“I Might Just Be A Hockey Fan In California” is a feature that is posted every Saturday here at the View From My Seats. There are plenty of things going on in the hockey world (and even the sports world); and you know everyone has an opinion. This is a place for some quick hits of the week that was.
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I might just be a hockey fan in California, but:
- It’s awesome that Bovada.lv has an official over/under line for the number of trades and number of players traded for this year’s deadline. For the record, they’ve set the over/under for number of trades at 22.5 and the number of players at 41. No truth to the rumor that TSN producers put money on the over.
- In what world is Marek Zidlicky worth three players and two draft picks?
- The Ducks are continuing to make a run towards the 8th seed, but what is wrong with Ryan Getzlaf? Not only is he struggling to produce goals (only scored 8 on the season), but his plus/minus is the worst of all forwards on the Ducks roster. And this is their #1 center and heart-and-soul captain? If he can find his way, they’ll be even more dangerous.
- With the way this season has gone for the Blue Jackets, would it surprise anyone if they lost the draft lottery despite having the worst record in the league? Losing Nail Yakupov would be the unfortunate cherry on top of their disastrous sundae.
- The most interesting facet of the Washington Capitals devastating stretch recently is the utter lack of explanation. Yes, they’ve been bad. But it seems like no one can really put their finger on the exact problem. That should be more worrisome than any issues they have on the ice.
- The Detroit Red Wings have made a name for themselves as being one of the smartest organizations in all of pro sports; but let’s not forget they just spent a 1st round draft pick on Kyle Quincey—a guy they lost for nothing on the waiver wire.
- Speaking of Quincey, talk about bad form for his comments on the way out of town. ESPN’s John Buccigross said there were some character issues with Quincey, then a day later he blasts his former organization and puts all of his former teammates in an extraordinarily uncomfortable situation. It doesn’t even matter if his comments are true—that’s just bad business. Stay classy Kyle Quincey.
- I don’t play fantasy hockey, but if I did, here would be my master strategy every single year: Draft Phil Kessel. At the end of December (when he’s near the league leaders in goals), trade him for Corey Perry (who loves the second half). In April, collect my winnings.
- Don’t look now, but the Phoenix Coyotes are tied with the San Jose Sharks for the Pacific Division lead (Sharks have two games in hand). Who in hell saw this coming a month ago?
- If Steve Ott is traded before the deadline, the Dallas Stars damn well better get a huge return for that guy. Aside from being incredibly versatile and a Grade A pest, he’s the heart and soul of that team. Oh, and the fans love him.
It looks like the Senators are really going to make the playoffs. If you saw this coming in September, you're a liar....
- The Ottawa Senators are really going to make the playoffs, aren’t they?
- Nothing is more misleading that seeing a team leading a division at this time of year, only to find out that they only lead by a single point and the opponents have FOUR games in hand. Don’t get comfortable in that top spot Jets fans.
- Team chemistry is an interesting animal. It’s amazing that a team like the New York Rangers could be leading the Eastern Conference—due in large part to their great chemistry—could be considering a huge disruption of the room for a single player. Rick Nash is a superstar difference-maker, but that’s a huge gamble for a tight-knit team in the middle of the season. In the offseason, it’s a completely different story.
- The Kings signing Willie Mitchell to a contract extension mere hours after Jack Johnson was shipped out of town demonstrates just how important the shutdown defenseman is to his team. It couldn’t have happened to a better guy.
- When I see some of the trade proposals at this time of year, I can actually feel the IQ points falling out of my ear.
- Props to the Minnesota Wild for signing Kyle Brodziak for the next three seasons. Every team in the league could use a guy like him.
- How can the Red Wings be so good at home, yet be so mediocre on the road. Better yet, how can this team be so average on the road when they were the best team on the road last season? Things that make you go Hmmmm…
- In more re-signing news, much respect to Jim Rutherford locking up both Tuomo Ruutu and Tim Gleason in the middle of the season. The Hurricanes may have slightly overspent for both players, but there’s no way they would have been able to replace those kinds of holes in free agency this summer. I know it’s more fun to spin the Wheel o’ Trade at the deadline, but those are the kinds of players that should be part of the solution going forward in Carolina.
- Absolutely love the Phoenix Coyotes trading for Antoine Vermette for their playoff push. The guy is a strong two-way forward who consistently chips in points and plays all 200 feet of the ice. He sounds like every other Coyotes player on the roster.
- On behalf of all fans around the world, can we please try to avoid another lockout? What’s the old saying? Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me…
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Click here for our archive of past editions of our “I Might Just Be A Hockey Fan In California” feature.
Matt Reitz is the Editor-In-Chief here at ViewFromMySeats.com and former NHL Writer for ProHockeyTalk on NBCSports. When he’s not shoving a mic in the face of NHLers or explaining why home teams should wear white, he’s usually trying to figure out what song to play next on his iPod. It’s a never-ending job.
