A HISTORY OF DEAL-MAKING
Expect Snow and Holmgren to talk a lot this month
An NHL general manager once told me that if you want to predict his next trading partner, all you have to do is look at his history of deals. Taking his advice, I’m predicting the New York Islanders will make a trade with the Philadelphia Flyers prior to the trade deadline.
The possibility is certainly there. The Flyers need at least one experienced defenseman. Like every team, they could always use help on the power play. A Flyers prospect plus an expensive veteran could come the Islanders’ way. Skilled 25-year old center Joffrey Lupul, even before his surprise cameo on “Sober House,” was rumored to be available (bring him on!). Although Philadelphia’s salary cap problems could prevent their acquisition of a Brendan Witt, the Islanders have plenty of cap space to help them out in other deals.
That’s what friends are for, and Islanders GM Garth Snow and Flyers GM Paul Holmgren are friendly. Two years ago they hooked up for two deals that – if you can believe it - weren’t rumored anywhere.
On Dec. 16, 2006 Snow traded defenseman Alexei Zhitnik and saved $3 million in annual salary for the next two years by getting Freddy Meyer and a third round pick. The draft selection turned into Sarnia (OHL) defenseman Mark Katic, whom we ranked No. 7 among Islanders junior, college and European prospects.
(Sidebar: Three months later Holmgren somehow managed to wheel Zhitnik to Atlanta GM Don Waddell in exchange for stud young dman Brayden Coburn. While several Islanders fans on this blog wrote last week that Snow should be able to make a Coburnian heist for any of the team’s available veterans, don’t count on it. Waddell will live with that move forever).
Three days after the Zhitnik trade, the Islanders unloaded the shockingly-done-like-dinner Mike York on the Flyers for Randy Robitaille and a fifth round draft pick in 2008 that turned out to be Sarnia (OHL) forward Matt Martin, ranked No. 8 on our prospect list.
Snow and Holmgren have a history. They have made deals that have helped their teams. They have talked about other trades that didn’t come to fruition. The Islanders are 28 points behind Philadelphia, making a trade within the division not out of the question. Right now, the Islanders are barely in the same league as the Flyers.
Don’t be surprised if they do some business in a few weeks.
ETC: Mark Streit (upper body) expected to miss his third straight game. Jack Hillen and Joe Callahan back with the Islanders and will play tonight’s home match against Los Angeles. Islanders fans will get their first Coliseum look at Kings prized rookie defenseman Drew Doughty.
Comments.
54 Responses to A HISTORY OF DEAL-MAKING
Expect Snow and Holmgren to talk a lot this month
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Good point. It’s remarkable how often GMs go back to the same well, trading partner-wise. For that reason I’ve been wondering about Snow dancing with Lowe again; but I can’t picture a match, unless they swap stalled projects.
Re: Lupul, despite his rep, I’d take him: At least he came off looking better than Kip Brennan!
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guerin13 says:
if we could somehow bring lupul back here i’d be a very happy man. what’s up with that wacky first name though. what’s wrong with jeffrey? he would probably be our first line center next year.
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dalcy says:
what team wouldn’t want a palindrome?
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rb says:
I’d much rather help out the Flyers than the Rangers or Devils…I’m for anything that throws a roadblock up between Rangers 5th cup or Devils 4th
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When talking the history of trading partners, you would have to think that Edmonton would rate highly on the list. Not sure if we make good trading partners at this time, but maybe Witt would be of an interest to them? It may mean having to take someone like Penner back in return. I’m thinking Lupul would be the better deal. What about Giroux?
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The Express says:
Well….I guess by following this logic, we could be trade partners with Edmonton too. They’re tied with Vancouver with 56 points for the 8th spot.
And we had the MAB and Smyth trades.
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Mikey says:
Great post CB. This makes a lot of sense. It’s well-known that the Flyers would like a physical defenseman to compliment their core of offensive d. Brendan Witt would be a great fit for their lineup.
Maybe we can send Witter their way in exchange for prospect Kevin Marshall and some cap filler? For those who don’t know, Marshall is a tough, stay at home defenseman playing in the Quebec league. The Flyers can probably afford to unload him given their depth of D prospects. Marshall would be a great replacement for Witt in a year or two.
I’m not too keen on acquiring Lupul. He has a lot of holes in his game, including a lack of speed.
Can’t wait to see Doughty tomorrow!
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potvin05 says:
Sorry, guys. If it came between Prucha and Lupul, I’d rather have Prucha. Better price, better upside, much healthier. Lupul will never live up to his billing. If he can’t prosper with some of the guys he plays with in Philly, he won’t do it here. Prucha just needs a chance and a coach who believes in him. He must of done something to someone in Renney’s family.
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Express, I agree with you, I definitely see them doing something with Edmonton. I can see Weight making a return there. They could use a playmaking center.
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Awesome post CB! I wish this site was always around, you’ve made it a very enjoyable year despite the defense of the basement squad. A lot of people don’t realize what Snow is doing, Katic and Martin? People will soon find out he has another doozy, if we do deal with edmonton horcoff would be the most logical, he’s been on the block and he’s just having an off year, we should grab him for sure.
With philly maybe they might grab niitymaki if philly decides fully on Biron. He would be a good backup to Ricky although Danis is playing great.
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Billy, I love Horcoff, but I don’t know if we got the goods to get him. We’d probably have to throw a pick in with Weight and it might not be worth it. He’s probably the emotional leader on that team.
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isles72 says:
is it the same teams following the isles around cb ? last mention was the hawks,wild,yotes scouting alot of isles game before the allstar break.
hawks are going to have a hard time signing some of their rfa’s (Bolland,Versteeg both having breakout seasons and are rfa )
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These deals were, in fat, rumored. Remember Fauxrumors who comments there from time to time? Go read his blog, the entrys back at the time.
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cool. i wouldnt mind it. whatever they can give back to help us i am sure id be happy with. possibly a fighter too. also, i know people mention trading for and signing rfa’s. first, the guys usually mentioned are awsome and amazing and we wont get them. second if its an allright rfa that is young and had a good season, why would we waste a 1,2,,3 rounder on him.
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Bridgeport fan says:
Witt to phili for Nodl and Jones…Book it..In turn the Isles will deal Campoli while his stock is still pretty good
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JayK says:
The Flyers’ cap problems two years from now, when the cap is expected to drop, are enormous. They’re even worse, by a lot, than the Rangers. If the cap drops to (worst case scenario) $48 million, I saw one analysis that showed the Flyers, after paying their current guaranteed contracts, would have less than $500,000 per player to fill out their roster. The That shows you just how bad the Flyers’ problems are. Obviously, if the cap isn’t 48k, the problem isn’t as bad. But it gives you a sense of the $$ woes to which they’ve committed.
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19 Isle in NJ 22 says:
I’d rather hold onto Weight unless someone blows Snow’s socks off.
I’d like to see the Isles deal with a bubble team for draft pick potential … and top notch team with depth to snatch a B- or better prospect that is caught in a system that is too deep for him to get a shot.
For instance … if Team A is deep at defense … but needs another Center with experiece for the playoff run … Comrie for a good prospect BIG D-man. You get the point?
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Big Dog says:
rb: after watching last night’s Rags-Devils game, I don’t think you have anything to worry about.
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Matt says:
It was a beauty!
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Edmonton has a new GM that we’ve never dealt with before…Wait scratch that, it’s Tamby’s dad, they owe us big. Horcoff is their leader I don’t see him going anywhere unless the cap hit is too much for them. The Palindrome (good one Dalcy) would be a good fit if he got his head out of his ***. I think he was an important part of Edmonton’s Cup run and is still very young. The question is, does he have the heart to play up to his potential?
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Brian G says:
Trade targets from Philly:
RW – Upshall
D – Parent
RW – Giroux
(Philly has picks available in rounds 1, 5, 6 available for trade) -
ISLESFAN999 says:
I would trade guerin and witt to philly for upshall, lupul kukonen and cap filler
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Jay says:
we should concentrate on the Devils future. this way when the Isles move to KC, the Devils will still be whipping the Rangers.
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Let’s Go Isles, right Jay.
With CB mentioning Lupul, I think that is all Phila is looking to really move. Maybe a pick, but I can’t see much more coming out of there. Then again, Briere is probably available. I hope Garth takes a pass on him, though. Too much money, too few games played. I can only imagine the uproar for a guy making $8M and playing half the season.
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I’d think the Flyers wouldn’t want to talk to Garth after the Mike York deal. Done-like-dinner was right. But I’m sure we’re in a for a surprise or two.
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Dmarie says:
Interesting Post..
I hope Garth makes good deals, I’m sure he knows what needs to be added to the stew to make it yummy..ok, I can’t help it..I love to cook and it came to mind that way, I’m sure you get my drift.
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UIF says:
ISLESFAN999 – Per TSN, Philly waived Kukonen today, so if the Isles did want him, they can probably just claim him?
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Ron from Lindenhurst says:
what about getting Hartnell for Witt? Talk about speed, this guy would fit perfectly.
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Ron – I love Hartnell’s game, but I think he has a no trade clause. He’s exactly the right kind of guy to add though – young player entering the prime of his career who’s locked up long-term.
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stevedepot says:
CB, a few days ago there was some tension over rumors/sites and a stern reminder to everyone that it will not be tolerated. Now I read this Isles/Flyers rumor here after we also read on flyers news sites about their wish for a dman and their abundance of forwards. So we know this is definitely a legitimate conclusion and one I enjoyed reading. However…The timing? after what transpired I had hoped we’d be reading anything but rumors here for a while but with the trade deadline fast approaching this is way more entertaining than 24/7 A-roid media fiasco going on.
Thank you! -
Bob Bassen says:
If we’re yearning for Hartnell we might as well have picked-up Avery off of the waiver wire…two pea’s in the same pod…re:style of play. Much prefer that the Isles pick more honorable types with some class. JMO.
Looks like a lot of the contending teams besides Philly are in funks and could possibly start to make a few more *desperate type* trades…
Go Isles! -
Aim says:
CB how about Witt for Coburn LOL
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How about, Brendon Witt, and Doug Weight, going to Edmonton, for Robert Nilsson, Ryan O’Marra, and a #2. Thanks Chris, Mark
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blitz says:
PHI would have to send salary back in any move.
It would be great for NYI to obtain some nice assets/player for someone like Witt, but PHI’s real problem is Biron – no better than a 1A goalie that lacks consistency to make his team better.
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Isles4cups says:
I don’t think the Isles need Hartnell at this point. I would suspect Lupul would be of more value if he was more consistent. There could be some interesting deadline deals made. I’m sure the gears are turning in Snow’s head. Here’s hoping he makes some key moves. I wonder what the possibility would be of prying Mike Cammalleri out of Calgary as he is set to become an UFA.
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admin says:
Steve (31): I did not write a trade rumor story. I will when I have a legitimate source to report one. That story will start with something like “Point Blank has been told…” My story mentions two players reported in legit MSM stories (and by sheer logic) to be available. This story theorizes about two GMs who know each other well and have made two trades perhaps doing so again. As readers have speculated, look for Edmonton too based on history. This is irrelevant to the nonsense of last weekend…CB
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Poster 32.I mean no disrespect here :
Hartnell and Avery are not like 2 peas in a pod.Off the ice Hartnell is a very nice person and not a total idiot.I have had the opportunity to converse with him a few times and he is very down to earth and has a stunningly beautifal misses to keep him in check.Avery is a 24-7 idiot and he shows his true colors because he is a egomaniac and needs to be the center of attention regularly.Style of play may be slightly similar but comparing these 2 could not be further from the truth. -
isles316 says:
Cammalleri is all about the money it seems. He REALLY put up a stink last year in LA and basically forced a trade. His character I think would be in question and the Isles don’t need that. However he is right around 30 goals already this season.
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316 – he’s at about 30 goals every year. If he’s all about money, then show him money imo…if that’s all he wants, then at least it should take the “FAs don’t want to play for a bad team w/ circus atmosphere blah, blah, blah” factor right out of the equation
So many of our players are “great guys” who just can’t put up the numbers. I’ll take a greedy guy who actually lives up to the money he makes for once.
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…just DON’T make him captain! Been down that road already with that type of personality.
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Strummer's Army says:
Hey, I did recognize Lupul on the Sober House show but who is the Kip guy? I mean what is his last name? That is a shame the girl couldn’t stay sober.
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strummer, it was Kip Brennan.
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streit02 says:
Guys id take who i believe could be had as far as philly & edmonton go:
If Lupul is available definitely make it happen. I love Upshall’s game. Gilbert Brule from Edmonton (as ive mentioned b4) would be great for our system and is still very young. Problem is, we dont have 2 many spots on our roster. So assuming one of these guys come over id be happy. Id also claim Prucha if the Rangers were forced to waive him in light of this Avery BS. -
DON’T TRADE FOR LUPUL – I would Rather have Upshall instead.
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isles316 – At 3.6 million, I’d suggest that he is quite a bargain and probably deserves more? He is ahead of Langkow in scoring who earns $1.5 more and 6pts behind Iggy who earns twice as much. Comrie makes more than Cammelleri for crying out loud. I think I’d give him a chance if it were up to me.
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Was it really Steve? The guy was tall enough but didn’t have a thick build or blonde hair? That’s a shame he led her down a bad path. What did she say about him? Something about he stayed sober she didn’t?
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SIR WILLIAM says:
With the cap on it’s way down there is no way that Philly can eat two more years of Brendan Witt no matter who they give back.
Look for Campoli, Meyer, or Gervais who make nothing compared to Witt to go.
The Isles are in a great position cap wise
and it is time for Snow to exploit that situation. Plenty of teams in this league are going to have to cut loose very servicable players over the next year because the cap is going to fall dramatically. I don’t beleive one word out of Bettmans mouth when he says revenue is down slightly. Anyone who watches Versus can see half empty buildings all over this league. The sky is falling…….SW -
48..I agree with you about exploiting the cap but I think 2010-2011 is the time to exploit it especially if that is when the cap is set to go down.The summer of 2010 teams are going to be begging other franchises to take salaried players and if the Isles stick to there rebuilding guns they can become a force to be reckoned with.
If the Isles make a couple of deals where teams dump some pending UFA cap on them this year they can amsss some more pics and prospects.
If the Flyers are looking to dump Biron like the rumor says,why not take him and a prospect or pick 4 a late pick or a AHL lifer -
kevin says:
forget about the flyers. we should trade witt to edmonton. get back schremp. smyth, bergeron trades.
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pollard park says:
i would not take on any x-tra baggage at this point. trade the vets 4 draft picks and prospects. keep the cap space for when a stud rfa or ufa comes available! i would definitly grab prucha off waivers ,only because he has great upside.
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???? we cant trade all four. we would be below the cap. then random guys are taking on the salary. i think we should do it anyway but apparently you cant. idk why they wont let us but whatever
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Kevin, I may be wrong but I don’t think
“random players” get the extra money if we slip bellow the cap floor. I thought it went into a general aid fund for players or something like that. -
i asked a while ago and that was the response so i am basing it off there answer. either way i think we should do it togain in the rebuild
I almost forgot that Mike York played here. What a dissapointing season that was after the lockout.
I was hoping the Isles would trade with someone on the oustide lookin in on the playoff picture. Maybe Florida who I think makes a better dance partner. They’ll finnish in a spot where we can get a mid second rounder. Maybe even peal off a younf prospect in the process.