Matt y’s Short Shifts
So if the Washington Capitals wanted Martin Erat, who was crushed into the boards by Florida Panthers’ Erik Gudbranson Saturday, injured his left leg, and were willing to take his contract ($4.5 million for the next two years), did Edmonton Oilers GM Steve Tambellini not call the Capitals to see if they wanted Ales Hemsky? The veteran winger has one year left on his contract and will earn $5 million in 2013-14.
Most people think the best the Calgary Flames could have received for veteran goalie Miikka Kiprusoff, if he opted to go to the Toronto Maple Leafs at last Wednesday’s trade deadline, was a second-round draft pick, not Leafs goalie Ben Scrivens in return. I know the Flames said they owed it to Kiprusoff to give him some leeway for time served and shots saved, but this is the same as using a no-trade clause, without a no-trade clause. Or am I wrong?
The Montreal Canadiens are the NHL’s surprise team this season, but I don’t see any young goalies in their system, which means they might be taking one early goalie in the June entry draft.
Nice early return on Jussi Jokinen with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He scored in his first game, got a shootout goal and won 12 of 15 on faceoffs. He has 32 goals in shootouts, which ties him with Pavel Datsyuk and Zach Parise for No. 1 all-time.
Boston Bruins centre Patrice Bergeron has had four concussions since the Randy Jones demolition job in October 2007. This latest concussion where Ottawa Senators’ Colin Greening hit him was minor stuff. Same story with former Edmonton Oiler Jeff Beukeboom, who had six concussions and never played again after current Calgary Flames assistant coach Martin Gelinas accidentally kneed him in Beukeboom’s already fragile skull. With each concussion, players seemingly need less trauma to give them another. Bergeron went to see concussion expert Dr. Robert Cantu on Sunday.
If the Calgary Flames were really interested in starting over, they would have dealt 30-year-old Curtis Glencross, who had a score of contending NHL clubs sniffing around at the deadline.