The Trade Winds, They Are A Blowin’

Well, the first move of the trade season has been made.  According to TSN:

The Calgary Flames have traded defenceman Dion Phaneuf, forwardFredrik Sjostrom, and prospect defenceman Keith Aulie to the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for forwards Matt Stajan, Niklas Hagman,Jamal Mayers and defenceman Ian White.

Personally, I don’t like this trade.  The Leafs have gotten a greatly overrated defenseman in exchange for two of their better offensive talents — something that the team is greatly lacking at the moment.

This trade could end up being one of a player who just needed a change of scenery, but right now I’d have to give the edge to Calgary on this one, as they unloaded Phaneuf’s monster salary and they also picked up two players who can contribute on the offensive side of the puck in Stajan and Hagman.

Here’s what Brian Burke had to say:

The Walking Wounded and other Wild Updates

Per Russo,

Goalie Niklas Backstrom will indeed have left hip surgery Friday in Vail. Brian Stensaas was on a conference call with acting GM Tom Lynn. He reports he has two cysts on the bony part of his hip.

Lynn says they won’t know how long he’ll be out until they operate. Worst case scenario, Stensaas says, could be four to six months!

But Lynn said the doctor cautions they can’t give a timetable yet. More from Stensaas in Wednesday’s paper.

Also, I hear Brent Burns is having shoulder surgery probably on Thursday.

This is in addition to Andrew Brunette having reconstructive knee surgery this off season and Derek Boogaard having shoulder surgery.

So what does this mean for the Wild?  Well, if the prognosis for Backstrom truly is 4-6 months, that puts Backstrom back at the earliest, August 24th and at the latest October 24th.  Knowing Backstrom, he will work his hardest to rehab and be back sooner, but this essentially makes the top priority for the new GM hammering out a deal for back up goalie Josh Harding.

If this is indeed the case, you can take Harding off of the table as a bargaining chip.  That is, unless the new GM is suddenly stricken by Barry Brust-mania and believes that Brust can shoulder the load as an NHL starter.  What this could do, however, is drive Harding’s stock through the roof.  If Harding can perform like Backstrom did when he wrested the starting job away from Manny Fernandez a few years back, Harding could easily become a hot commodity among NHL teams.

The Search Begins
After being denied permission by Brian Burke and the Toronto Maple Leafs to speak with Dave Nonis, Wild owner Craig Leipold recieved permission from the Nashville Predators to speak with a couple of his old employees; Director of Hockey Operations Mike Santos and assistant GM Paul Fenton.

From Russo,

Leipold declined comment on them, ”just like I won’t comment on any of the other candidates.” 

There are lots of candidates that have surfaced. These are just two that so far I know he’ll be allowed to talk with. I’m sure there are others. I’m working the phones.

Santos is in his third year in Nashville and is responsible in negotiating player contracts and preparing for salary arbitrations. He served as assistant GM for the New York Islanders from 1997-2002 and director of hockey operations for the Florida Panthers from 2002-03.

He was Commissioner and President of the North American Hockey League from 2003-06. He’s worked for USA Hockey and the NHL.

Fenton is in his third year as Nashville’s assistant GM after eight as the director of player personnel. He oversees the Predators’ amateur player development and managers the team’s pro and amateur scouting staffs. He’s also GM of the AHL Milwaukee Admirals.

Fenton, who played eight years in the NHL for seven teams and was a former Boston University standout, also spent five seasons working for the Anaheim Ducks. 

It hasn’t happened yet, but another person I’d assume Leipold would request permission to speak with his Pittsburgh assistant GM Chuck Fletcher. He’s 41 with 16 years of experience. He’s immensely respected after years in Florida, Anaheim and Pittsburgh.

Remember, Leipold has a fabulous relationship with Penguins GM Ray Shero, who used to be assistant GM in Nashville.

In addition, the Wild have been denied permission to speak with Red Wings assistant GM Jim Nill.  Nill is under contract until 2010-11 and has a commitment in his contract to stay in Detroit.  In fact, this quote was run in the Windsor Star when Toronto was inquiring about Nill’s availability.

The way we do things here, I’ve already got most of the responsibilities and input that a general manager would have. Ken [Holland] and I work really well together.

I’m comfortable, I’m well-compensated and I like the organization. I know which side my bread is buttered on.

Risebrough Presser
You’ve got to love hockey guys.  Doug Risebrough held his “exit presser” yesterday and held it at Tom Reid’s Hockey City Pub.  Gotta love it.

Anyway, Russo had some snippets in his blog regarding the players and it just shows how well respected Risebrough was by his own players.  Derek Boogaard had his fiancee drive to the pub after he literally just woke up from having shoulder surgery, just so that he could thank Risebrough for the opportunity and have a chance to say goodbye.  Risebrough also spent some quality time with Marian Gaborik at the arena and went to Brent Burns’ home to meet with the youngster after the new broke regarding his concussion problems.

Again, on a personal level, I’m sad to see Risebrough go.  He was a great guy, probably the nicest associated with the NHL that I’ve had the pleasure to meet.  Part of me feels that he deserved a bit better treatment than he received from Leipold; however, that’s also Leipold’s perogative as the owner.  It’s his team and he can run it as he sees fit.

On a business level, however, it was time for a change.  Risebrough had become increasingly defensive about his decisions over the past few seasons and it seemed as if fans, management and players alike were all growing tired of his smug, “I know best” attitude.  As disappointed as I am that it had to end like this, it certainly had to end.

In the transcript of the presser, however, there was one quote from Risebrough that really rings true to me.

I think the club, I believe the club is in really good shape, and I’ll tell you why. I think it’s got a good core of players. It’s got good youth. I think it’s got great flexibility in terms of the salary cap. It’s got lots of room this year, it’s got lots of room next year. So whether that means what do you want to do immediate signings or future signings, it’s all there. It’s got a great fan base that’s still in love with this team. So it’s going to be energized. I believe players that had poor years will rebound. I’m pretty comfortable to say the injuries aren’t going to be the same magnitude. So I think it’s a great opportunity for a manager and I think it’s a great opportunity for a coach. And I feel good about that. I made decisions on a regular basis for the right  reasons, and the right reasons never included me. They never included me, they were always for the franchise. Now I can say, I didn’t always make the right decisions, but I did them for the right reasons. And I feel good about that.

That right there, to me, says it all.  Whoever it is has a good base, but also has his work cut out for him.  This is a solid team in need of a few key components to become a serious contender.  I don’t think this team needs to be blown up and start from scratch again, but at the same time I don’t think that this team is ready to contend next season after all of this going on this off season.  One thing’s for sure, though.  It’s still an exciting time to be a Wild fan!

St. Patty's Day Tribute to Owen Nolan

Yes, it is the famous (or infamous) March 17th.  The day where public intoxication becomes not just acceptable, but expected.  So, we here at Wild Nation have decided to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by putting together a small tribute to our favorite Wild player and resident Irishman, Owen Nolan.

Nolan was born in Belfast, Ireland on February 12, 1972.  His family soon moved to Canada, where Nolan began playing hockey at the age of nine.  At the age of 15, Nolan began playing for the Thorold Bantam Hawks, putting up 53 goals and 85 points in just 28 games.  At 16, he made the jump to the OHL, playing for the Cornwall Royals.  He totalled 59 points in 62 games his first season, all while racking up an impressive 213 penalty minutes.  The following season, he took off, notching 110 points in 58 games as well as 240 penalty minutes.

His two seasons in the OHL were good enough to get him drafted by the Quebec Nordiques (now the Colorado Avalanche) and Nolan stepped into their line up and was making an impact by the age of 19.  After two solid seasons of 70+ points and 180+ penalty minutes, Nolan was sidelined for the majority of the 1993-94 season with a shoulder injury suffered in a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

He came back strong in the lockout shortened 1994-95 season, with 49 points in 46 games and was traded to San Jose in the following season for Sandis Ozolinsh.  It is in San Jose where Nolan would step into his own on the ice, becoming a team leader both on and off the ice for much of his time with the organization.  This was capped by the 1999-00 season where Nolan was 2nd in the league in goals with 44 and carved his niche with 18 powerplay goals as well.  By the time he hit his 30s, his body began to give out and a serious knee injury sidelined him for the lockout, as well as all of the following season.

Not one to be kept out of the game, however, the firey Irishman made a comeback with the Phoenix Coyotes; finishing third on the team in points with 40 and in goals scored with 16.  Nolan then signed with the Flames the following year, putting up similar numbers and providing veteran leadership for the team before finally settling in with the Wild this season.

Nolan’s career accomplishments include 9 straight 15+ goal seasons (which include 5 20+ goal seasons within the streak) as well as being the Sharks captain for much of his stay in San Jose.  What most remember about Nolan, however, are his exploits that have little-to-nothing to do with goal scoring.  First was his “run in” with Ed Belfour in the 1997-98 playoffs and second was his called shot goal against Dominic Hasek in the 1999-00 All Star game.  Nolan’s 148 career powerplay goals rank him 8th amongst active skaters and 44th all time, his 1744 penalty minutes ranks him 10th amongst active skaters and 79th all time and his 401 goals rank him 81st all time.  Also, his shooting percentage this season (17.7%) is good for 9th in the NHL.  His 20 goals this season leads the Wild and marks the 10th time in his career that he has broken the 20+ goal mark.

This season, however, Nolan has given the Wild leadership both on and off the ice, as well as showing the team’s youngsters just how the game is supposed to be played.  He’s played through an ankle sprain, he’s played through a pulled groin, he’s currently playing through a broken toe.  This is a man who flew out to Vancouver of his own volition, after being told that he wasn’t going to play on the road trip due to a broken toe.  He boarded the plane in a walking boot, didn’t skate with the team because his skate was too painful, came out during the game and was one of the Wild’s top players.

If the Wild are to make the playoffs this season, you can easily point to “Cowboy” or “Grandpa” or “Grumpy” (all of which Nolan is called in the locker room) as the reason.  The Wild’s core may consist of Brent Burns, Mikko Koivu, Pierre-Marc Bouchard and Niklas Backstrom, but Nolan is the heart and soul of this team.  Koivu may very well be wearing the ‘C’ on his chest, but Nolan is the true captain of this team.  His passion for the game has been infectious and his tenacity is starting to rub off on other players in the locker room.

All in all, our favorite Irishman is providing both grit and scoring for the Wild this season, of which we are ever appreciative.  So join me in toasting Owen Nolan at tonight’s game.  Erin Go Bragh Owen, Erin Go Bragh!

Mondays Links

A new week and 3 games on tap for this evening.  Carolina takes on the Rangers tonight on Versus, while CuJo will get the start tonight for Toronto against Ottawa and Vancouver rolls into LA to face the Kings.

• The Red Wings should be getting a shot in the arm soon (as if they need it).  Homer is back for the Wings and Marian Hossa should be returning soon.
• Wild Road Tripper has a good look at the Wild’s victory last night over the Anaheim Ducks at Hitting the Post.
• Speaking of the Wild, Hockey Wilderness has a nice e-mail exchange between a disenfranchised former season ticket holder and Wild owner Craig Leipold.  Kudos to Mr. Leipold for standing up for himself and for the team.  I don’t necessarily know that I agree with the author’s sentiment about Mr. Leipold’s take on the team; after all, there really were no moves for the team to make at the deadline this season.
• An absolutely fantastic piece by James Mirtle at From the Rink on hockey in Nashville.
• Sounds like Devils coach Brent Sutter wasn’t happy with losing to the Isles 7-3.  I can’t really think of a larger embarrassment for an NHL team, can you?
• An old post, but a good one nonetheless.  A good list of hockey people using Twitter.  I wonder if they’re going to add “Brian Burke”?
• Patrick Roy is backing Martin Brodeur?  Really?  If I were Marty, I’d be careful of any loose doors lying around.
• It’s a bad time for the Panthers to be dealing with injuries to key players.
• An interesting look at stats since the all star break.  Steve Ott has more than 20 points?  Couldn’t have called that one.
• Matchsticks and Gasoline is circling the wagons around Curtis McElhinney.  I agree.  Cut the kid a break.  I can’t imagine backing up Kipper is an easy job by any means.
• And finally, because the playoffs are just around the corner, the guide to grading the playoff beard.

Enjoy!