ESPN was above...guess not. The worst part about the whole thing was that ESPN was fake-reporting for weeks. Just to get those viewers for their Thursday-night Primetime Special, they just kept churning out new headlines saying Lebron was going here, or Lebron was going there! If there was one humane-feeling person with any sense of a brain at ESPN these days (aside from John Buccigross and Barry Melrose) it has to be Michael Wilbon. You could tell that during the whole special, he was just sitting in his chair thinking to himself how stupid the situation was and how childish James' behavior had become. Wilbon, you're still not a very sports-reporter, but it's nice to see you have a brain.

Then, to add to the whole joke, the Heat held a "party" for their 3-headed "monster." Smooth move, Miami. Lets have three grown men elevate onto the stage with their backs to the crowd with music blaring and smoke and neon lights! What the fuck is this? A fucking Lady Gaga concert? For that ordeal, the Heat should be embarrassed. You would think that their strategy to bring in those three players to play on the same team would be enough to garner plenty of fan support and attention. Nope. Instead, they had to go overboard with theatrics like the NBA usually does.

The only person in the whole situation who has gotten my respect is Dan Gilbert. Owning an NBA franchise generally leads to me disrespecting that person (save for Mark Cuban), but Dan Gilbert was spot-on with his comments. Lebron ditched the city, ditched the team. Instead of thanking the fans for their support, he took the low road and went with the simple: "They'll have mixed feelings in Cleveland. Some will appreciate me for all that I have given the city, and some won't because they'll feel I have turned my back on them." News flash you fucking dipshit: YOU DIDN'T DO ANYTHING FOR THAT CITY! You play basketball for a fucking living! People pay HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS, sometimes THOUSANDS, to come watch your whole fucking charade! All for what? A couple early playoff exits? You giving up on your team against the Celtics? Yea, you gave them a ton, didn't you? It's amazing how self-promoting the NBA and it's players are. It's actually laughable. Dan Gilbert knows that Lebron sold-out. He knows that Lebron only cares about himself, and he isn't afraid to expose it. One of the best parts of this is that Fathead (owned by Gilbert) reduced the cost of Lebron James "wall-art" from $99 to $17.41 (the year Benedict Arnold was born). James is the modern-day Benedict Arnold! Instead of trying to beat his rival, he joined them. Not that it's going to happen, but I wish Gilbert and the Cavs all the luck in the world in trying to uphold their owner's guarantee of a championship before the Heat.

There are no winners that come from the 2010 NBA Free Agent class. The Cavs are the obvious losers. The Heat should be embarrassed for the after-party. Lebron will never be in the class of "all-time greats." Bosh will never again be a front man, he'll just be the bass player. Dan Gilbert, even though he's right, will now be looked at as a "sore-loser." The Knicks, Nets, and Bulls all scrambled to clear the cap space necessary for Lebron, and they all came up short. ESPN will now have the tarnished rep for allowing Lebron's diva-campaign to continue. And, most importantly, the NBA is diminished. Where other sports celebrate "home-cookin'" and loyalty (Ok, not Curtis Martin or Johnny Damon, but you get the point), the NBA promotes slash-and-burn. More importantly, the whole cap-situation in the NBA, with "max contracts" and "mid-level exceptions" and "soft-caps" is an absolute joke. Cool, you've got a $50 million dollar cap. Well, the Lakers just won a championship with a payroll of $91 million. They beat the Celtics, who had an $83 million payroll. Good job NBA, way to be a capped-league with teams operating at $30 million over the "cap."

The biggest question I have for basketball fans: How can you possibly take the NBA seriously?

Kicking the Tires

The B's have already had a busy offseason, and it's only just begun. In retaining some of their secondary players, the Bruins have put themselves in a very good position entering next year. Couple that with the addition of Tyler Seguin and Nathan Horton and you've got a team already much improved from the last campaign. But they'll have several more important decisions to make in the coming week or two that could decide the teams immediate and long-term future.

First off, they'll need to assess the trade market for Tim Thomas or Marc Savard, or both. They've made it pretty public that both of them are available, but who's interested? Lets start with the least likely to move: Thomas...

The Capitals:
The Caps destroyed the Eastern Conference last year with their powerful offensive attack. But when the offense came up firing blanks in the playoffs, they had no goalie to lean on. Jose Theodore struggled and was replaced by young Russian Semyon Varlamov, who also struggled. Now Theodore is gone, and the Caps have Varlamov and young counterpart Michal Neuvirth. While the need for an established, reliable goalie like Thomas is apparent, the Capitals won't break the bank to bring him in.

The Sharks:
The Sharks made a baffling move on Day 1 of Free Agency when they signed Antero Niittymaki to apparently be their starter. Why a team with Cup hopes signs a career journeyman with hardly any playoff experience is mind-boggling, but maybe that's why the Sharks always come up short in May and June. It looked like a good fit, but that signing basically closed the door.

The Flyers:
If there is any remaining possible landing spots, it's probably Philly. They resigned Michael Leighton and they've spent big bucks on the blueline so far this offseason, but they might not be done wheeling and dealing. Paul Holmgren was very weary about handing Leighton the starting gig going forward, and he wasn't hiding it. They are money-strapped just like the Bruins, but Thomas' contract matches up fairly well will either Simon Gagne, Jeff Carter, or Matt Carle. I'm not sure they would part with any of those guys in a deal for a 36 year old netminder, but it's still the best possibility.

I've heard rumors that the Islanders and Penguins have had interest in Thomas, but I don't see the need for either team to sacrifice a player or cap space for another goalie. My bet is that Thomas is a Bruin next year, and he'll be a 35 game "backup" to Tuukka.

Marc Savard, on the other hand, is an entirely different monster. He's a legitimate top-line center with elite playmaking talents. Add to that the fact that he's affordable ($4 mil cap hit) and you have an extremely attractive trade piece. With Savard's resume, it's hard to imagine that any team would flat-out turn down the possibility of trading for him, but for rumors' sake, lets narrow the possible destinations down to the "real interested:"

The Kings:
Hollywood has a need for another pivot. Anze Kopitar can't do it all by himself, and Savard would be a great fit. But, if the Kings make a huge pitch to Ilya Kovalchuk, then it'll make trading for Savvy nearly impossible. If the Bruins could pull a deal off that would bring Jack Johnson to Boston, then it would be a massive haul for Peter Chiarelli. Johnson might be a little too high a price for Savard, but he is exactly what the Bruins need.

The Flames:
Jarome Iginla hasn't had an elite playmaker to play with for much of his tenure in Calgary. They, for whatever reason, decided it was a "good" idea to bring Olli Jokinen back into the fold, so that might throw a wrinkle in their plans to bring Savard aboard. There have been rumors kicked around, as recent as today, that a possible deal between the teams would bring Robyn Regehr to the Hub. Regehr isn't a puck mover like Johnson or Tomas Kaberle, but he's one of the great stay-at-home guys in the league. He'll be almost invisible in the offensive end, but he's a brick wall in front of his own net. The Bruins don't have a pressing need for that type of player, but Regehr would be a big upgrade over Matt Hunwick and Andrew Ference.

The Rangers:
The same thing applies to the Rangers as it does the Flames. They have an elite winger in Marian Gaborik, but he's got nobody to dish the biscuit. They gave Jokinen a shot, and surprise surprise...it backfired (again, good luck Calgary). Now this might be an ideal type situation, but the Rangers have had trouble in their contract talks with RFA Marc Staal. There's no way that the Rangers would part with a young-stud like Staal for Marc Savard, but if the Bruins were able to spice the pot with one of their many prospects, then they would have a great chance to make their defensive unit the best in the league.

There are probably four or five other teams with interest in Savard, but if I had to say there was a front-runner, I'd put the ball in Calgary's court. Trading Savard is a much more likely scenario then one in which Tank leaves town, but is it in the teams' best interest? Trading Savard does nothing to help the offense. Do the Bruins feel they can compete for a Cup with their current blueline? Is Savard a piece they view to be crucial in making a Cup run? Do they really have hopes that Seguin makes the team and has an immediate impact? Who knows. The Bruins are in a fairly good situation. Keeping Savard won't hurt them, because Horton could be 40 goal scorer on his wing. Trading them, if netting one of those 3 guys or another puck-mover, also helps their team. If they'll make a move, I'm guessing it happens this week or next.

My prediction: Savard gets dealt to Calgary along with Andrew Ference/Matt Hunwick for Regehr and Ales Kotalik. The BSP will keep you pink-hats posted...

We Spoke Too Soon

I was one of the many that wrote the Red Sox off after a dismal April and a so-so May. All us doubters has reason to be skeptical, though. Papi was struggling mightily, much like last year. Beckett was a mess, Dice K was hurt, the bullpen stunk, and Theo's strategy of run prevention didn't appear to be working. Then they tore up June (with great thanks to interleague play) and had most thinking that they were "back." I didn't jump on the bandwagon to the playoffs, but a lot of people did...and they may have spoken too soon. Much like the Patriots and Bruins this past year, the Sox are getting destroyed by injuries. Dice K's always managing to end up at his pediatricians office, so we'll discount all his band-aids. Beckett was horrendous in April before being placed on the DL with a variety of issues. So there's two rotation mainstays who can't be counted on, but those were both prior to the June-surge.

Lets jump to post-hot streak. Dustin Pedroia might be the most irreplaceable player on the team (save for maybe Jon Lester, and even still it could be Pedey). Pedroia was on fire during interleague play, and was a large reason why the Sox were able to make such a drastic climb in the standings. He may have broken the smallest bone in his foot, but it can still lead to huge problems if he suffers a setback or needs surgery. Right now, he's expected out for 4-6 weeks (which is a long period of time to begin with). But if he needs said surgery, it'll cost him the entire season. Then you've got the catching situation. Victor broke his thumb, and now Tek has a broken foot. Funny how we take the catching position for granted sometimes. Now, instead of having an All Star-caliber guy behind the plate, or even his serviceable backup, it looks like the Sox are going to lean on recently acquired Kevin Cash...yikes. Those are your "big" hits when it comes to injuries. Then of course you still have Ellsbury, Hermida, and even Mike Lowell.

The Yankees and Rays are tough enough teams to compete with when you're fully healthy, let alone with 7 key guys on the DL. The way the Sox were playing, it was certainly conceivable that they could continue their success and sneak into the playoffs, maybe as the Wild Card, maybe even as AL East Champs. Now they're getting hammered with injuries and the hope could be fading once again. I was never on the 2010 Playoff-wagon, but I was close to hopping in the back seat two weeks ago. I think Sox fans just need to collectively hold their breath and prepare for what could be a tough second half.

Note: As I finished writing this, I happened to come across ESPN Boston's story of Manny Delcarmen landing on the 15-day DL also. Not a killer injury, but it does weaken an already brutally-bad bullpen.
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In other, minor news...the Bruins inked Daniel Paille to a two-year extension worth in the neighborhood of $1 million annually. It's certainly not front-page news, and it's not a marquee signing, but it continues the Bruins trend of using common sense. Paille isn't an electric scorer, but he's one of the league's best penalty kill specialists and has a fairly good skill-set. The Bruins are filling out what looks to be a promising roster for next season (with plenty of young options: Colborne, Seguin, Hamill, Alexandrov, Caron, etc.). A few things the Bruins could have on their checklist during the offseason: trade Tim Thomas and/or Marc Savard, find a puck-moving defenseman, and add another scoring winger if they feel that the above "young options" aren't ready for the NHL.

In other, other news...Paul Pierce is back as a Celtic. This also is not big news, mostly because it's what was expected. My ass Pierce was leaving Boston. He just wanted out of his deal this year in order to get some more long-term security in his contract. A smart move for a 32 year old player, but we all saw it coming.

Free Agent Frenzy (not the Lebron one)

For those of you who thought that the title to this post meant an entire page dedicated to the likes of Lebron, D-wade, Bosh, or Pierce...go elsewhere. It went fairly unnoticed, as always in hockey, that NHL Free Agency also began at midnight on July 1. Now the NHL won't have the marquee class of free agents that the NBA has to offer this year, but it's still going to be a very interesting few days. Already, there has been plenty of movement from teams in both conferences, and defensemen are the hot-ticket. I'll just add my general thoughts on some of today's moves and some remaining free agents:

Gonchar, Pittsburgh, Ottawa:
Losing Gonchar was a big blow to the Pens, no question about it. Their d-corps last year, if you take Gonchar away, was one of the worst in the entire NHL. He's a good powerplay quarterback and is an elite puck-mover from his own end...those types of guys don't grow on trees. So, needless to say, Ottawa picked up a pretty valuable player on the first day of free agency. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, recovered very nicely. Yes, they overpayed for both Paul Martin and Zbynek Michalek, but that's not to say that they aren't good players. Martin is similar to Gonchar...not as good, but similar. Michalek is a guy that the Penguins definitely needed last year, when they lost Hal Gill and Rob Scuderi in the offseason. He'll be a good stay-at-home, physical type guy, and he's one of the league's premier shot-blockers.

Goalies:
Really no huge surprises in the goaltending department on Day 1. Chris Mason signed on with Atlanta and should be the starter there, Dan Ellis is heading into a starting role with the Lightning, and Johan Hedberg, Martin Biron, and Alex Auld will head into their familiar backup roles. The one somewhat weird signing on the day was Antero Niittymaki signing for 2 years, $4 mil with the Sharks. I certainly would not think that the Sharks would settle for him as their starting netminder, yet they already have a capable backup in Thomas Greiss at a much cheaper rate. The Sharks figured to be a player for Tim Thomas in a deal, or Marty Turco/Jose Theodore via free agency. Something to keep an eye on I guess...

Jokinen:
This, hands down, was the most baffling move I saw. The Flames gave up Matt Lombardi and their 2010 first-round pick to get Jokinen a season and a half ago, and he absolutely flopped. He was completely ineffective during their stretch run, and they traded him last year to the Rangers for scraps and salary dumps. I've always been a Sutter fan in general, not just Darryl, but all of them. But Darryl has made bad decision after bad decision the last two to three seasons in Calgary, and other than the Phaneuf trade, this one is the worst.

The Blackhawks:
You knew they had to trim down their championship-roster for next season because of their salary cap troubles, but they have gone beyond what I think anyone expected. I criticized their trade of Dustin Byfuglien last week, and I remain critical of the decision to move Big Buff. But, given his cap situation, it appeared he was the guy that needed to go. But, within the last two days...we've seen Kris Versteeg and Andrew Ladd join Byfuglien on the bus out of the Windy City (Ladd, by the way, will actually be joining Buff in the fantastic hockey city of Atlanta). I think Stan Bowman made two great deals this week with Versteeg and Ladd. He got a forward with huge upside in Viktor Stalberg from the Leafs, and then he netted a 2nd rounder and a solid prospect defenseman in Ivan Vishnevsky from the Thrashers for Ladd...not bad for a days work. But when you go big picture, you start to realize that maybe they didn't need to sell Byfuglien for 50 cents on the dollar. The biggest crime here is the poor contract management from the last 3 years in Chicago. They wouldn't have had to go through any of those deals if they had just taken care of Cristobal Huet already and either buried him in the minors or sent him to Europe (that cap hit needed to be off the books the day after the parade). Then you have Brian Campbell, who - while a good player - wasn't worth at the time and will never be worth the ludicrous contract awarded to him by Chicago a few years ago. Yea, they won the Cup, so they did something right, but the Blackhawks have made some outrageous mistakes in the past years and they will pay for it.

Kovalchuk:
I thought a few weeks ago that Brian Burke and the Leafs would make an enormous push to get the best free agent available, but it appears not. They traded for Versteeg and signed Colby Armstrong, so they'll likely have plenty of money already tied up this offseason and won't have enough to make a realistic offer to the Russian. Having said that, it looks like it's LA or the KHL for Kovalchuuk.

And finally...

The Bruins:
It amazes me the amount of speculation that is going on surrounding Tim Thomas' situation. He isn't going ANYWHERE! I can't believe people are talking about how the Flyers, Sharks, Capitals, or 'Hawks would entertain a deal for a 36 year old, injury-prone, $5 million dollar goaltender! Especially considering the fact that you have to pay the guy and give the Bruins an asset in return. I won't spend too much time on Tank, because all the speculation is...speculation. Marc Savard is other news, because he's actually got a chance to be shipped off. Aside from the concussion that he suffered last year, Savard is a very attractive center for a lot of teams. When healthy, he is a premier playmaker. He plays in all situations (only sparingly on the PK) and he's a 90 point player (again, when healthy). Add that to the fact that he's incredibly affordable! Contrary to mass-media belief (Tony Mazz), Savard has a very, very friendly cap-number. Most 90 point players are counting as much as $6 or $7 mil against their teams cap figure, Savard sits at only $4 million! That number, in itself, makes Savard the most attractive piece on the trading market right now. He's not going to Toronto for Kaberle, because the secondary pieces in the deal would be a mess (Toronto views Kaberle as having higher value, same with the Bruins and Savard). I heard a rumor of Savard to Calgary for Robyn Regehr, which is a nice coup for the Bruins if they can pull it off. But, as I said above, the Flames are a bunch of morons and just dedicated cap space to Olli Jokinen, which likely closes the door on any Savard trade. That leaves the Islanders, Kings, Rangers, and Nashville as possible destinations for Savard. He could land up somewhere else, but I would think that those teams have the highest interest. From what I've heard about Savard's relationship with other Bruins, and the team questioning his commitment, it appears as though a deal is very realistic. He's a great offensive player and he's got a cap-friendly contract, but losing a "fairy" like Marc Savard wouldn't be the worst thing for the team (especially if a guy like Regehr is the return). But, if he's kept, having a premier playmaker centering Horton isn't the worst thing either.